Your noon Briefing

Welcome to your noon roundup of how the day has played out so far and what to watch for.

Hello readers. Here is your noon digest of what’s making news and a long read for lunchtime.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (centre) speaks to the media during a visit to the Teenie Weenies Learning Centre in Panania with Minister for Women Kelly O'Dwyer (right) and Assistant Minister for Finance David Coleman (obscured) in Sydney, Monday, April 9, 2018. (AAP Image/Brendan Esposito) NO ARCHIVING

‘I regret 30 Newspoll remarks’

Malcolm Turnbull says he regrets citing 30 Newspoll losses as a reason for rolling Tony Abbott as he insists he has the support of the Liberal partyroom. The Prime Minister faced media this morning after the highly anticipated Newspoll which had the government trailing Labor for the 30th consecutive time – the same benchmark Mr Turnbull gave for challenging Mr Abbott for the leadership in September 2015.

Meanwhile, Judith Sloan writes she doesn’t care about Newspoll when the PM’s promises are hollow. Simon Benson writes the Coalition party room is a divided cabal torn between hope and despair.

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Asylum seekers aboard HMAS Adelaide after being rescued from a sinking boat in 2001.

Pick migrants who will fit in

Forget South Africans, more ­Croatians please? Australia can’t take all the world’s 23 million refugees, so why not prioritise those who are most likely to fit in economically, writes Adam Creighton. That saves taxpayers money in welfare, and minimises social discord.

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Susidies are skewing the development of solar and wind farms away from the best available sites, according to TransGrid. Picture: Andy Rogers.

Warning on new solar, wind sites

Renewable energy subsidies are skewing the development of solar and wind farms away from the best available sites because they are not matched with resources to improve network access, the NSW network operator says.

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Robert (Bob) Pitcairn of Canada sits for photo at the Belmont shooting range during the XXI Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, April 7, 2018. (AAP Image/Dan Peled) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

A medal hope ... at 79 years

The oldest athlete to ever compete at a Commonwealth Games is also the only one to have successfully foiled an aircraft hijacking. Keep up with all the action in our live Commonwealth Games blog.

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Supplied image of Australian general Pompey Elliott to accompany Hedauville article.

The long read: Man of uncommon valour

A century ago Britain was facing its gravest crisis of World War I. The Germans had launched an immense offensive on March 21, 1918, driving the British back about 65km. In just one day they ­advanced as far as the British had managed in four months during their 1916 Somme offensive. Consternation and anxiety were widespread. Some British units had been retiring in disarray. This was the climax of the most momentous war there had ever been.

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Comment of the day

“Mal and Kev are like peas in a pod. The only vision Turnbull ever had for the nation was a vision of a Australia with him as Prime Minister.”

Timothy, in response to ‘Don’t play with the big boys.’