Your noon Briefing

Welcome to your noon digest of what’s been making news and what to watch for.

Hello readers. Here is your noon round-up of today’s top stories so far and a long read for lunchtime.

Tim Hammond, Labor candidate for Perth, arriving at the Bayswater Hotel with his wife Lindsay and daughter Sidney (4). PHOTO: MARIE NIRME.

Labor MP quits

One of Bill Shorten’s rising stars, West Australian frontbencher Tim Hammond, has dropped a bombshell by resigning from politics, citing the family pressures of being a Perth-based federal MP. His resignation will trigger a by-election in Mr Hammond’s inner-city seat of Perth, which is held by Labor on a margin of just 3.3 per cent. Mr Hammond, 43, is the shadow minister for consumer affairs and was seen as a potential future Labor leader.

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Workers at the New Acland Coal Mine near Oakey are worried for their futures after court rulings could see the mine close in the near future. Pics Adam Head

Lifeline for mine

One of Queensland’s most controversial coalmining projects has been thrown a potential lifeline by the state’s Supreme Court. Justice Helen Bowskill this morning set aside a finding by the state’s Land Court that New Hope’s $900 million New Acland mine enlargement — on the Darling Downs, near Toowoomba west of Brisbane — should not proceed because of the risk posed to groundwater.

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Controversial "Die in" cyclist protest led by Councillor Johnathan Sri during peak hour traffic at the corner of Vulture and Graham Streets, South Brisbane. Photographer: Liam Kidston

Scarfman rides again

Brisbane’s morning peak hour traffic reached an even slower crawl than usual this morning after 40 protesting cyclists laid down their bikes in the middle of a busy inner-city road. Vulture Street in South Brisbane was strewn with bikes and bodies of riders protesting the lack of safe cycling options in the city after a 19-year-old Shelley Cheng was hit by a car on the stretch of road last month. City councillor Jonathan Sri, famous for his colourful scarf, organised the protest, and said the group had made their point.

“We’ve advocated for this for so long we’ve become desperate and need something bold to draw attention to the issue that Brisbane City Council are choosing to ignore.”

Shelley Cheng

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PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 01: Vehicles are burning as thousands of people take to the streets during the May Day demonstrations on May 1, 2018 in Paris, France. This month celebrates the 50th anniversary of May 68 when France seen millions of students and striking workers, come onto the streets in demonstrations that changed the country. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

Paris is burning

As President Emmanuel Macron visits Australia, thousands of masked protesters left scenes of devastation in Paris as they ransacked shops and fought with police amid the worst violence in the French capital since May 1968.

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 01: Cardinal George Pell leaves at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on May 1, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. Cardinal Pell was charged on summons by Victoria Police on 29 June 2017 over multiple allegations of sexual assault. Cardinal Pell is Australia's highest ranking Catholic and the third most senior Catholic at the Vatican, where he was responsible for the church's finances. Cardinal Pell has leave from his Vatican position while he defends the charges. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

The long read: Trial of the century

The hearing in courtroom No 1 will be remembered in Catholic history as the location of George Pell’s second last stand. Magistrate Belinda Wallington, weighed by the gravity of the moment, appeared to look briefly down the barrel of Pell’s eyes before asking how he would plead. Pell stared blankly before thundering: “NOT GUILTY.” John Ferguson and Tessa Akerman were there as the battle lines were drawn in Melbourne.

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Comment of the day

“The Australian Human Rights Commission ... would not be out of place in Orwell’s dystopian novel of totalitarian hell, alongside his Ministries of Truth (lies), Peace (war), Love (torture) and Plenty (starvation).”

Peter, in response to ‘We don’t need a race commissioner’.