Good morning. Australia is on the brink of “flipping” from a nation of homeowners to a country of renters, according to researchers, who have found that three out of five tenants expect to never become owners.
We also investigate why women face higher out of pocket healthcare costs, a dramatic development in Rebel Wilson’s defamation case, and the appeal of a stinking “corpse flower”.
Australia
‘I could hear dry-retching’ | Thousands queued at Geelong’s botanical gardens yesterday to catch a whiff of the so-called corpse plant, which can take a decade to flower – but blooms for barely 48 hours while giving off the smell of rotting flesh.
Ownership ‘flip’ | Three in five Australian renters expect to never own their own home, research from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute has found, a significant shift that requires rethinking of tax and housing systems. Meanwhile the principal of a branch of one of Australia’s largest real estate companies has admitted using Chat GPT to generate a listing for a rental described as being close to two “excellent” schools that didn’t exist.
Shark decoy | An Australian-led study using seal-shaped decoys has found that LED lighting on the underside of surfboards could deter attacks by great white sharks by disrupting their ability to see silhouettes against sunlight above.
Housing shift | Industry insiders and corporate watchdogs have warned “cowboys” making unrealistic promises about investments in disability housing may be breaching consumer law, while urging extreme caution from investors.
Rebel Wilson accused | A young Australian actor at the centre of a multimillion-dollar defamation case in the US alleges in documents filed to the Los Angeles superior court that Rebel Wilson made up lies about her and bullied and harassed her on the set of The Deb.
World
Senate challenge | Donald Trump is demanding that the Senate allow him to circumvent hearings on his cabinet picks, while Tom Homan has been confirmed as “border tsar” and Elise Stefanik (pictured) will be Trump’s UN ambassador, as he continues to build his team. The hardline rightwinger Stephen Miller could be Trump’s deputy chief of staff. Follow developments live. The Kremlin says reports that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, spoke to the US president-elect were “pure fiction”.
Church call | A Church of England bishop has added her voice to growing calls for the archbishop of Canterbury to resign over his failure to pursue a sadistic abuser of children when allegations were brought to his attention.
‘Trump pump’ | The price of bitcoin has risen above $82,000 for the first time as it benefited from traders’ hopes that Donald Trump will favour cryptocurrencies when he returns to the White House.
Booker bet | Charlotte Wood, the Australian author of Stone Yard Devotional, has been shortlisted for the Booker prize but is an outside bet against favourites Percival Everett and Samantha Harvey.
‘I was a fool’ | Art Garfunkel has described a recent tearful reunion with his former musical partner Paul Simon, in which the pair moved past old enmities and could even make music together again.
Full Story
Finding one trillion dollars at Cop29
Will richer nations find the climate finance desperately needed by developing countries? Damian Carrington reports.
In-depth
Alyse Bradley (pictured) has lived with multiple chronic health conditions for more than two decades, including severe endometriosis, which have left her at least $400,000 out of pocket – a financial burden she thinks about “all the time”. The 37-year-old’s story illustrates the worsening gender health gap identified by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, which says women are experiencing more years in poor health than men and they are more likely to forgo healthcare as out-of-pocket expenses rise. Natasha May reports.
Not the news
It’s springtime. It warms up, it cools down. So what to wear? In this week’s Closet Clinic, Lucianne Tonti speaks to stylists who are of one mind: it’s all about the layers.
Sport
Tennis | Carlos Alcaraz made a stuttering start to the ATP Finals in Turin as he suffered a shock first career defeat to the world No 7 Casper Ruud (pictured).
Football | The Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended after video footage emerged apparently showing him calling Jürgen Klopp a “German cunt” and Liverpool “shit”.
Rugby union | The England wing Tommy Freeman has insisted that his team can bounce back from their defeat against Australia when they play South Africa on Saturday.
Media roundup
New South Wakes’s most disaster-prone council, Shoalhaven, has run out of money, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The Sunshine State is braced for flooding and 146kmh winds, the Courier Mail warns. The boss and two other executives of the gold mining company Resolute have been arrested by Mali’s military junta, the company told WAtoday.
What’s happening today
Canberra | Defence whistleblower David McBride appears before the ACT supreme court.
Sydney | Two-day hearing as former Manly coach Des Hasler sues over his exit from the Sea Eagles.
Brisbane | Murray Watt speaks at the Queensland Media Club lunch.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters.
Prefer notifications? If you’re reading this in our app, just click here and tap “Notifications” on the next screen for an instant alert when we publish every morning.
Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
