Good morning. The Covid crisis in NSW shows no signs of abating, with another record number of cases yesterday. New York governor Andrew Cuomo has resigned over a sexual harassment scandal and Virginia Roberts Giuffre has filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew. We also have the latest in the controversy surrounding the MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo’s memoir, which is stirring a few pots.
NSW police are investigating a man who reportedly left a Covid-infected family member in a Sydney hospital and travelled to Byron Bay while infectious with the virus. Byron Bay and three other local government areas on the state’s north coast were placed into a snap seven-day lockdown after it emerged that the man was in the community for up to eight days, during which time he reportedly did not comply with QR code check-in requirements at venues. The state reported a record 356 local Covid cases and three deaths as its chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, repeatedly ducked questions at a parliamentary committee on whether she urged the government to introduce a lockdown during a 10-day window between the first community case of Delta in Sydney and stay-at-home orders being issued on 25 June.
The federal government clawed back more than $1m in wrongful claims made by privatised employment services providers last year, and $5.3m since 2015, freedom of information documents reveal. The documents show more than 5,000 government payments for placing clients into jobs or education have been recouped since 2015, including hundreds of occasions where job agencies claimed the bonuses without evidence, and even more where the claims did not meet the program’s rules. The industry peak body said many of the claims had been made in error, with most picked up by providers, but welfare groups argue the figures show more regulation is needed.
Andrew Cuomo has resigned after an investigation by the New York state attorney general that found he sexually harassed multiple women. The governor announced his resignation, effective in 14 days, and defiantly criticised Letitia James’s report, warning New Yorkers about the dangers of “a bias or a lack of fairness in the justice system”. He then said he thought his behaviour was acceptable but acknowledged that the 11 women James said he harassed were probably “truly offended” and said “for that I deeply, deeply apologise”.
Australia
The Pentecostal church run by the controversial former tennis champion Margaret Court received more than $280,000 in jobkeeper in the three months to the end of June last year, even though its revenue ultimately barely decreased. Victory Life Centre’s accounts show that over the 2019-20 financial year its revenue fell by only 0.72% but during April 2020 it tumbled by 17%, making it eligible for jobkeeper.
Changed travel restrictions have left thousands of Australians living abroad “stuck” overseas. If they choose to return to Australia temporarily to support sick family they must now meet rigorous documentary requirements before they can leave again.
The federal government has been warned against unnecessary attacks against China for domestic political purposes, with fears they could harm social cohesion. Former Australian prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd say the rhetoric against Beijing could harm Chinese Australians and undermine a multicultural society.
Australian politicians are facing calls to accept that the era of new fossil fuel investments should end immediately after the IPCC climate report confirmed it was already causing havoc across the planet.
The world
Virginia Roberts Giuffre has filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in New York accusing him of sexually abusing her, claims the duke has previously “absolutely and categorically” denied.
A 41-year-old teacher who is accused of having killed another man and eaten pieces of the victim’s body has gone on trial in Berlin.
Twitter’s image cropping algorithm prefers younger, slimmer faces with lighter skin, an investigation into algorithmic bias at the company has found.
Critics have denounced Jair Bolsonaro’s “banana republic-style” decision to send combat vehicles on to the streets of Brazil’s capital for a rare military parade.
Recommended reads
A stoush has erupted between the publisher of Jock Zonfrillo’s memoir and Nine after a widely circulated cover story in Good Weekend magazine suggested there were contradictions between the celebrity chef’s recollections of his time spent with the celebrated British chef Marco Pierre White in London in the 1990s and those of White. In the feature story, White says he does not remember several of the incidents recounted by Zonfrillo and disputes others, claiming: “I never saw much of [Zonfrillo].” The publisher, Simon & Schuster, said Zonfrillo stood by his story: “This is the story of my life. I’ve lived every minute of it, the highs and lows, and I stand by it.”
At just 16, Casey Donovan found herself propelled to overnight fame when she won the second season of Australian Idol. That was 2004 and, in the 17 years since, Donovan has enjoyed a career across song, stage and screen. This month she returns to Australian TV to host What Does Australia Really Think About … . The new SBS program explores how stigma and prejudice affect the lives of Australians. Music is still an important part of Donovan’s life, which is why she rates an acoustic guitar as her most prized possession. She tells us about that beloved instrument as well as the stories of two other important items.
Listen
A report by the IPCC – the world’s leading authority on climate science – has warned that climate change will probably cause global temperatures to rise by more than 1.5C, bringing widespread extreme weather. It also outlines how human activity is changing the Earth’s climate in “unprecedented” ways, with some of the changes now “irreversible”. Guardian Australia’s climate and environment editor, Adam Morton, breaks down the devastating global impacts outlined in this report, what lies ahead for Australia and the Pacific – and why we can still have hope.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The International Cricket Council has confirmed it will campaign for the inclusion of the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “Our sport is united behind this bid, and we see the Olympics as a part of cricket’s long-term future,” said the ICC chairman, Greg Barclay.
Media roundup
The Western Australian government will cover the cost of international relocation fees, including hotel quarantine and $5,000 for flights, for health professionals as part of a $35.6m campaign to boost the state’s hospital workforce, reports WA Today. The regional airline REX is the latest travel industry company to stand down workers in Tasmania after higher than expected losses, according to the Mercury. And the Age’s national science reporter Liam Mannix examines how the Delta variant has impacted the goal of herd immunity for Covid vaccinations.
Coming up
Barnaby Joyce will address the National Press Club.
The NSW Covid-19 inquiry will hear from the education minister, Sarah Mitchell.
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