Good afternoon. The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is signalling a determined approach to thwart the Indigenous voice to parliament, after elevating one vocal opponent to his shadow cabinet in a major reshuffle.
Two Indigenous first-time senators who oppose the voice have been promoted: National Jacinta Price to shadow cabinet and Liberal Kerrynne Liddle to the outer ministry. Plus, Liberal MP Karen Andrews is out after announcing she will step down from the shadow frontbench and retire at the next election. Andrews said she will not actively campaign for a no vote.
And we have a guide on when and how to view the total solar eclipse this week.
Top news
Coalition reshuffle | Our chief political correspondent, Paul Karp, says Price’s elevation is a win for the Nationals, who now have seven shadow cabinet portfolios despite only having 21 MPs. Read his full analysis.
RBA hints at rate rises | The minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia’s 4 April meeting show that persisting inflation and a tight labour market may prompt further rate rises. Yesterday the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said the central bank needed to “change the way they go about things”, including on interest rates.
Gary Ablett Sr sues AFL, Hawthorn and Geelong | The AFL great claims he suffered damage from concussions as a result of their negligence. He is the highest-profile former player to reveal his health issues in relation to on-field concussion, joining more than 60 others who have signed up to the legal action.
Queensland officer head-butts Indigenous boy | An off-duty police officer has been filmed head-butting a 14-year-old Indigenous boy in the regional town of Dalby. The police commissioner, Katarina Carroll, described the officer’s actions as “inappropriate”. The officer has been stood down pending an investigation. “I feel as though he has targeted me because of … the colour of my skin,” the boy told 7news.
Total solar eclipse in Australia | The eclipse is happening Thursday morning, but take care not to look at it directly as it could damage your eyes. Here’s a quick guide on how to view it safely.
Basketball Australia bars trans athlete | Lexi Rodgers, a transgender athlete, has been told she is ineligible to play elite level basketball this season. Basketball Australia said they assess the eligibility of prospective elite level transgender athletes “on a ‘case-by-case’ basis, accounting for and balancing a range of factors”, without specifying those factors. In response to the decision, Rodgers expressed her disappointment with the ruling and the message it projects.
US shootings | A white man in Kansas City has been charged with armed assault after he shot a Black teenager who rang his doorbell by mistake to pick up his siblings. And in New York, a man has been charged with second-degree murder after opening fire on a car of young people who had mistakenly driven up to his house after going to the wrong address while looking for a friend’s house. The shots killed 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, who was in the car with three friends.
China offers to broker Israel-Palestine peace | The Chinese foreign minister, Qin Gang, held separate calls with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, offering to help facilitate talks. Beijing is trying to position itself as a regional mediator, after succeeding last month in brokering a restoration of ties between longtime rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
EU faces legal action over ‘green’ guide | The EU’s decision to include gas and nuclear in a “green” investments guide has prompted a lawsuit by environmental campaigners. “Instead of hindering greenwashing, it has become a tool for greenwashing,” the executive director of Greenpeace Germany, Nina Treu, said.
Full Story
Blowing the whistle on Australia’s ‘broken’ university system
University staff are at breaking point and students are no longer getting what they pay for. What’s going on in the university sector? Listen to this 18-minute episode.
What they said …
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“A ‘consumer recession’ is now forecast in 2023, with household spending expected to finish the year below where it started … Our view remains unchanged – the additional 50 basis points of increases earlier this year were unnecessary, and have prompted a further downgrade in Australia’s growth outlook.” – Stephen Smith, Deloitte
Shortly after Smith’s remarks, rival KPMG shared its own forecast, which didn’t point to a recession but similarly warned “the risks of higher interest rates and recession have increased in recent months”.
In numbers
Airlines are keeping prices high despite the supply of available seats and fuel prices improving in recent months.
Before bed read
If you had to choose between a scientist, a chef and a farmer on how to best boil an egg, whose advice would you follow? Well we have the methods from all three – take your pick!
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: VAG. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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