Good afternoon. Details are still emerging about a “horrific” bus crash on the western outskirts of Melbourne yesterday, which saw the vehicle carrying 45 primary school children roll over after a collision with a truck.
Seven children were seriously injured, including one who has undergone a complete arm amputation. The Victorian premier praised first responders, while the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said, “the fact that it involves school students just breaks your heart”.
In other news, this year’s Falls festival has been cancelled and young Australians are spending less.
Top news
Melbourne bus crash | A 49-year-old truck driver has been charged with four counts of dangerous driving causing serious injury. The bus was conducting a right-hand turn in Eynesbury, an hour west of Melbourne, when police allege the truck crashed into the bus, causing it to roll over. Police say it appeared the bus driver had seen the truck approaching him from behind and tried to accelerate to get out of its path.
Quad summit cancelled | The leaders’ summit – which was due to be held in Sydney next week – involving the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the US, has been called off after Joe Biden suddenly cancelled his trip to Australia. Instead, the Quad nations are expected to have a sideline meeting at the G7 summit in Hiroshima this weekend, with all four leaders still attending. Analysis: the cancelled summit is a win for China and a self-inflicted blow to the US’s Pacific standing, Daniel Hurst, our foreign correspondent, writes.
Falls festival cancelled | Organisers say they “need a break” after several challenging years for music festivals across Australia.
Wages rise again | The March quarter wage price index rose to an annual rate of 3.7% in the first three months of 2023 – economists had expected it to increase 3.6%. It still falls well short of annual inflation, however, which hit 7% in the March quarter.
Young Australians cut non-essential items | Those aged under 35 have cut spending on clothing, shoes and accessories and reduced spending on retail services, such as haircuts, according to a report from CommBank iQ. However, spending by over-35s has increased by 7.7%, almost double the increase in spending by those under 35. Older cohorts, who may have paid off mortgages and have limited household expenses, increased their expenditure by as much as 13%.
High-profile Queensland rape case | A high-profile man has been charged with two counts of raping a young woman in Toowoomba in October 2021. But Queensland law prohibits the disclosure of the man’s name, as the state is one of the last jurisdictions that prevents the public naming of someone accused of serious sexual offences until they are committed to stand trial. A joint bid by a conglomeration of media companies which sought leave to name the accused man was rejected by the court in February as premature.
Sudan airstrikes | Fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has intensified with airstrikes and artillery fire shaking Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. The UN says almost 200,000 people have fled Sudan, and another 700,000 have been internally displaced by the conflict. Watch our three-minute explainer on why violence has erupted in the African nation.
Suspected arson in Wellington hostel fire | New Zealand police have started a homicide inquiry into the hostel fire, which killed at least six people – a death toll that is likely to climb. Nobody has been arrested, Inspector Dion Bennett said. He would not say why officers believed the fire was deliberately lit, or whether accelerants were used.
Democrats move to expel George Santos | A week after the New York Republican was indicted for fraud, House Democrats have triggered a political manoeuvre designed to force congressional Republicans to either break with Santos or publicly vote to defend him. To succeed, a privileged resolution introduced by Robert Garcia, a California Democrat, must attract two-thirds support in the House. The resolution could come to a vote within two days.
In pictures
Australian fashion week in pictures – view the gallery.
What they said …
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“Nothing’s changed between yesterday and today. These are legislated tax cuts.” - Anthony Albanese on stage-three tax cuts
The prime minister wasn’t budging today on the widely criticised tax cuts, after new costings revealed in the Guardian this morning showed the measure will cost taxpayers $313bn.
In numbers
The federal government says allowing people to buy two months’ worth of medicine for the price of a one-month prescription will save patients up to $180 a year for each medicine. But the reforms will see pharmacies lose about $1.2bn over the first four years.
Before bed read
Anna Nicole Smith lived a life of much-publicised excess, but a new Netflix documentary provides a more rounded idea of who she really was.
The director Ursula Macfarlane speaks to the Guardian about the fascinating true story of Smith.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ASK. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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