Your noon Briefing

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

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

Grab from George Christensen MP's Facebook page of him shooting with comments.

Big gun

Nationals MP George Christensen has refused to apologise for a controversial Facebook post the prime minister has called “very inappropriate”. Mr Christensen says he’s not concerned that Australian Federal Police are investigating a Greens complaint about the Facebook post on Saturday featuring a photo of himself pointing a gun alongside the comment: “You gotta ask yourself, do you feel lucky, greenie punks?”. He says the post was a joke that had left the Greens “wringing their hands and crying” and he saw no problem with it, but took it down because acting Nationals leader Nigel Scullion asked him to.

“I will not be moralised to by the Greens about putting a joke on Facebook.’’

George Christensen

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Adam Creighton says taxpayers fund too many political staffers

Expensive advice

Perhaps the government wouldn’t need to crack down on sexual relations between politicians and their staff if there weren’t so many well-kept staff, writes Adam Creighton. The Barnaby Joyce saga has awkwardly revealed how the number and pay of political staff is out of control. Vikki Campion was just one of 155 senior political advisers employed by the Turnbull government last year. Surprised journalists reported her salary of “up to $191,000” for her digital and social media strategy role. That’s actually a considerable understatement. Peter Van Onselen believes Mr Joyce’s colleagues may need to blast him out or be blasted out of office themselves come the next election. Malcolm Turnbull, meantime, reveals his wife Lucy has reached out to Mr Joyce’s estranged wife Natalie in the wake of the love-child scandal.

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Gold Coast Suns - My Life - Tasman Oncology Research.Handsome young doctor in white coat is showing x-ray image to his patient while working in office

Stroke hope

Stroke patients could one day improve their recovery by taking drugs that revert their brains to a child-like state, scientists have suggested. By boosting the brain’s ability to rewire itself, researchers believe it may be possible to bypass the damage and regain lost motor and language skills — in the same way already seen among children who have suffered strokes. During early childhood, the brain is at its most plastic. This is one reason why children can learn languages so easily. It also means that babies can have severe strokes, shutting down as much as half their brain, and still be able to function as adults.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the EE British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) held at Royal Albert Hall on February 18, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

BAFTA brouhaha

In the sea of black that now defines film industry awards nights, the Duchess of Cambridge stood out at the BAFTAs this morning (AEDT) in a deep green gown, her only suggestion of black a sash and her evening bag. But although she is normally lauded for her discreet elegance, Kate’s choice of dress this time was attacked on social media and ignited a debate over whether she should have gone monochrome in support of the #MeToo and Time’sUp anti-sexual harassment campaigns.The Royal family are expected to be seen as apolitical and deliberately avoid making political gestures or statements — regardless, the Twitterati expressed outrage.

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Philippines, Palawan, Miniloc Island, Big Lagoon.

The light read: Passage to Palawan

It’s blue on blue as far as the eye can see at this far-flung Philippine resort, writes Katrina Lobley of Lagen Island Resort. Featuring 18 covetable overwater cottages as well as land-based rooms tucked at the base of a seemingly impenetrable mountain that’s home to long-tailed macaques, the property is one of four in the El Nido Resorts portfolio owned by the ­Ayalas, one of the country’s richest families.

“If I were rich (stays aren’t exactly cheap) or famous (they feel like the ultimate hideaway), I’d swan around all four.”

Katrina Lobley

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Comment of the day

“The so-called electoral backlash against the Coalition might have as much to do with the way Turnbull has handled the situation with Barnaby Joyce as much as the actions of Joyce himself.”

Kath W, in response to ‘Newspoll: Joyce should quit as voters punish government’.