Victorian Liberals call for parliamentary inquiry into cancellation of Commonwealth Games – as it happened

Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto accused the Andrews government of knowing the real costs of the event but covering up the figures for ‘political purposes’. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

9.08am BST

That’s it for today, thanks for reading

Here are the main stories on Friday, 21 July:

• The furore surrounding Victoria’s scrapping of the Commonwealth Games continues, with premier Daniel Andrews rejecting calls to dump the minister responsible for the decision and the opposition demanding a parliamentary inquiry, as the possibility of a Gold Coast bid is all but ruled out;

• Australians feel less able to make ends meet, the “wellbeing budget” of treasurer Jim Chalmers finds;

• Big W ditches in-store announcements that supported the Indigenous voice to parliament after feedback from staff and customers;

• The body of art dealer Tim Klingender is recovered from waters off Sydney’s Watsons Bay after a boating accident;

• A Victorian man is in a critical condition after he was Tasered multiple times and shot with “flexible baton rounds” by officers when he allegedly confronted them armed with knives;

• A new outbreak of highly invasive fire ants is discovered only 5.5km from the NSW border; and

• Research into merging human brain cells with artificial intelligence has received a $600,000 grant from defence and the Office of National Intelligence.

We will see you all again tomorrow morning.

Updated at 9.17am BST

8.26am BST

Lucy Zelic weighs in on World Cup commentary furore

The former SBS football presenter Lucy Zelic has weighed in to the furore surrounding a Channel Seven commentator who made comments on Matilda Katrina Gorry being a mother:

I’d love to add some context to a discussion where certain individuals are so concerned with being outraged by their own opinions, that they’re completely incapable of acknowledging that countering views exist, particularly when it comes to motherhood.

— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) July 21, 2023

Zelic says her own experience as a mother of two meant she said “hear hear” when the commentator, David Basheer, referred to Gorry’s motherhood not blunting her “competitive instincts”. Basheer and Zelic previously worked together at SBS. Zelic said:

What Bash said spoke to me because Mini’s passions weren’t ‘blunted’ like mine. I was in awe of her.

I am always in awe of every mother and father because the journey comes in all shapes and sizes – not just the one you, or anyone else, sees fit. Some comments will offend you in this life and that’s fine, just know that your reactions to them don’t tell the entire story either.

Updated at 8.45am BST