Morning everyone. Anthony Albanese is not the only party leader wrestling with problems thrown up by the voice to parliament referendum. Our top stories today reveal how the Greens leader, Adam Bandt, is trying to steady the ship after Lidia Thorpe’s resignation and how Peter Dutton is also facing pushback within Liberal ranks to his passive opposition to the voice, as well as to his position on carbon emissions legislation.
We also have some heartbreaking reportage from the aftermath of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and news of Sweden’s largest ever wolf cull.
Australia
Exclusive | Penny Wong overruled her department and insisted on sending an observer to the first meeting of countries that support a landmark United Nations treaty banning nuclear weapons, new documents reveal.
Voice choice | The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has implored members to stick with them in the wake of Lidia Thorpe’s resignation, revealing their First Nations advisory group said the party “cannot say no” to the voice to parliament despite Thorpe’s own objections. The Liberal MP Andrew Bragg will publicly lobby the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, to embrace the Indigenous voice to parliament, labelling it a “liberal solution” to reconciliation.
Booster shot | A fifth Covid vaccine dose will be made available later this month to all adults who have not had a booster or a confirmed case of Covid-19 in the past six months.
Lehrmann action | Bruce Lehrmann, the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, has started legal action against Network Ten and News Life Media – the publishers of news.com.au – in the federal court.
Emissions policy | Liberal moderates Paul Fletcher and Simon Birmingham have pushed back against a decision to oppose the Albanese government’s planned overhaul of the safeguard mechanism during shadow cabinet deliberations over the past fortnight.
World
Turkey emergency | Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has declared the 10 provinces affected by the devastating earthquakes a disaster zone, imposing a state of emergency in the region for three months. An American teacher living in Gaziantep has described the devastation, saying “we are in shock”, while a photograph of a Turkish man holding the hand of his dead daughter (pictured) highlights the despair of victims. There’s more coverage here.
Police rapist jailed | David Carrick, the former UK Metropolitan police officer who thought his position made him “untouchable” as he waged a 17-year campaign of terror and attacks against women, has been jailed for life.
Ukraine | Ukraine has released extraordinary video footage that appears to show Russian fighters dragging their badly wounded commander away from the battlefield and then beating him violently.
‘Putin apologist’ | Polly Samson, the wife of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and a lyricist on the band’s two most recent albums, has spoken out against former bandleader Roger Waters on Twitter, describing him as an antisemite and a “Putin apologist”.
Howl of protest | Hunters have shot dead 54 wolves in Sweden’s largest-ever cull, prompting fury from conservationists and satisfaction among farmers who consider the predators a threat to their livelihoods.
Full Story
Richard Marles on Labor’s reset with China
Australia is walking a fine line between the US and China as fears grow of a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Defence and foreign affairs correspondent Daniel Hurst talks to the defence minister, Richard Marles, about Australia’s position in the global contest for power.
In-depth
There are mounting calls for a national register to track sperm donors across the country amid concern over the number of “prolific donors” who could then end up having more families than are currently allowed (five or 10 in most states). It can also be traumatic for donor-conceived people to find out they have dozens of half siblings and also raises the risk of accidental incest.
Not the news
In the latest instalment of the My Bad Trip series, Guardian Australia’s very own Janine Israel relives the joys of backpacking in South America and offers up a cautionary tale about buses, Spanish verbs and how sometimes saving $4 might not be worth it.
The world of sport
Cricket | Aaron Finch (pictured) has called time on his 12-year international career after announcing his retirement from the shortest form of the game after 12 years and 8,500 runs.
Skateboarding | Queensland teenager Chloe Covell is targeting the Paris Olympics after winning a silver medal in the street finals at the 2022 Skateboarding Street and Park World Championships in Sharjah.
Football | Yaya Touré’s agent has denied receiving any secret payment from Manchester City when the Ivorian played for the club – an allegation understood to be among the charges brought against the champions by the Premier League.
Media roundup
In the wake of yesterday’s rate hike, the Australian Financial Review says the Liberals are gearing up for what it calls “Howard-era” style attacks on Labor economic policy. An opinion piece in the Age says the rising cost of borrowing risks squeezing the life out of the economy, while the Cairns Post reports that there are now “crippling forces” at play for people trying to sell their properties.
What’s happening today
Press Club | Stephen Duckett, RACGP president Nicole Higgins, and Kerrie Aust, GP and AMA president-elect, will discuss reforms to Medicare
Melbourne | The trial of Malka Leifer on sexual abuse charges opens.
Arts | Australia’s participants in the Venice Biennale to be unveiled.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. And finish your day with a three-minute snapshot of the day’s main news. Sign up for our Afternoon Update newsletter here.
Prefer notifications? If you’re reading this in our app, just click here and tap “Get notifications” on the next screen for an instant alert when we publish every morning.
Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords and free Wordiply game to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
Contact us
If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email.
If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email customer.help@guardian.co.uk
