Your noon Briefing: Andrews to spend $600m on cladding debacle

Your 2-minute digest of the day’s top stories.

Hello readers. Victoria is to spend $600m to make hundreds of buildings with combustible cladding safe, and Vodafone to refund customers it ‘misled’.

Premier Daniel Andrews speaks during a Property Council of Australia luncheon in Melbourne, Tuesday, June 25, 2019. (AAP Image/Daniel Pockett) NO ARCHIVING

Cladding debacle

Victoria has moved to ensure hundreds of buildings with combustible cladding are safe, but wants the federal government to help fund it.

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LEEDS, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Chris Gayle of West Indies is seen after the Group Stage match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 between Afghanistan and West Indies at Headingley on July 04, 2019 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Gayle sees off appeal

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have lost their appeal against Chris Gayle’s successful defamation lawsuit.

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Apartments under construction around Melbourne. Apartments under construction are pictured in Hopkins Street Footscray. Picture : Ian Currie

HK ‘flood’

A surge in Hong Kong residents buying Australian property is looming, as a new force emerges in lending, writes Robert Gottliebsen.

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NEW YORK, NY - JULY 15: The exterior of the residence owned by Jeffrey Epstein on the Upper East Side is seen on July 15, 2019 in New York City. A judge is prepared to rule on Jeffrey Epsteins bail status after it was delayed by his lawyers arguing he should be able to reside in his mansion pre-trial. Epstein is charged with sex trafficking of minors and it has been alleged that he paid underage girls for sexual acts. Kevin Hagen/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Epstein’s ‘secret stash’

Dozens of diamonds and a fake foreign passport have been found at the $109m mansion of financier Jeffrey Epstein.

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GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - JULY 13: Alan Richardson, Senior Coach of the Saints speaks to his players during the round 17 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the St Kilda Saints at GMHBA Stadium on July 13, 2019 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Richardson leaves St Kilda

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson has agreed to part ways with the club after six years.

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The logo of British mobile phone giant Vodafone welcomes visitors at their retail shop in central London on January 30, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALL

Vodafone ‘misled’ customers

Vodafone will refund customers slugged for content they had not agreed to buy.