Good afternoon. Sombre news to start the week, with MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo passing away aged 46.
His death has shocked Endemol Shine Australia – the production company behind MasterChef – who said in a statement with Network 10 that they were “saddened at the sudden loss”. Zonfrillo is survived by his wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children.
In other news, the AFL has a new boss who’s been picked from within the AFL family and one of the first questions asked of Andrew Dillon was on perceptions of an AFL boys’ club.
Top news
Zonfrillo death | His family confirmed his death on Monday, saying “our irreplaceable husband, father, brother, son and friend” died on Sunday in Melbourne. “With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday,” they said.
Legal action threat against Mark Latham | Sydney MP Alex Greenwich will take legal action against Latham unless the NSW One Nation leader apologises for homophobic comments directed at the independent. Despite widespread condemnation, the One Nation MP has refused to apologise for a graphic tweet he posted on 30 March that Greenwich described as “defamatory and homophobic”.
Jail for daughter of former ATO deputy commissioner | Lauren Cranston was a “trusted participant” in one of Australia’s biggest fraud conspiracies, that siphoned more than $105m that should have been paid to the tax office. The NSW supreme court sentenced Cranston to eight years in prison.
Queensland boy charged over crash deaths | A nurse who was on her way home from work was among three people killed in a multi-vehicle crash after a 13-year-old boy allegedly stole a Mercedes from a Queensland home. The boy has been charged with three counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
Rita Ora’s viral breakdancer | A 57-year-old Adelaide man has catapulted to international fame after pulling off an ambitious breakdancing “worm” move in front of Rita Ora. Ora put out a call to her 2.5 million TikTok followers to track the man down. “Find this man … I need him at every show,” she said. “I need you in my life.” The man turned out to be Ian Smith – a lobbyist, South Australia’s honorary UK consul and the husband of the former senator and Australian Democrats leader, Natasha Stott Despoja.
University workers launch industrial action | Every campus across the country will launch industrial action and protests this week as university workers push back against wage theft, casual employment and underfunding. The action will begin today and come to a crescendo on Wednesday with thousands of workers from Monash, Melbourne and Deakin universities to walk off campus and converge on Victoria’s Trades Hall.
New AFL boss | Andrew Dillon will replace Gillon McLachlan as the league’s next chief executive. Dillon joined the AFL in 2000, rising to become McLachlan’s second-in-command. Asked about perceptions of an AFL boys’ club, Dillon said “I don’t buy that one bit”. Meanwhile, Collingwood’s comeback magic was on show again last night in Adelaide, downing the Crows by a solitary point. AFL columnist Jonathan Horn reviews the thrilling match.
Islamic State chief killed | Turkish forces have killed Islamic State’s leader, Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, in Syria, according to Turkey’s president.
Adidas shareholders sue over Kanye West | Investors claim the sportswear giant failed to minimise their exposure to risk after the rapper and designer’s antisemitic comments led to a sharp decline in the share price.
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A Labor MP on breaking ranks over jobseeker
A growing chorus of Labor MPs are calling for the government to raise the rate of jobseeker – currently at $50 a day. South-west Sydney MP, Michael Freelander, says people on the payment are “struggling to cope with even the most basics of life in a modern society”. Listen to this 19-minute episode.
What they said …
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“Enough is enough. I’ve been openly gay in public life for 15 years and in NSW parliament for over 10 years and never have I experienced such a homophobic, sexualised attack that exposed me to contempt, ridicule and extreme abuse, based on my sexuality.” – Alex Greenwich
In numbers
“Not coincidentally, the average parliamentarian owns, or has a stake in, two houses, with many MPs having considerably more,” columnist Jeff Sparrow writes.
Before bed read
King Charles’s coronation will take place on Saturday night Australian time. But do Australians care?
“No national public holiday has been declared for the Monday and only one state, Western Australia, has said it will ‘consider’ giving its royal subjects the day off,” reporter Ben Doherty writes.
“Soon to be anointed the fifth king of Australia since federation, the question being asked about Charles III: might he be the last?”
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: HIST. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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