Good morning. Thanks for coming, but don’t leave it so long next time. That seems to be the gist of the message from community leaders in Alice Springs to the high-powered politicians who visited yesterday in a very public attempt to address the social problems ravaging the town. Locals are hoping more sustained support is on the way.
We’ve got our reporters on the ground, plus news of a federal government intervention in a union fight against Qantas, and the Oscar nominations in full, with a well-known Australian on the list.
Australia
Qantas fight | Workplace relations minister Tony Burke will appear in court to support the Transport Workers’ Union’s high court fight with Qantas as the airline bids to overturn a ruling that it illegally outsourced 1,700 ground handlers’ jobs.
Alice plea | Indigenous elders have given a cautious welcome to plans announced by the prime minister to restrict alcohol sales in Alice Springs but they pleaded with Anthony Albanese and other visitors from Canberra and Darwin to spend more time listening to their concerns.
Power play | Milder temperatures and record levels of renewable energy saw electricity demand drop to its lowest levels for any December quarter, official figures show. Renewables provided an average of 40.3% of power in the period.
Toyah Cordingley | Rajwinder Singh, the man accused of murdering 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley on a Queensland beach four years ago, is to be extradited to Australia after a court hearing went ahead in Delhi overnight.
Driving toll | Sydney’s toll road network discriminates against the city’s west, with trips of a similar distance costing twice or more the amount of coming in from the north or south. Despite the new road toll rebate scheme, commuting costs can reach $60 a day.
World
Oscar nominees | Cate Blanchett has won her eighth Oscar nomination for her performance in Tár, while the Australian husband and wife team Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin can celebrate the best picture category for Elvis (but no directing nod for Baz). Here’s the full list.
Tanks pledge | Berlin is reportedly about to send its Leopard tanks to Ukraine to help the country push back against the Russian invasion. Meanwhile the UK government has been accused of allowing a law firm to sidestep sanctions and help Yevgeny Prigozhin – a former hotdog seller and key ally of Vladimir Putin – to sue the investigative Bellingcat journalist Eliot Higgins. And the Doomsday Clock hits a record 90 seconds to midnight.
Trudeau’s time? | Jacinda Ardern’s surprise resignation has prompted renewed speculation about the future of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
US shootings | Joe Biden once again called on Congress to pass a bill banning assault weapons, following shootings in California that killed at least 18 people. There have been 39 mass attacks in the US so far this year.
Hard to bear | Italians are mourning the death of a rare brown bear, known as Juan Carrito, who became famous for his visits to villages in the Abruzzo region, especially his raid on a bakery where he scoffed a plate of freshly made biscuits.
Full Story
The Wieambilla shooting: Madelyn Train on her parents’ ‘chapter of evil’
Madelyn Train, daughter of the Wieambilla shooters, speaks to Nino Bucci about the “evil” actions of her parents and their spiral into the world of online rabbit holes and conspiracy theories that led to tragedy on 12 December.
In-depth
While inflation is expected to soften to 7.5% today, it doesn’t mean that the Reserve Bank is going to stop raising interest rates as food and fuel prices remain high. Our economics editor, Peter Hannam, finds that analysts think there could be three more 25 basis-point increases by May to take the cash rate to 3.85%.
Not the news
Jennifer Wong, the writer and presenter of the ABC’s Chopsticks or Fork?, are paying tribute to past and present eateries in a new book – and they want your stories. To help jog collective memories, Jennifer shares anecdotes from a tour of restaurants around Australia.
The world of sport
Australian Open | Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka sank third seed Jessica Pegula to reach the semi-final, while in the men’s draw Russia’s Karen Khachanov reached his second consecutive grand slam semi where he will play Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Cricket | Australia’s women eased to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan in the latest T20 international in Sydney.
Football | Everton could miss out on their first choice to replace Frank Lampard as manager with Marcelo Bielsa reportedly having doubts over the job.
Media roundup
The ABC takes in news of the alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs, while the NT News says the territory chief minister and Alice mayor are divided over the best approach, with the latter arguing for the restoration of total bans in remote communities. The Age reports that scores of new Australian citizens celebrated in Melbourne’s Merri-bek after the Coalition era rule that ceremonies can only be done on Australia Day was repealed. The Courier Mail reports that 96mm of rain fell on south-east Queensland in an hour yesterday as the state braces for temperatures to hit 44C.
What’s happening today
AOTY | The Australian of the Year 2023 awards will be revealed from 5pm.
Inflation data | The latest inflation figures are out at 11.30am from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Jim Molan | The funeral of senator and senior army officer Jim Molan takes place in the ACT.
Sign up
Enjoying the Morning Mail? Then you’ll love our Afternoon Update newsletter. Sign up here to finish your day with a three-minute snapshot of the day’s main news, and complete your daily news roundup.
Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords and free Wordiply game to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
Contact us
If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email.
If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email customer.help@guardian.co.uk
