Good morning, it's Friday, December 3. Here's what you need to get going today.
One thing to know right now: Rachelle Miller says she made her allegations about Alan Tudge not for revenge
It took a bruising year after former Liberal staffer Rachelle Miller first told her story about minister Alan Tudge for her to finally be heard, and for him to face consequences and stand aside.
Ms Miller received a call from the Prime Minister's chief of staff, John Kunkel, just before Question Time yesterday, to say that Scott Morrison had asked the education minister to stand aside pending an investigation into Ms Miller's allegations that their relationship was abusive.
If Ms Miller needed support, she says Mr Kunkel assured her, she should just reach out.
Mr Tudge "completely and utterly rejects" the allegations of abuse, although he has admitted to the consensual affair, which he says he regrets deeply.
Mr Kunkel's phone call to Ms Miller marked a stark change in the government's response from when Ms Miller first told her story for Four Corners' Inside the Canberra Bubble story in November 2020. After that, she says, she heard nothing.
Keep reading Louise MIlligan's analysis here.
One thing you'll be hearing about today: How satellites are challenging Australia's official greenhouse gas emission figures
Using satellite imagery from the European Space Agency combined with meteorological data and atmospheric models, Christian Lelong, the director of natural resources at geospatial analytics firm Kayrros, has been able to measure methane leaks from the fossil fuel industry around the world.
What he has found above Queensland's coal-rich Bowen Basin raises serious questions about whether Australia has been accurately reporting its greenhouse gas emissions to international bodies.
Also: Patty Mills has won a top Australian sporting honour
Patty Mills has become the first basketballer to win The Don Award, after his inspiring performance led the Boomers to a maiden medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The Don is presented annually at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame awards to the athlete or team whose deeds most inspired the nation over the past 12 months.
Is there anything Mills can't do?
News while you snoozed
Let's get you up to speed.
- A British court dismissed an appeal by a tabloid paper against a ruling that it had breached the privacy of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, by printing parts of a handwritten letter she wrote to her estranged father.
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Germany's nation's parliament will consider a general vaccine mandate as part of efforts to curb COVID infections. Chancellor Angela Merkel says people who are not vaccinated will be barred from non-essential stores, and cultural and recreational venues.
The news Australians are searching for
- Powerball - One lucky ticketholder in Western Australia claimed the Powerball jackpot, winning the entire $80 million prize.
- Ghislaine Maxwell - it's the fourth day of Maxwell's sex trafficking trial. A former house manager has testified the British socialite was the "lady of the house" at now-deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach estate.
- Alec Baldwin- The actor had an interview with the US ABC's network which airs today. What we know so far is that Baldwin says he did not pull the trigger on the prop gun which fired and killed a cinematographer on the set of the film, Rust.
One more thing: It's Friday which means there's a news quiz!
Will you be declared a national hero for your efforts or will you be unceremoniously thrown out?
That's it for now
We'll be back later with a wrap of all the big news from today.
ABC/wires
