Rabbitoh Latrell Mitchell
Rabbitoh Latrell Mitchell (Image: AAP/Dan Himbrechts)

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

A fan was booted from Penrith Stadium last night after allegedly calling South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell a “black dog”, The Australian ($) reports. Mitchell and his teammates heard the alleged slur and lodged a complaint — the cops are investigating a teenager over the matter. Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou was absolutely livid — he said it wasn’t the first time the team had been racially abused in Penrith, and said offenders should be given life bans. “We don’t want their support,” Demetriou said. It’s just two years since two men were prosecuted for racially abusing Mitchell on social media, as Guardian Australia reports.

Meanwhile, a civil claim brought against Marist Brothers by the victim of one of the NSW Catholic school system’s worst paedophiles should be squashed because he’s dead, according to the Catholic order. The late Brother Francis “Romuald” Cable abused 19 boys between 1960 and 1974 in Maitland, Hamilton and Pagewood, as Guardian Australia reports, and the order allegedly knew about it. It shuffled him around rather than telling the cops about the crimes against children. Now Marist Brothers say Cable’s death should exclude them from the civil claims of one of the victims, Mark Peters (not his real name), because Cable can’t give a statement. Absolutely dismal.

[free_worm]

ALL THAT GLITTERS ISN’T GOLD

The Perth Mint is under investigation by the world’s biggest precious metals exchange amid “very serious allegations” relating to a gold dilution scandal, The West Australian ($) reports. The London Bullion Marketing Association said it was a high priority because this sort of thing can actually upend the wholesale precious metals market. So what happened? Basically, a doping program reduced each bar’s 99.996% purity to 99.992% as ABC’s Four Corners explains. It’s still above the industry standard — 99.990% — and it resulted in a saving of about $620,000 a year for the government-backed mint. Premier Mark McGowan said the mint board found out only when the biggest customer, the Shanghai Gold Exchange, complained (it has more strict non-gold rules). In a statement, the mint said the customer doesn’t pay for that extra non-gold slither — called the gold giveaway.

Hey, speaking of China — state media South China Morning Post columnist Alex Lo accused the SMH and The Age of “pouring more fuel on to the fire” at a volatile time for Australia-China relations. The first line of the “Red Alert” series, which warns we could be at war with China within three years, rather bombastically reads: “Within 72 hours of a conflict breaking out over Taiwan, Chinese missile bombardments and devastating cyberattacks would begin pummelling Australia. For the first time since World War II, the mainland would be under attack. Meanwhile, 150,000 American troops would descend on the Top End seeking refuge from the immediate conflict zone.” Grab the popcorn, folks. Crikey’s David Hardaker called it “pompous, khaki hyperbole” and former SMH heavyweight Geoff Kitney said no editor he worked under during 40 years would’ve greenlit the “alarmist, Murdoch-style, click-bait journalism”. Hollywood screenwriting aside, the premise is not without merit. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd said China’s relationship with the US is in a pretty bad way, the ABC reports, and we do need to be careful that we don’t end up in a “war by accident”.

WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?

Have you noticed Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has been conspicuously missing during the NSW election campaign? Guardian Australia has — he has made just one media appearance since November, and he’s not on the RSVPs for Dominic Perrottet’s campaign launch this weekend. Perrottet was like, I don’t need some “interstate wingman or a chaperone”. Ouch. Honestly, the fairly unpopular Dutton might do more harm than good — the NSW Libs have distanced themselves from their federal counterparts a few times. Remember when Treasurer Matt Kean and former PM Scott Morrison traded barbs, as Sky News and the ABC reported? Plus it’s not a stretch to say the NSW Liberals are taking much more strident climate action than the federal opposition would dare do, as I wrote for Crikey.

