Good morning. A push by the Greens to refer Scott Morrison to parliament’s privileges committee was rejected by the Speaker, but MPs could still vote for the move next month. A court battle looks likely after Lachlan Murdoch began a defamation suit against Australian news site Crikey. And Twitter’s former head of security has blasted his former employer over its alleged security failings.
A push by the Greens to refer Scott Morrison to parliament’s powerful privileges committee has been rejected by the Speaker, Milton Dick, who has found there was not enough evidence to say the former prime minister deliberately misled the lower house. MPs may yet vote to refer Morrison to the privileges committee when parliament resumes next month – or to set up another form of inquiry – but that would require an absolute majority. On Tuesday the solicitor general ruled Morrison’s secret self-appointment to five extra portfolios was legally valid, but accused the former prime minister of “undermining responsible government” – here’s what that means.
Lachlan Murdoch has filed proceedings for defamation in Australia’s federal court against the independent news site Crikey over an article that named the Murdoch family as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 6 January Capitol riots. The co-chair of News Corp has engaged the top silk Sue Chrysanthou SC to represent him in the defamation suit after Crikey’s Australian publisher, Private Media, refused to apologise for an opinion piece by politics editor Bernard Keane. The lawsuit was filed a day after Crikey bought a full-page ad in the New York Times inviting Murdoch to sue them.
Twitter’s former head of security has accused the company of deceiving users over the strength of its security measures in a scathing whistleblower complaint. Peiter Zatko warned of a “severe lack of security basics” in an analysis written in February, and said Twitter had not been upfront about the number of spam bots it deals with. Twitter denies the accusations.
The woman who Nick Kyrgios accused of being drunk during his Wimbledon final has told lawyers to prepare a defamation action, saying it was an entirely baseless allegation.
Australia
A small piece of Melbourne is set to become a mini-Acropolis with a replica of the Parthenon to be installed at the National Gallery of Victoria this spring and covered with large-scale murals by local artists.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, has ended his predecessor’s so-called “war on wokeness” within his department, reversing Peter Dutton’s ban on staff morning teas that celebrate diversity.
Fishers and community groups have expressed alarm over what has been described as the biggest seismic testing for oil and gas ever planned off the Victorian coast, saying it is at odds with the Albanese government’s climate commitments.
Farm workers could be part-paid with fruit, vegetables and other produce as the agriculture sector seeks to lower the bar for the “better off overall test” on pay.
A man found guilty of multiple sex offences has been granted a retrial after evidence from two former partners that he was non-violent, pleasant, friendly, gentle, kind and caring was not heard during his original trial.
The supply of monkeypox vaccine doses in Australia remains limited despite rising local transmission, prompting some to ask why some countries stockpiled vaccines while Australia did not.
The world
Donald Trump has turned over to the government hundreds of documents marked as classified and improperly retained at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, according to a review conducted by the National Archives, the custodian of presidential records, and sources familiar with the matter.
A UN diplomat has evaded a rape charge in New York City because of diplomatic immunity.
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that during the Sussexes’ tour of South Africa the couple’s son Archie narrowly escaped a fire in his bedroom. Despite being shaken and in tears, the couple had to then go out to another official engagement, she said.
Police in Canada are investigating the “brazen” heist of a famed Sir Winston Churchill portrait after the original photograph was mysteriously swapped for a fake.
Recommended reads
Smoking was costing Rick Morton $1,000 a month by the end, but that’s not why he quit. “I needed to pay the mortgage for my mother’s home,” he writes. “But even with that incentive, I couldn’t quit until my mental health was sorted.”
To launch a major international gala independently, amid a global pandemic, should have been impossible. But 22-year-old Joel Burke is just getting started. The young dancer is shaking up Australian ballet, promising to “make it more noisy”.
Listen
If you recently received an email or text from your GP clinic saying they can no longer bulk bill – you’re not alone. Increasingly, GPs in Australia say the amount they are reimbursed by the government isn’t enough to cover expenses, and they have no option but to pass costs on to patients. In today’s Full Story, Guardian Australia’s medical editor, Melissa Davey, explores why GP appointment costs are rising and how the Labor government plans to overhaul this system.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
A new-look AFLW presents opportunity in season seven but the jury is out on changes. Participation rates have soared across the country and ticket sales have hit an unprecedented high. These are very promising times for the league.
Media roundup
The resources minister, Madeleine King, has approved the first two new offshore carbon capture sites since 2014, with more possibly to come, the Australian reports. And the Daily Telegraph details the horrific details of Cheng Lei’s life in a Beijing prison through her own letters.
Coming up
The judgment in a father’s civil claim against cardinal George Pell and the Catholic church is due today.
And if you’ve read this far …
Check out the amazing entries in the Australian Life photography competition 2022.
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