Good morning. The new parliament is about to kick off. Amid the California wildfires, Al Gore is warning “the survival of our civilisation is at stake”. And Jonas Vingegaard has won the Tour de France.
When federal parliament resumes this week, it will be the most diverse in Australia’s history. But it still comes nowhere close to reflecting the population it represents. The biggest gains have been made in the proportion of female representatives, now making up 38% of the House of Representatives and 57% of the Senate – a record for both chambers. There will be 58 women taking their seats in the lower chamber, including 19 new female MPs. Six of those first-term female MPs are Labor members, bringing their House representation to 35, while the Liberal party lost four women, meaning just nine women will fill their benches. But in a nation where women hold the slim majority over men in terms of the population, the house still has some work to do to catch up.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has reassured Egypt over Russian grain supplies at the start of a four-country tour of Africa amid uncertainty over the future of a deal to resume Ukrainian exports via the Black Sea. Lavrov’s tour, which will also take in Uganda, Ethiopia and Congo, is aimed essentially at rallying African nations to Russia’s side. In an article published in four African papers, he rejected accusations Russia was responsible for the food crisis. He hailed what he called “an independent path” taken by African countries refusing to join the west in sanctioning Russia and the “undisguised attempts of the US and their European satellites to gain the upper hand and impose a unipolar world order”.
Australia is in the grip of another Covid wave, with Omicron driving a new surge of infections and hospitalisations. But unlike previous years, governments have largely resisted bringing in mask mandates or restrictions on hospitality and other public venues, leaving people to navigate the pandemic without strict rules. To get a picture of how the country is living, we spoke to six Australians about pandemic burnout.
Australia
The Albanese government will announce an estimated $4m in emergency relief for hundreds of Aboriginal families who have been left without money to pay for their loved ones’ funerals after the collapse of disgraced insurer ACBF-Youpla earlier this year.
A New South Wales trade commissioner based in San Francisco was forced to work out of the front room of his home after the government closed its office on the west coast of the US in favour of a new base in New York, following the announcement of New York role later given to the former deputy premier John Barilaro. The former deputy premier has long insisted proper process was followed in relation to the appointment.
The workplace relations minister, Tony Burke, has confirmed the current better-off-overall test that ensures workers do not go backwards will be on the table for discussion at the Albanese government’s jobs summit in September. On Sunday, the government announced it would gut the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) ahead of abolishing the controversial body in 2022. Trade unions welcomed Burke’s move. But employers and the opposition blasted the decision.
Organisers of the Byron Bay music festival Splendour in the Grass underplayed the reality of the situation as rain and transport woes created a perfect storm that left punters shell-shocked.
The world
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has declared a state of emergency for an area close to Yosemite national park, mobilising hundreds of firefighters to tackle a wildfire that exploded on Friday, quickly grew to 11,900 acres in size and – on Sunday – remained entirely uncontained. The former vice-president Al Gore, a longtime campaigner on climate issues, warned that “the survival of our civilisation is at stake”.
Hungary’s far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has lashed out against the “mixing” of European and non-European races in a speech that immediately drew outrage from opposition parties and European politicians.
Health authorities are underestimating the scale of the response required to stop monkeypox becoming endemic in the UK, sexual health campaigners have warned, as a new vaccination drive is launched.
Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian fighters in a pre-dawn clash in the occupied West Bank and attacked a fishing boat off the Gaza Strip coast that was accused of smuggling in Hamas supplies from Egypt.
Recommended reads
The Oscar-nominated Margot Robbie will join a handful of international stars returning to Ramsay Street for the final episode of the long-running Australian soap Neighbours. After 37 extremely dramatic years, Neighbours has come to an end. Here are the best (and most ridiculous) characters who populated Erinsborough.
Kim Davies pays tribute to the health workers, “who, in the face of chaos, made my mum’s death peaceful”. “A healthcare system’s beating heart is humanity at its very core; the professionals who genuinely care about others and who chose it as a career because they wanted to make a difference,” she writes. “These remarkable people have been through hell in recent years to help others. Let’s not take them for granted.”
Helen Hawkes explains how to fake a good night’s sleep. “Waking up with flawless skin and bouncy hair is the stuff of Hollywood fairytales. For regular humans, however, there is a cheat sheet,” she writes. “In a pinch, you can use cold teabags.”
Listen
The race to become the next UK prime minister has come down to an increasingly bitter battle between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. Both were major figures in Boris Johnson’s cabinet but now are distancing themselves from the former PM as they set out their policy platforms. The Guardian’s political editor, Heather Stewart, weighs up the decision being faced by Tory members but denied to any other voters.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Jonas Vingegaard has won the Tour de France, sweeping into Paris transported by his near-infallible Jumbo-Visma team to take the yellow jersey at his second attempt from defending champion Tadej Pogacar and the peloton’s Mister Consistency, Geraint Thomas, who took his third podium finish in four years.
Cricket Australia (CA) has announced a seven-year deal with Disney Star to beam men’s and women’s matches into India and elsewhere in Asia. The agreement, reportedly worth more than $US250m ($A361m), will broadcast international cricket and the Big Bash League for men and women into India and “other territories across Asia” from season 2023-24.
Media roundup
Anthony Albanese has pushed back against shutting the border with Indonesia amid fears over foot-and-mouth disease entering Australia, a stance backed by farmers, business groups and former diplomats, according to WAToday. Labor plans to lay out key elements of its Indigenous Voice by Christmas, the Australian reports.
Sign up
If you would like to receive the Guardian Australia morning mail to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com.
Discover Australian Weekend
Every Saturday at 6am, enjoy early access to the best journalism planned for the weekend in one elegant app, plus a curated selection of the week’s news and analysis from Australia and the world.
