Chris Minns was sworn in as New South Wales premier on Tuesday, but it remains unclear if he will be able to form a majority government with the results in key seats yet to be determined. Still, the state’s first Labor premier in 12 years has vowed to “hit the ground running” to address fish kills at Menindee, flood recovery, and transport issues including recent delays on Sydney’s rail network.
One of the potential crossbenchers in the new parliament could be the now independent Gareth Ward, who is closing in on the Labor challenger in Kiama. As Ward awaits the election result, the former state Liberal minister has pleaded not guilty to alleged sexual offences against a teenage boy and a man.
While the Liberal leadership position remains vacant following former premier Dominic Perrottet’s resignation, the soul-searching for the party continues. The federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton, urged his Coalition colleagues not to conflate state and federal issues at its party room meeting. He also said much of the commentary about the future path of the party would be “self-serving”.
Top news
‘Price gouging’ fears despite Queensland bid to limit rental hikes | The Queensland government has been warned its proposal to limit rent increases to once a year does not go far enough to address the serious housing stress on the state. The chief executive of the Queensland Council of Social Service, Aimee McVeigh, says a rent cap is needed to stop “potential price-gouging”. The reforms also include tax concessions for property developers if one in 10 units in their development are for “affordable” housing.
Bail for former SAS soldier accused of war crime | Oliver Schulz has been granted bail in “exceptional circumstances” because he would be at risk from Taliban sympathisers in prison and it could be two years before he faces trial. Schulz is alleged to have shot dead father-of-two Dad Mohammad, as Mohammad lay in a wheat field in southern Afghanistan in 2012.
Socceroos great Manfred Schaefer dies aged 80 | The Socceroos will wear black armbands in tonight’s friendly against Ecuador to mark the death of Manfred Schaefer. The Football Australia Hall of Fame member represented Australia 73 times, including as a starting member of all three group games at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany.
Moira Deeming irks Victorian Liberal leader with post-suspension tweet | John Pesutto says the suspended Liberal MP is “not off to a good start” after she appeared to contradict his claims she made “important concessions” to avoid party room expulsion. The repercussions of Deeming’s suspension are being felt in Canberra, where Peter Dutton warned the federal party room of the “damage” that could be caused if politicians focused on themselves.
Gwyneth Paltrow ski crash trial enters second week | The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 collision at an upmarket Utah ski resort says he heard a “blood-curdling scream” before being hit in the back and propelled into the air. “I’m living another life now,” said Terry Sanderson, who told the court his injuries from the collision had left him physically and mentally impaired. The trial continues.
Kyle Sandilands forced into sensitivity training | KIIS FM has had to employ a second censor and provide sensitivity training to Kyle Sandilands after the shock jock described watching the Tokyo Paralympics as “horrific”. Sandilands, who is a judge on Seven’s reboot of Australian Idol, has the top-rating breakfast show on Sydney radio.
Full Story
Turning words into actions: the next steps for the Indigenous voice
We now know both the proposed question and changes to the constitution we would see if Australians vote yes to legislating the Indigenous voice to parliament. Indigenous affairs editor Lorena Allam talks to Jane Lee about what this wording means practically and how it has been received in this 21-minute listen.
What they said …
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“I mean, who doesn’t want to know?” - Florence Débarre, evolutionary biologist
Débarre, a senior researcher at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, stumbled across genetic data from swabs taken at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan in the weeks after Covid-19 first emerged. The data then vanished from public view, but not too soon for her to publish findings that illuminate the way forward for identifying the origins of the pandemic. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the response from online trolls has been swift and brutal.
In numbers
Three adults and three children were killed at a Nashville elementary school overnight. The shooter – a 28-year-old woman – was shot dead by police.
Before bed read
From Champions League final tickets to seven three-seater sofas, Guardian readers share stories of their pets wrecking things.
Daily word game
If you’ve still got some brain power left after the before bed read, have a crack at Wordiply. You have five goes to get the longest word including today’s starter word: LET.
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