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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Paul Gallagher

Morning Mail: Assange’s brother’s plea to PM, rental squeeze worsens, stars mourn Matthew Perry

Julian Assange's brother Gabriel Shipton at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra.
Julian Assange's brother, Gabriel Shipton, says the US prosecution of Assange for leaking thousands of documents about the Iraq war is ‘entirely political’. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Good morning. Julian Assange’s brother says Anthony Albanese must “up the ante” on attempts to bring the WikiLeaks founder back to Australia, comparing the case to the successful return of Australian Cheng Lei from China. Assange remains in a London prison fighting an extradition order to the US. On his recent trip to the United States, the PM did raise the long-running case with the president, Joe Biden, – but has since said Biden “doesn’t interfere” with the US justice department.

Meanwhile, the squeeze on tenants around Australia is continuing as the number of available properties for rent has fallen to a record low. And tributes are pouring in after the death of Matthew Perry, the actor who brought Friends’ sarcastic and neurotic Chandler Bing to life.

And in Gaza, there are fears over reports of an evacuation warning sent to a major hospital.

Australia

Rental signs seen in Bondi, Sydney in April
Rental signs seen in Bondi, Sydney. Photograph: Flavio Brancaleone/AAP

World

An Israeli bombardment strikes part of northern Gaza during sunset
An Israeli bombardment strikes part of northern Gaza during sunset. Photograph: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA

Full Story

Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann in Canberra in May
Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann in Canberra in May. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Bruce Lehrmann revealed as the ‘high-profile’ man charged with rape

Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) has been revealed as the “high-profile” man accused of raping a woman in Toowoomba two years ago – a charge that he denies. The former Liberal staffer can now be named in the case after his lawyers lost a legal bid to maintain his anonymity. Joe Hinchcliffe speaks to Laura Murphy-Oates about what to expect as the case proceeds.

In-depth

Coroner Elisabeth Armitage in her Darwin offices
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage in her Darwin offices. Photograph: (A)manda Parkinson/The Guardian

Northern Territory coroner Elisabeth Armitage (pictured) is diving deep into the systemic failures that led to the death of four women from domestic violence in what she calls a “national shame”. Her investigations reveal 81 women have died as a result of domestic violence in the Northern Territory since 2000; 93% of them were Aboriginal. “This is not somebody else’s horror. This is our horror,” Armitage says.

Not the news

Nick Cave and The Birthday Party performing at The Venue in London in November 1981
Nick Cave and the Birthday Party performing at The Venue in London in November 1981. Photograph: David Corio/Redferns

Mutiny in Heaven is a warts-and-all portrait of the Birthday Party’s debauched journey from Melbourne to London – a scuzzy time capsule filled with juicy revelations about Nick Cave (pictured) and co. Reviewer Luke Buckminster says fans of the legendary post-punk band will take to the new film like pigs to slop, relishing the badassery of its subjects and their drug-addled journey to greatness.

The world of sport

South Africa celebrates winning the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final at the Stade de France in Paris
South Africa celebrates winning the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final at the Stade de France in Paris. Photograph: James Crombie/INPHO/Shutterstock

Media roundup

Sports betting firms have offered to remove logos from football club match-day jerseys amid an intense standoff with the government over a looming clampdown on gambling advertisements, reports the Age. Australia has walked away from a free trade deal offered by the European Union after a new round of negotiations collapsed over the weekend, reports the Australian. ABC News looks at how a world-first ban on engineered stone benchtops could help save the lives of Australian tradies by reducing the risk of the lung disease silicosis.

What’s happening today

  • NSW | A public hearing is scheduled for the inquiry into the equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care.

  • Victoria | A coronial inquest continues into the death of a 17-year-old Aboriginal girl who had been living at an Anglicare residential unit.

  • ABS | Retail trade figures for September to be released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.

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