Morning, everyone. Inflation may have eased a little last month but the rising cost of living is still a big worry for many Australians, prompting the peak union body to call for a rise in the minimum wage which is “simply about survival”. We have a full report into who might benefit and by how much, plus analysis of the the country’s wage paralysis.
In Melbourne an Indigenous elder has taken deep offence after she was allegedly barred from giving a welcome to country for Barack Obama, and we’re also behind the scenes as contenders arrive for the Archibald art prize.
Australia
‘Too difficult’ | An Indigenous elder, Aunty Joy Murphy, has been barred from giving the welcome to country at a speaking event by former US president Barack Obama after being told she was being “too difficult”.
‘Essential’ pay rise | Australian unions have called for a pay rise of 7% for the lowest-paid workers, lifting the national minimum wage by $1.50 an hour to keep pace with inflation which is running at 7.1%. The ACTU secretary, Sally McManus, said the rise was “essential” to help workers “keep their heads above water”. Our economics commentator Greg Jericho says the doomsayers are wrong: the sky won’t fall in if people get a decent pay rise.
‘Horrific’ | Coles and Woolworths say they will review the sources of the pork they sell after it emerged that they buy from Victorian abattoirs allegedly involved in the “horrific” gassing of pigs.
Legal lacking | Australia’s queer community needs greater legal protection amid a series of attacks, LGBTQ+ advocates say, with Victoria, South Australia or Western Australia identified as having no laws to protect people from vilification.
Censor switch | Australia should ditch its censorship of certain fetishes and some instances of violence in pornography, according to a review that also proposes an M rating on games with paid loot boxes.
World
‘Extremely exciting’ | An ultramassive black hole about 30bn times the mass of the Sun has been discovered by astronomers in the UK, who called the find “extremely exciting”.
Breathing difficulties | Pope Francis has a respiratory infection and will need to spend “a few days” in hospital for treatment, the Vatican says. The 86-year-old pontiff had complained of breathing difficulties and soon faces the usual hectic Easter calendar.
Slavery call | UN experts are leading calls for the British government and royal family to investigate their historical links to transatlantic slavery and take steps towards restorative justice in the wake of the Guardian’s apology for its founders’ links to the trade. We also look at how Britain buried its history of slavery.
Boats row | A row is brewing within the UK Conservative party over Rishi Sunak’s promise to end small boat crossings in the Channel, while 66 children are still missing from an asylum hotel in Brighton.
Call for AI pause | More than 1,000 artificial intelligence and tech experts – including Elon Musk – have called for a pause on the creation of “giant” AIs so the dangers of systems such as GPT-4 can be properly assessed.
Full Story
Australia’s queer community is under attack – are our laws letting it down?
Laura Murphy-Oates talks to non-binary performance artist and activist Kitty Obsidian and Guardian journalist Cait Kelly about whether Australia’s laws are failing to protect the queer community.
In-depth
The melting of ice around Antarctica will cause a rapid slowdown of a major global deep ocean current by 2050 that could alter the world’s climate for centuries, according to a team of Australian scientists. Their research suggests that if emissions continue at today’s levels, the current in the deepest parts of the ocean could slow down by 40% in only three decades. The knock-on impact could include radical changes in rainfall.
Not the news
More than 2,000 works will go through Art Gallery of NSW’s packing room this week as artists deliver their entries for Australia’s most prestigious portrait, landscape and genre prize, the Archibald. Natasha May talks to artists including Bern Barry and Karyn Zamel (pictured), subjects including the children’s author Libby Hathorn, and a judge, Alexis Wildman.
The world of sport
Athletics | Doping authorities accused of botching Peter Bol’s sample are staying silent amid concern about the “potentially massive” global ramifications of the Olympian’s case.
Tennis | Australia will face Great Britain along with France and Switzerland in the group stage of the Davis Cup finals in Manchester in September
Rugby league | Shaun Wane is still “tortured” by England’s failure to win last year’s Rugby League World Cup as they begin a three-match Test series with Tonga.
Media roundup
The Age says thousands of public sector jobs face the axe in Victoria as the government looks for a 10% budget cut. People taking Vegemite overseas are having the 145g travel tubes confiscated at airports because it is classed a gel, the Courier-Mail reports.
What’s happening today
Childcare | The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release figures on preschool education including fees, enrolment, attendance and service providers.
Sydney | Female leaders in business, technology, health, housing and media discuss overcoming adversity with speakers including Grace Tame, Alexis Wolfe and Prof Michelle Ryan.
Courts | A Sydney bodybuilder and former Mr Australia faces multiple domestic violence charges against six victims.
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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.
