Good morning. Anthony Albanese says it’s not yet time to debate Australia becoming a republic, after the death of the monarch. Overnight the Queen’s coffin arrived in Edinburgh as thousands lined the streets. In Australia parliament has been suspended – but this could scupper the timeline of one of Labor’s core election commitments. And Ukraine has continued to push back Russian forces in the country’s east.
The prime minister has said “now is not the time” to discuss Australia becoming a republic. Albanese told the ABC, “now is a time for us to pay tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth.” The comments came as Australia proclaimed the ascension of King Charles III, with hundreds of people lining the forecourt and streets around Parliament House to watch the formal ceremony. Elsewhere, residents of the town of Elizabeth in South Australia paid tribute to their home’s namesake.
Labor’s core election commitment to legislate for a national integrity commission before the end of the year has been thrown in doubt by the suspension of parliament after the Queen’s death. The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, had hoped to introduce Labor’s anti-corruption commission bill to parliament on Wednesday but those plans are now on hold. Parliament won’t be recalled until after the national day of mourning on 22 September, and with upcoming school holidays and Albanese’s trip to Japan for Shinzo Abe’s funeral, it is unlikely to resume business before October.
In five days, Ukraine’s northern counteroffensive has been a dramatic success. What began as a push in a part of the front largely ignored by military analysts has captured “more territory than Russian forces have captured in all their operations since April”, writes defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh. Russia targeted infrastructure facilities in central and eastern Ukraine on Sunday in response.
Australia
Rental prices in many parts of Australia are growing 10% or even 20% year on year, raising questions about the role of short-term rentals, such as those leased on platforms like Airbnb, in fuelling the rise.
Nearly six months out from the next New South Wales election, a new poll shows there is little separating the major parties, with a hung parliament a distinct possibility.
A Bendigo clothes swap brought together trans, gender-diverse and non-binary people from across rural Victoria, and it was all about finding a safe space. “I no longer question who I am,” trans woman Zara Jones says.
Adam Morton brings some much-needed good news about the climate crisis, writing: “Every fraction of a degree of global heating avoided makes a difference, here are some reasons for hope.”
The world
The Eiffel Tower, whose twinkling lights define the night-time Paris skyline, is to fall dark earlier because of the energy crisis.
A lawyer who served in the White House during Donald Trump’s administration, said the ex-president is a “deeply wounded narcissist”, claiming that’s one of the two toxic traits that dictate his actions and decision making.
Exit polls suggest that the far right has narrowly failed to make a breakthrough in a knife-edge election in Sweden.
It was once the most censored book in American schools and libraries. Now, the only edition of The Catcher in the Rye that the author JD Salinger signed with his childhood nickname, Sonny, is going up for sale for £225,000.
Recommended reads
Australia has a relative abundance of astro-tourism destinations, and a growing movement to help protect their darkness. And at a time when 80% of the world’s population now live in areas where they cannot see stars, Australians and New Zealanders are seeking out darkness for stargazing in ever-greater numbers.
With their breakthrough album Eternal Nightcap turning 25 this month, lifelong fan Sian Cain picks the Whitlams’ best songs over four decades. “You Sound Like Louis Burdett will always hold a fond place in my heart for allowing me to say ‘fuck’ in front of my parents for the first time,” she writes.
Listen
Many potential homebuyers have told Guardian Australia that advertisements for their dream homes – from the photos to the price – have been inaccurate and real estate bodies are sounding the alarm about an industry they say is poorly regulated. In today’s Full Story, reporter Caitlin Cassidy speaks to Laura Murphy-Oates about the tactics real estate agents use to sell homes.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
It came down to the final over but Australia ensured their captain, Aaron Finch, retired from 50-over cricket with a series sweep over New Zealand, as the hosts held on to win the third and final one-day international by 25 runs.
Max Verstappen won in Monza, the F1 race finishing behind a safety car deployed five laps from the end when Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren came to a halt on track, leaving Lewis Hamilton pretty unimpressed.
Media roundup
Clare O’Neil has warned Australia’s hidebound immigration system needs to be transformed or it will fall behind, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. And the ABC is reporting on a purported failed assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth when she was visiting Australia in 1970. And the Australian reports that “golden visas” will be scrapped.
Coming up
About 500 scientists will attend the international contaminated site remediation conference in Adelaide with a focus on environmental challenges.
And if you’re wondering what happens in the lead-up to the Queen’s funeral next week, here’s a full run-down.
And if you’ve read this far …
Found out why all across Europe, potholes are suddenly being turned into works of art.
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