Good morning. We lead today with a Guardian Australia investigation into political donations that has found that laws designating property developers as “restricted donors” have not stopped money flowing from the sector into the campaigns of both main parties in Queensland.
Meanwhile, as our Hot Property series continues, a former boss of realestate.com.au explains why the News Corp-controlled site can just put fees “up and up and up”.
A senior Hezbollah leader says it has entered an “open-ended battle of reckoning” against Israel, as world leaders urge both sides to deescalate.
And: fresh from winning gold at the Olympics, Australian cyclist Grace Brown has won the world time trial title at the UCI championships.
Australia
Hot property | Simon Baker, a former chief executive of the News Corp-controlled realestate.com.au, has outlined how home sellers have been targeted with ever-rising advertising costs.
Donations | Companies linked to property developers have given more than $500,000 to Queensland political parties before the state election, as experts warn laws banning developer donations are “failing”.
Renters’ rights | NSW renters will no longer be made to pay extra fees when they pay the rent and will have greater rights to keep a pet in a suite of reforms to be announced today.
Night parrots | Rangers and scientists have found the largest known population of one of Australia’s rarest birds, the critically endangered night parrot, living in the Great Sandy desert.
Explainer | As potentially lethal contaminants in the recreational drug supply raise the risk of fatal overdoses, experts say more people – and public venues – should carry the antidote naloxone.
World
Middle East crisis | Hezbollah says it has entered a “battle of reckoning” against Israel, as world leaders urge both sides to step back from the brink. There will be no clear winner if Hezbollah and Israel escalate to a ground war, writes Dan Sabbagh. At least seven people were killed in an airstrike on a Gaza school shelter.
Sri Lanka election | Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won Sri Lanka’s presidential election, in what has been viewed as a widespread rejection of the old political elite.
US politics | Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer calls Donald Trump “deranged” after his abortion comments; more than 700 US national security officials have endorsed Kamala Harris for president; Trump hawks commemorative coins in his latest hunt for cash.
German state election | German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats have just fended off the far-right Alternative für Deutschland in a state election in Brandenburg.
Russia-Ukraine war | In remarks apparently directed at the White House, the UK foreign minister has called for “guts” in ongoing US talks over whether Ukraine should use western missiles in Russia.
Full Story
The devastating secrets of Huw Edwards
Huw Edwards was one of the BBC’s best paid and best known stars. A newsreader with real authority who helmed the corporation’s coverage of Elizabeth II’s funeral. But last Monday, he was given a suspended sentence for accessing indecent images of children – some as young as seven years old. Daniel Boffey, Mark Lawson and Helen Pidd discuss how the BBC handled the scandal – and what lessons the institution should learn from this awful case.
In-depth
Matt lives in an affluent Brisbane suburb surrounded by wealth, but eats just one meal a day, is behind on rent, and has just received an eviction notice in the mail. A new report from Everybody’s Home shows he’s not alone: Australians on the lowest incomes have been priced out of renting in almost every corner of the country – despite the government’s recent 10% increase to commonwealth rent assistance.
Not the news
Hugh Sheridan first made his name as an actor playing Ben on the family drama Packed to the Rafters. But for the Adelaide-born performer releasing a new album, his true love is music. In the latest of our Three Things weekly interviews about the importance of objects, the LA-based actor and musician shares his collection of sharp tuxedos, a sentimental portrait of his late jazz musician father – and a beautiful necklace now lost to the waves.
The world of sport
Cycling | Australian rider Grace Brown has won the women’s individual time trial world title, while Belgian Remco Evenepoel took the men’s title in Zurich.
AFL | Lachie Neale’s Lions danced on thin ice to set up a classic grand final clash with the Swans, writes Jonathan Horn.
Motorsport | Lando Norris eased to a Singapore F1 GP win despite twice hitting the wall, while Australian driver Oscar Piastri came third; Max Verstappen has threatened to quit F1 after a “silly” punishment for swearing.
Football | John Stones rescued Manchester City with a late equaliser against 10-man Arsenal; Nottingham Forest’s Ramon Sosa earned a point as three players saw red in a fiery draw at Brighton.
Media roundup
Top infectious disease and public health veterans are sounding the alarm that NSW is not prepared for the next pandemic despite the lessons of Covid-19, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. A record number of Australians are raiding their super to fund medical treatments, reports the Age. A proposed hazardous waste disposal facility in Central Australia is back on the drawing board – three years after a developer shelved the plan, reports NT News.
What’s happening today
NSW | Peter Dutton is set to outline his plan for nuclear energy in Australia at the CEDA lunch in Sydney.
Victoria | A civil trial is scheduled to start in Nicola Gobbo’s case relating to her treatment by Victoria police.
NSW | The board of the Reserve Bank of Australia is meeting today ahead of tomorrow’s interest rates announcement.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
