Afternoon. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has stressed the importance of treating “journalists with respect”, as accusations that Peter Costello assaulted a News Corp reporter dominated politics today.
Chalmers said it was ultimately up to the journalist, Liam Mendes, to take the matter further, while fellow Labor minister Jason Clare said Canberra airport CCTV footage could shed light on the incident. Costello, the chairman of Nine Entertainment and a former Coalition treasurer, denies assaulting Mendes, saying instead that the journalist “fell over” walking backwards into an “advertising placard”.
A spokesperson for ACT policing said they had not received any reports regarding the incident by Friday mid-morning.
Top news
Warragamba Dam spills over as flood warnings issued across NSW | Up to 200mm of rain has fallen in parts of the state overnight, while residents in low-lying areas around the Georges River in Sydney’s west are preparing to evacuate. Residents living along the Nepean River in Sydney’s west were warned the dam had begun spilling at about 4.20am on Friday morning, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing flood warnings for parts of Sydney, the Illawarra, the south coast and the Central Coast.
Second man charged in Friendlyjordies case | The man, 37, was arrested in relation to a November 2022 fire at Jordan Shanks-Markovina’s Bondi home.
NSW government warned of flaws in home safety scheme | Molly Ticehurst died with what her parents said was “false hope” in a program designed to keep women escaping violence safe in their own homes. A previous review of the Staying Home Leaving Violence scheme warned that security upgrades were often expensive and it was “difficult to find suitable contractors and trades”.
Bird flu detected at fifth Victorian poultry farm | The H7N3 strain, first detected at a Meredith egg farm on 22 May, has been detected at another property within 5km of the original infection site. Agriculture Victoria said all the poultry at the property with the newly detected infection will be “safely disposed of under veterinary supervision”. More than half a million chickens have already been euthanised and disposed of since the outbreak was first detected.
Laura Jones wins Archibald prize 2024 | Jones won the $100,000 prize for her portrait of the Australian author Tim Winton. Jones is just the 12th woman to win the prize since the Archibald started in 1921.
Women’s State of Origin clash sets new television ratings record | Channel Nine’s average audience for the contest – won in the dying stages by Queensland 11-10 to keep the three-game series alive – was 1.068 million, surpassing the previous record of 941,000 set by the first game of the series.
France to send Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine and train pilots | This comes after Russia’s warning the other day that French military instructors would be considered a “legitimate target”. And the US is encouraging China to attend the Ukraine peace summit this month in Switzerland. “We think their presence would be helpful here,” a state department spokesperson said. China has said it will stay away unless Russia is invited.
Russian nuclear-powered submarine to visit Cuba | The nuclear submarine Kazan and three other Russian naval vessels will dock in Havana from 12-17 June amid simmering tensions with the US. The submarine will not be carrying nuclear weapons. US officials say that the Russian military presence was notable but not concerning.
Fiona Harvey sues Netflix over Baby Reindeer | The woman who identified herself as the inspiration behind the character Martha Scott in the Netflix hit drama series has filed a A$255m lawsuit against the streaming giant, alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence and violations of her right of publicity.
South African president considers unity government | President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that his African National Congress – which lost an outright majority in last week’s elections for the first time – would seek to form a government of national unity with a broad group of opposition parties.
Full Story
How lobbyists delay reforms everyone else wants
Extensive lobbying efforts from broadcasters and other corporate interests have slowed gambling reform while these harmful ads continue to air. But its not just gambling – lobbying has halted progress on the climate crisis and some of the most crucial issues in our society. Click here to listen to this 19-minute episode.
What they said …
***
“What is causing social unrest is the fact that the Australian government is not taking any meaningful action to stop Israel and put pressure on Israel.” – Max Chandler-Mather
The Greens MP was speaking on ABC News Breakfast about the ongoing stoush between his party and Labor, with Adam Bandt threatening legal action against the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, over comments on pro-Palestine protests.
In numbers
Once regarded as “dying out”, Māori families are celebrating a population milestone. They share their hopes for the future in a changing New Zealand.
Before bed read
General elections are a travesty of democracy, columnist George Monbiot writes, as our systems are designed for the powerful to retain control.
“An election is a device for maximising conflict and minimising democracy. Parties gain ground by sowing division and anger, often around trivial issues that play to their advantage. At the same time, as the big players seek to appease commercial lobbies and the billionaire press, they converge disastrously on far more important issues, such as austerity, privatised public services, massive inequality of wealth and the unfolding genocide in Gaza. Many of those who seek election manipulate, distract and lie.” Read the full column.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: AKES. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter.
