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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Charlotte Graham-McLay

Morning Mail: ACBF-Youpla victims wait for compensation, Oscar goodie bag gift prompts questions

Kuku Yalanji elder Daphne Naden
Kuku Yalanji elder Daphne Naden at her home in Mossman, Queensland. She is among those who were left out of pocket when funeral insurer ACBF-Youpla collapsed. Photograph: Brian Cassey

Good morning. It’s one year on from the collapse of the predatory funeral insurer ACBF-Youpla and the loss of millions of dollars in policies paid by mostly low-income Aboriginal families – some of whom had to resort to crowdfunding or were forced to leave their loved ones’ bodies in morgues while they fundraised for funerals. Now, consumer advocates are calling for the government to offer them a refund, with estimates the compensation bill could run to more than $300m.

Elsewhere, the BBC scales back a second day of sports coverage after its suspension of Gary Lineker, and a gift of Australian land in Oscars goodie bags prompts questions.

Australia

Kuku Yalanji elder Daphne Naden at her home in Mossman, Queensland, with her grandchildren
Kuku Yalanji elder Daphne Naden signed up to the Youpla Group’s fund in the 1990s and is among those left out of pocket when the funeral insurer collapsed. Photograph: Brian Cassey

World

Former British football player and BBC presenter Gary Lineker leaves his home in London
Former British football player and BBC presenter Gary Lineker leaves his home in London. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters

Full Story

Sophie Scamps and Kylea Tink after a helicopter tour of the Liverpool Plains
Independents Sophie Scamps and Kylea Tink after a helicopter tour of the Liverpool Plains. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

The teals, farmers and traditional owners fighting Santos

The rich farmlands of NSW’s Liverpool Plains have long been coveted by fossil fuel companies; now locals are preparing to fight the Australian gas giant Santos, which holds the licences for what lies beneath. The rural and regional editor, Gabrielle Chan, tells Jane Lee about the new generation of farmers taking on Santos, alongside traditional owners and teal independent MPs.

In-depth

Michael Lachmann holds a picture of himself when he first arrived in Australia
Michael Lachmann holds a picture of himself when he first arrived in Australia. Photograph: Frances Andrijich/The Guardian

Seven thousand British children were sent to Australia last century, told they were orphans or unwanted. It wasn’t true. Now facing old age, 1,400 are still searching for their families, with time for reunions running out. Guardian Australia speaks to Michael Lachmann, 80 and raised as a lifelong Catholic, who discovered that his mother had neither died nor abandoned him before he was shipped to Australia, aged five, and that he was Jewish.

Not the news

a brain made up of fish, fruit and vegetables
Do you know the best diet for brain health? Illustration: Sally Caulwell/The Guardian

We should be thinking of brain health like a pension plan – it’s best to start as early as possible so that you have more to draw from when you need it, writes Kimberley Wilson, psychologist and MSc in nutrition. It’s never too late to invest in your brain health, she says – with tips including sardines in pregnancy and sauerkraut later in life.

The world of sport

Virat Kohli raises his bat to celebrate scoring a century
Virat Kohli raises his bat to celebrate scoring a century during the fourth day of the fourth Test match between India and Australia in Ahmedabad. Photograph: AJit Solanki/AP

Media roundup

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australia will need 20,000 more workers to build its new submarine fleet. The most senior Ngunnawal elder, Aunty Agnes Shea, has died aged 91, says the Canberra Times. The superstar jockey Jamie Kah is in a critical condition after a Flemington track disaster according to the Advertiser.

What’s happening today

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.

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