Good morning. Australians have singled out the soaring cost of living as the most important issue for whichever party forms the next government. Fixing the aged care system is another top priority. And Israel’s high court has ruled to evict Palestinians in one of the single biggest expulsions in recent history.
Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are preparing for the final sprint to the 21 May election finish line. Labor can sniff victory but the Liberals are not giving up, hoping the final fortnight may yet see undecided voters stick with the devil they know. While national polls show Labor clearly ahead of the Coalition and in line for a comfortable victory, both sides suggest the contest could be close, with the low primary vote of each of the major parties making the result difficult to pick. Reducing the cost of living and fixing the aged care system are voters’ two top priorities, according to a Australian National University poll. The survey of more than 3,500 people found those two issues transcended the political divide, with more than 60% nominating them as top priorities, ranking ahead of issues of more concern to Coalition voters, including defence against terrorist attacks and reducing crime. A majority of voters also nominated strengthening the nation’s economy (54.4%), reducing the cost of healthcare (53.5%) and dealing with global climate change (52.8%) as top priorities for the federal government.
The Morrison government’s climate change commitments are consistent with more than 3C of global heating, bordering on 4C, a level that would lead to catastrophic damage across the planet, according to a new analysis. Labor’s climate target was found to be consistent with about 2C of heating above pre-industrial levels. Both would be expected to lead to the loss of tropical coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef, and a significant rise in the number of extreme heat events in Australia, assuming other countries took equivalent action. The research by Climate Analytics found neither major party had emissions reduction goals that lived up to the commitment that was strengthened in last year’s Glasgow climate pact, to aim to limit heating to as close as possible to 1.5C. It found targets proposed by the Greens and the “teal independents” vying for inner-city seats were consistent with that mark. In Queensland, the Labor government is playing “a dangerous game” with coal that could hurt the party’s chances in inner-city Brisbane in the federal election, according a political expert. On Wednesday the state energy minister, Mick de Brenni, ruled out closing any of Queensland’s eight coal-fired power plants.
Russia has unleashed heavy artillery barrages against multiple Ukrainian positions in the south and east of the country, amid conflicting claims over whether Russian forces were attempting to storm the last Ukrainian positions in the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. The EU plans to impose sanctions on Alina Kabaeva, long rumoured to be Vladimir Putin’s girlfriend and – according to a draft document seen by the Guardian – the head of the Russian Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill, a long-serving Kremlin ally who has given his blessing to the war. US officials have also reportedly confirmed they are providing intelligence that has helped Ukrainian forces target and kill Russian generals. To learn more about the war, visit the Guardian’s complete guide in maps, videos and pictures.
Australia
Men are more likely to take time from their female partners for exercise, which women are not afforded equally in return, research suggests. Canberra researchers have analysed gender disparities in physical activity, finding that “hour for hour, paid or unpaid, women’s physical activity is constrained by their time use in ways that men’s is not”.
A lively campaign is shaping up in the NSW mid-north coast electorate of Cowper, with a revealing candidates’ forum in Bellingen, preferencing games under way, a popular “Voices for” independent candidate, and an explanation of those United Australia party’s interest rate billboards.
Despite predictions of stagflation, rural industries don’t need to panic – yet. There are three things agricultural businesses need to watch carefully in 2022: interest rates, the US economy and China’s lockdowns.
The world
After a two-decade legal battle, Israel’s high court has ruled that about 1,000 Palestinians can be evicted from an area of the West Bank and the land repurposed for Israeli military use, in one of the single biggest expulsion decisions since the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories began in 1967.
Researchers say they have found traces of Xinjiang cotton in shirts and T-shirts made by Adidas, Puma and Hugo Boss, appearing to contradict the German clothing companies’ promises to revise their supply chains after allegations of widespread forced labour in the Chinese region.
Reproductive rights activists across Latin America have vowed to protect hard-fought gains in their own territories as they brace for potential ripple effects if the US supreme court overturns Roe v Wade – the 1973 ruling that guarantees the right to abortion. Latin America has some of the most draconian anti-abortion laws in the world. But feminist movements have fought for decades to chip away at the prohibitions, and a younger, diverse generation of activists has mobilised to help clinch a string of victories in traditionally conservative countries.
Recommended reads
Featuring a migrant family in western Sydney, George Haddad’s novel Losing Face deals with masculinity and rape culture – without the luxury of easy answers. “The author’s depiction of rape culture is deftly handled: realistic and confronting, and not simply used as fodder for Joey’s growth as a character,” writes Sarah Ayoub.
It’s not unusual for an journalist to write a memoir – but it is unusual for the memoir to not focus on journalism at all. Instead, Speaking in Tongues by former Triple J Hack host Tom Tilley is a family memoir of sorts, telling of Tilley’s time raised in the Revival Centres – a small Pentecostal church that requires its members to speak in tongues. It’s “a personal prayer”, Tilley says. “Using audible, indecipherable language to God.”
“I’ve got a seven-month-old baby,” says a Guardian reader. “How do I make sure she doesn’t feel the same body shame I did?” Bracing a child for a bad outcome can teach them to expect it, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith.
Listen
Labor and the Coalition are on track for their lowest primary vote in history. As minor parties and “teal independents” make their pitch to voters in hopes of winning the balance of power, the Coalition has issued dramatic warnings about the consequences of a minority government. In this episode of Full Story, Gabrielle Jackson talks to Lenore Taylor and Mike Ticher about why voters are turning away from the two-party system and whether a hung parliament would really be chaos.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Richmond superstar Dustin Martin will make his eagerly anticipated AFL return against Collingwood, with his coach, Damien Hardwick, saying the Tigers were never concerned he would retire. Hardwick confirmed that if Martin got through training yesterday he would be a starter for tomorrow’s clash at the MCG, two weeks after he recommenced training. The triple Norm Smith medallist has not played since round one after taking personal leave.
Media roundup
Paying superannuation on taxpayer-funded parental leave payments is still a live issue within Labor’s ranks, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. As news of the end of Roe v Wade spreads around the world, the ABC asks: what does all this mean for Australia?
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