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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Paul Gallagher

Morning Mail: consultants criticised over gas plan role, ‘ghost flights’ revealed, France to face Australia in World Cup quarter-final

Consultancy firm EY worked on a ‘future of gas’ policy for the NSW government without revealing work for gas producer Santos.
Consultancy firm EY worked on a ‘future of gas’ policy for the NSW government without revealing work for gas producer Santos. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Good morning. Consultancy firm EY is being taken to task for a lack of disclosure, after not telling officials that it was conducting work for Santos before being paid to assist the New South Wales government’s “future of gas statement” that paved the way for the Narrabri gas development. EY denies any conflict of interest, but NSW’s minister for natural resources says there’s a need to overhaul the use of consultants in the public service.

Meanwhile, we now know who the Matildas will face in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday: France, who cruised past Morocco last night. Plus: aviation industry sources claim Qatar Airways has been “taking the piss” by flying empty or near-empty “ghost flights” in Australia to exploit a legal loophole. And it’s been confirmed that July was the world’s hottest month ever – by a big margin.

Australia

Firefighter battling a bushfire with red flames in the background
The report found climate change was the ‘greatest driver of the overall health of the catchment’. Photograph: David Gray/Getty Images

World

Melting icebergs seen off Horseshoe Island in Antarctica.
Melting icebergs seen off Horseshoe Island in Antarctica. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Full Story

Walter Sofronoff speaks to media
Walter Sofronoff (pictured) is facing possible legal action over his early release of the report’s findings. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

Leaks and a ‘lapse of judgment’ in the Sofronoff scandal

Last year, the then ACT director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, called for an inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann’s criminal trial, which was abandoned due to juror misconduct. Now Drumgold has resigned amid allegations of his own serious misconduct, and the head of the inquiry, Walter Sofronoff, is facing possible legal action over his early release of the findings. Christopher Knaus speaks to Jane Lee about the controversy surrounding the Sofronoff report and its findings.

In-depth

Jade Bilardi pictured outside wearing a pink coat
‘Miscarriage is still such a taboo subject,’ says Jade Bilardi, who cofounded the Early Pregnancy Loss Coalition after her experience. Photograph: Penny Stephens/The Guardian

Miscarriage is the most common pregnancy complication, yet there is a lack of healthcare or social support for Australian women going through an early pregnancy loss. Doctors, midwives, researchers and support organisations have teamed up as part of a new collaboration, called the Early Pregnancy Loss Coalition, in their fight to get Australian women proper care after miscarriages and to change the paradigm on the “stigma” around it.

Not the news

Manhattan, a TV drama series starring Michael Chernus, Olivia Williams, and Rachel Brosnahan, which ran between 2014 and 2015.
Manhattan: the series ran between 2014 and 2015. Photograph: WGN America

Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer may have set off some existential crises and Wikipedia binges, but before that there was Manhattan. When the show launched in 2014, Mad Men was ending and television networks were looking for other historical dramas that would capture that same audience: those with a predilection for character-driven stories with a cerebral bent, an emotional anchor and stylish production. But despite a starry cast and strong writing, this series about the scientists living and working in Los Alamos was criminally underwatched.

The world of sport

Eddie Jones (R) looks on prior to the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup Test match between Australia and New Zealand in Dunedin.
Eddie Jones is gambling on a long game for the Wallabies. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images

Media roundup

The NSW government is considering a shake-up of state-owned corporation Landcom to focus on building homes instead of selling off land to developers, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. In the Australian, voice co-architect Tom Calma says a national Aboriginal advisory body would not fill the heritage law void and lobby states to give sacred sites stronger protections.

What’s happening today

  • New South Wales | Public hearing scheduled into the government’s use and management of consulting services.

  • Victoria | The Australian Transport Safety Bureau set to release report on 2020 XPT derailment at Wallan.

  • ACT | Professor David Lloyd, chair of Universities Australia, scheduled to give address to the National Press Clubb.

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.

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