Greetings. The federal Coalition continues to face scrutiny over its handling of rape allegations, Facebook has admitted it over-enforced its Australian news ban, Michael McGowan examines QAnon’s stealthy infiltration of the wellness industry, and the International Olympic Committee has named Brisbane the “preferred partner” to host the 2032 Olympic Games. These are your Thursday lead stories.
The man who allegedly raped Brittany Higgins was allowed to return to parliament as a lobbyist, a former colleague has claimed. Liberal party ministers have repeatedly denied the man was subsequently issued a Parliament House access pass but a former co-worker confirmed he had attended a small private event commemorating the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s Endeavour voyage. Scott Morrison has also fielded questions over inappropriate behaviour allegations against an adviser to the dissident former Liberal MP Craig Kelly, telling parliament on Wednesday that he has held the view “for many years” that the staffer, Frank Zumbo, should have been sacked. Kelly quit the government this week, leaving the Coalition a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives.
Facebook “erred on the side of over-enforcement” in its blanket ban of Australian news on its site, the company’s communications representative, and former UK deputy PM, Nick Clegg has admitted. Facing criticism after public service content such as health and emergency sites were taken down overnight, Clegg defended the company’s stance in a blogpost: “We had to take action quickly because it was legally necessary to do so before the new law came into force.” The ban was reversed on Tuesday but Clegg offered a veiled dig at News Corp, claiming that longtime advocates of the free-market now appeared to favour “state-sponsored price setting”.
It’s a multibillion-dollar industry but insiders warn the wellness movement is being “deliberately and strategically” targeted by far-right conspiracy theorists. In this, the latest instalment of Guardian Australia’s Web of Lies series, Michael McGowan examines the rise of “pastel QAnon” – the confluence of beliefs anchored in “alternative health practices and mistrust of the government” and anything ranging from anti-5G activism to more sensational claims of “child-trafficking narratives”. And, far from being a US phenomenon, under the stewardship of movement builders including the celebrity chef Pete Evans, it’s fast gaining traction in Australia.
Brisbane has been chosen as the preferred partner to start talks for the 2032 Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday, in the first step to the city being named Olympic host. The IOC president, Thomas Bach, told a news conference that the decision “was not a decision against anybody. This is just a decision in favour of one interested party at this moment in time.” Preferred status means the IOC will negotiate exclusively with the Australian bid.
Australia
Australia’s peak retail body has joined the chorus of industry representatives condemning “jobdobber”, arguing that the government hotline established for employers to report alleged job-refusers could lead to “bogus claims” that erode mental health.
It’s one of the biggest logistical exercises in Australian history. As the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine begins across the nation, Guardian Australia’s interactive team track its progress.
The Senate has voted to begin an inquiry into Australia’s “fundamentally broken” family visa system, described by legal experts as “intentionally cruel” and as causing “immense, needless suffering”.
The world
The US is set to release an unclassified report that will name Saudi Arabia’s crown prince as complicit in the grisly murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Joe Biden is expected to call King Salman beforehand, after human rights activists urged the president to “strike a blow” against Mohammed bin Salman.
Boris Johnson has been called “an unrepentant and inveterate liar” by the former French ambassador. Sylvie Bermann says the UK PM will also look to use Covid as a shield to mask the true costs of Brexit from the British people.
Al Jazeera staff have condemned the company’s launch of a digital platform, Rightly, which aims to give a voice to US conservatives, an audience it claims is “underrepresented in today’s media environment”.
An artwork by Vincent van Gogh not seen publicly since 1887 is set to be exhibited. The depiction of a Parisian landscape, Scène de rue à Montmartre, was bought in 1920 and in kept in a private family collection for more than a century.
Recommended reads
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic health specialists have noted a stark rise in elder abuse. According to Dr Megan O’Brien, cases are up nearly 60%, with at least 11 Australians over the age of 55 murdered by younger relatives. Increasing unemployment and mental health challenges are seeing adult children return home in increasing numbers and, as Else Kennedy reports, ageing parents are being regarded as the “the safety net for people who fall through the gaps in other services”.
The only thing more “miserable” than the miserly jobseeker rise was the spin used to justify it. The increase to the base rate by $25 a week equals, “well … not much”, argues Greg Jericho: “In 1997, when the Howard government fully abandoned indexing unemployment benefits with earnings, Newstart was 44.7% of the minimum wage. If it had remained at that level, the jobseeker rate would now be $337.15 – some $54 higher than the current rate.” So for all the backslapping, it remains “a pathetic increase”.
Nearly a year after the last curtain fell, a record-breaking theatrical production is ready to return. For the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, in the absence of performances for 49 weeks, it’s been a play conducted all in the mind. “I started doing meditations. I would visualise my acting pathway through an entire act – all the backstage movements, the scene changes, everything,” its star, Sean Rees-Wemyss, tells Elissa Blake. And while the cast have fared better than many in the arts sector, the feeling of being back on the boards is one to treasure.
It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for the funniest things on the internet. Danielle Walker isn’t averse to the occasional cooking mishap, yo-yo mishap, or generally – mishaps. Come for the mer-ternity photos, stay for one very wicket cat.
Listen
When the new jobseeker rate kicks in next week, the loss of $550 a fortnight will be keenly felt by thousands of Australians, including 52-year-old Joey King, who is living in his car with his dog, Finley. On this episode of Full Story, Luke Henriques-Gomes explains the changes and what they will mean for people on the edge.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Leading Australian sports stars have called for a better response to the climate emergency, saying sport is not “immune from the broader impacts of climate change”. Athletes including Craig Foster, David Pocock, Pat Cummins, Sharni Layton and Bronte Campbell have spoken out after a major report by the Climate Council.
England are in all sorts of trouble in the third Test against India in Ahmedabad, collapsing from 2-73 to be all out for 112. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel picked up 6/38, with fellow tweaker Ravi Ashwin also bagging three wickets. India have started brightly in response, with Rohit Sharma racing to a half-century.
Media roundup
Scott Morrison could face a major diplomatic rift with France as the government looks to find its way out of a $90bn submarine contract, writes the Financial Review. A break fee of $138m is believed to be attached to the contract. The consumer watchdog has received more than 28,000 complaints from would-be travellers who are still awaiting Covid-19 related refunds, the Age reports. And the former Labor MP Emma Husar has heavily criticised the ALP as “no better” than the Coalition in its handling of parliamentary misconduct allegations, according to the ABC.
Coming up
Anthony Albanese will hold a press conference alongside rideshare drivers after the UK supreme court’s ruling that Uber drivers are entitled to the rights of workers.
WA’s premier, Mark McGowan, and opposition leader, Zak Kirkup, will face off in a debate in the lead-up to the state election.
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