Good afternoon.
Crossbench senators and transparency experts have condemned Labor’s handling of Lynelle Briggs’ long-anticipated “jobs for mates” review.
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, told Senate estimates Labor would not take up recommendations to ban new public sector board appointments in the weeks before elections, or to bar ex-politicians and staffers from new roles for six months after leaving government, extending to 18 months for former ministers and their staff.
The Greens senator Barbara Pocock offered bruising criticism of Labor’s response, saying Australians want “an end to jobs for the boys”.
Top news
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Man charged with theft after allegedly swallowing Fabergé pendant in Auckland jewellery store
In pictures
Tom Sandberg, Norway’s most celebrated photographer, made his name with calm, reflective images that sit at odds with his reckless life. Christian House gets the lowdown from friends and family, who can neither confirm nor deny whether a woman really did bite his ear off.
What they said …
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“We see some kids on bikes that are more like motorbikes. They can go as fast as a car, and as a result, people can get hurt.”
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the state government was considering a “serious change” to the maximum power of legal ebikes after a rider died in a collision with a garbage truck in central Sydney.
Full Story
Is 2026 the year Albanese’s political honeymoon ends?
Inflation is moving in the wrong direction, far-right populist sentiment is on the rise, and gambling and housing reform are continuing to fester. Does Labor have a plan to confront these big social and economic challenges?
Guardian Australia political editor Tom McIlroy and chief political correspondent Dan Jervis-Bardy join Nour Haydar to discuss what lies ahead for Labor as the sun sets on the 2025 parliamentary year.
Before bed read
“Melbourne might not have an airport train,” writes Brodie Lancaster, “but now we’ve got really long escalators and gargantuan Patricia Piccinini artworks to call our own.” Yes, Melbourne’s long-awaited Metro Tunnel is finally open – and Lancaster reckons it’s something to celebrate.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: WINK. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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