Good morning, on the last day of March. A major leak – thousands of pages of secret documents – has revealed Putin’s cyberwarfare tactics. And domestically, the back and forth continues over a minimum wage increase – though as the federal treasurer said yesterday, “If you made a list of all of the things that are giving us this inflation challenge in our economy, low-paid workers getting paid too much wouldn’t be on [it].”
Here are the headlines to see out your week.
Australia
“1980s thinking” | Following divisions over the safeguard mechanism, Tasmanian Greens senator Nick McKim has urged Australia’s climate and environment movement to “collectively get its shit together”.
Wage price spiral? | Employers have warned that an “excessive” 7% minimum wage rise in line with inflation advocated by unions could tip Australia into recession – a suggestion Jim Chalmers yesterday rejected as the government submitted to the Fair Work Commission that it should “ensure the real wages of Australia’s low-paid workers do not go backwards”.
The rental crisis goes on | After the end of the Rudd-era national affordability scheme, and as debate stalls over the housing future fund, renters are facing surging costs. They are understandably alarmed.
“Chaos is built into the system” | Declining numbers of children attending preschool have sparked calls for universal free childcare. Access to fully subsidised care currently depends on individual states and territories’ (changing) policies – a “crazy mix model system” that one expert says is confusing for parents.
Regional travel prices | From today, travel on Victoria’s V/Line services will be capped at $9.20 a day for an adult and $4.60 for concession and child fares – a Labor election commitment. But there are concerns about overcrowded services and stranded commuters.
World
‘Vulkan files’ leak | Secret documents leaked by a whistleblower angry over the Ukraine war have revealed Putin’s global and domestic cyberwarfare tactics – showing how the Russian army is adopting the mindset of secret police.
Journalist arrested | US secretary of state Antony Blinken has condemned Russia’s arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich – a high-profile journalist who could be used as leverage in a potential prisoner swap – with Moscow accused of engaging in “hostage taking”.
Parole test | Oscar Pistorius, the South African Paralympian convicted of murder, could leave prison within weeks if a parole board decides on Friday to release him halfway through a 13-year sentence for killing his girlfriend.
UK phone-hacking trial | Prince Harry’s lawyer has accused the Daily Mail’s parent company of “gaslighting” victims by covering up its journalists’ alleged illegal behaviour.
Pope Francis | The 86-year-old pontiff has had a marked improvement in his health after being taken to hospital on Wednesday, doctors say, and could be discharged “in the next few days”.
Full Story
The Liberal party is in crisis, can it recover?
In outer Melbourne, the previously safe Liberal seat of Aston is gearing up for tomorrow’s byelection. A loss or even a narrow win will spell trouble for opposition leader Peter Dutton and his party as a whole, which has taken a beating in the past year. (Labor, after the NSW election, now holds power federally and across mainland Australia.)
So, with an unpopular leadership and a philosophy increasingly out of step with the electorate, what’s next for the Coalition?
In-depth
This week, the Guardian released an investigation into its ties to the slave trade. Its founder and early backers were thoroughly embedded, leading members of Manchester’s industrial elite. Much of their wealth and platform were built on profits derived from cotton importation, the textile industry and, in one case, plantation ownership.
This visual interactive is an attempt to explain those connections and their wider impact – a visual exploration of how the growth of Manchester as an industrial city had a colossal human cost.
Not the news
“I smell a whiff of 2000s fat-shaming in the air,” Bec Shaw writes today. “If you’ve never spoken out against it, now is the time.” She’s seen a few red flags making the rounds: the success of Brendon Fraser comeback vehicle The Whale, several high-profile “transformations”, everything to do with the concept of “buccal fat” removal – and that whole Ozempic thing. “Fatphobia does not cause thinness, it causes shame. It causes self-hatred. If you are fatphobic … you are handing people the tools to destroy themselves.”
The world of sport
Football | Under new rules, the Premier League will block owners guilty of human rights abuses,
Socceroos | Our cartoonist has a few thoughts about optimism on the home front after the double-header in Ecuador.
Women’s Champions League | Follow the Chelsea v Lyon quarter-final here.
Media roundup
According to the Fin, there’s a gas tax rise on the agenda for Labor’s May budget, which has had a strategy shakeup due to slowing growth and global economic volatility, Chalmers has told the Australian. The ABC is reporting teething problems with Aukus as the defence department struggles with a “massive backlog” of mandatory security clearances for skilled staff. Speaking of, the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday revealed that Paul Keating’s recent attacks on the deal are still causing ripples in Washington. And ahead of last night’s Bulldogs win over the Lions at Marvel Stadium, the Age reports, rising star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan made a stirring statement against racism.
What’s happening today
ABS numbers out | There’ll be figures out on last year’s provisional mortality statistics, as well as barriers and incentives to labour force participation.
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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.
