Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
An inquiry into Australia’s pandemic response has found plans were “grossly inadequate” while the delay in getting and distributing the vaccines cost the economy about $31bn.
Many citizens lost trust in governments during the earlier period of the pandemic, the report continued, while many still feel “resentment about what they lost”. Governments need to “rebuild the social fabric”, respondents told the inquiry.
The 886-page report, commissioned by the Albanese government in 2023, sets out 26 actions and nine guiding recommendations for governments faced with future health emergencies, including placing less focus on “stick” approaches, or punishments, and more on “carrot” encouragements, like vaccines.
Top news
PM refuses to answer questions on Qantas flight upgrade | In a defensive press conference on Tuesday, Albanese insisted he has been “completely transparent” with all of his financial disclosures as an elected official while pointing the finger at Coalition frontbenchers.
Merivale hires top lawyer to investigate alleged exploitation of female staff | The hospitality behemoth has appointed a top human rights lawyer to investigate allegations female staff at the exclusive Level 6 club in the Sydney’s Ivy complex were exploited, after a Nine newspaper report detailed allegations from multiple employees.
Wong condemns Israeli ban on Unrwa operations | The foreign affairs minister criticised new Israeli laws restricting the UN relief agency Unrwa’s access to Gaza, saying that Unrwa “does life-saving work”. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has accused Unrwa of engaging in “terrorist activities” against Israel, which the agency has denied.
Jeff Bezos defends decision to end Washington Post endorsements | The billionaire owner of the Washington Post (above) has penned a column in his own newspaper defending the decision not to endorse a candidate in the US presidential election after the publication lost 200,000 subscribers as a result.
Anger grows over racist remarks about Puerto Ricans at Trump rally | Outrage continues to mount in response to racist anti-Puerto Rican remarks from a comedian at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in New York as Democrats, celebrities and even some Republicans condemned the incident.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of sexually assaulting underaged boys | The jailed hip-hop mogul is accused in two new lawsuits filed on Monday of drugging and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy in a New York City hotel room in 2005 and similarly assaulting a 17-year-old in 2008.
Astonishing long-range strike helps Matildas win | A 40-yard, long-range screamer from Kyra Cooney-Cross and a Clare Hunt header gave interim coach Tom Sermani some cheer in a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Germany in Duisburg.
Wallabies unveil new jersey | The Wallabies will wear a new kit featuring Indigenous artwork designed by Dylan Pietsch, a Test player and Wiradjuri Burray man, when they run out to face the British and Irish Lions on the touring side’s trip to Australia next year.
Animals become less sociable as they age | New research shows wild animals, too, get more cantankerous with age, with experts studying animals from wild deer to insects, monkeys and birds to reveal a host of insights into the relationship between age and social connections.
In pictures
Whales ‘relentlessly pestered’: tourism boom sparks new rules in French Polynesia
Whale-watching tourism generates over $2bn in revenue, and the Pacific industry is growing. In French Polynesia, the number of certified whale-based tourism operators rose from 60 in 2023 to 90 in 2024, according to Tahiti Tourism. But their growth has raised concerns over potential harm to the animals.
What they said …
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“The Sheriff of Nottingham has taken up residence in Washington DC, and the good cops have left town.”
Journalist and former Q&A host Stan Grant has taken shots at US political elites and coverage of the presidential election. Telling an audience that neither Donald Trump or Kamala Harris were the answer to the “existential crisis of America”, Grant added: “Robin Hood is nowhere to be seen.”
In numbers
Meanwhile, only about one in two female workers agreed, according to a new survey by Our Watch that suggests men think the responses to sexual harassment are improving – but women don’t.
Before bed read
‘Let’s be clear, Peter Dutton’s energy plan is more focused on coal and gas than it is on nuclear power’
It seems reasonable to call the Coalition’s policy what it primarily is: a proposal to expand fossil fuels, writes Guardian Australia’s environment editor, Adam Morton.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: TRAM. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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