Good morning, it’s Friday 19 March, and this is Imogen Dewey bringing you this morning’s main stories: some Covid vaccine developments, a growing political feud, and misogyny culture in the spotlight across the globe.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is “safe and effective”, Europe’s medicines regulator has said, but it will continue to study possible links between the shot and a rare blood clotting disorder. Australian doctors have complained about vaccine supply issues but, from Monday, an additional 6.14 million Australians will be eligible to receive the jab – here’s how to to find out if you’re one of them, and how to book. Australia’s economic performance is also under scrutiny, as the worst performer on a list of the world’s 50 largest economies for “green recovery” spending to kickstart economic growth after the pandemic.
The ABC has secured the former solicitor general to lead the national broadcaster’s defence in a high-stakes defamation action launched by the federal attorney general, Christian Porter – who began proceedings in the federal court this week to counter “false allegations against him in relation to a person who he met when he was a teenager”.
As a national outcry over the treatment of women both outside and within parliament continues, as Thérèse Rein and Lucy Turnbull say nothing has changed in Canberra in regard to rape and sexual harassment for years. The two prime ministerial spouses made a joint television appearance last night to encourage women to come forward to speak to the Jenkins inquiry into parliamentary culture. Overseas: female reporters have said sexual harassment is “as pervasive as air” in the New York state capitol; and devastating new figures from the UK reveal that one in four women in England and Wales have experienced sexual assault or attempted sexual assault, since the age of 16.
The Labor MP Ed Husic yesterday accused the Coalition of only taking national security threats seriously when it’s “politically convenient” after the Australian spy agency Asio changed the language used to describe the rising threat of rightwing extremism. (The new umbrella categories are “ideologically motivated violent extremism” and “religiously motivated violent extremism”.) Husic said the decision to change the language followed “hectoring” from government senators now “being asked to confront an errant, ugly streak within conservatism”.
Australia
A young female victim of an alleged assault that took place in an Adelaide bubble tea bar has been blacklisted by an anonymous user after speaking out about her former employer. She and three others were “doxxed” with their name, photo, social media accounts and chat logs included in a list posted online.
General Motors was “un-Australian” and treated dealers with disrespect when Holden closed, a Senate committee report has found. Experts say its recommendations could end “the most egregious behaviour” by global car companies.
At least three people have been bitten by mice in regional hospitals as farmers battle what they describe as “an absolute plague” tearing through regional and rural areas in western NSW. Residents in Sydney and along the coast have been, meanwhile, urged to prepare for the chance of flooding with torrential downpours expected to continue and spread over the coming days.
The journalists’ union is considering withdrawing from the press watchdog, which it says has become ineffective. The comes after some of the self-regulatory body’s adjudications were openly mocked by journalists and publications which were found to have breached standards.
The world
A diplomatic spat between Russia and the US is escalating: Vladimir Putin told Joe Biden “it takes one to know one”, as Kremlin officials promised reprisals if the latter does not apologise for describing the former as a “killer”.
France’s highest court has ruled that firefighters accused of raping a girl when she was aged between 13 and 15 should be charged with the lesser offence of sexual assault. The case has sparked national protests by feminist and women’s campaigners under the hashtag #JusticePourJulie.
The world must be put on a path to reaching net zero by 2050 if the goal of holding global temperature rises below 1.5C is to be kept within reach, the host of this year’s UN Cop26 climate summit has said.
Junior bankers at Goldman Sachs say they are facing “inhumane” conditions at the investment bank, including 100-hour working weeks and “abuse” from colleagues that has severely affected their mental health.
Recommended reads
“An app for consent? Women deserve better than ‘the worst idea I’ve had all year’,” writes Josephine Tovey of the incendiary proposal made by the NSW police commissioner, Mick Fuller, yesterday. “While moving to an affirmative consent model is long overdue, this was a bizarre way to suggest doing it. Likening women’s bodies to shops is a spectacularly insensitive suggestion at the best of times, but during a national reckoning on sexual assault, power and the failure of institutions (including the police) to protect women and give them justice, it is genuinely astounding.”
“If we must raid someone’s super to fund women fleeing violence, it should be the perpetrator’s,” writes Jane Caro. “The thing that struck me about this idea was how devastating it would be for women who find themselves in a violent and abusive relationship. Far from being helpful, it would virtually guarantee that women fleeing violence would be left much more vulnerable to poverty, particularly as they aged. And fear of poverty is one of the major reasons women don’t leave.”
Plummeting sperm counts, shrinking penises: Erin Brockovich has a few things to say about the toxic chemicals threatening humanity, found in everything from food wrapping to carpeting. “Following the trajectory we are on, new research suggests sperm counts could reach zero by 2045. Zero. Let that sink in. That would mean no babies. No reproduction. No more humans. Forgive me for asking: why isn’t the UN calling an emergency meeting on this right now?”
Our March interactive Zoom book club is on at 1pm. Join Rick Morton, who’ll be talking to Michael Williams about his new book, My Year of Living Vulnerably. This “big nerd project”, as he puts it, canvasses questions of forgiveness and loneliness, masculinity and kindness, touch and doubt – while intensely personal, it’s also a jumping off point for a wonderful chat.
Listen
In a groundswell of anger and frustration 100,000 people took to the streets this week to march for women’s safety. But women have marched before. On today’s episode of Full Story, Gabrielle Jackson talks to Lenore Taylor and Mike Ticher about what needs to be different this time so that all women’s lives can be changed for the better.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Preparations for the Tokyo Olympics have again been thrown into turmoil after the creative director for the opening and closing ceremonies said he would resign over a sexist comment about a female entertainer, whom he likened to a pig.
Richmond celebrated the unfurling of two premiership flags last night with a gritty 25-point victory over Carlton in an enthralling AFL season-opener at the MCG.
Media roundup
NSW politicians have voted overnight to introduce sexual consent training in parliament, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. More than a month after a promised “crackdown”, the ABC points out that anti-vaxx content is still rife on Facebook. Also on the ABC, police say a new Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist cell has been recruiting and training in Indonesia. And, according to the Australian, Indigenous Voice co-chairs professors Marcia Langton and Tom Calma are concerned that taking the issue to a referendum before it is legislated poses a “great risk” to the entire reform.
Coming up
A Juukan Gorge inquiry hearing on Victorian and Tasmanian sites takes place today.
Samuel William Davidson, who has pleaded guilty to killing four children after ploughing through a group walking on a footpath at Oatlands, will be sentenced.
And if you’ve read this far …
Would you change your name to “Explosive Good Looking Salmon?” No? “Salmon Prince”? “Meteor Salmon King”? About 150 people have visited Taiwanese government offices to change their names and take advantage of a restaurant promotion. Local officials are not amused. “This kind of name change not only wastes time but causes unnecessary paperwork,” Taiwan’s deputy interior minister said. “I hope everyone can be more rational about it.”
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