Good morning. Calls are being made to increase Medicare rebates after a survey revealed more than one in five GPs had switched away from bulk billing. And the gold medal-winning cricket captain, Meg Lanning, is taking a break from the sport.
Doctors are increasingly scrapping bulk billing, according to a survey of almost 500 GPs, with stalling Medicare rebates and the costs of running a practice cited as key reasons. One practice making the switch sent a message to patients saying: “All patients, even those with a pension or health care card, will be required to pay a fee for their consultation.” Yesterday the Guardian revealed that the new federal health minister, Mark Butler, had dismissed Coalition election claims that bulk billing had hit 88%. If you’ve had problems finding affordable healthcare or bulk-billing GPs, the Guardian wants to hear from you.
Nine out of 10 major electricity companies are failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement, a study has found. Businesses not acting in accordance with the 2015 goal of limiting global heating to well below 2C since pre-industrial times included the generators and retailers AGL, EnergyAustralia and Origin. Only one electricity company examined was found to be on track.
Donald Trump declined to answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business dealings, pleading the fifth two days after the FBI raided his Florida home seeking classified documents taken from the White House. “I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States constitution,” Trump said as he emerged, giving a thumbs-up.
Australia
Photograph: Lukas Coch/EPA
The $21m CovidSafe contact-tracing app that found just two unique cases has been retired. The app cost about $75,000 a month to run and was touted by Scott Morrison as an important measure, on par with wearing sunscreen.
The man appointed by the NSW government to a London trade role approved negative television ads that targeted a Labor business tax policy at the last state election in his previous job as head of the NSW Business Chamber, Guardian Australia can reveal.
The Morrison government’s demand that a boat interception be announced on election day was “astonishing in form and timing” and “unprecedented”, according to the public servants involved.
A former defence chief has warned the new government against complacency in disaster recovery planning, saying army troops cannot keep being deployed to fire or flood zones and raising concerns about a “huge gap” in the resources needed to combat increasingly extreme weather events.
The world
The Solomon Islands opposition leader has blasted a push by the prime minister to delay the 2023 election, saying the move is the “power grab” he foresaw when Manasseh Sogavare signed a controversial security deal with China this year.
The fate of the world’s biggest ice sheet rests in the hands of humanity, a new analysis has shown. If global heating is limited to 2C, the vast East Antarctic ice sheet should remain stable but, if the climate crisis drives temperatures higher, melting could drive up sea level by many metres.
Ukraine’s air force said it believed that up to a dozen Russian aircraft were destroyed on the ground after Tuesday’s dramatic explosions at the Saky airbase in Crimea.
Marcus Mumford, frontman of the band Mumford & Sons, has said he was the victim of childhood sexual abuse, and his single Cannibal reflected on experiences he had aged six.
Recommended reads
From Jeff Goldblum as the Big Bad Wolf to an incident involving Fabio and a goose, illustrator Celeste Mountjoy talks us through the 10 funniest things she has ever seen (on the internet). “I have grown beside the internet,” she says. “It feels like a disgusting and very smart sibling, who I have a love/hate relationship with.” Which is apt because you will either absolutely love or absolutely hate that Fabio/goose clip.
With rents skyrocketing, it’s more important than ever that tenants understand their options when dealing with their landlord. Debate continues on rental reform in several jurisdictions as the 7 million renters in Australia try to push back against unaffordable rises. If you are a renter, here’s what you need to know about your rights and how to enforce them.
Whether you like your rice fluffy or fried, this staple grain can produce a dish to suit any palate on a minimal budget. Given its long shelf life, low cost, and the fact that it’s flexible enough to use in sweet or savoury dishes, it’s the ideal basis for a whole bunch of winter-friendly recipes. Here are six of the best.
Listen
Guardian Australia has revealed that the government used a private security firm to collect intelligence on asylum seekers being held on Nauru in 2016. In today’s Full Story, reporter Christopher Knaus discusses how leaked documents show that certain asylum seekers who had contact with journalists, lawyers and advocates were closely watched.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Australia’s long-serving women’s cricket captain, Meg Lanning, is taking a break from cricket, with no timeline for her return.
Media roundup
Nearly half the labour force of Melbourne’s west commutes outside the booming region for work, leaving local businesses short-staffed and struggling, the Herald Sun reports. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, punters seeking help online for gambling addiction were instead shown several ads for betting websites. And the ABC reports a stoush over an attempt by One Nation to register dozens of website addresses that could be used in the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum campaign.
Coming up
Tonight’s full sturgeon moon is the last supermoon of the year. Here’s everything you need to know to make sure you don’t miss it.
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 from 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.
