Morning everyone. Julian Leeser, who quit the shadow frontbench in order to support the yes vote on the Indigenous voice referendum, sat down with our politics team to explain why he jumped ship. He says Peter Dutton’s suggestions about symbolic recognition just won’t do. We’ve got a full report and podcast, plus a devastating critique of Morrison-era university reforms, and the chance to put your questions to a consumer agony aunt.
Australia
‘Dismal failure’ | Coalition-era university reforms designed to incentivise students to study Stem subjects by doubling the price of some humanities degrees and lowering fees on others have not benefited students and should be scrapped, peak university bodies say.
Leeser learning | Liberal MP Julian Leeser says his party’s proposal for symbolic Indigenous recognition in the constitution is “not enough” for First Nations people and says a national voice to parliament has “important work to do”. His clear policy message came as Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham became the latest opposition member to say he won’t campaign against the voice.
‘Never again’ | External debt collectors will no longer be used by the Albanese government as part of a pledge to ensure robodebt never happens again, the government services minister, Bill Shorten, has said.
Prime example | The ACCC boss, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, wants more powers to make it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions, with consumer advocates citing the convoluted process Australians have to go through to unsubscribe from Amazon Prime as an example of “trapping”.
Big idea | An urban planner in South Australia is hoping to revive the state’s “Big Orange” – one of many of the country’s “big things” – with a brewery and distillery at the site in Berri that has been closed for 20 years.
World
Exclusive | World Bank staff were apparently told to give preferential treatment to the son of David Malpass, a high-ranking Trump administration official, after the US Treasury threw its support behind a US$13bn funding increase for the organisation, a leaked recording suggests.
Power promise | Joe Biden has dangled a US$6bn carrot in front of Northern Ireland’s leaders with a promise to boost the country’s economy with US investment if power sharing is restored as the president continues his Irish tour in Dublin.
‘Evil’ footage | The EU has pledged to hold war criminals to account after Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged action as disturbing video emerged of Russian soldiers apparently beheading a Ukrainian prisoner of war. In Russia, conscription laws have been tightened before a widely anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive in the coming weeks.
Depardieu accused | A new investigation has alleged multiple incidents of sexually inappropriate behaviour by the actor Gérard Depardieu over the last two decades.
Beaver town | A couple in Wales who set up a video to discover why trees were disappearing from their back garden were astonished to find that the damage was being caused by a beaver – the first found living wild in that country for years.
Full Story
Julian Leeser on the voice to parliament and his resignation from shadow cabinet
Paul Karp and Josh Butler talk to Berowra MP Julian Leeser about the referendum on the voice to parliament, why he resigned this week from the shadow cabinet and the future direction of the Liberal party.
In-depth
It’s safe to say that it’s unusual for anyone to found a newspaper these days, but that’s just what dozens of people have done in the past few years in response to closures by the big publishers. Our reporter Dwayne Grant goes on the trail of the wannabe press barons such as Michael Waite, who set up the Naracoorte News in his South Australian home town.
Not the news
Kat George is a consumer law and policy professional who finds herself fielding issues from friends and family. Three of the questions that crop up most frequently relate to switching energy suppliers, alleged mis-selling by online retailers and exorbitant international mobile roaming fees.
The world of sport
Women’s World Cup | According to our experts, England are still favourites for the tournament despite losing to the Matildas, who are rated fifth in the rankings. Sam Kerr has urged her teammates not to get carried away after the stunning result in Brentford.
Football | The UK and Ireland have submitted their final bid to co-host Euro 2028, setting out plans to stage an “unforgettable” tournament – although the self-styled “Theatre of Dreams”, Old Trafford, won’t be one of the venues.
Champions League | Chelsea has lost 0-2 to Real Madrid in their quarter-final first leg in Spain this morning, while Milan won 1-0 against Napoli.
Media roundup
Freight operators in Melbourne fear a detour of trucks through Dockland streets is a “recipe for disaster”, the Age says. The Northern Territory will consider a “full review” of its firearms laws after a man was forced to hand over his guns after coming to the aid of a neighbour, NT News reports. The Australian looks at how the population is expected to grow by 3.6 million to 29.9 million by 2033, and what that means for the country.
What’s happening today
Economy | The latest employment figures will be released by the ABS.
Sydney | Sentence for drug dealer allegedly connected to the kidnapping of Stuart MacGill.
Business | Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group faces court in Perth on 34 counts of refusing or failing to comply with a requirement to provide documents to a WorkSafe inspector.
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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.
