Good morning. We lead today with a story centred on an unassuming suburban post office locker that is managed by a gambling syndicate accused of exploiting desperate young men strapped for cash after getting into betting debts. They sold their IDs to the group but by doing so have risked identity theft, fraud and possible criminal conviction.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the Bondi and Wakeley stabbing attacks, Australia’s official definition of terrorism may get an overhaul for the first time since the September 11 attacks.
And: an out of sorts Wallabies side have suffered a stinging loss – and a reality check – against Scotland in Edinburgh overnight.
Australia
Terrorism | The official definition of terrorism will face independent review for the first time since the September 11 attacks amid debate over whether it covers the full range of ideologies that pose a threat to Australia.
Exclusive | Desperate for funds, Jackson sold his ID to an Australian gambling syndicate. He is only now discovering what has been done in his name – including the creation of multiple bank and betting accounts.
Housing | Thousands of young people are missing out on a safe place to live each year because community housing providers get more rent from older adults, research reveals.
‘Real problems’ | Lidia Thorpe and Mehreen Faruqi will ask the Senate to investigate racism and sexism in federal parliament, raising concerns about how women of colour are treated in politics.
Social media | Conservative opposition to the under-16s social media ban is growing before a vote expected to see the major parties unite.
World
Middle East crisis | Hundreds are fleeing northern Gaza as the IDF orders more evacuations amid intense airstrikes; an Iranian minister is to meet his European counterparts after the collapse of a nuclear deal; a rabbi in UAE has been killed in “antisemitic terror incident”, Israel says.
Cop29 summit | The climate finance deal agreed at the talks is a “travesty of justice” that is “abysmally poor” compared with what is needed, some countries’ negotiators have said.
Russia-Ukraine war | Amid waves of drone and missile strikes, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has complained that Russia is using his country as “a testing ground” for its new munitions.
US politics | Sources say that Donald Trump Jr has emerged as the “key voice” influencing his father’s cabinet picks; “we’ll have lots of questions” for Trump’s picks, says a Republican senator; plus: how pro wrestling explains Donald Trump.
Brexit revisited | The former German chancellor Angela Merkel has said in a new book that she was “tormented” over Brexit – and viewed it as a “humiliation, a disgrace” for the EU.
Full Story
James Carville on where he thinks the Democrats went wrong
Everyone in US politics has an opinion on why the Democrats lost the election and finger-pointing within the party is rife. As the debate rages, Jonathan Freedland is speaking to various experts about what the party got wrong – and how it can bounce back. This week he meets James Carville, the veteran political strategist who helped get Bill Clinton elected twice.
In-depth
The final parliamentary sitting week of the year is here! That odour you’re smelling is drip filter coffee to fuel late-night Senate votes and the faint whiff of desperation to pass as much of the government’s legislative agenda as possible. Can Labor avoid an “end-of-year dumpster fire”? Paul Karp surveys the political landscape to see what the government is most keen to get through – and how it might do it.
Not the news
In the latest of our interviews about the importance of objects, the TV, film and stage actor – and four-time Gold Logie winner – Lisa McCune tells us about the near-perfect coffee machine she rates above the rest, a jewellery box filled with heirloom pieces that each carry a family story – and how she misplaced a perfect little brown beret that fit just right.
Sport
Rugby union | Scotland delivered a show of strength to stall Australia’s resurgence with a 27-13 win in Edinburgh; the defeat brings a resurgent Wallabies back to earth, writes Daniel Gallan.
Cricket | Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal put a ruthless India on the verge of a crushing victory over Australia, Geoff Lemon writes.
Football | Liverpool go eight points clear with a 2-3 win against Southampton; Manchester United are held to a 1-1 draw by Ipswich under their new manager, Ruben Amorim.
Motorsport | A “Proud” Max Verstappen hails his fourth Formula One world championship as his best.
Media roundup
The regency-style Victoria Barracks in Sydney’s inner east would be converted into residential housing and public parks under new proposals, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The era of baby boomers as the dominant voting force in Australian politics is at an end and the impact could be seen at the next federal election, an ABC News analysis suggests. Delaying contentious power line projects could produce a bill shock for Victorian households if coal-fired power stations close before their completion, the Age reports. An illegal fishing boat has been destroyed off the coast of Maningrida after a Northern Territory border breach, NT News reports.
What’s happening today
NT | Coronial inquest findings in the deaths of Miss Yunupiŋu, Ngeygo Ragurrk, Kumarn Rubuntja and Kumanjayi Haywood are due for release.
Queensland | The Australasian Railway Association AusRAIL conference is to begin in Brisbane.
NSW | The Southern Cross Media Group’s 2024 annual general meeting is to be held in Sydney.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters, including The Stakes, your guide to the twists and turns of the US presidential election.
Prefer notifications? If you’re reading this in our app, just click here and tap “Notifications” on the next screen for an instant alert when we publish every morning.
Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
