Good afternoon. The prime minister has muscled up to conservative critics of the Indigenous voice in a fiery radio interview, saying it is “dumb” to suggest outcomes for Indigenous Australians can improve without the advisory body.
In Thailand, the tussle for power has taken a dramatic turn, with the leader of the progressive Move Forward party suspended from parliament hours before a vote to confirm him as prime minister. And daily usage of Threads – Meta’s answer to Twitter – has plummeted.
Top news
Possible new hosts for Commonwealth Games | Christchurch, London and Scotland have each hinted at filling in the gap left by Victoria’s shock cancellation of the 2026 games. Meanwhile, the major regional cities that were to host the event have been left reeling by the Andrews government’s decision. The mayor of Geelong said the region would miss out on 7,500 jobs that were expected to be created.
Household savings from ditching gas | Switching from gas to electric can reduce household energy bills by 75%, new data from Environment Victoria reveals.
Cold snap to continue for the week | A cold front pushing across Australia from the west will keep temperatures low for the rest of the week, the Bureau of Meteorology says. The bureau says Brisbane was expected to reach a low of 8C tonight night while Sydney would drop to 6C, Melbourne 7C and Hobart 4C.
Big W removes sex education book from shelves | Welcome to Sex, a sex education and consent book aimed at adolescents, was removed from Big W retail stores after staff members were abused, allegedly from conservative campaigners. Women’s Forum Australia, a self-described thinktank that focuses on anti-trans campaigning, has led the push to have the book banned from stores and libraries.
PwC allegedly ‘spammed’ public servants to land new contracts | Senior public servants have complained about PwC “spamming” them with unsolicited bids for work, internal emails reveal, with department managers told to be vigilant about the potential misuse of government information and the importance of protecting taxpayer money. The correspondence – released by the agriculture department – shows a level of discomfort among officials about the embattled firm’s efforts to land new contracts.
Battle to become Thai PM | Thailand’s constitutional court has suspended Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the country’s most popular and progressive party, from parliament after accepting a case alleging he was unqualified to run in May’s election. The announcement came as Pita was due to contest a parliamentary vote to become prime minister. The progressive party is strongly opposed by political rivals aligned with the conservative military establishment and royalists, who have sought to thwart Pita’s hopes of becoming PM.
Belarus crackdown | Prominent journalist Ihar Karnei was arrested in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, in the latest step in a years-long crackdown on opposition figures, independent journalists and human rights activists.
New development in Tupac Shakur’s murder | Authorities in Nevada confirmed that they served a search warrant this week in connection with the long-unsolved killing of the rapper nearly 30 years ago. It is unclear what they were looking for and where they were looking.
Progressive Democrats protest Israeli address to Congress | Several progressive House members, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, intend to boycott the Israeli president’s speech to protest against the treatment of Palestinians.
Full Story
Why Australian schools fail those most in need
Guardian Australia reporter Jordyn Beazley outlines how an unfair funding model is entrenching inequality in Australia. Listen to this 20-minute episode.
What they said …
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“We can’t just be doing things the same way and expect different results. That’s the definition of being ... dumb.” – Anthony Albanese on the Indigenous voice
In numbers
“Threads is missing many basic features and still needs to offer a compelling reason to switch from Twitter or start a new social media habit with Threads,” says David Carr, the senior insights manager at Similarweb.
Before bed read
Three stars. That’s the verdict from the Guardian’s review of the Barbie movie.
“The result is a good-natured but self-conscious movie, whose comedy is rooted in that very self-consciousness, often funny, occasionally very funny, but sometimes also somehow demure and inhibited, as if the urge to be funny can only be mean and satirical.”
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ONO. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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