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.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 01: Cardinal George Pell (L) arrives with his defending lawyer Robert Richter QC 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)

Pell to stand trial

Cardinal George Pell will stand trial on several charges relating to historical sex offences. Magistrate Belinda Wallington has committed him to stand trial on charges related to a regional pool and his time as archbishop of St Patrick’s Cathedral. Cardinal Pell was told to alert authorities if he moved address, not to leave Australia and not to contact prosecution witnesses except Monsignor Charles Portelli. The committal magistrate threw out approximately half of the charges levelled against him. Cardinal Pell formally entered a plea of not guilty and will appear before the County Court for a directions hearing.

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Australian Resources Minister Matt Canavan speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Thursday, May 11, 2017. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

Trees ‘a race issue’

The Turnbull government is threatening to use the Racial ­Discrimination Act in an attempt to overturn a revived tree-clearing crackdown in Queensland, which is expected to be passed into law this week. Federal Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matthew Canavan confirmed that advice was being sought to possibly intervene in the High Court over the state laws.

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Your Money superannuation generic images. Hands reaching out to take a slice of super cake with dollar sign on top.

Pay more, do worse

On average, the more a person pays for experts to manage their superannuation savings the worse the investments perform, Anthony Klan reveals, while Peter Van Onselen suggests the politicians who moralise about the banks are no white knights when it comes to doing the right thing. Robert Gottliebsen, meantime, says the ‘mates culture’ must end now, from the CBA to the ATO and beyond.

“Listening to government ministers now puff out their collective chests ... is beyond the pale. Not just because they fought a royal commission tooth and nail for years, which they certainly did. It’s particularly galling because most of the shortcomings identified have more to do with inadequate oversight than cultural failings within the banking sector.”

Peter van Onselen

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Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) drives against Boston Celtics forward Semi Ojeleye (37) in the first quarter of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Monday, April 30, 2018, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Celtics in charge

Neither Will Smith nor Sixers coach Brett Brown will like the way this is going, writes Will Swanton. Philly’s missing shots left, right and centre and being blown away by an inspired Celtics line-up that has another injury concern — Marcus Smart’s thumb injury has him wincing. The hosts lead 56-45 at halftime. Follow the action in our live Eastern Conference semi-finals blog.

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French President Emmanuel Macron attends a ceremony at the Pantheon on April 27, 2018 in Paris in tribute to the victims of French slavery in its colonies and celebrating 170 years since its abolition on April 27, 1848 by French politician Victor Schoelcher who is interred in the Pantheon's crypt. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Thibault Camus

The long read: The French reconnection

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Sydney today at a high point of goodwill between the two countries but his visit is likely to highlight Western concerns about China’s growing influence in the Pacific, writes Ean Higgins.

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Comment of the day

“I don’t mind paying tax in a stable, secure nation with rule of law. What I absolutely loathe is the profligate waste of my tax dollars by these numbskulls: another identity-interest commissioner, expansion of an unproductive bureacracy, payouts to illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, indulgence of unions and their officials, billion-dollar broadcasters whose interests are decidedly unrepresentative.”

Charles, in response to ‘Shorten tax policy targets the middle class again’.