To other state politics now and Queensland’s Palaszczuk government has binned the Olympic Co-ordination Authority (OCA) as the main delivery entity for the 2032 Olympic Games, with Premier and Olympics Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk’s department to take control instead, The Courier-Mail ($) reports. Deputy Premier Steven Miles — the minister assisting the premier on Games infrastructure — denied it would lead to less transparency, but Brisbane’s application to the IOC spruiked the scuppered OCA as involving federal, Queensland and council representatives, as the Brisbane Times reports. It was supposed to deal with infrastructure, venues, that sort of thing. Morrison slammed Palaszczuk for not launching it, The Australian ($) reports, despite an “express understanding” between him and her that she would.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

It may surprise you to hear that California has more snow than most of Canada right now. Last week, an 81-year-old grandfather named Jerry Jouret peered out his window in Big Pine, and sized up the dark, pregnant clouds. It’ll be fine, he figured. It’s California, for God’s sake! He set off in his trusty SUV for his other home in Nevada, just a three-hour jaunt. Except it wasn’t. He accidentally veered on to a smaller road and became stuck as the snow really began to fall around him. Looking around his car, Jouret sized up the situation. He was in a windbreaker jacket, and there was a light blanket and a bath towel in the car — not exactly ideal for the freezing temperature outside. But the former NASA employee and mathematician is “a very smart man”, his grandson Christian assured CNN.

Over a week-long ordeal, Jouret turned his SUV on periodically to warm up the car, and survived on a diet of croissants and lollies while the snow fell. He snacked on snow too, to keep him hydrated. On the third day, his car battery died while he was winding his window back up, so there was a rather chilly breeze, to say the least. Finally, a helicopter spotted a small arm waving frantically out of what seemed to be a submerged rock. He was rescued! He was taken to the hospital but discharged the very same evening because didn’t have a single sign of hypothermia. “The nurses were in shock at how well his vitals were,” Christian said. It really made him realise the importance of not giving up hope in tough times, as well as the power of the human body and all it can endure.

My beloved Worm reader, I’m taking a few weeks off to head back to Newcastle, Australia, from my home in Vancouver to spend some time with my family (for the first time in 18 months!). Your Worm will be coming from the esteemed pens of Charlie Lewis, our downright hilarious tipster, and Julia Bergin, our insightful science scribe. As always, drop into my inbox if you feel inclined to — eelsworthy@crikey.com.au. Speak to you soon.

SAY WHAT?

It’s unconscionable that millions of native wild animals in Australia have been killed for the sake of high-end soccer cleats.

Floyd Prozanski

The US Democrat’s comments come as Puma scrapped kangaroo leather for its signature soccer boots last week. The Australian government is scrambling to dispel the myth that there’s a threat to the kangaroo population — indeed “humane management” is crucial to prevent “ecosystem damage and crop loss” from the abundant species, the Department of Agriculture said.

CRIKEY RECAP

‘Fraud, money laundering and tax evasion’: Wilkie tables Hillsong whistleblower documents 

Mar 09, 2023

1

“Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has tabled internal Hillsong documents that he alleges reveal the church breaking ‘numerous laws’ in Australia and around the world, relating to ‘fraud, money laundering and tax evasion’. The independent MP said the documents had been provided to him by a whistleblower.

“Speaking in Parliament on Thursday afternoon and under the protection of parliamentary privilege, Wilkie cited several examples that he said were revealed by the internal documents. They include members of the Houston family ‘and their friends’ enjoying a luxury retreat in Cancun, Mexico, using $150,000 of church money while Australia was in strict COVID-19 lockdown.”

Why the Hillsong whistleblower files matter: the case for government action

Mar 09, 2023

“The church may have dozens of charities, but over the years they have all been run by the same small group of board members who are loyal to church founder Houston. This has been public knowledge for some time. Hillsong’s public documents show that there are millions of dollars in ‘loans’ between the various Hillsong charities.

“They also show that Hillsong ‘donates’ funds to other Hillsong charities. In the opaque world in which Hillsong operates (along with other churches), it has been impossible to know the detail of these cross-charity transactions. This is partly because key financial information is kept secret — even from the government regulator — in certain religious charities.”

