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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Martin Farrer

Morning Mail: Albanese sinks to new poll low, testing the vape sale ban, supreme court grants Trump immunity

Anthony Albanese in parliament
Nearly half of voters don’t think Anthony Albanese is doing a good job. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Good morning. Some bad news for Anthony Albanese: his poll approval rating is at its lowest since he took power. In better news for him, voters are expressing scepticism about Peter Dutton’s nuclear power ideas in our exclusive Guardian Essential poll.

Plus, on the first day of a new ban on the sale of vapes, we went looking to see if they were still available. And is Donald Trump now a “king above the law” after a supreme court ruling?

Australia

  • Exclusive | The number of Palestinians applying onshore for protection has ballooned, prompting calls from refugee advocates for the creation of an “emergency uplift” visa rather than people fleeing conflict relying on tourist visas to escape.

  • Guardian Essential poll | Anthony Albanese’s approval rating has dipped to a new low with our latest survey showing his approval rating at net -9 and nearly half of voters saying he’s not doing a good job. Peter Dutton’s numbers were level but voters worry about the cost and safety of his nuclear plans.

  • Mental health | A Melbourne woman has been held for almost nine years in solitary confinement after being found not guilty of assault because of mental impairment, a court has heard.

  • Breathless | Experts on sexual violence launch a campaign today called Breathless amid a survey which reveals that strangling a partner during sex is widely perceived as normal, especially among young people.

  • Name change | Dozens of staff and students at La Trobe University are pushing for the institution to be renamed due to its namesake’s links to Victoria’s colonial history.

World

  • Trump decision | The US supreme court has ruled that Donald Trump has “absolute immunity” for official acts, dramatically reducing the likelihood that the federal criminal case against him on charges he plotted to stop the transfer of power will proceed before November’s election. Democrats called the decision “disgraceful”. Meanwhile, Democratic governors are “waiting in the wings” to take on Trump if Joe Biden steps down.

  • France scrambles | Left and centrist parties are scrambling to cobble together a united front after Marine Le Pen’s resounding victory in the first round of parliamentary elections on Sunday brought her far-right party a step closer to power. Emmanuel Macron is paying the price for a gamble in calling the snap poll.

  • Israel accused | The head of the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital has accused Israel of torturing him and other detainees, following his release after seven months in Israeli prisons and detention facilities.

  • Apocalypse abandoned | The British writer Graham Hancock has abandoned plans to film a new season of his Netflix show Ancient Apocalypse in the US after an outcry from Indigenous groups over his depiction of their history and culture.

  • Six-day week | Workers in Greece have been told that they can put in a sixth day of labour in an unorthodox step aimed at turbocharging productivity.

Full Story

Fatima Payman and the cost of voting with her conscience

The WA senator Fatima Payman claims she has been “exiled” by the Labor party over her position on a Palestine state. Political editor Karen Middleton speaks to Nour Haydar about the consequences of crossing the floor.

In-depth

Laws outlawing the sale of vapes might have come into force but a team of Guardian Australia reporters were nevertheless able to easily buy them from convenience and tobacco stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide yesterday. Our investigation shows there’s still a long way to go to enforce the ban despite all parties – and especially retailers – knowing that it was coming into force for some time.

Not the news

Luke Buckmaster surveys what’s on our small screens this month and that includes Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F on Netflix; Stan has the acclaimed film The Zone of Interest and the Nicolas Cage film Arcadian; Amazon offers the swords-and-sandals epic series For Those About to Die and Kristen Stewart in Loves Lies Bleeding; Anthony Bourdain’s travelogue Parts Unknown is on SBS; and Natalie Portman pops up in Lady in the Lake on AppleTV+.

The world of sport

Media roundup

The Sydney Morning Herald uses an editorial to argue that the NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman must “stand his ground” against the rebellious Nationals senator Wes Fang. A writer in the Age bemoans the fact her suburb South Melbourne doesn’t have as many pubs as back in the day but the compensation is amazing coffee. The Australian boasts an exclusive “inside story” on the rise of the far right in Australia, which is marked chiefly by antisemitism.

What’s happening today

  • Economy | RBA monetary policy meeting minutes will be released at 11.30am.

  • Energy | A Senate inquiry report is due on Glencore carbon capture project.

  • Art | Miles Franklin finalists will be announced.

Sign up

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.

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