Your noon Briefing: Morrison’s canary in the coal mine

Your 2-minute digest of today’s top stories and a long read.

Hello readers. Productivity growth underscores Coalition’s challenge, and amazing discovery of dinosaur herd.

03/06/2019: Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (right) meets with Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn, at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Melbourne. Stuart McEvoy/The Australian.

ScoMo’s canary in coal mine

The latest assessment of Australia’s productivity growth underlines some of the challenges faced by the Coalition.

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Fossilised remains of Fostoria dhimbangunmal, preserved in opal, have been found at Lightning Ridge in NSW.

Dinosaur treasure

In an Australian first, the remains of an entire herd of 100 million year-old dinosaurs has been identified, together with the world’s most complete opalised dinosaur.

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Alan Jones during his radio show from the Southport Yacht Club. Picture Glenn Hampson

2GB lifts

Listeners flocked to 2GB in the lead up to the election despite Labor’s snub, extending its ratings-topping run to 15 years.

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Morning commuter traffic negotiate the flooded Grand Parade at Brighton Le Sands in Sydney, Tuesday, June, 4, 2019. Heavy rain a strong winds are expected to impact Sydney through out the day. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins) NO ARCHIVING

Wild weather

Severe weather warnings have been issued on the east coast as an intense low brings extreme conditions and snow falls in Queensland.

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Conservative MP Boris Johnson leaves a house in London on May 30, 2019. - Boris Johnson, considered the frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister, must appear in court over allegations that he knowingly lied during the Brexit referendum campaign, a judge ruled Wednesday. Johnson, the former foreign secretary, will be summoned to appear over allegations of misconduct in public office, judge Margot Coleman said in a written decision, without specifying the date. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

Boris surges

Boris Johnson surged into the lead in the race to be PM as he launched his campaign.

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02/05/2019: Sussan Ley Meter for Farrer on the banks of the Murray River in Tocumwal on Thursday. Hollie Adams/The Australian

The long read: When the river runs dry

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is still splitting farming communities, writes Ean Higgins, and if things look bad now, the climatic trend points to things getting far worse.