Good morning. Experts say a plan to save the swift parrot will be “absolutely useless” and lead to the bird’s extinction, as draft versions reveal it was changed to focus on protecting the forestry industry. The Greens are pushing for a rent freeze ahead of next week’s jobs and skills summit. And unions are calling for a return of sector-wide bargaining to lift wages.
Tasmanian and federal bureaucrats pushed for a recovery plan for a critically endangered parrot species to be changed to remove and downplay scientific evidence that logging was the biggest threat to its survival. Scientists said the proposed changes to the recovery plan for the swift parrot – revealed in draft versions made available under freedom of information laws – were more focused on protecting the forestry industry than preventing the species going extinct. The swift parrot is a migratory species that spends winters in Victoria and New South Wales and summers nesting in forests scattered across Tasmania. Last year it was estimated the population had slumped to about 750, down from 2,000 a decade ago.
Unions will use next week’s jobs summit to push for sector-wide pay deals covering multiple workplaces, calling it their top priority. Sally McManus, the secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), said changes to bargaining were urgent to counter the crisis of real-wage cuts. She said it was ridiculous that workers in sectors such as childcare were expected to strike separate deals with each employer.
The Greens have urged the Albanese government to impose a nationwide rent freeze for two years, saying the issue of rental affordability should be elevated to national cabinet ahead of next week’s jobs and skills summit. New research from the Everybody’s Home advocacy group has found increased rents in regional areas are contributing to unfilled job vacancies, with some areas recording rental rises of more than 40% in the past two years. Nationally, rents have been rising at the fastest rate in 14 years, up 9.1% in capital cities and 10.8% in regional areas compared with June 2021.
Australia
Psychologists who predominantly bulk bill are making as little as $12 an hour, which is why it “just isn’t an option for the majority of them”, the executive director of the Australian Association of Psychologists, Tegan Carrison, has said.
The National Farmers’ Federation proposal to take “non-monetary benefits” into account when negotiating pay deals has attracted strong criticism from farmers and immigration experts who claim it could erode workers’ rights.
Lost productivity due to poor mental health will see almost $7.5bn ripped from the New South Wales economy by 2025, if more is not done to support workers and businesses, according to a new report.
Victoria’s former treaty advancement commissioner, Jill Gallagher, has called for tertiary education and interest-free housing loans for First Nations people to be provided by an independent self-determination fund to alleviate the economic disadvantages of “250 years of racism”.
New Australian homes could have to comply with tougher energy performance standards within a year, with ministers set to agree to boost the required rating from six to seven stars.
The world
Vladimir Putin is to blame for British people being hit by high energy bills while Ukrainian people are “paying in their blood”, Boris Johnson has said as he made a final visit to Kyiv as prime minister.
Sanna Marin has insisted she works hard as Finland’s prime minister but should also be entitled to a private life, after a photograph taken at her residence of two topless women kissing sparked renewed criticism of her partying.
China is “exponentially” increasing its warship capability and has reportedly re-started mass production of guided-missile destroyers.
Food price rises around the world are the result of a “broken” food system that is failing the poor and concentrating power and profits in the hands of a few, food experts have said.
A detailed plan has been drawn up by Russia to disconnect Europe’s largest nuclear plant from Ukraine’s power grid, risking a catastrophic failure of its cooling systems, the Guardian has been told.
Recommended reads
Have we reached peak Daniel Johns? This is the question posed by Nathan Jolly as he takes a look at a new three-part docuseries on the Silverchair frontman, noting there is also a memorabilia exhibition, an upcoming featurette, and a hit podcast out there too.
The thigh often loses out to the breast as the most desirable cut of chicken, but the once-maligned meat comes to the fore as a flavoursome, juicy – and cheap – ingredient in dishes across many cultures. Natascha Mirosch has six incredible recipes to help you get the most from a thigh, from casseroles to curry.
In between performances at Edinburgh fringe, Oliver Coleman has assembled a list of fun clips, including the Armando Iannucci Shows and a parody of Vogue’s 73 Questions, for this edition of “the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)“.
Listen
Last week the New South Wales government unveiled their long-awaited flood recovery response, promising to reform its disaster agencies and introduce land swaps and buybacks for flood-prone communities. With more than 5,000 homes left uninhabitable across the state and months of further La Niña-driven rain forecast ahead, residents say they need “more detail” and “urgent action”. In today’s Full Story, NSW state reporter Tamsin Rose speaks to flood-affected residents and details the NSW government’s flood response.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
As Rafael Nadal aims for his 23rd major and Serena Williams prepares to bid farewell, comparing players across generations is a futile activity, writes Tom Joyce.
Media roundup
Daniel Ricciardo is leaving McLaren at the end of the 2022 season with a multimillion-dollar payout, The Age reports. And the Financial Review interviewed investment fund and former Future Fund chief David Neal, who said long-term investors and super funds were duty bound to consider environmental and social problems when they choose where to invest.
Coming up
It’s day two of a two-day NSW rail workers strike.
Meanwhile, Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador, will deliver opening remarks at a Q+A event.
And if you’ve read this far …
A silver lining for the droughts being suffered around the world currently – these ancient dinosaur footprints that date back more than 100m years have been revealed in Texas.
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