Morning everyone. Like most referendums, the voice to parliament is proving a tough sell, and it’s getting tougher according to our latest Guardian Essential poll. The no vote is firming up at 48%, although there are still a lot of undecideds and “soft no” voters to give the yes camp hope. We also have the latest on the controversy engulfing Qantas, the staggering global cost of invasive species, and Neymar’s “living hell” in Paris.
Australia
Qantas turbulence | Alan Joyce and senior Qantas executives should have millions of dollars in bonuses withheld after blows to the airline’s reputation, investors say, and amid demands for an investigation into its special relationship with government.
No leads | More Australians intend to vote no than yes in the voice referendum on 14 October, with the standout statistic being that 41% are committed to a hard no as opposed to 3o% for a hard yes. However, there is still hope for the yes camp because 29% remain in the balance. And gambling firms have yet to open a book on the referendum, with some speculating they are trying to curry favour with the Albanese government.
Bank bet | Investors and economists expect the Reserve Bank governor, Philip Lowe, will not inflict further pain on borrowers and keep the cash rate unchanged at 4.1% at his final board meeting later today.
Trade trip | Anthony Albanese will fly to Jakarta this week to launch a major new strategy to deepen Australia’s trade and investment ties with south-east Asia and hedge against top trading partner China.
Saudi concern | Australia significantly increased the number of permits for the export of military equipment to Saudi Arabia last year despite calls for such sales to be banned because of the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen.
World
Grain pain | The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is struggling to revive Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea after face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin ended without a breakthrough.
The Last Politician | The author of a new biography of Joe Biden has said it “wouldn’t be a total shock” if the president cancels his re-election bid by the end of the year.
Concrete crisis | UK education secretary Gillian Keegan has apologised after being caught expressing frustration about the crumbling concrete crisis in schools, claiming that “everyone else has sat on their arse” while she tried to fix the problem.
‘A never event’ | A woman who suffered chronic pain for 18 months after undergoing a caesarean section was found to have a surgical instrument the size of a dinner plate inside her abdomen.
‘Excited to see the memes’ | The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has posted a photo of himself wearing an eyepatch after injuring his face while jogging, saying he was “excited to see the memes”.
Full Story
Why wasn’t Lucy Letby stopped sooner?
The nurse Lucy Letby is the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history. Our UK reporter Josh Halliday discusses whether the NHS could have prevented her committing so many crimes.
In-depth
More than 37,000 alien species have been introduced by humans to regions around the world, a new report has found, and Australia has been the worst-affected continent with 4.5 species extinctions per decade in the past 60 years. Feral cats are the worst, the international experts conclude, while rabbits are the biggest threat to agriculture. They also calculate the worldwide cost at $US423bn each year.
Not the news
Wearing your favourite clothes on high rotation is a good way to keep your look where you want it. But as Lucianne Tonti, a fan of black outfits, discovered, they can fade and lose their chic appeal. The solution is dyeing them and she offers some top tips including always checking the label to make sure it’s the right kind of dye, put them through a normal wash first so that they’re clean and wet, and make sure you dry them away from direct heat.
The world of sport
PSG ‘hell’ | Neymar has delivered a withering depiction of his time at Paris St-Germain, saying he and fellow superstar Lionel Messi “lived through hell” thanks to abuse from the club’s fans.
Rugby league | It’s been 40 years since an NRL team won three titles in a row but Penrith Panthers are favourites to repeat Parramatta’s feat. We look at who’s standing in their way.
Rugby World Cup | Despite some dispiriting defeats, there are reasons to be hopeful as the Wallabies prepare to start their campaign against Georgia this weekend.
Media roundup
Police are cracking down on teenage car thefts after a spate of crashes, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. And the Courier Mail says drivers have been urged to take more heed of conditions after an eight-car pileup in wet weather on the Sunshine Coast, the Courier Mail says. Albanese is wooing the mining industry as he aims for more sweeping industrial relations reforms, the Australian claims.
What’s happening today
Economy | RBA interest rate decision at 2.30pm.
Melbourne | Plea hearing for Court Services Victoria over allegations about workplace culture before the suicide of a lawyer in 2018.
New South Wales | Public hearing on state’s use and management of consulting services.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
