Good morning, it’s Tamara Howie here on Tuesday 2 March with the recommendations from the aged care royal commission, the latest on historic rape allegations confronting Canberra, and the teens taking the government to task over the climate crisis.
Top stories
The woman who has alleged she was raped by a cabinet minister in January 1988 has been described as “an incredibly smart, witty, talented and capable person” by her friend Jeremy Samuel. Samuel said the incident “was a very, very heavy weight on her” after she revealed the historical rape allegation to him in June 2019, a year before her death. The prime minister Scott Morrison has ruled out standing down the minister in question, who he says has “vigorously rejected” the claims. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says an independent investigation into the allegation would ensure the alleged victim has her voice heard while giving the MP a chance to clear his name. The woman’s lawyers say the current situation is “untenable” because “at the moment there are 16 [cabinet ministers] who have a cloud over them, and that cannot continue”.
Australia’s aged care sector is set for a “generational paradigm shift”, according to Scott Morrison, after the royal commission into the system laid bare deep-rooted “neglect and abuse” of older Australians and delivered 148 recommendations for a path forward. While the commissioners, Tony Pagone and Lynelle Briggs, arrived at slightly different recommendations regarding governance and how best to raise the billions of dollars in additional funds needed, experts believe the release of their report is a crucial opportunity to address a failing system.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to jail for corruption and influence peddling, but is unlikely to spend time in prison. Sarkozy was sentenced to three years in prison, two of them suspended, in a conviction and sentence that were dramatic, unexpected and historic. France’s president from 2007 to 2012 had played an “active role” in forging a “corruption pact” with his lawyer and a senior magistrate to obtain information on a separate investigation into political donations. His lawyer has announced he intends to appeal, a process that would lead to a new trial, and a one-year prison sentence can be served outside jail under certain conditions.
Australia
A “star ratings” system that ranks the performance of employment service providers has been indefinitely suspended just as the federal government ramps up audits on job applications filed by unemployed Australians, exposing a “dramatic contrast” between treatment of people on Centrelink and service providers.
Two in three respondents believe the federal government has shown more interest in protecting its political interests than the interests of women who have made rape and sexual assault allegations, according to the latest Essential poll.
Global oil and gas companies Woodside, Chevron and Total should halt the flow of money from projects in Myanmar to the government, or be held responsible for effectively helping fund the military junta’s violent repression of the country’s people, pro-democracy advocates say.
“Fast-tracked” safety legislation regulating online content could censor all adult content online and force sex workers off the internet. Civil liberties groups say the bill goes beyond stopping bullying and blocking extremist content.
There are as many corals growing in the Pacific as trees in the Amazon, a new study has found. Analysis suggests the risk of extinction of some species may not be as high as previously thought, but researchers warn local depletion has a devastating impact.
The world
Prince Phillip has been transferred to St Bartholomew’s hospital in London where doctors will continue to treat him for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition. Buckingham Palace say he is expected to be at the hospital until the end of the week.
The UK’s decision to slash aid funding to Yemen by half will cause starvation, says former minister Andrew Mitchell. The UK pledged £87m on Monday – 54% of last year’s donation of £160m.
Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancée has said Mohammed bin Salman must be “punished without delay” after the publication of a US intelligence assessment found the Saudi crown prince approved the journalist’s killing.
Recommended reads
Sixteen days before the state election, Western Australia’s opposition leader, Zak Kirkup, conceded defeat. As the doors opened to early voting booths last week, he said what had been obvious for months: the Liberal party was not going to win and needed to work hard just to save the furniture. At a leadership debate on Thursday night, he urged people to vote Liberal anyway to ensure Labor did not gain “total control”. “I know what happened in the past when Labor had too much power and a popular premier – it resulted in WA Inc,” Kirkup said.
The optimism of Australia’s investors for the future has shot through the roof, but while the outlook has improved, it is so only compared with where we were before the pandemic, writes Greg Jericho. “On Wednesday the December quarter GDP figures will reveal how the economy is recovering from the abrupt stop in production last year. And while the unemployment rate remains some 1.2% points above where it was a year ago, there will no doubt be lots of reports about how the economy is firmly out of recession.”
“Should we know the name of the alleged cabinet-level rapist in Canberra? Of course, we should and we must,” writes Richard Ackland. “Even in our own shaky version of democracy, parliamentary representatives on the public purse are accountable to the people – so it’s ludicrous that a cone of silence should descend on these wretched details.” He says no amount of “duck, weave, deny, gasp for breath, hang on for grim death and hope the caravan moves on” will put these allegations to bed until an inquiry is held. Katharine Murphy notes that Scott Morrison’s refrain that “he’s not a police force” sounds a lot like “not holding a hose“, which was the lesson he was supposed to learn during the bushfires – the last crisis Morrison fumbled in full public view.” Murphy concludes: “The current situation is untenable for everybody and Morrison can’t manage his way out of it by attrition, omission and evasion. He needs to lead.”
Listen
A landmark class action against the Australian government, led by eight teenagers and an octogenarian nun, begins in the federal court today. The case could set a precedent that would stop the government from approving new fossil fuel projects because of their contribution to climate change. In today’s Full Story, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to 16-year-old Anj Sharma about the action. And in print, Adam Morton writes about the case that, if successful, could establish the federal government’s duty of care in protecting future generations from a worsening climate crisis.
Full Story
Teenagers taking the Australian government to court over climate change
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Any Diamonds coach, in any series in the game’s history, knows all about pressure. But given Australia’s failure to win their last two major tournaments, some vocal criticism of her appointment and a confluence of complications out of her control, new coach Stacey Marinkovich is on new ground.
Canberra United’s homecoming spirit pays dividends, with the likes of Nicki Flannery and Michelle Heyman welcomed back to their W-League roots like they never left.
Media roundup
Much of today’s news reflects the national concern following the aged care royal commission. The Herald Sun has listed some of the more troubling findings, the Advertiser spoke with Barbara Spriggs, whose pursuit of justice for her late husband, Bob, helped spur the aged care royal commission, and the Australian is reporting on the recommendation that Australians should all chip in to fix the broken system. In other news in the Courier Mail, heavyweights within the Queensland Liberal National paty have been branded as “cowards” by their president for speaking out about the party’s dysfunction. And Mathias Cormann has made it to the final two candidates in the race to become the secretary general of the OECD, says the Age.
Coming up
The Juukan Gorge parliamentary inquiry continues with International Council for Monuments and Sites, and Central Land Council giving evidence.
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