Morning, everyone. Anthony Albanese is taking a multimillion-dollar package of measures to national cabinet to address the domestic violence crisis as we bring you news of how the criminal justice system in one state appears to punish victims of DV. Virgin Australia sacked a crew member after he organised a Grindr date too close to a flight time, we assess Bill Shorten’s career, and the Socceroos have crashed in a potentially costly World Cup qualifying defeat against Bahrain.
Australia
Star falling | The gambling group Star Entertainment is in trouble and a rescue plan could include tax breaks from the Queensland government. We look at how it got into such a mess.
DV package | Anthony Albanese will propose a “substantial package” at national cabinet today to fund frontline services for those fleeing family and domestic violence, including accommodation and legal help. Western Australia has the second-highest rate of family domestic violence in the country, yet it’s almost always up to the victim to get a restraining order. Kate Lyons investigates.
Exclusive | Three key Labor seats won at the last election will be targeted by a “swarm” campaign of anti-gambling ads during footy finals season.
Grindr bind | Virgin Australia may have invaded the privacy of a cabin crew member when it accessed hotel CCTV footage and room swipecard records which revealed he had organised a Grindr hookup, legal experts say.
Exclusive | A former NSW Liberal leader who denounced pill testing as a drug reform option has been picked by the Labor government to co-chair its drug summit.
World
Trump backs off | Donald Trump has wound down his presidential campaign in Minnesota, Virginia and New Hampshire – states he was targeting just six weeks ago – amid polling showing that Kamala Harris’s entry into the race has put them out of reach. In a speech in New York overnight, Trump announced that, if elected, he would form a government efficiency commission to be led by Elon Musk. Meanwhile, the US so-called “polling Nostradamus” says Harris will win.
Kim ‘executions’ | North Korea may have executed multiple officials over damage from devastating floods in July that wrecked thousands of homes and left up to 1,500 people dead or missing, according to South Korean intelligence.
Prisoner swap? | Alice Guo, a fugitive former mayor accused of having links to Chinese criminal syndicates, is en route to the Philippines after she was deported from Indonesia, which was reported to be seeking an alleged Australian drug trafficker, Gregor Haas, in a prisoner swap.
New French PM | Emmanuel Macron has appointed Michel Barnier, the rightwing politician who previously led the EU’s Brexit negotiations, as prime minister. He’s an anorak-wearing, spreadsheet-loving man with a tough challenge ahead.
‘World fell apart’ | A French woman whose husband has admitted drugging her and inviting more than 80 men to rape her at her home for almost a decade has told a court her world collapsed when police told her what had happened.
Full Story
Could Dutton use the NSW Liberal chaos to pull the party to the right?
Reged Ahmad speaks to Guardian Australia’s NSW state correspondent, Tamsin Rose, and our chief political correspondent, Paul Karp, about this week’s extraordinary federal intervention into the state branch and what it means for the party.
In-depth
“His work has made our government better and our nation stronger,” Anthony Albanese said of Bill Shorten as the former Labor leader announced he was quitting politics. They were generous words for someone who was never a close ally, writes our political editor, Karen Middleton, but summed up a man who pioneered the NDIS but fell short in his biggest fight of trying to become prime minister. Amy Remeikis talks to those who know him and worked with him, while the race for his Maribyrnong seat is likely to pit the United Workers Union’s Jo Briskey against a right-faction candidate.
Not the news
It’s been eight years since Empire of the Sun released an album of their hook-drenched electro pop music and in that time there have been hits, clashes, babies and illness. Nick Littlemore and Luke Steele tell Toby Creswell about how they got through it all – and emerged with a better appreciation of each other.
The world of sport
Football | The Socceroos crashed to a 1-0 home World Cup qualifying defeat to Bahrain last night after Kusini Yengi was red-carded (pictured) before the remaining 10 men conceded an 89th-minute own goal.
AFL | Geelong forwards Jeremy Cameron and Tyson Stengle fired the Cats to an 84-point hammering of Port Adelaide in the first AFL qualifying final last night and will host a preliminary final at the MCG in a fortnight.
Paralympics | Lauren Parker has become the first Australian since Eric Russell in 1976 to win golds in two sports at the same Paralympics when she triumphed in the H1-4 road race. And USA swimmer Ali Truwit won a silver 16 months after losing a leg in a shark attack. Catch up with the action in our blog.
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald says the Albanese government is about to commit $702m for schemes to tackle domestic violence. John Howard tells the Australian that voters should preference the “extremist” Greens last at the next election. The Courier-Mail reckons the premier, Steven Miles, is “gambling millions” in deferred tax to save the the embattled Queens Wharf Star casino. A $5bn plan to build a rail terminal west of Melbourne and take thousands of trucks off the roads has been scrapped due to local opposition, according to the Age.
What’s happening today
Shepparton | A woman who poisoned native birds, mostly wedge-tailed eagles, faces sentencing.
Indigenous Australians | Today is the deadle for submissions to the parliamentary truth-telling inquiry.
Economy | The ABS is to release the latest lending statistics at 11.30am.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
