Good morning, this is Tamara Howie bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 13 October.
Top stories
The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has admitted she “stuffed up” in her personal life but has stared down calls to resign after extraordinary revelations she had for years maintained a secret “close personal relationship” with the disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire. Maguire is under investigation for allegedly misusing his position as an MP and parliamentary secretary to improperly gain a benefit for himself. “If I had done something wrong I would be the first one to consider my position,” Berejiklian said. “But I haven’t ... Had I known then what I know now, clearly I would not have made those personal decisions that I did.” She could become the third premier whose career is ended by events before the state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption.
A second Covid wave is gathering pace across the globe as cases numbers hit the highest point since the start of the pandemic. The WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says each of the last four days have seen the highest numbers reported so far. “Around the world, we’re now seeing an increase in the number of reported cases of Covid-19, especially in Europe and the Americas,” he said. Ghebreyesus also warned against the idea of herd immunity, saying: “Never has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak, let alone a pandemic. It is scientifically and ethically problematic.”
The US supreme court judge nominee Amy Coney Barrett has delivered her opening statement to nomination hearings, emphasising that it is not the responsibility of judges to legislate from the bench. “Courts have a vital responsibility to enforce the rule of law, which is critical to a free society,” she said. “But courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life.” Senate Republicans used their opening statements to accuse their Democratic colleagues of attacking Barrett’s Catholic faith, even though Democrats did not mention it. Instead, they warned that Barrett’s confirmation to the supreme court could jeopardise the Affordable Care Act.
Australia
The union leader Sally McManus has said there are “concerning signs” the government is poised to side with employer groups calling for industrial relations reforms that would cut take-home pay. She is now urging the industrial relations minister, Christian Porter, not to jeopardise Australia’s recovery from the Covid-19 recession by harming consumer confidence with permanent cuts to pay.
Anthony Albanese has attempted to leave himself breathing room as the Labor party debates setting emission reduction targets for the 2030s, saying he will go to the next federal election with “interim targets or a pathway” during an appearance on the ABC’s Q+A program on Monday evening.
The traditional owners of Juukan Gorge say Rio Tinto gave them misleading or no information while they were trying to negotiate a halt to the blast that destroyed a 46,000-year-old sacred site.
Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, has conceded Melbourne’s roadmap out of lockdown is likely to be redrawn as coronavirus cases could reach a point where they are “as good as they are going to get”.
The world
Pope Francis has met George Pell in his first audience with the cardinal since Pell was cleared of child sexual abuse charges in Australia this year. Pell returned to Rome in late September, days after a top Italian cardinal with whom he had long-running differences was asked to resign amid embezzlement claims.
A Black man who was led by a rope by two white officers on horseback last year has sued a south-east Texas city and its police department for $1m. Donald Neely, 44, alleged the officers’ conduct was “extreme and outrageous”.
China, Russia, Cuba, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are expected to be elected to the board of the UN human rights council, leaving human rights campaigners in the countries aghast and pleading with EU states to commit to withholding their support.
One-fifth of the world’s countries are at risk of their ecosystems collapsing because of the destruction of wildlife and their habitats, according to a new analysis.
Recommended reads
Covid led Lewis Jackson to his first time flying anything but “promo economy”. Flying business class was his chance to get home amid the Australian government’s limit on returning international travellers but he now questions whether the upgrade was worth it. “Intoxicating as it was, I knew it was fleeting. Once I stepped off the plane, I would be back to my mum’s house, many thousands of dollars lighter. I am grateful to be home, but I wish I had my seven grand back.”
Trumpeting infrastructure is all well and good but it is a strategy suited to defeating the 1990s recession, not the one we face now which has hurt Australian women more, writes Greg Jericho. “One of the things you never want to do in battle is to fight the last war, but right now, in the battle against the Covid recession, the Morrison government is guilty of doing just that. Rather than acknowledging our changed economy, and the growing importance of women, the government seems to view the labour market as unchanged since the 1990s recession.”
Western Australia wants zero community transmission before it opens up to other states but the hard-lined stance is keeping families apart. After fighting her way through permits, police and swabs, Melissa Davey has become increasingly aware that zero community transmissions will never happen. “Given the restrictions on who can enter WA, I wondered how many of the travellers around me were there because a loved one was dying, or because they were in strife. I wondered what it must be like for them to be met by all this.”
Listen
Will Icac bring down another NSW premier? Full Story explores the explosive revelations that Gladys Berejiklian maintained a “close personal relationship” with thedisgraced former NSW Liberal MP Daryl Maguire. How much did she know about Maguire’s alleged activities?
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The English Football League’s chief executive, David Baldwin, has resigned after just four months in charge. A statement from the league confirmed the former Burnley chief executive would leave in six months’ time.
Andy Murray says Rafael Nadal’s 13 French Open singles titles stands as one of the greatest records in sport. “Amazing achievement, I don’t think what he has done at Roland Garros will ever be beaten,” Murray said.
Media roundup
Scrutiny of Daniel Andrews is intensifying as Victoria’s top public servant, Chris Eccles, quit yesterday after admitting he provided evidence that misled the hotel quarantine inquiry, reports the Age. The Queensland election campaign of the LNP leader, Deb Frecklington, is in crisis after she was referred by her own party to the election watchdog, the ABC reports. On the west coast almost $4m in cash has been seized in an operation that also uncovered 13kg of methylamphetamine, reports the West Australian.
Coming up
Gladys Berejiklian is set to face parliament after revelations about her relationship with Daryl Maguire.
The Senate inquiry into Rio Tinto’s destruction of the ancient Juukan Gorge rock shelters continues.
And if you’ve read this far …
Travellers are apparently starved for the in-flight dining experience, with tickets costing up to $650 a head for meal on a stationary plane rapidly selling out. Plenty of people have signed up to a waiting list set up by Singapore Airlines after tickets were snapped up within half an hour of going on sale.
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