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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Paul Gallagher

Morning Mail: All eyes on the Matildas, more scrutiny over consultants, anger as centuries-old tree felled in Tasmania

Matildas fans are hoping that they can go one step further to beat England and make the Fifa Women’s World Cup final.
Matildas fans are hoping they can go one step further to beat England and make the Fifa Women’s World Cup final. Photograph: Chris Putnam/Shutterstock

Good morning. Have you heard? The biggest football match in Australia’s history kicks off at 8pm tonight, with all eyes on the Matildas as they face England’s Lionesses in their Fifa Women’s World Cup semi-final. The Matildas say they have been taking things one day at time at this tournament, but with each win the ground around them has shifted as Australians have embraced the team in spectacular fashion. Matildas fever is now giving way to sweaty palms and heart palpitations as the nation holds its collective breath.

Meanwhile, there’s fresh scrutiny over the use of consultants by the government following revelations that PwC did not disclose any real or potential conflicts of interests before being awarded a multimillion-dollar aged care contract that has been suspended since June amid a continuing investigation. The firm did not respond to questions about why no real or perceived conflicts of interest were disclosed given its paid work in the sector. It referred to an earlier statement that said the firm was “unable to comment on client engagements”.

Plus: there’s an outcry over the felling of a tree estimated to be hundreds of years old, after photos emerged of the giant eucalyptus being trucked out of Tasmania’s Florentine Valley.

Australia

PwC Australia’s multimillion-dollar contract remains suspended as officials investigate ‘potential conflicts of interest’.
PwC Australia was contracted by the Morrison government as an auditor on an aged care program, for which it did not declare any real or perceived conflicts of interest. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP
  • PwC Australia | The consultancy firm did not disclose any real or perceived conflicts of interest before it was awarded a $2.3m aged care contract that has since been suspended pending investigation. “PwC Australia has strict conflict and risk management processes to ensure adherence with our conflict of interest rules – and these processes are always followed rigorously before an engagement is commenced,” a spokesperson said in June.

  • ‘There is a big increase’ | Demand for Lifeline services is soaring as Australians grapple with the cost-of-living crisis – reaching levels previously seen only with disasters, Christmas and Covid lockdowns.

  • ‘You can’t backtrack’ | Australia’s ban on non-therapeutic and single-use vapes will be underpinned by new laws – rather than a focus on regulation – in a development welcomed by public health experts.

  • ‘National disgrace’ | The PM has been urged by environmentalists to visit central Tasmania to witness damage being inflicted on native forests by logging, amid protest over the felling of a massive, centuries-old tree.

  • Exclusive | The Albanese government has refused a request from the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide for a further one-year extension, citing “significant delays” getting information.

World

Law enforcement officers block the street after a Grand Jury brought back indictments against former Donald Trump and his allies in Atlanta.
Law enforcement officers block the street after a grand jury brought back indictments against Donald Trump and his allies in Atlanta. Photograph: Cheney Orr/Reuters

Full Story

Australia celebrate after beating France in a penalty shootout in their Women’s World Cup quarter-final in Brisbane on Saturday.
Australia celebrate after beating France in a penalty shootout in their Women’s World Cup quarter-final in Brisbane on Saturday. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Two Matildas on why it’s time for glory

Tonight the Tillies will face England’s Lionesses, the European champions, in the Women’s World Cup semi-final. The winner will face Spain in the final this weekend. But do the Matildas have what it takes to go all the way? Two women who have played for the side – Joey Peters and Chloe Logarzo – tell Laura Murphy-Oates what it’s like playing for Australia, why this is the golden generation of women’s football, and how the girls can bring this one home.

In-depth

Sam Kerr celebrates the Matilda’s victory against France on Saturday.
Sam Kerr celebrates the Matilda’s victory against France on Saturday. Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Five down, two to go. The Matildas have gone to the highest high but are now back on earth, facing forward, with eyes on the prize of Women’s World Cup glory ahead of tonight’s semi-final against England. Australians are willing their team to go all the way. Since the Matildas beat France on Saturday night to secure their spot in the semi-finals, desperate fans have combed official and unofficial platforms. But with seats at the biggest football match in Australian history hard to come by, scammers move in to exploit World Cup demand.

Not the news

Participants in the Grand Parade take to the main arena on Peoples Day during the Royal Queensland Show.
Grand parade participants on people’s day at the 2022 Royal Queensland show, AKA the Ekka. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

The Brisbane Ekka has long been billed as a meeting of the bush and the big smoke. The state’s largest event – formally the Royal Queensland Show – is experiencing a renaissance amid record crowds, with organisers predicting that 55,000 people will go through the gates on Wednesday. As an increasingly metropolitan city grows around the event, not too much has changed since the original Intercolonial Exhibition of 1876 – where the event gets its moniker. After 147 years the Brisbane show is still a rollicking good time.

The world of sport

Swedish and Spanish players compete for the ball in their Women’s World Cup semi-final in Auckland.
Swedish and Spanish players compete for the ball in their Women’s World Cup semi-final in Auckland. Photograph: Andrew Cornaga/AP

Media roundup

The Age reports that Victoria’s parliament has been sitting on a plan for more than two years to make it safer for MPs and staff, meaning a proposed independent commissioner to examine complaints levelled at MPs won’t be established until later this year – at the earliest. Despite grim housebuilding forecasts, Australian voters are rejecting the idea of going to the polls before 2025 even if the deadlock over federal housing policy continues, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Schools are training teachers as “lay therapists’’ to help anxious students “have a go’’, as principals criticise “helicopter parenting’’ for stoking high anxiety among primary school children, reports the Australian.

What’s happening today

  • Women’s World Cup | The Matildas take on England in their semi-final in Sydney, with kickoff at 8pm.

  • ACT | Senator Lidia Thorpe is scheduled to address the National Press Club in Canberra.

  • New South Wales | A public hearing is scheduled in the inquiry into the NSW government’s use and management of consulting services.

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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.

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