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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Martin Farrer

Morning Mail: school sexuality survey, Israel bans Unrwa, Musk sued over giveaways

A demonstrator holds up a rainbow flag
A survey indicates that more than 10% of high school students are LGBTQ+ or gender-diverse. Photograph: Jason Reed/Reuters

Morning, everyone. Australian schools have an “urgent need” of support services to help pupils at risk of stigma, discrimination and violence as a new major survey indicates that more than 10% are LGBTQ+ or gender-diverse.

In other news, there are claims that ExxonMobil would breach international law if it abandons parts of oil and gas rigs in the Bass Strait once it has finished with them. A housing expert sets out a case on how to avoid urban development ending up with the “worst of both worlds”, and the US election heats up with legal action against Elon Musk.

Australia

  • Cleanup concern | An international law expert has warned that ExxonMobil’s plan to abandon oil and gas infrastructure in Bass Strait rather than a full removal would breach Australia’s obligations under international law.

  • ‘Urgent need’ | More than one in 10 Australian teenagers identify as gay, bisexual, pansexual or asexual, a survey of high school students has found, with 3.3% of the more than 6,000 questioned identifying as gender-diverse.

  • Whitehaven strike | Whitehaven Coal, one of Australia’s biggest coal producers, faces a rare “second strike” from shareholders this week as climate activists seek to draw attention to the miner’s plans to ramp up production and resulting carbon emissions.

  • Melbourne arrest | Police are questioning a man after the body of 35-year-old Nikkita Azzopardi was found by her family inside a home in South Morang in north Melbourne.

  • Preference shout | A Labor-led inquiry is considering an overhaul of the Victorian parliament’s upper house in an effort to stamp out the practice of “preference whispering” and bring it into line with other Australian jurisdictions.

World

  • Musk lawsuit | The Philadelphia district attorney’s office has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop Elon Musk’s political action committee from awarding $1m to registered voters in swing states. The columnist Michele Norris has become the second high-profile Washington Post name to quit after the newspaper’s decision not to support Kamala Harris for president. Follow the election news live.

  • Relief agency ban | Israel’s parliament has passed a bill to outlaw the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from working in Israel. It comes as Sally Rooney, Arundhati Roy and Rachel Kushner joined more than 1,000 writers and publishing professionals to sign a pledge to boycott Israeli cultural institutions that “are complicit or have remained silent observers of the overwhelming oppression of Palestinians”.

  • Georgia nightmare? | Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s authoritarian prime minister, is heading to Georgia after congratulating the ruling Georgian Dream party for its “overwhelming” election victory despite concerns about intimidation and coercion of voters.

  • Killing spree | Sudanese militia have been accused of killings, sexual violence, looting and arson during eight days of attacks on villages south of Khartoum.

  • Car slump | Volkswagen is planning to shut at least three factories, lay off thousands of workers and cut pay by 10%, according to unions, amid stiff competition from Chinese EVs. Another troubled behemoth, Boeing, is going to raise US$19bn to shore up its finances.

Full Story

Why Lidia Thorpe’s royal protest continues to hit a nerve

Reged Ahmad speaks to Guardian Australia’s political editor, Karen Middleton, about why Australians can’t stop talking about Lidia Thorpe’s royal protest – and what it means for her role as a senator.

In-depth

How to fix the housing crisis continues to dominate state and federal politics, with the Victorian government’s initiative the latest fix to be floated. But Peter Mares, a housing policy academic, argues that we are in danger of ending up with the worst of both worlds, with high-rise inner-city developments lacking community amenities as new-build suburbs sprawl on farmland on the periphery. Only public intervention to create more “middle-density” housing can solve the problem.

Not the news

Jimmy Barnes is a busy man. Alongside Cold Chisel’s Big Five-O tour and a chart-topping compilation album, the rock legend has published another autobiography. Building on his award-winning Working Class Man, Jenny Valentish reckons Highways & Byways shows he’s lost “none of his raconteur’s flair” in a collection of “bar-stool yarns” and “dunny reads” that examine his tough Adelaide upbringing and life on the road.

The world of sport

Media roundup

Analysis in the Courier-Mail says the reality of Saturday’s Queensland’s election was an anti-Labor landslide. Transgrid is facing an investigation into whether it broke the rules governing the national energy market before a huge storm left Broken Hill without power for 10 days, the Daily Telegraph reports. Council rates could rise to pay for the ongoing renovation of North Sydney’s harbourside pool, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

What’s happening today

  • NSW | A parliamentary inquiry into the use of e-scooters and e-bikes will hold its first hearing.

  • Sydney | An inquest into the death of corrupt former police officer Roger Rogerson will begin.

  • Media | Anthony De Ceglie will outline Seven’s next steps at the Melbourne Press Club.

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.

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