Good morning. Federal parliament resumes today, with the controversial religious discrimination bill on the agenda. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the bushfires threatening homes in Western Australia and following the latest news on the Neighbours saga.
Taxpayers have been paying more than $10,000 a month for George Christensen’s “e-material” in the same period that he racked up an $85,000 Facebook advertising bill for issues including “vaccine discrimination” and a conspiracy theory about the “unelected global elite”. Government records show Christensen claimed $12,641 for e-material in the second quarter of last year, jumping to $33,500 in the third quarter as the controversial Queensland MP began ramping up his campaign against vaccine mandates.
Voters are less angry about the Morrison government’s handling of the pandemic than they were a fortnight ago, but a majority of respondents disagree with the current definition of “fully vaccinated”, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. Morrison confirmed Australia’s international border would be reopened from 21 February for double vaccinated tourists and travellers – but 57% of poll respondents think the definition of fully vaccinated needs to be three jabs, not two. The border announcement provoked mixed emotions for those in Australia who have been separated from family or missed funerals in recent months but has been welcomed by the tourism industry.
The UK will send 350 troops to Poland amid concerns the Ukraine crisis could spill over into eastern Europe. The bilateral move – meaning it takes place outside Nato’s structures – comes a few days after the US announced it would send in 1,700 paratroop reinforcements into Poland. French president Emmanuel Macron has warned against expecting “miracles” ahead of his talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, as other world leaders met in a flurry of diplomatic activity. Joe Biden hosted Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, in Washington DC and a European delegation was in Kyiv. A recent trip by the Guardian to Russia found a hive of barely hidden military activity, with the latest reports stating troops and weapons are leaving their bases for forward staging posts in Kursk and Voronezh.
Australia
Electric cars could recharge Australia’s automotive industry, a new report suggests. With sections of Australia’s old car factories still intact and components being made locally, Australia has a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to carve out a spot in the global automotive supply chain, according to the Rebuilding Vehicle Manufacturing in Australia report.
A new consumer guide cuts through the “greenwash” of energy providers, ranking 48 Australian energy retailers based on climate criteria including: providing renewable energy, ending coal use by 2030 and halting fossil fuel expansion.
The world
A soundproofed torture chamber believed to have been used by a narcotics gang should remind cocaine users of the consequences of their habits, a Dutch public prosecutor has said.
Protesters against Covid vaccine mandates for truckers have defied government calls for them to end an 11-day occupation of Canada’s capital, a day after Ottawa’s mayor declared a state of emergency and promised to “get the city back”.
Boris Johnson’s new communications director has said Johnson is “not a complete clown”, as he revealed that the UK prime minister initiated a defiant rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive when the pair met last week.
Israel will launch an inquiry into the alleged police use of Pegasus spyware against a wide range of public figures including politicians, businessmen, officials and activists.
Recommended reads
“We did our dance set to seated guests whose attention was mostly fixed on Princess Diana – as was ours. She was the most attentive person in the room, sitting forward across the banister, clapping and beaming her support. She kind of glowed,” says Kate Ceberano, recounting her most memorable gig as singer in funk band I’m Talking. But it wasn’t just Diana that had Ceberano’s attention at the Rocking With the Royals gig in 1985. “Michael Hutchence was luminous like a sun god – I always sat in the wings when we opened for INXS, transfixed by his presence and the romance of their sound,” she recalls.
A former political staffer who was sexually assaulted by an Australian parliamentarian’s chief of staff in the early 2000s says it’s time to speak up and demand action from political leaders. “[Allegations of sexual assault, sexual harassment and bullying], both recent and historical, need to be investigated and, where substantiated, acted upon. In some cases, that may mean that the perpetrators lose their jobs. In others, it may also mean that they need to be dealt with by the courts. What cannot be allowed to happen is what has happened up until now – for these people to be protected and, in many cases, promoted, while only their victims have to face the devastating consequences of their behaviour.”
The La Niña weather has brought humid conditions to many parts of the country, and with it, mildew. Thankfully there are plenty of ways to prevent mildew, including mould-resistant fabrics and proper storage. There are also plenty of options to bring a garment back from the brink after the rot has set in, according to Alice Payne, an associate professor of fashion at Queensland University of Technology. “A hot wash with some bleach” or spot treatment with lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide and drying the garment in the sun are among some of Payne’s suggestions.
Listen
With a federal election just months away, all eyes are turning to the leader of the opposition party, Anthony Albanese, with the question: will he be our next prime minister? In today’s Full Story, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to political editor Katharine Murphy about Albanese’s rise through Labor’s political ranks and the party’s strategy to win the election.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Australian football must broaden its scope if the Socceroos and Matildas are to exit current mire, writes Joey Lynch. “If a side consistently plays flawed football but keeps winning – perhaps a world-record 11 times in a row – things are good. If that team plays the same way but results suddenly dry up, that’s bad. The underlying condition is largely the same, but that was obscured by the contrasting outcomes being delivered. A major review is needed, but only now that World Cup qualification looks unlikely.”
The Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has given her first interview to an independent media organisation since she alleged on Weibo that a senior Chinese official had coerced her into sex, saying it was an “enormous misunderstanding”, and announcing that she was retiring from tennis.
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald says there is growing pressure for Scott Morrison to act on his election promise to deliver a federal anti-corruption watchdog, despite just 10 days for parliament to meet before a potential May election. With a date set for international borders to reopen, there are calls by Sydney business leaders for the government to lift the ban on international cruises to revive the billion-dollar industry, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Coming up
Federal parliament resumes.
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