Good morning. A pro-Kremlin outlet has called Vladimir Putin a “paranoid dictator” in a rare act of dissent. Patients are increasingly waiting more than 24 hours for a bed in overcrowded Victorian emergency departments. And Guardian Australia has spoken to early voters in two key Sydney seats.
With 12 days to go in the federal election campaign, both leaders are shifting into higher gear. After questions about stamina following his Covid recovery, the Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, yesterday cheerfully told his trailing press pack that he was hitting three states in a day, a marked uptick in the pace of his campaign. Labor and the Coalition had big ticket announcements yesterday, with Albanese pledging more than $346m for a hospital upgrade and to boost teacher workforce numbers, while Scott Morrison talked up $8bn in military spending on helicopters and infrastructure. With two leaders’ debates down and one to go tomorrow, the home stretch is within sight. But early polling centres in two key Sydney seats may reveal the direction this could go. Guardian Australia asked people who they were voting for – and why.
Two Russian journalists working for a popular pro-Kremlin website filled it with anti-war articles in a rare act of dissent as the country celebrated the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. The articles on Lenta.ru called Vladimir Putin a “pitiful paranoid dictator” and accused him of waging “the bloodiest war of the 21st century”. “We had to do it today,” said Egor Polyakov, one of the two journalists. “We wanted to remind everyone what our grandfathers really fought for on this beautiful Victory Day – for peace.” During his annual speech in front of 11,000 soldiers in the Kremlin, Putin sought to justify his invasion of Ukraine, tying the fighting to the Soviet victory in the second world war.
Peak healthcare bodies in Victoria are calling for real-time data on emergency departments, warning that staff are being forced to work “blind” amid unprecedented pressure. The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine has labelled the situation in hospitals across the country a “national emergency” and its Victorian chair, Dr Mya Cubitt, said hospitals needed a statewide dashboard with real-time data.
Australia
Peter Dutton’s department says the defence minister is in possession of six reports from the oversight panel regarding the Brereton reforms – but he is yet to disclose any details about what it found.
Far from having a leftwing bias, the ABC has been tamed by cuts and incessant attacks, former prime minister Kevin Rudd says. Under the Coalition, the national broadcaster has been domesticated to the point of overcorrecting for perceived partisanship, he says.
Ten weeks after Lismore first flooded, fewer than one in six applications for the NSW government’s business grants have been approved.
Praise for Josh Frydenberg, the “prince of tennis” and “super scholar” is circulating on the Chinese-language internet platform WeChat targeting the Kooyong community, whose votes will be critical on election day.
Reforms to reduce the use of grants for pork barrelling need to be enacted before next March’s state election if the NSW government wants to protect its credibility, crossbenchers and a former supreme court judge have said. A chorus of crossbenchers have demanded that the premier, Dominic Perrottet, introduce legislation based on recommendations handed to the government at the weekend.
The world
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the late dictator, is set to become the Philippines’ next president after taking an unassailable lead in the election, signalling an extraordinary rehabilitation of one of the country’s most notorious political families.
Elon Musk has warned that Japan will “cease to exist” unless it addresses its falling birthrate, sparking calls for the country to allow more immigration and improve its work-life balance.
Emmanuel Macron has called for a new political organisation to unite democracies on the European continent, as he warned that Ukraine would probably not join the EU for several decades.
Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned as Sri Lanka’s prime minister after months of protest over the country’s deepening economic crisis and calls for leaders from the ruling family dynasty to step down.
Recommended reads
When evangelical Americans began talking about Donald Trump as God’s chosen president, the religious phrasing around his leadership – miracles, destiny, calling – triggered something in the memories of Lynette Wallworth, the Emmy-winning Australian virtual reality film-maker. As a young woman, she had been drawn into a Pentecostal community and came to hold “extreme beliefs” about God’s will. She became a “prophetess”; fellow members would come to her with questions to hear her “give prophecy” from literal and earnest biblical interpretations. With her latest work, she hopes to stop others from doing what she did.
In a landmark exhibition supported by the resources sector, Indigenous artists from the Pilbara don’t hold back about dispossession and exploitation. “This is a protest painting,” says Martumili artist Desmond Taylor. “We’re hoping to get back the land that was taken away from us. This is our story, this is our home, this is our way of finding connection to country.”
Over the last two years, most of us have experienced the sting of a party cancellation – from weddings and galas to school formals. There was a period when crowded dancefloors and uncomfortably high heels felt like a thing of the past. Happily, it’s 2022, and we are – hopefully – post-lockdowns and limits on gatherings. To celebrate, well, the return of celebrations, here is some expert advice on the special care everything from tulle, to beading, to lace requires.
Listen
With house prices and rents continuing to soar across Australia, the major parties are talking up their respective homebuying policies on the campaign trail. But will these policies actually fix Australia’s housing affordability crisis?
Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to economics reporter Peter Hannam and Prof Hal Pawson about the housing policies of Labor, the Coalition and the Greens, and what impact they would have on housing affordability.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Liz Cambage says the truth will emerge after her former Australian captain Jenna O’Hea said comments the ex-Opals star was alleged to have made towards the Nigerian women’s basketball team before last year’s Olympics were “100% correct”. O’Hea alleged in a TV interview on Sunday that unconfirmed claims that Cambage told Nigerian rivals to “go back to your third-world country” in a practice game that contributed to her messy exit from the national program were true.
With every goal scored, trophy lifted and piece of history recorded, Sam Kerr continues to raise herself into a pantheon reserved for a select few in Australian sport. The Matildas captain helped lift Chelsea to a third consecutive Women’s Super League title on Sunday with a stunning brace.
Media roundup
The Greens are pushing for zero extinctions by 2030 as they outline their $24bn environmental policy, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. About 2 million of the nation’s 17.2 million enrolled voters have applied to cast their ballot by mail, meaning a significant chunk of votes will not be counted on 21 May, says WAtoday.
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