Good morning. A Victorian doctor who allegedly made racist and homophobic comments to patients has had restrictions imposed by the medical regulator paused, due to their “significant financial imposition” on one of the last bulk-billing clinics in his region.
Meanwhile, NSW stands to lose its top-notch debt rating after a GST carve-up, and Ukraine’s leader welcomes a long-delayed US aid package.
Australia
Medical standards | A doctor who drew two complaints no longer faces supervision and education requirements imposed last month due to the financial imposition of the strictures and the impact on other patients.
NSW finances | New South Wales will “almost certainly” lose its remaining top-notch debt rating after an “absurd” carve-up of GST revenue stripped more from state revenue than Covid-19, the state’s treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, said.
Student debt | Labor’s solution to spiralling Hecs debts would have worked a treat if it had been in place for the past two years, Paul Karp writes. Now it might be too late to make a difference.
Tax policy | The Albanese government was considering tweaks to stage-three tax cuts as early as one month after being elected, despite repeatedly stating its position hadn’t changed, new documents reveal.
Lehrmann case | Linda Reynolds has welcomed Brittany Higgins’ “olive branch” apology but insists she will take her former staffer to court in July unless she accepts a federal court’s finding the Liberal senator did not conduct a cover-up and mistreat her.
World
Russia-Ukraine war | Ukraine’s president said a vote by the US House of Representatives to pass a long-delayed $95bn military aid package demonstrated that his country would not be abandoned by the west in its effort to fight the Russian invasion.
Israel-Hamas war | A unit of the Israel Defense Forces is facing US sanctions over accusations of serious human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Meanwhile the US Congress voted for $40bn in new emergency aid to Israel.
Exclusive | Victims’ families reacted with anger after it emerged that a former British double agent in the IRA, who allegedly admitted to murder while giving training presentations to members of the security services, will not be prosecuted.
Electric vehicles | Tesla slashed prices off three of its five models in the US, then went on to cut prices around the globe – including in China and Germany – as the company faces falling sales, a Cybertruck recall and an intensifying war for the electric vehicle market.
Unjust desserts | Milan’s leaders drew ire after a proposal to ban the sale of takeaway food after midnight to help combat “wild nightlife” included a prohibition on late-night ice-cream vendors.
Full Story
How ‘childcare deserts’ are holding Australia back
More than 9 million Australians live in areas with limited or no childcare services, and the problem is only exacerbated in regional and remote areas – forcing many mothers to take a break from their careers. Guardian Australia columnist Gabrielle Chan tells Nour Haydar about her experience as a working mother in a regional area – and about whose responsibility it is to give towns the childcare services they need.
In-depth
Stanley Kubrick, the relentless perfectionist who directed some of cinema’s greatest classics – including Spartacus and 2001: A Space Odyssey – was so sensitive to criticism that, in 1970, he threatened legal action to block publication of a book which dared to discuss flaws in his films. Now, 25 years after his death, the book Kubrick did not want anyone to read is being published.
The Magic Eye: The Cinema of Stanley Kubrick by Neil Hornick, 84, was commissioned more than 50 years ago, with Kubrick and the publisher agreeing that the director could check it for factual errors. “I didn’t expect the whole book to be rejected,” Hornick said.
Not the news. But is it art?
A gum tree in the outback festooned with bras. Another, up the road, with branches covered in old shoes. Whether the decor is thongs or hats, mugs or teddy bears – why do Australians so love hanging things in trees?
“They seem to me like Banksy or the Big Banana, someone trying to express something artistically,” says John Malouff, an associate professor from the University of New England’s school of psychology.
The world of sport
Athletics | Australia’s fastest woman, Torrie Lewis, made another stunning sprint breakthrough in the run-up to the Olympics by beating the world 100 metres champ and powering to a 200m triumph at the season’s opening Diamond League meeting in China.
Football | Manchester United won a thrilling FA Cup semi final against Coventry on penalties after tying 3-3, setting up a final against Manchester City. And in the Premier League, Liverpool beat Fulham 3-1; Everton beat Nottingham 2-0; Aston Villa beat Bournemouth 3-1; and Crystal Palace beat West Ham 5-2.
Formula One | Max Verstappen charged to a F1 Chinese Grand Prix victory with Lando Norris in second, impressively holding off Sergio Pérez.
Media roundup
The Australian says its latest Newspoll shows that a majority of voters back Anthony Albanese’s Future Made in Australia policy, but his approval ratings remain stuck in negative territory. The police officer who heroically confronted and killed the Bondi knife attacker comforted mourners at a vigil for the six people murdered, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The Courier Mail mapped more than 20 makeshift campsites as the homelessness crisis grips south-east Queensland. Here’s a lovely story in the Mercury about a new soccer club spreading the joy of the game.
What’s happening today
Mushroom case | Erin Patterson, the woman accused of murdering and attempting to murder her relatives by serving them a meal laced with deadly mushrooms, is due to face court again today.
Supermarket prices | A Queensland parliament select committee will hold a public hearing for its inquiry into supermarket pricing. Its report is due by 31 May.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
