Good morning. We lead today with a Guardian investigation which has found that the lives of detainees in Australia’s immigration detention centres are controlled by a secret rating system that is opaque and often riddled with errors.
Meanwhile, the Albanese government wants Greens support over vehicle emissions standards, but the Greens say for that to happen Labor will need to back down on proposals to benefit the offshore gas industry.
And: there are calls for an investigation into alleged abuses against Palestinian medical staff held in detention after an Israeli raid on a Gaza hospital.
Australia
Offshore drilling | The Greens have demanded that Labor withdraw proposals to water down consultation requirements for offshore gas development, promising that in return they will help pass vehicle-emissions standards.
‘No child left behind’ | The federal government is one step closer to fully funding all public schools after reaching an agreement with the Northern Territory to double the commonwealth’s contribution.
Energy sector | Figures show investments in renewable energy plants had an “alarming” slowdown in 2023, as financial approvals for new solar farms shrank and no new windfarms won backing.
Pet perils | A new report has linked a recent uptick in animal-related hospitalisations across Australia with the surge in pet ownership seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘It’s a bit weird’ | A Brisbane school has been criticised for acting “in poor taste” after posting images of a nappy-changing activity held on International Women’s Day on Facebook.
World
Gaza crisis | There have been calls for an investigation into reports that medical staff in Gaza faced violent and humiliating treatment in detention after an Israeli raid. Meanwhile, a US citizen thought taken hostage by Hamas reported dead, and an aid ship is finally on the way to Gaza from Cyprus after technical problems.
Ariel Henry | Haiti’s prime minister has resigned and is urging calm while his government is replaced by a transitional council, after a gang insurrection plunged the country into anarchy.
Donald Trump | Ex-US president’s second chief of staff tried to stop him praising Adolf Hitler in part by trying to convince him that Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was “a great guy in comparison”.
Viktor Orbán | The US ambassador has been grilled in Budapest after Joe Biden said that the Hungarian prime minister is “looking for a dictatorship” after his meeting with Trump in Florida.
Saudi defence deal | A UK Foreign Office official floated the idea of giving an honour to a businessman who was later alleged to have helped facilitate millions of pounds of bribes to a Saudi prince.
Full Story
The fight to make EVs more affordable
Last month the government unveiled its plan for a vehicle efficiency standard to incentivise carmakers to supply more low- and zero-emission cars. Adam Morton tells Nour Haydar about the plan to make electric vehicles more affordable – and why some carmakers and the Coalition are standing in the way.
In-depth
Nauroze Anees spent more than 1,000 days in a Serco-run immigration detention centre in Australia, but for most of that time, he had no idea he was the subject of a Security Risk Analysis Tool, or SRAT, that determined where he was accommodated and whether he was handcuffed outside the centre.
The secretive SRAT attempts to calculate a detainee’s “risk” for violence, escape or self-harm. But lawyers, immigration insiders and government reports say the tool regularly rates people as high risk based on “unwarranted” escalations and inaccurate information – with devastating consequences.
Anees said: “Serco is essentially the judge, jury and executioner.”
Not the news
The Melbourne Theatre Company’s 37 – by Trawlwoolway playwright Nathan Maynard – follows two Aboriginal players in a country team during the Adam Goodes era. Goodes left the AFL in disgust in 2015, and more and more Indigenous players are alleging that the AFL failed to protect them from racist abuse and discrimination. In the wake of the hugely disappointing Indigenous voice to parliament debate, this play is terrific, thrilling – and a wake-up call, writes Tim Byrne.
The world of sport
Cricket | Goondiwindi district’s bush cricket competition is helping women find themselves – after years spent on the sidelines cheering on their brothers or husbands.
Climate inaction | Australian sport is failing to engage with or adapt to the climate crisis, opening organisations up to serious financial and legal risks, a new report has found.
Football | Arsenal take on Porto and Barcelona face Napoli in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Surfing | Two-time world champion Tyler Wright is eyeing Olympic gold after a “life-changing” procedure that saw seven screws inserted in her head.
Media roundup
More than one in four residential properties purchased in NSW, Victoria and Queensland last year were paid for entirely with cash by older Australians – highlighting disparities in the property market, reports ABC News. Regional communities in Victoria prone to patchy electricity and power outages during tourist peaks will have their supply shored up under a first round of neighbourhood batteries, reports the Age. The latest snapshot of school profile data reveals Sydney’s western and northern suburbs have recorded the biggest enrolment growth in the past decade – with more schools surging past the 3,000 student mark, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
What’s happening today
New South Wales | Hearings set to continue in Sydney in the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide.
Victoria | Public hearings scheduled in Tullamarine for the Senate inquiry into supermarket pricing.
ACT | Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis is scheduled to address the National Press Club in Canberra.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
