Good morning, this is Helen Sullivan bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 15 January.
Top stories
A bitter feud between the Liberal and National parties has broken out in the seat of the deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack. Wagga Wagga Liberal branch president Colin Taggart has unleashed on his Coalition partners, blaming the Nationals for the loss of the local state seat to an independent candidate in a 2018 byelection and threatening to run an independent Liberal if the Coalition agreement prevents a Liberal from running in the NSW state election. Describing the National party as a “barnacle on the backside of a major party” that “get less votes than the Greens”, Taggart said: “The Nats are plagued by scandal, vested with bullies and riddled with incompetence. The one thing they were supposed to be good at were looking after farmers and they have failed at that.”
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has said the government’s refusal to hand over information requested by the Senate on Menindee Lakes “stinks of a cover-up”. The federal water minister, David Littleproud, had until 28 November to provide the information to the Senate on why the Menindee Lakes were drained twice in the past four years. As of Monday, the information – all the more important as investigations get under way into what caused up to 1m fish to die in the river last week – was still not available. Hanson-Young, who requested the information in October, said: “Australians want a healthy river system and a government that stands up for the environment. It’s clear this government is concerned about keeping big cotton happy at the expense of the river we love.”
The first Guardian Essential poll of 2019 has found that a majority of voters support pill testing, in which trained counsellors at music festivals and similar events provide risk reduction advice informed by on-site laboratory analysis of people’s drugs. Just 24% of voters oppose the idea. The poll also shows Scott Morrison’s attempt to gain voter support over the holiday period has been in vain. Labor remains ahead of the government on the two-party-preferred measure by 53% to 47% – numbers it has held since December.
World
The mayor of the Polish city of Gdánsk has died after being stabbed on stage at a charity concert. Paweł Adamowicz had long been considered a hate figure in far-right circles for his vigorous defence of migrants, refugees and LGBT rights, but no evidence has emerged that the attack was politically motivated.
Brazil’s new agriculture minister has described Gisele Bündchen as a “bad Brazilian” whose environmental activism has tainted the country’s image abroad, inviting the supermodel to instead become an “ambassador” for the agricultural sector. Tereza Cristina Dias said Bündchen should “not go around criticising Brazil without knowing the facts”.
Donald Trump has rejected a suggestion from Republican senator Lindsey Graham to reopen government temporarily: “I’m not interested,” Trump told reporters. It’s day 24 of the partial government shutdown, the longest in history; ending the shutdown would mean the restoration of pay to 800,000 workers.
Two people have been killed and nearly 40 detained in a new crackdown on LGBT people in Russia’s Chechnya region, activists have said. The deaths were reportedly caused by the use of torture by police.
Police in Zimbabwe have fired live ammunition and teargas during general strike protests, as groups of young people tried to enforce a nationwide shutdown over the rising cost of living. One catalyst for the discontent was the government’s decision to increase the price of fuel by 150% on Saturday.
Opinion and analysis
With 85% of Australians living within 50km of the coast, the beach holds a special place in our national identity and culture. But we need to turn this love of the beach into a love of the nature and wildlife found there, writes John Pickrell, former editor of Australian Geographic. “Engaging with nature in our increasingly urbanised world has been found by researchers to help diminish stress levels and improve physical wellbeing. Furthermore, particularly in children, experiencing nature encourages a greater interest in conservation and in making environmentally friendly decisions in everyday life. This has never been more important, as our beaches face unprecedented perils.”
In our How I fell in love with ... series, Seamus Jabour explains the particular appeal of staring at the ceiling. “The whole world gets put on hold while I’m studying the light for the 33,000th time, the edges where the walls meet, making up the space that is my room or the living room or my sister’s spare room, the spider webs that appear in the corners that meet the wall without any spiders. It’s important business that requires attention to detail.”
Sport
Andy Murray bowed out of the Australian Open on Monday night in an emotional five-set battle against Roberto Bautista Agut that may prove to be the last match of his career. If so, it was “a brilliant way to finish”, he said. Local hopes were raised by Ash Barty’s comfortable first-round win as Alex de Minaur also went through. Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios are among those in action today.
From Rugby Australia’s recorded greeting, to change-room facilities, to the way we talk about cricket, Australia’s top women athletes face a lack of recognition. A recently launched photography campaign aims to change that by recasting perceptions and stereotyping of female body image.
Thinking time: Too pretty to be Aboriginal
Sasha Sarago was only 11 when someone first said it to her: “You’re too pretty to be Aboriginal!” Like many Indigenous Australian women, the phrase has haunted her throughout her life: a racist sentiment dressed as a compliment, which on the one hand casts doubt over her heritage and on the other, implies a universal beauty standard from which “real Aboriginal” women are omitted.
For a new documentary, now streaming on SBS On Demand, she spoke with four other Indigenous Australian women about the phrase and what it means. In Guardian, Australia she writes: “‘You’re too pretty to be Aboriginal’ is not a compliment. It’s a racist, abusive symptom of colonialism … I am gigoorou whether you think so or not.”
Media roundup
Residents of aged-care facilities have been doped for years at a time with psychotropic drugs, according to a submission to the royal commission into aged care, the Australian reports. Admissions to hospital for MDMA poisoning over the new year have hit a four-year record, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. And the Age reports that aspiring Victorian teachers will be barred from working in classrooms if they fail a literacy and numeracy test.
Coming up
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority will hold an urgent meeting today of basin water officials to develop a response to last week’s shocking fish kill.
All eyes will be on the new heat policy as temperatures at the Australian Open in Melbourne are expected to reach 36C.
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.
