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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Martin Farrer

Morning Mail: Fatima Payman and the art of quitting, gas shortfall gets closer, UK exit poll tips Labour landslide

Fatima Payman at her media conference in Canberra yesterday
Fatima Payman at her media conference in Canberra yesterday. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AP

Good morning. It’s a momentous day in UK politics with parliament poised for a huge turnover after 14 years of Conservative rule. But it follows a momentous day in Australian politics – there is a feeling in Canberra, and no doubt a few other places, that Senator Fatima Payman has run rings around the Labor leadership as she first rebelled and then quit the party over its stance on Gaza. We report on the fallout and what it means for Labor.

We also have the second part of our investigation into home equity release schemes, and a “once-in-a-lifetime” astronomical event.

Australia

  • Guardian investigation | A family has been left “shattered” by a Homesafe contract on their mother’s home which means she will only receive about half the sale price, the latest part of our investigation reveals.

  • Payman’s price | After leading Labor’s leadership a merry dance over the past two weeks, Fatima Payman finally quit the party yesterday. Daniel Hurst and Sarah Basford-Canales unpick the sequence of events that led to her momentous move, which the party’s president, Wayne Swan, claims will “empower Labor’s opponents on the far right”. Our political editor, Karen Middleton, says the young senator has leveraged anger about Gaza to deliver a stinging rebuke to the party.

  • Gas shortfall | East coast gas shortfalls could emerge even earlier than was forecast six months ago, unless new sources of supply are made available, the competition watchdog has warned.

  • Road of ruin | Two fatal accidents in a week have reignited the debate about the state of the Bruce Highway, which runs the length of Queensland.

  • ‘Once in a lifetime’ | Light from a thermonuclear explosion on a star has been travelling towards Earth for thousands of years and it will be visible over Australia any time between now and September.

World

Full Story

Newsroom edition: does Fatima Payman’s exit mean Labor needs to change with the times?

Bridie Jabour talks to deputy editor Patrick Keneally and head of news Mike Ticher about Labor’s strict rules on party solidarity and whether Fatima Payman’s exit necessitates a rethink.

In-depth

Anticipation is growing about how Australia will travel in the Olympic pool, on the rowing course and on the track. But there’s one area where the green and gold is looking to join the world’s heavyweights: the skateboarding arena. Jack Snape catches up with reigning park skating champion Keegan Palmer to hear about how the fast-growing sport is making a new generation of stars.

Not the news

Louise Wolhuter’s second novel – Shadows of Winter Robins – is the story of a girl and her twin brother who are uprooted from their home in northern England when their mother dies and taken to outback Australia, where they meet a family full of interesting characters. Our reviewer Bec Kavanagh says “we learn of hidden relationships and alliances, family secrets and possible crimes” as layers of tantalising mystery come together.

The world of sport

  • Tennis | Alex de Minaur has disposed of a familiar opponent to rattle into the last 32 of Wimbledon in the sunshine, but the women’s No 1 Daria Saville crashed out despite having a match point.

  • Tour de France | Dylan Groenewegen of Team Jayco AlUla won stage six from Mâcon to Dijon after Mark Cavendish was blocked out in the final kilometre of the sprint on the Cours Général de Gaulle.

  • Rugby union | England’s captain, Jamie George, has vowed to take the game to New Zealand when the two sides meet in tomorrow’s first Test in Dunedin.

Media roundup

Fatima Payman’s split from Labor has hurt the party badly, the Age says in an anlaysis piece, and “she isn’t done yet”. Renewed calls for a crocodile cull have followed the discovery of the remains of a 12-year-old girl who disappeared when swimming in a remote creek, the NT News reports. “Green lawfare” has suffered a defeat, the Australian claims, after activists in the Santos gas pipeline case were ordered to hand over documents. Sydney University bosses are at loggerheads with protesters about new rules for the campus, the Telegraph reports.

What’s happening today

  • Hobart | A Tasmanian supreme court judge will appear in court accused of assault and emotional intimidation.

  • Queensland | The LNP convention begins in Brisbane, with Peter Dutton and David Littleproud attending.

  • NSW | The inquest into death of Pippa Mae White from sepsis continues.

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.

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