The Latest Breaking News from Crikey Cam Wilson

UAP Senator Ralph Babet was always quite weird. But lately he seems to be heading further down the MAGA-hole.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton posted false claims on social media that Indigenous leader Marcia Langton had branded No voters as ‘racist’ or ‘stupid’, and Sydney will turn smoky as firefighters conduct a hazard reduction burn of nearly 700 hectares around the city’s urban fringe.

There’s a lot of terms you could use to describe the wild 2022 Victorian election campaign, some more publishable than others. Read part two of Crikey’s mammoth wrap-up.

Good morning, early birds. Independent candidate for Kooyong Monique Ryan is taking the AEC to court because around 200,000 COVID-positive voters may not be able to vote, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison is going hard on Labor’s costings. It’s the news you need to know, with Emma Elsworthy.

What are the driving factors behind the PM’s preselection ‘captain’s picks’, notably those with limited prior political interest?