Good morning, this is James Murray bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 11 May.
Top stories
Ten people were arrested on Sunday and a police officer was injured after protests against Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in Victoria. More than 100 demonstrators gathered in Melbourne’s CBD to protest against “self-isolating, social distancing, tracking apps and 5G being installed”. The protest, which was promoted on various Facebook groups linked to fringe conspiracy groups including QAnon and anti-vaxxers, featured signs about China and the Murray-Darling basin. People also chanted: “Arrest Bill Gates.” Australia’s chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, said there is a lot of “very silly misinformation” out there, such as that the 5G network spreads the virus. “There is absolutely no evidence about 5G doing anything in the coronavirus space,” he said.
Anthony Albanese will use a speech on Monday to demand a post-Covid-19 recovery “in which no one is left behind” and there is no return to “the law of the jungle and unfettered market forces”. As the political contest shifts from the public health response to economic recovery, the Labor leader will call on the government to bring forward infrastructure projects and increase investment in affordable housing. “It’s critical that we are still saying, ‘We are all in this together,’ after the lockdown has come to an end – and not just saying it; living up to that standard,” Albanese will say. “Let’s not snap back to insecure work, to jobseekers stuck in poverty, to scientists being ignored.” Albanese makes his speech as a new report from Deloitte Access Economics warns that national income next financial year could fall nearly $200bn short of predictions.
Donald Trump continued to fume over the Russia investigation on Sunday, more than a year after the special counsel Robert Mueller filed his report without recommending charges against the president but only three days after the US justice department said it would drop its case against Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser. Trump used Twitter to accuse Barack Obama of the “the biggest political crime in US history”. The tweet accompanied a conservative talkshow host’s claim that Obama “used his last weeks in office to target incoming officials and sabotage the new administration”. Since Flynn’s acquittal, Trump has attacked journalists who reported on the events leading to what he describes as “the impeachment scam”. Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russia in his inquiry but did lay out extensive links with Moscow and instances of possible obstruction of justice by the president.
Australia
A new Australian green steel industry could create tens of thousands of jobs in regional areas reliant on coalmining, according to a report by the Grattan Institute. The institute found green steel made with renewable hydrogen could become a multibillion-dollar export industry employing 25,000 people.
A group of 10 former judges, leading lawyers, integrity experts and public servants have written to Scott Morrison asking for parliament to be recalled. The letter says the current lack of accountability and scrutiny is “undemocratic and unprecedented”.
With all states bar Victoria moving to ease Covid-19 restrictions, the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has warned a spike in cases would mean a return to lockdown. From Friday private gatherings of up to five people will be permitted indoors in NSW, and up to 10 people outdoors.
Coalition backbencher George Christensen has revived a diplomatic spat with China by threatening to summon the Chinese ambassador. The MP demanded to know why the ambassador threatened a trade boycott after Australia called for an international inquiry into coronavirus.
The world
Atlanta’s mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, has described the death of Ahmaud Arbery as a “lynching” and accused Donald Trump of inciting “overt acts of racism”. Two white men were charged with murder and aggravated assault on Thursday after video of a confrontation involving an unarmed Arbery was made public.
The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, has detailed the “first careful steps” to ease lockdown. English primary schools, shops and nurseries could partially reopen from June, with some cafes and restaurants open by July.
Tara Reade’s allegations of sexual misconduct against Joe Biden have divided the Democratic party along new lines. Republicans have seized on the division and started email campaigns asking why Democrats who supported the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford against Brett Kavanaugh have not yet stated whether they believe Reade.
In Canada a DNA discovery has shed new light on the ancestral story of the First Nations Beothuk people. The last Beothuk person was thought to have died 200 years ago but new research from Memorial University has found Beothuk DNA probably still exists in people alive today.
Recommended reads
Free early childcare eduction has become one of the most popular parts of the Australian government’s Covid-19 rescue package. The government has vowed to roll back the policy once the crisis passes but returning to a pre-Covid-19 state could be politically fraught. Fiona Ivits’ family paid substantial fees for their son’s five days a week at a charity-run service. “Now that we have seen that free childcare can be provided it’s going to be a bit of a wrench to go back to the system as it was,” she says. “Having childcare that is free or heavily subsidised would make it just that much easier for people to be productive [and] engaged in the workforce.”
The actor Miriam Margolyes discusses her show about travelling Australia from lockdown in London. The British-born actor, who is best known for her work in Harry Potter and Monty Python, became an Australian citizen in 2013. Margolyes describes life in London during the coronavirus crisis. “One of my neighbours died,” she says, adding: “What has astonished me is that for some people the economy is more important than people and we should come out of the lockdown and go back to normal. And they seem perfectly prepared to sacrifice old people.”
And with so many Australian students studying at home, it’s no surprise that online gaming has seen a significant spike. But should parents be worried about the impact on their children’s lives as restrictions around screen time are loosened across the nation? Alexander Bacalja has some advice on how you can take a more active role as a parent.
Listen
The US state of Mississippi is moving out of lockdown and reopening parks, restaurants and other non-essential shops – a bold and potentially disastrous move given that coronavirus case numbers are still rising in the state. In this episode of Full Story, Oliver Laughland visits the resort of Biloxi to see how residents are responding.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Germany’s plans to restart competitive football suffered a setback after Dynamo Dresden were placed in quarantine after two positive coronavirus tests among the players. Dresden were scheduled to play Hannover 96 next Sunday in their first game back.
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald has an exclusive report on research from the United States Study Centre at the University of Sydney showing that Australians are less ideological than Americans when it comes to Covid-19. The Australian reports that elite private schools plan to increase their fees in response to a new funding system that takes into account students’ family incomes. And ABC News reports on the #vanlife couple Chris Beer and Mietta Feery, who have made the decision to remain in Mexico despite calls from the government to return home.
Coming up
Victoria is expected to announce plans to ease restrictions as schools start a staggered return in NSW and Queensland.
The Ruby Princess inquiry continues.
Sign up
If you would like to receive the Guardian Australia morning mail to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here.