Higher interest rates harm the young and the poor? What self-serving tripe

Mar 09, 2023

45

“There appears to be a blissful collective hallucination among my learned fellow Crikey columnists surrounding the cause and solutions to Australia’s inflation problem. That is, repeated claims that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and supply chain challenges have caused recent price rises (inflation clocked in at a 35-year high of 7.8% in January).

“And hence that the RBA increasing interest rates is foolhardy because it won’t reduce inflation anyway and will harm Australian workers. This is magnificently wrong on every count … Most inflation is demand-driven: too many dollars chasing too few goods (and caused by excessive debt). This is the case now, and blaming COVID or supply chain issues is to be blissfully ignorant of the actual data.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Nepal elects new president amid split in the governing coalition (Al Jazeera)

Crypto stocks slide after Silvergate decides to shut down (Reuters)

Boris Johnson criticised for making millions while rarely appearing in Commons (The Guardian)

Has your landlord tried to increase your rent during your lease? These are your rights (SBS)

JPMorgan sues former executive over Epstein ties (The Wall Street Journal) ($)

Spain’s powerful feminist movement split over trans and rape laws (EuroNews)

North Korea fires ballistic missile towards sea, South Korea says (Al Jazeera)

The law has changed, so why are there no abortion clinic Safe Areas in NZ? (Stuff)

THE COMMENTARIAT

Could Josh Frydenberg still have a path to the Liberal leadership? — Michelle Grattan (The Conversation): “He didn’t put his hand up for the Aston byelection, but then insiders didn’t expect him to. He’s concentrated on Kooyong — anyway the Liberals needed a woman in Aston. If Frydenberg could regain his seat and Peter Dutton lost the 2025 election, one scenario for the Liberals would be for Frydenberg to take over the leadership and position the party to be competitive for the 2028 poll. There are a lot of ‘ifs’ involved, not least the 2025 result in Kooyong. Its boundaries will be affected by a redistribution. Ryan has another two years to dig in, and independents can be hard to dislodge.

“Still, the teals were elected in very special circumstances, helped by the acute unpopularity of Scott Morrison, and some could be vulnerable next time. Ryan might be one of those. Frydenberg would benefit if the economy were central at the election. But he’d need to make a decision on contesting relatively early, and run a savvier campaign than last time, when he unwisely derided his opponent as a ‘fake’ independent. There are those who cast doubt on how well Frydenberg would do as leader. Critics argue it’s hard to know what he stands for and that he wants to be popular with everyone. On the other hand, as a former treasurer and former energy minister, he has a wealth of front-line experience.”

Would robodebt be a bigger scandal if its victims weren’t on welfare? — Waleed Aly (The SMH) ($): “As this saga unfolds, two questions suggest themselves. How was such a manifestly unjust scheme conceivable? And why is this not a bigger scandal, even now? Alas, I suspect these two questions have the same answer: that the victims of this scheme don’t really count. In the public imagination, welfare payments are roughly synonymous with the dole. And if we’re honest, the unemployed aren’t treated as part of our political community. They’re more an unfortunate adjunct. You don’t have to look too far for evidence of this. Recall only that — aside from a temporary pandemic lift — governments of both stripes have steadfastly refused to increase the unemployment benefit in real terms since the Howard era.

“Since that time, we’ve seen the Rudd government sweep to power on a platform of workers’ rights, pitching incessantly to ‘Australian working families’. We’ve seen the Coalition scream when a Labor government tried to reduce the family benefit payments. We’ve seen the Abbott government collapse quickly after its first budget because it was deemed so drastically unfair to lower-income earners. We’ve seen Labor campaign repeatedly in opposition on wage stagnation and penalty rates. In short, we’ve seen a frequent line of attack in Australian politics on grounds of ‘fairness’, and siding with battlers. That doesn’t always determine our policy, but it’s an indispensable political pose to strike — as long as the battlers in question are workers.”

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Yuggera Country (also known as Brisbane)

  • Authors Ben Hobson and Cass Moriarty will chat about the former’s new book, The Death of John Lacey, at Avid Reader bookshop.

Kulin Nation Country (also known as Melbourne)

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Eora Nation Country (also known as Sydney)