Good afternoon. The country has lost a giant in the fight for Indigenous rights after the revered Yolŋu elder and Aboriginal leader Yunupingu died aged 74. Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, with Anthony Albanese calling Yunupingi “one of the greatest of Australians”.
In today’s other big news, Malka Leifer has been found guilty of sexually abusing two former students while she was principal of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne. And Parisians have voted to ban e-scooters after a spike in accidents.
Top news
Yunupingu, campaigner for Indigenous rights, dies | The Yolŋu elder spent a lifetime fighting for the rights of his Gumatj clan, his country and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Read about Yunupingu’s indelible mark on Indigenous rights.
Malka Leifer guilty | Leifer was accused of sexually abusing Melbourne sisters Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper at the Adass Israel School in the city’s eastern suburbs between 2003 and 2007. The 56-year-old was found guilty of 18 sexual abuse offences in the Victorian county court, but acquitted of nine charges, including the five that related to Meyer.
No police body cam of Aubrey Donahue shooting | Civil liberties campaigner Terry O’Gorman says it is a “farce and an absurdity” that tactical police who shot Aboriginal man Aubrey Donahue were not wearing body cameras and has called for immediate changes to Queensland police policy. The shooting at Mareeba last month sparked angry Black Lives Matter protests in the community.
Female cricketers get pay rise | The majority of female cricketers on minimum contracts will earn more than $100,000 a year after Cricket Australia and the players’ union announced a landmark $634m pay deal. Under the new deal, minimum and average CA women’s contracts will increase by 25%.
Australian GP safety under scrutiny | One F1 fan was struck by debris from a competing car, while others broke through security and accessed the track. The incidents have put the heat on the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, which will now be required to urgently produce a “remediation plan” in response to the security and safety failures.
Landmark ruling upheld on Catholic church abuse | Victoria’s highest court has upheld a ruling that the Catholic church is vicariously liable for sexual abuse by a paedophile priest because he was a “servant of the diocese” whose role gave him the “power and intimacy” to access and abuse children.
Parisians bid adieu to e-scooters | An overwhelming 90% of Parisians have voted to rid the French capital of electric scooters. Although the vote was non-binding, city authorities have vowed to follow the result.
US to open embassy in Vanuatu | The decision is part of a move by Washington to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific region. The US also has plans to open embassies in Kiribati and Tonga.
Seymour Stein dies aged 80 | The music mogul who launched the careers of Madonna, Talking Heads and the Ramones and introduced the Cure, Depeche Mode and the Smiths to the US, passed away in Los Angeles after a long struggle with cancer.
Australia’s best and worst toilet paper | Consumer group Choice has tested more than 30 brands, with Quilton taking top spot for its Toilet Tissue Gold 4 ply and 25% more king size rolls both receiving 85% scores. Bottom of the pile was Oobamboo’s Bamboo Unbleached Toilet Rolls 3 ply – a result the company criticised as “environmentally irresponsible”.
Today in Focus
Cotton Capital: the bee and the ship – examining the Guardian’s links to slavery
Episode one of the new Guardian podcast series Cotton Capital explores the revelations that the Guardian’s founding editor, John Edward Taylor, and at least nine of his 11 backers had links to slavery, principally through the textile industry. Listen to the 46-minute episode.
What they said …
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“You get this madness that the [Liberal] party is being told by its media backers to move further and further to the right, focus on value issues, whether transgender kids or denying climate change, all of this craziness that’s been infecting the party for years … those chickens are coming home to roost, it’s electoral catastrophe.” – Malcolm Turnbull
The former prime minister is urging his party to move to the centre after the disastrous result in the Aston byelection.
In numbers
The National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds, says the “confronting” findings show there’s an urgent need for a child wellbeing strategy.
Before bed read
Tasmania’s majestic Franklin River weaves through gorges and mountains, immersing visitors in total wilderness. But do travellers know the river was once under threat from a proposed dam that was stalled courtesy of a dedicated protest movement?
“We’ve saved [the Franklin] for this generation but they don’t even know about it.”
Read how the Franklin River was saved.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: CUB. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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