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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Emily Wind and Rafqa Touma (earlier)

Minister orders briefing on $33m grant – as it happened

AFL Kerry OBrien Australia United States Thomas Mayo Dan Himbrechts Martin Farrer Rafqa Touma Sydney Advance Australia
PwC Australia used $33m in federal government funding to develop a digital mental health platform.
PwC Australia used $33m in federal government funding to develop a digital mental health platform. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

What we learned today, Thursday 20 July

Thanks for joining us on the blog today! That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage – here’s what made the headlines:

  • The Gold Coast has offered to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Victoria cancelled. The mayor, Tom Tate, said he is confident the city has the facilities and accommodation to host the games if the federal government provides support via a “re-provision” of funds.

  • The federal government has already declined to provide funding for the Games, and the Queensland government previously ruled out hosting, saying its focus is on the upcoming 2032 Olympics.

  • Senior Department of Defence official Kathryn Campbell has been suspended without pay in the wake of the royal commission report into robodebt.

  • The unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in June and 32,600 jobs were added to the economy, according to the latest ABS figures.

  • The minister for employment, Tony Burke, said Australia is “millimetres shy of half a million new jobs since this government came to office”, highlighting that 54% of the growth is full-time positions for women.

  • Co-author of the voice to parliament handbook Kerry O’Brien said the conduct of the official no campaign has been an “open invitation to racists”.

  • Guardian Australia has annotated and factchecked the official yes and no campaign pamphlets. You can read the yes essay here, and the no essay here.

  • Meanwhile, the Blak Sovereign Movement published its own essay advocating a no vote on the referendum, writing the voice debate “is a waste of your time and energy”.

  • Former Labor leader and unionist Simon Crean was farewelled at a state funeral in Melbourne, with political figures from both major parties honouring him.

  • Two people were killed and six injured by a gunman in Auckland, hours before the Women’s World Cup was due to start in the city. We brought you the latest on a separate liveblog here.

Enjoy your evening and as always, we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

Updated

It was a chilly morning across NSW today, with many locations plunged well into the negatives overnight.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology records were broken in Scone, Merriwa, Moss Vale and Bombala:

Meanwhile, parts of Victoria have been issued a frost warning for tomorrow:

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