Good morning. The Coalition has made almost $3bn in spending promises across 10 marginal seats ahead of the election. Female candidates are being overlooked to run in safe seats by both major parties. And fiction writers reflect on how they can help galvanise readers to take action against the climate crisis.
Outgoing Liberal National party politician Andrew Laming says the expenses watchdog has done “nothing” since he publicly refused to pay back more than $8,000 in travel expenses he was found by it to have wrongly claimed. The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority audited a single month of Laming’s travel in 2020, finding he had wrongly claimed 21 expenses and issuing an invoice. But Laming refused to pay the money back, and says he has heard nothing and expects to hear nothing.
