Good afternoon.
Sydney Water has been ordered to remove fats from its Malabar wastewater treatment plant, a month after Guardian Australia revealed a huge fatberg was responsible for the poo balls that closed several New South Wales beaches last summer.
The state’s Environment Protection Authority said on Monday it had issued a pollution reduction program to Sydney Water “requiring a range of significant works to reduce the likelihood of further debris balls washing up on the state’s beaches”.
The fatberg, which could be the size of four Sydney buses, is thought to be beyond the bulkhead door at the treatment plant.
Top news
Violence erupts after Mexican security forces kill drug cartel boss
Who was El Mencho, the former police officer who co-founded an ultraviolent cartel in Mexico?
Grindr tests AI match-making in Australia amid dating app fatigue and safety concerns
‘Trump’s reign of terror must end’: California Democrats plot national return to power
Analysis: Even greater heights await Australia’s Winter Olympians after success of Milano Cortina Games
In pictures
Paddington Bear takes the lift after presenting an award at the Baftas. Catherine Shoard rounded up the best quotes from the ceremony after I Swear’s Robert Aramayo took best actor, One Battle After Another swept the board and the red carpet provided plenty of glamour.
What they said …
***
“I need the parliament of this country unequivocally to stand up and say they are on the side of young people … because young people do not believe that you’re on their side.”
The union great Bill Kelty told a parliamentary committee the tax system needs reforming to reduce the growing burden on young people, saying scaling back tax breaks for investors to pay for some extra spending was not good enough.
Full Story
Coles in court: the high-stakes battle over the price of your groceries
The consumer watchdog has taken Coles to the federal court testing allegations the supermarket breached the law by offering “illusory” discounts on many everyday products. Coles denies any wrongdoing.
A week in, Guardian Australia business editor, Jonathan Barrett, tells Reged Ahmad whether the outcome could bring prices down.
Before bed read
“A rightwing populist party, led by a familiar anti-establishment figure, gathering momentum. A Labour government enjoying a comfortable parliamentary majority but struggling.” The former race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane is describing British politics – specifically the rise of Reform. But it’s a description, he notes, that could also fit Australia as support for One Nation roars back.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: OAR. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.