Morning, everyone. Jim Chalmers fires the latest salvo in the government’s war of words over its tax reforms today by saying the Coalition would “smash the budget” by up to $40bn if it tried to restore the cuts for higher earners. Plus the Victorian MP Georgie Purcell speaks out about her fight for justice for animals and women. And Mark Zuckerberg is facing a congressional hearing on online child exploitation as one state attorney general calls Meta’s social media network is a “global marketplace for paedophiles”.
Australia
‘I’m not done fighting’ | Georgie Purcell, the Victorian MP whose image was manipulated this week, writes for us today about the strain caused by the experiences. She intends to keep fighting for animal rights and women, and “to continue calling out injustice”.
Dutton ‘deficit’ | Jim Chalmers publishes Treasury data today showing that a potential opposition proposal to restore the full top tier of the stage-three tax cuts while keeping Labor’s relief for lower earners would cost $38.9bn over four years.
Housing jump | Property prices rose by 0.4% last month and renters face more pain with the national rental index up 0.8% – its biggest monthly rise since April. Tax concessions for landlords such as negative gearing have jumped by more than half in three years to $27bn.
Reef alarm | The world’s main system for warning about heat stress on the planet’s coral reefs has been forced to add three new alert categories to represent ever-increasing temperature extremes.
Bad designs | Australians have to stop building such big homes if they want to solve the housing crisis, says Kevin McCloud, the presenter of the popular property show Grand Designs.
World
Zuckerberg apology | Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to families of victims of online child sexual abuse at a Senate hearing in Washington on the day New Mexico’s attorney general launched a legal action against his company Meta for child trafficking on its platforms. Raúl Torrez says he believes Meta is the “largest marketplace for predators and paedophiles globally”.
Iran ‘not afraid’ | The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards has vowed the country is not afraid of war with the US as the Pentagon weighs how directly to respond to the killing of three US service members in a drone attack in Jordan.
Sentenced again | Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in jail in a corruption case, a day after he was given a 10-year sentence for leaking state secrets. The cricket legend was once the golden boy of the country’s military elite but now finds himself on the wrong side.
‘Price you pay’ | Extra border checks and red tape for businesses trading with European countries are just “the price you pay” for becoming a sovereign nation, according to a UK minister on the fourth anniversary of Brexit.
Haters gonna hate | Taylor Swift is an “election interference psyop” who, with unnamed left-leaning forces, has conspired to “rig” the Super Bowl and then endorse Joe Biden in the presidential election, according to a bizarre conspiracy theory touted by influential rightwing figures.
Full Story
What’s gone wrong at Boeing?
Boeing’s chief executive has admitted overnight that the company faces a “serious challenge” to win back the confidence of regulators and airlines after, among other mishaps, a cabin panel blowout. So what has gone wrong? Jeff Wise and Gwyn Topham report.
In-depth
Martyn Iles rose to public prominence in Australia as one of the staunchest defenders of the right of the rugby player Israel Folau to express his fundamentalist Christian beliefs. Now the former head of the Australian Christian Lobby has been appointed to run Answers in Genesis, a well-funded US creationist group that built a replica of Noah’s Ark in Kentucky and plans a speaking tour here. Ariel Bogle charts the rise and rise of a man who called Canberra a “truly God-hating city”.
Not the news
We begin a new monthly series today called Headline Act where we spotlight the Australian artist we’re most excited about – and they make us a playlist. First up is Kirin J Callinan, a singer known through much of his two-decade career as a madcap showman for whom good taste has always seemed anathema. Michael Sun reckons his new album, If I Could Sing, “buzzes with cosmic glitches and ascends with sudden gusts of strings. It is esoteric, operatic, oracular.”
The world of sport
Runs on the board | Mitch Marsh was named Australia’s male cricketer of the year at the annual awards last night, delivering a warm and humorous acceptance speech. Ash Gardner went home with her second Belinda Clark award in three years.
Asian Cup | Saudi Arabia’s coach, Roberto Mancini, has apologised after he walked down the tunnel while his team was still the process of losing their round-of-16 shootout against South Korea – who play Australia in the early hours of Saturday.
Rugby union | The Six Nations tournament kicks off this weekend with a blockbuster tie between Ireland and France. Check our team-by-team guide to the competition.
Media roundup
The Financial Review notes that the prospect of lower rates has driven the ASX to an all-time high but cautions against “irrational optimism”. The ABC board member Laura Tingle has defended her decision to back the broadcaster’s under-fire boss David Anderson, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Five states have banded together to demand more school funding from the federal government, according to the lead in the Age. The Courier-Mail has video of a 12-year-old girl battling with a 2m-long python in her back yard after it tried to eat her pet guinea pig.
What’s happening today
Covid inquiry | The royal commission begins in Canberra with evidence on human rights and civil liberties, followed by doctors’ testimony.
Security | Australia and NZ foreign and defence ministers meet at 1pm in Melbourne.
Canberra | A joint parliamentary inquiry into procurement at Services Australia and the NDIS holds a hearing.
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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.
