Morning Mail: inside a ‘broken’ system failing vulnerable Australian children, grim milestone in Gaza, arrests over Matthew Perry’s death

‘You would be so horrified if you saw what was closed,’ one NSW caseworker said of reports to the child protection helpline. Illustration: Nash Weerasekera/The Guardian

Good morning. Children at risk of serious harm are reported to New South Wales authorities every day, but the child protection system is so stretched that many of these children do not get seen by a caseworker. The public would be “mortified” if they knew the stories of children left unseen, says one speaking to Catie McLeod in our long read.

Meanwhile, independent MP Zali Steggall is doubling down on calling Peter Dutton’s Palestinian visa ban stance “racist”. She withdrew the comment in parliament this week – but now tells us that she stands by it.