Good morning. As Optus customers are still coming to terms with the fallout of a big data breach, more attacks are coming to light that have exposed Australians’ personal information, including at a security firm and an employment agency. And the Conservatives are still in turmoil in the wake of the UK government’s humiliating U-turn on tax cuts.
Current and former Australian employees of the security firm G4S have been told personal information – including tax file numbers, bank account information and medical checks – was stolen and posted online in a ransomware attack. G4S, which provides services for prisons across Australia, told employees it had been the subject of “a cyber incident” that gave an unauthorised third party access to its systems. It is one of at least three more data breaches to be disclosed in Australia this week in the wake of the massive Optus hack.
Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer has told jurors that Brittany Higgins “erased” key details from the night of her alleged rape inside Parliament House, saying the public had been “sold a pup” over the allegations. The hearing began with the ACT director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold SC, telling jurors that Lehrmann had “lied” about why he attended parliament in the early hours of 23 March 2019. It ended with Higgins in tears, as she appeared in the witness box via an audiovisual link after her recorded interview with police in February 2021 was played to the court.
Deploying wave energy machines at a handful of locations on Australia’s south coast would slash renewable energy costs, according to a CSIRO report. A report commissioned by Wave Swell Energy says the machines would make a future clean electricity grid more stable and more reliable and would dramatically cut the costs of buying batteries to store renewable energy.
Australia
Queensland’s attorney general says she is “shocked and saddened” that police failed to investigate a series of alleged sexual assaults against a 14-year-old girl and has raised the matter with the state’s police minister. The alleged victim, Karen Iles, has waived her legal right to anonymity in the belief that sharing her experience would help hold police to account.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has become used to empathising with borrowers after the RBA’s rate hikes. But this week he got to talk about his 25 October budget – and with good reason.
The federal Coalition has warned against requiring a parliamentary vote to deploy troops to overseas conflicts. A Labor-led inquiry into military deployment will hear from reform advocates who will argue Australia should follow other democracies in requiring parliamentarians to authorise wars so MPs are accountable for the consequences.
The government will need to drastically increase funding for nature conservations from the $224.5m promised if it wants to prevent further extinctions of native wildlife, conservationists say. One study suggests $2bn a year is needed to recover 2,000 threatened plants, animals and ecological communities.
The world
Russian defence ministry maps appear to show rapid withdrawals of Russian invasion forces from areas in eastern and southern Ukraine where they have been under pressure from a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Liz Truss’s government is in chaos after the UK chancellor refused to confirm he would bring forward his budget to calm the markets and the home secretary accused fellow MPs of a coup against the prime minister. Cabinet discipline appeared to have broken down, with colleagues disagreeing over key policies and bitter infighting over the decision to scrap plans to ditch the top rate of tax.
Elon Musk has filed to complete his US$44bn acquisition of Twitter after months of legal drama and another dramatic U-turn on his decision to walk away from the deal.
Recommended reads
Ready binge watch some new flicks? Here are all the new shows and films hitting streaming services this month, including Catherine Called Birdy, The Stranger and the new White Lotus.
In our weekly interview about objects, the Australian author Craig Silvey tells us about moonlighting as an electric ukulele player – and the childhood stories he wrote. “My first breakthrough came at the age of 10, when I penned a dryly comic memoir piece about my courageous experience with a tonsillectomy procedure.”
The ending of mandatory Covid isolation periods has also ended disaster payments for workers who don’t have access to sick leave. “Forcing workers to choose between staying home with Covid and getting paid is not a real choice,” writes Matt Grudnoff. “The solution is for all employers to provide paid sick leave, to all their staff: whether permanent, casual, contractors, or “gig” workers.”
“For a long time, when asked the question what my favourite film was, I’d delay and defer. But now I just say Playtime,” says Luke Buckmaster. “[Jacques Tati’s 1967 masterpiece] rewards repeat viewings like no other.”
Listen
An internet forum called Kiwi Farms spread far-right hate speech and actively targeted vulnerable people for harassment for a decade with impunity. In today’s Full Story, reporter Josh Taylor tells Jane Lee how one person led a campaign that brought down the website in a matter of months.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Nick Kyrgios will seek to have his assault charge dismissed on mental health grounds. The charge relates to an alleged incident in January 2021 that was reported to ACT police in December.
Australian basketball player Ben Simmons has shown glimpses of brilliance and some familiar struggles against his former NBA team Philadelphia in his first outing for Brooklyn.
Media roundup
News Corp Australia is reporting that convicted paedophile Rolf Harris is “gravely sick” with cancer and his health has deteriorated to a point he is barely able to speak. And the ABC reports that analysis by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the Chinese government has been running a coordinated disinformation campaign in Solomon Islands, suggesting that Australia, the US and Taiwan fomented last year’s riots in the capital, Honiara.
Coming up
The Archbishop of Canterbury will visit Perth.
Kieren Perkins will address the National Press Club.
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