Good morning. Our top story reveals how young people in Queensland are pleading guilty to offences they did not commit – or where there is little evidence to support charges – to avoid spending long periods on remand in the state’s buckling youth justice system. Critics say Queensland’s harsh bail policies have effectively imposed extrajudicial punishments on young people who may ultimately be exonerated. Overseas, a man has been detained after a stabbing attack at a lakeside playground in the French Alps left four young children and two adults wounded. Plus: Australian renters are increasingly facing lengthy “pre-application” processes before they can inspect properties.
Australia
Housing pressures | Renters are being forced to “pre-apply” before inspecting properties, a process that can take hours and involves providing personal details, financial information and references.
Written Off | Young people in Queensland are pleading guilty to offences they did not commit to avoid spending long periods on remand in the state’s buckling youth justice system, lawyers say.
‘Retrograde step’ | Labor’s new grant category proposal has alarmed legal experts, who warn it could lower the bar for grants at “high risk” of corruption and pork-barrelling.
Patient privacy | The Pharmacy Guild has been accused of using patient contact details from its “Find a Pharmacy” website to campaign against 60-day medicine dispensing. The Guild said it adheres to all privacy laws.
‘Traumatic experience’ | An alleged victim of a sexual assault in Queensland was transported in a police car to a hospital 90 minutes away due to staff shortages, an MP has revealed.
World
‘People were running’ | Four young children and two adults have been wounded in a knife attack at a lakeside playground in Annecy in the French Alps, with dozens of children receiving trauma support.
Transatlantic cooperation | Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden have unveiled a landmark deal that marks a revival in ties and moves the UK firmly into the US administration’s economic orbit.
‘Unprecedented’ | Wildfire crews in Canada continue to battle hundreds of blazes across the country as air quality in New York City is worst in recent recorded history.
Russia-Ukraine war | Volodymyr Zelenskiy sounds alarm over contaminated waters flowing into the Black Sea after Nova Kakhovka dam collapse, as Ukrainian villagers continue to flee flooded areas.
‘Pure speculation’ | Donald Trump’s lawyers have requested a new trial in the civil case brought by E Jean Carroll after a jury last month found the former US president liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.
Full Story
Ben Roberts-Smith v the media: part seven, a hero’s downfall
Ben Roberts-Smith lost his defamation case against the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Canberra Times after a federal court judge found that the newspapers proved in their defence that he murdered unarmed prisoners while serving in Afghanistan. Ben Doherty examines Justice Anthony Besanko’s full verdict which describes how Australia’s most decorated living soldier lied to save his reputation.
In-depth
The productivity of Australian workers appears to have fallen off a cliff, baffling pundits and making the Reserve Bank of Australia more alert to wage rises stoking inflation. The reasons behind productivity’s retreat aren’t well understood. Some theories point to continued disruptions from the Covid pandemic – including that people aren’t as efficient as they think they are while working from home. How concerned should we be?
Not the news
In the 1990s and 2000s Alannah Hill, Alice McCall and Sass & Bide became household names. Australians are now buying more clothes than ever but few are made or even designed locally. Manufacturing has moved offshore, raw materials are increasingly expensive, anything from anywhere can be ordered with a single click, and – if you did head out to shop in Sydney – you’d see the same brands as in Singapore, Salzburg or Seattle. Where did it come undone?
The world of sport
Cricket | Steve Smith is looking like a batting immortal again, with Australia in charge after stumps on day two of the ICC World Test Championship final against India.
Football | David Squires on … mixed reactions to Ange Postecoglou’s move to Tottenham; Messi has the edge over Ronaldo in the hunt for greatest-of-all-time status; there are no winners in the Women’s World Cup broadcast fiasco.
AFL | The Sydney star Lance Franklin has moved into the outright fourth spot on the list of VFL/AFL goalkickers with a 1,058th-career goal in his milestone 350th match.
Media roundup
The sociologist who triggered the Brereton war crimes inquiry has urged the defence minister, Richard Marles, to strip medals from soldiers who oversaw alleged wrongdoing in Afghanistan, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. State and territory governments have agreed to work to build a centralised data hub that will seek to create “a more complete picture of the life experiences” of people with disabilities, reports the Canberra Times. The price of high-end electric vehicles could be dramatically reduced for Australian drivers as a result of trade negotiations with the EU, says the Age.
What’s happening today
ACT | There is a case management hearing scheduled in the defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann against several media outlets.
NSW | A public hearing in the special commission of inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes is scheduled.
Afca | The Australian Financial Complaints Authority is set to release a report on deceased estates.
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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.
