Good morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 24 August.
Top stories
Peter Dutton’s camp say they have 40 signatures on a petition to force a spill of the leadership – just short of the 43 Malcolm Turnbull demanded to force a party-room vote. Dutton supporter, Zed Sesejla, said late on Thursday the challenger was “around about the mark”. Party moderates dispute that assessment, with some predicting the leadership crisis could thunder on unresolved until federal parliament resumes in September. Both Scott Morrison and Julie Bishop intend to run in a three-way leadership contest if the spill goes ahead, after an extraordinary day of chaos in which the parliament was suspended. You can read Katharine Murphy’s take on yesterday, and on what’s ahead today in what she calls the battle for the “heart and soul of the Liberal party”.
Indigenous and migrant Australians are “deeply” worried by the prospect of Peter Dutton as PM, perhaps nowhere more so than in Brisbane’s “Africa Town”. New migrant such as Yaser Ahmed said: “Peter Dutton and his policies [are] really just danger for us, as [migrants] in this country.” Emeritus professor of Indigenous studies Mick Dodson is also concerned about the prospects of progressing talks around constitutional recognition or a treaty should Dutton take the top job. “The chances of it happening are zero,” he said. “Then there’s broader issues outside of Indigenous affairs including refugees and immigrants, especially those from Africa.”
If you want to know more about Peter Dutton, you can take a look at some of his more colourful quotes here. And you can follow all the day’s developments on our live blog here.
Donald Trump has warned that any moves to impeach him would trigger economic collapse. Speaking to Fox News, he continued to rail against former lawyer Michael Cohen, whom he accused of “flipping” as part of a plea deal. Another close ally of Trump, David Pecker, has been granted immunity by federal prosecutors. Pecker’s tabloid magazine, the National Enquirer, is alleged to have breached constitutional freedoms in helping the Trump campaign suppress damaging stories.
A campaign of “silent and peaceful protest” awaits Pope Francis in Ireland, with thousands of Dubliners being criticised by the prime minister, Leo Varadkar, for stockpiling free tickets to an open air mass without intending to attend. Many Irish, like Mary Coll, are angry at the church following recent revelations of child sexual abuse. “There are no channels of protest within the church. The church is not interested in feedback.”
Ninety years ago, up to 170 people were slaughtered in central Australia at Coniston, the last recorded frontier massacre. Descendants of both perpetrators and survivors will unite today for a national truth-telling process to grieve, to heal, and to move forward “as one mob”. “Too few people know about the massacres,” the Central Land Council chairman, Francis Tjupurrurla Kelly, told Guardian Australia. “I think they would be shocked if they knew these murders did not happen during some distant past but 10 years after the first world war ended.”
Sport
Karrie Webb is an Australian golfing legend, but her biggest achievement may yet come off the course as she combines with Chyloe Kurdas, one of the driving forces behind AFLW, to implement a seven-year vision for greater gender equity in golf, writes Kate O’Halloran. “For women and girls, sport has historically told us we’re deficient, not good enough, not as good as boys [and men],” says Kurdas. “It has reminded us what we’re not, not what we are.”
Sydney FC have unveiled a statement signing, with former Dutch international Siem De Jong joining the premiers on a season-loan. It comes as the administration of the local game faces more turmoil, with Fifa’s proposed governance reforms being contested by FFA’s outgoing chairman Steven Lowy.
Thinking time
Sidney Lumet’s classic 1976 film Network foretold of the last vestiges of decency and tact in broadcast television, a cautionary tale that comes to mind for Luke Buckmaster as he reviews Channel Ten’s pilot week initiative: “With its motley assembly of guests and hosts, ranging from a disgraced politician (Sam Dastyari) to an insufferable shock jock (Kyle Sandilands) to a stand-up comedian (Harley Breen) tasked with making jokes about people with disabilities.” With eight pilot episodes vying to get the go-ahead for an entire season, Buckmaster wades through the contenders so you don’t have to.
One in three women in Brazil reported that they had suffered violence – ranging from threats and beatings to attempted murder – last year. Once home to the highest murder rate of women in the country, the state of Espírito Santo, is seeking to address this through the programme, Homem que é Homem, looking to address male violence and reduce rates of reoffending. Rafael Sousa (not his real name) beat his wife, but through the programme came to confront his own machismo. “Violence against women is a huge problem in Brazil, in part because we have such a [male chauvinist] culture. I’m proof of it.”
In an era of free WhatsApp voice messages and the like, why do some people still make phone calls? Phone conversations can be unexpected or daunting, and Brigid Delaney is unsettled every time her screen lights up: “It feels like an ambush. And phone conversations themselves are often awkward – with people talking over the top of each other and desperately trying to end things politely (‘I better let you go’ is a favourite.) The polite thing is to text first and say, ‘can we talk on the phone’ and ‘what is a good time to talk?’ That way the person is mentally prepared to take the call.”
Media roundup
Political ructions dominate the nation’s mastheads once again, with the Australian detailing the decisive moment Mathias Cormann withdrew his support for the prime minister, the Financial Review discussing the respective chances of the three mooted challengers, and the Age examines Peter Dutton’s defence against claims he’s ineligible to sit in parliament.
Elsewhere, Brisbane appears set for a month’s worth of rain in just three days, reports the Courier Mail, and the Mercury warns a second facial tumour disease could be set to ravage the state’s Tasmanian devil population.
Coming up
All eyes will be on Canberra this morning to see if Peter Dutton’s gets his 43 signatures; what will the solicitor general say about whether Dutton is eligible to stand in parliament; and whether there will be spill of the party leadership.
And the banking and finance royal commission will publish its closing submissions for last week’s case studies on superannuation.
Supporting the Guardian
We’d like to acknowledge our generous supporters who enable us to keep reporting on the critical stories. If you value what we do and would like to help, please make a contribution or become a supporter today. Thank you.
Sign up
If you would like to receive the Guardian Australia morning mail to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here.
