Good morning. A “shocking” culture of awarding federal government board positions to friends and acquaintances threatens the health of Australian democracy, according to an author of a new report exposing the scandal. The unprecedented heatwave in Europe continues and is set to worsen over the coming days in some parts. And there’s sporting glory for Australia in both the Open Championship and the Tour de France.
An “insidious jobs-for-mates culture” has been exposed by a report that found one in five lucrative and powerful federal government board positions have been handed to politically connected individuals. The Grattan Institute has released a report revealing a shocking level of politicisation in government appointments to public boards, tribunals, advisory councils and agencies. Report co-author Kate Griffiths, the deputy program director for government at Grattan, said the results were shocking and highlighted a significant danger to the health of democracy.
Firefighters in Portugal, Spain, France, Greece and Morocco are battling forest fires raging across tens of thousands of hectares as this week’s heatwave continues to bring extreme temperatures and cause hundreds of deaths across south-western Europe. The second heatwave of the summer – with temperatures hitting 47C in Portugal and 45C in Spain – has triggered wildfires that have forced the evacuation of thousands of people. The coming days will see the heatwave intensify further north with record temperatures expected in the UK tomorrow.
Cameron Smith produced a sensational eight-under-par final round of 64 at St Andrews, overtaking Rory McIlroy and holding off Cameron Young to claim the Open Championship. The Australian, who finished the tournament on 20 under par, scored five consecutive birdies to begin his back nine on the way to his first major title, but also had to resist a late charge from Young. The American holed a stunning eagle putt at the 18th to move level with the leader on 19 under par – but Smith had a tap-in for birdie to again move a shot clear.
Australia
The former Australian chief scientist charged with investigating the country’s divisive carbon credit system says academics who have described it as a fraud and a sham are “serious people”. In an interview with Guardian Australia, Prof Ian Chubb said there were also credible voices defending the scheme and he would need to carefully weigh the evidence.
Reinstating Covid-19 isolation payments is a necessary move in the wake of rising cases despite criticism the government has been slow in doing so, according to the treasurer, Jim Chalmers. With infections continuing to increase, a decision was made on Saturday to restore the leave pay measure until the end of September.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has signalled that his party is open to backing the government’s 43% emissions reduction target but says there are “problems” with the bill as he digs in on his demand that new coal and gas projects be banned.
Rising corporate profits had been a major factor in Australia’s inflation spike while wages have had little or no effect, according to new economic analysis from a leading thinktank.
Hopes that environment-saving water will be delivered through the Murray-Darling Basin plan are evaporating rapidly, with just two gigalitres of a promised 450GL delivered so far.
A white whale that washed up on a Victorian beach is not the well-known albino humpback Migaloo, according to the state’s environment department.
The world
Mourners in central Ukraine have buried a four-year-old girl who was killed by a Russian missile strike in the city of Vinnytsia last week, as officials and analysts warned that Moscow’s operational pause had come to an end, signalling further death and pain to come.
A large cargo aircraft transporting munitions from Serbia to Bangladesh has crashed and exploded in northern Greece, killing all eight crew onboard.
A Tucker Carlson speech on Friday looked like a presidential run, walked like a presidential run and quacked like a presidential run but was most certainly not a presidential run, at least as far as anyone knows – but speculation is building over whether the controversial Fox News host could be aiming for the White House.
Thousands of people protested in Budapest on Saturday for a fifth day against Viktor Orbán’s government, as anger deepens over tax changes that critics say will hurt small businesses in Hungary.
Recommended reads
Since 1978 Midnight Oil have made 13 studio albums, two studio EPs and innumerable odds and sods. Here, Oils fan Andrew Stafford has a go at picking the dream set list. “I grew up with Midnight Oil,” he writes. “They were the first band I ever saw in concert, I’ve seen them more than most, and I was immensely privileged to write liner notes for their Overflow Tank box set. In compiling this list, I’ve tried to bear in mind that my memories are no measure of a song’s quality, much less cultural impact.”
Overworked and burnt out? Chances are, no matter where you work, you’re not using your calendar effectively. Here’s how to “play offence” with your time, from scheduling breaks to using a template. “No matter what kind of an organisation you work for,” writes Amantha Imber, “chances are your co-workers can pop meetings into your diary at all times of day because it’s visible to every single person in the business. Basically, anyone can hijack your day. How fun!”
Paramedics have been left shaking their heads as the ambulance ramping debate misses the point, writes Danny Hill. “When people read about non-urgent calls being made to triple zero, they often think of outlandish examples such as someone ‘stuck’ in a jacket, or a person who wants help using Spotify,” he writes. “But these are not the calls that are tying up our paramedics.”
Listen
This year has been a disaster for many investors in cryptocurrencies. In today’s Full Story, Alex Hern, Guardian UK technology editor, draws the parallels of the spreading panic in the new digital economy with the 2008 financial crisis.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Australian cycling star Michael Matthews believes he has reprised the story of his distinguished career with one epic triumph of rare courage and heart at the Tour de France. The man from Canberra, known throughout cycling as “Bling” for his love of shiny baubles, produced his most glittering victory on Saturday on an exhausting, undulating 192.5km slog from Saint Etienne to Mende.
Media roundup
Up to 20% of places at NSW’s selective schools and gifted classes will be reserved for students from disadvantaged backgrounds in one of the biggest overhauls to admissions at the public system’s highest-achieving schools, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. And, according to WAToday, the proportion of Australians who own their home outright has halved over two decades for most age groups, while the proportion of people with mortgages in retirement years has tripled.
Coming up
Closing submissions will be heard in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial.
And if you’ve read this far …
Here’s a brutally funny restaurant review by Jay Rayner: “There was only one thing to do. I went home and listened to some Joy Division to cheer myself up.”
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