Good morning. With the loss of the outer east Melbourne electorate of Aston in Saturday’s byelection, the Liberal party now holds just 14 of 79 federal urban seats. It has led to renewed calls for a strategy overhaul and raised questions about Peter Dutton’s leadership – including from the former PM Malcolm Turnbull, who says the party must move back to centre. But he’s warning that doing so will prove difficult. Polling shows support for the Coalition has fallen again.
Elsewhere, Russia’s most influential pro-war blogger has been killed in a St Petersburg bomb blast, and the Oscar-winning musician Ryuichi Sakamoto has died aged 71.
Australia
Housing crisis | Australia’s painful rental crisis will get worse in the coming years, a report says, due to a shortage in supply of new houses and units caused by costs and ongoing constraints in construction.
Superannuation | The Albanese government could save the budget billions by winding back generous super benefits that effectively produce “taxpayer-funded inheritance schemes” for the wealthy, a Grattan Institute report argues.
Renewable energy | Solar panels could be a lifesaver for public housing tenants grappling with soaring energy costs, says one Melbourne woman who relies on power-hungry machines to help her breathe.
Immigration | After approximately $70,000, six visas, six migration agents and four different jobs in regional areas, the Sri Lankan national Mohamed Farshan Mohamed Fairoos is no closer to reaching his goal to have the right to settle in Australia permanently. His story isn’t uncommon.
World
Ryuichi Sakamoto | The avant-garde Japanese musician whose remarkably eclectic career straddled pop, experimentalism and film composition – including the award-winning scores for The Last Emperor and The Revenant – has died aged 71.
Russia-Ukraine war | One of Russia’s most influential pro-war military bloggers was killed in a blast in a cafe in central St Petersburg, according to Russia’s interior ministry, after a bomb was hidden inside a gift box.
Finnish election | The prime minister, Sanna Marin, has conceded defeat after her centre-left Social Democratic party was beaten into third place by its conservative and far-right rivals.
Donald Trump | An attorney for the former US president says he hopes the proceedings can stay “painless and classy” at a scheduled court hearing tomorrow where Trump plans to plead not guilty to charges filed against him.
Credit Suisse | Switzerland’s federal prosecutor has launched an investigation into whether last month’s state-backed takeover of the stricken bank by its bigger rival UBS broke Swiss criminal law.
Full Story
Australia’s ‘mortgage prisoners’ and fears from the global banking crisis
The international banking crisis has sparked fears that nervous investor sentiment could impact local banks. But Guardian Australia’s senior business reporter, Jonathan Barrett, tells Jane Lee why Australians should be more worried about a rush of mortgage failures than a run on the banks.
In-depth
The so-called “great resignation” never spread across Australia as it did the US. But when a new study asked a nationally representative sample of 1,400 workers from across Australia – the majority of whom held tertiary qualifications – about their experiences of employment since the pandemic began, it found about half now feel exhausted and in poorer physical and mental health. Burnout is on the rise, and a third of workers under 54 are thinking about quitting their jobs.
Not the news
Experiments have shown bees can experience PTSD-like symptoms, recognise different human faces, process long-term memories while sleeping and maybe even dream. A small but growing group of scientists argue they can also demonstrate sophisticated emotions more commonly associated with mammals.
“We are blasting bees with huge amounts of agrichemicals and destroying their natural foraging habitats,” says a pollination ecologist, Stephen Buchmann. “Once people accept that bees are sentient and can suffer, I think attitudes will change.”
The world of sport
Formula One | Max Verstappen led a swathe of driver criticism of the decision-making at the Australian Grand Prix after the race was stopped three times.
Rugby Union | Teenage sensation Max Jorgensen and Melbourne’s Carter Gordon are among six uncapped players in Eddie Jones’s first Wallabies squad in the lead-up to this year’s Rugby World Cup.
Premier League | Newcastle has stunned Manchester United 2-0. West Ham has beaten Southampton 1-0.
Media roundup
Frustrated Liberal MPs are urging Peter Dutton to “stop dog-whistling” and refresh his shadow cabinet after the stunning byelection loss in Aston, the Age reports. The Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton has been denied citizenship after the government said he was in Australia illegally, according to the West Australian. The Courier-Mail has Queensland’s top doctor warning that vaping among children is a public health “disaster” in the making.
What’s happening today
Gun register | The federal attorney general and police ministers are meeting to discuss how to create and roll out a national gun register.
Medicare savings | A report finds that GPs are more likely to undercharge than overcharge Medicare, with $351m estimated in savings in 2021-22.
Rowing record | After 235 days rowing 14,000km solo across the Pacific Ocean, Michelle Lee will navigate the Great Barrier Reef to arrive in Cairns and set foot on land for the first time since she left Mexico on 8 August.
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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.
