Good afternoon. The Indigenous voice campaign has taken a toxic turn with Prof Marcia Langton alleging she has been “lied about” and targeted by certain media outlets.
Langton, an influential Indigenous proponent of the voice, strenuously denied a report in the Australian newspaper that she had dismissed no campaigners as “racist”. The Australian’s headline was shared in an Instagram post by the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, and fellow Coalition members Angus Taylor, Sarah Henderson, Andrew Hastie, Colin Boyce and Jonathon Duniam, as well as the Liberal party of Australia’s main account.
Langton said she will seek legal advice over Dutton’s post. Our Indigenous affairs editor, Lorena Allam, writes the voice debate is being flooded with misinformation and lies.
Top news
Qantas loses high court appeal | The high court has upheld a landmark federal court ruling that the airline illegally outsourced 1,700 ground handler jobs in 2020. The decision exposes the embattled airline to a mammoth compensation bill. The Transport Workers’ Union responded to the result by calling for the chairman, Richard Goyder, and the entire board to be replaced by new directors, including a worker representative.
Victorian Indigenous body condemns fake letter | The First Peoples’ Assembly has criticised a fake letter as “racist fear-mongering” after it was distributed to homes in the state’s north-west. The letter, falsely claiming to be written by a member of the assembly, claimed landowners should take steps to protect their properties being acquired by Indigenous traditional owner groups in the region. The matter has been referred to Victoria police.
Green comet coming to Australian skies | Nishimura, a green comet that was only discovered in August by an amateur Japanese astronomer using a digital camera, might be visible within days. But, according to an expert, “you’ll never see it from the city. You’ll have to get away from light pollution, find a dark sky area where there’s no moon.”
Government pressed to release secret climate report | Crossbench MPs and senators have stepped up their calls for the Albanese government to release a declassified version of a secret intelligence report into the national security risks posed by the climate crisis. Warringah MP Zali Steggall said the government “continues to refuse to share its findings”. Last month Anthony Albanese told parliament the government made “no apologies for not releasing national security advice”.
Taylor Swift dominates VMAs | Swift won for every televised category in which she was nominated in a night that otherwise celebrated Latin music, including the pre-eminence of Shakira, as well as 50 years of hip-hop.
Republican book bans | A US Senate hearing on book bans and censorship spotlighted the growing phenomenon, with Democrats decrying censorship as Republicans and rightwing activists push for many works to be taken out of schools and libraries. Many of the most commonly banned books deal with topics such as racism, sexuality and gender identity.
Environment activists killed at alarming rate | At least 177 people were killed last year for defending the environment, according to new figures, with a fifth of killings taking place in the Amazon rainforest.
Wine flood in Portugal | Every wine drinker’s dream – gushes of the beverage flowed freely in the Portuguese town of Levira over the weekend, after two vats holding about 2.2m litres of wine at a local distillery burst and flooded the streets. Watch the video.
Crocs on the loose in China | The city of Maoming has launched an operation to find nearly 70 crocodiles that escaped when floods hit the region in recent days.
In video
Libya floods
At least 10,000 people are missing in catastrophic floods that have hit eastern Libya. The confirmed death toll has exceeded 5,300, according to a spokesperson for the administration that controls the east of Libya. Watch this two-minute report and see this gallery of before and after satellite images.
What they said …
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“We need to see unemployment rise … We need to see pain in the economy.” – Tim Gurner, chief executive of Gurner Group
The property developer caused a stir on social media when he unleashed on workers at the AFR property summit.
In numbers
The government proposed in this year’s budget modest changes to the petroleum resources rent tax that would bring in $2.4bn over four years. The Greens and analysts say it doesn’t go far enough. The bill is likely to be introduced towards the end of the year.
Before bed read
The Brayden Maynard tribunal hearing has consumed the AFL world. The backdrop to the incident – and the AFL’s failed bid for the Collingwood player to be suspended – are landmark legal proceedings brought by former players regarding alleged concussion and brain injuries sustained while playing.
“Those who endured the entire hearing were given an insight into where the AFL wants to take the game,” writes Jack Snape. Despite their efforts, the outcome showed “the game didn’t seem to have changed at all”.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: COAT. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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