Good afternoon. There’s been a breakthrough in the search for the Titanic sub. Canadian aircraft have detected underwater noises, US media are reporting, citing US government memos, a “banging sound” has been detected every 30 minutes for hours.
The US Coast Guard warned overnight that the crew had 40 hours of breathable air left – as of writing, that’s now under 30 hours.
And, in exciting news for some (including several of my colleagues), Taylor Swift is coming to Australia. But Swifties will have to wait until the end of summer. All the dates and general ticket sales information below.
Top news
NSW police ‘cover-up’ death alleged | The New South Wales opposition says the premier, Chris Minns, should consider sacking his police minister after it alleged there was a cover-up of the Tasering of 95-year-old grandmother, Clare Nowland. Documents have revealed that mentions of paramedics, a knife and a Taser were removed from the police’s first statement about the incident. Nowland, a mother-of-eight who had dementia, died in hospital a week after the incident.
Hotel detention ‘devastating’ | The federal government’s use of city hotels as ad hoc immigration detention centres has “devastating impacts on people’s mental and physical health”, the Australian Human Rights Commission has found. The longest continuous detention in a hotel was 634 days and the average time was 69 days.
Taylor Swift’s Australian tour | The pop superstar will play five shows across Melbourne and Sydney in late February. Swift will perform at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 February 2024. She will then travel to Sydney for three shows at Accor Stadium Friday 23, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 February. General ticket sales will go live on Friday 30 June, 10am local time for Sydney and 2pm local time for Melbourne.
Deaths in custody reporting upgrade | State and federal governments will be held more accountable for their criminal justice systems with the launch of a real-time reporting dashboard of deaths in custody. Since the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody released its report in 1991, there have been more than 540 First Nations deaths in custody.
Victoria criticised for MP pay rise | The premier, Daniel Andrews, has defended a 3.5% pay rise for Victorian MPs – 0.5% more than other state public sector workers – amid criticism from the Greens and Liberals. Andrews is the highest-paid premier in the country, earning about $480,000 a year.
RBA wants more unemployment | The Reserve Bank’s deputy governor, Michelle Bullock, made clear at a speech in Newcastle that the RBA wants more people to lose their jobs in order to bring inflation under control. “Our goal is to return the labour market (and the market for goods and services) back to a level consistent with full employment – something like the endpoint in our forecasts”. The desired target is an unemployment rate of 4.5% by 2025, which the Australia Institute says would leave an extra 140,000 people without work.
Deadly Honduras prison riot | At least 41 women have been killed after an outbreak of violence between gangs at a prison in Honduras. Some of the victims had been shot to death and at least seven female inmates were being treated at a hospital for gunshot and knife wounds.
Iceland suspends whale hunt | The annual hunt has been suspended until the end of August, with the government citing animal welfare concerns. The decision is likely to bring the controversial practice to an end. Iceland, Norway and Japan are the only countries that have continued whale hunting in the face of fierce criticism from environmentalists and animal rights defenders.
Full Story
Why won’t the Labor government freeze rents?
The Greens want Labor to freeze rents in exchange for their support for the government’s signature housing fund. What’s holding Labor back? Listen to this 20-minute episode.
What they said …
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“It can’t only be rich people who can afford to run and fund electoral campaigns.” – Don Farrell
The special minister of state was speaking after a parliamentary committee recommended the Albanese government legislate political donation and spending caps and truth-in-political advertising laws. Labor is proposing a $1,000 donation disclosure threshold.
In numbers
Corporate profiteering may also be occurring in the fast food industry, which is a significant contributor to food inflation. McDonald’s prices have also risen – up 8% since August.
Before bed read
How far would you go in cutting back laundry to save on costs? Where do you strike the balance between cost and necessary hygiene? One dad is down to wearing underpants on a weekly basis and running a wash every six months. His wife “occasionally says he smells”.
How does he manage, you ask? “You just have very low standards.”
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: RONE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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