Labor takes a hit in poll

DOWN FOR THE COUNT

Support for Labor is at its lowest level since the election, The Australian ($) reports, with just 36% of Newspoll voters behind the government — though it’s still above the Coalition’s 34% and on two-party preferred it’s 55-45, so. The minor parties are on an upward swing — the Greens are up one point to 12%, One Nation is up one point to 7%, and everyone else is up one point to 11%. Speaking of — the Greens have been called hypocritical by the Courier-Mail’s editor because they want affordable public housing instead of swanky high rises. Labor Senator Murray Watt, perhaps equally not capable of understanding the difference, said voters must be confused by the Greens calling for more housing investment while campaigning against housing. Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said the facts were simple: Labor is spending just $500 million on social housing and $30 billion on stage three tax cuts, as the Courier-Mail reports. The powerbroking party wants “$2.5 billion every year for public and affordable housing and a cap and freeze on rents”.

This comes as South Australian landlords must now have an approved reason to evict tenants, such as breaches or wanting to sell, renovate or move into the home, the Herald Sun reports. Plus SA tenants will get 60 days, not 28, to vacate and find another home — no easy thing in a state where vacancies are under 1%. Half of all SA tenancies are ended without a reason, the paper says. Meanwhile, first-home owner grants are at their lowest levels on record, according to Treasury, with just 1373 applications for the $10,000 grant so far this year (compared with 2216 in the same period last year), The West Australian ($) reports, probably the result of our dozen consecutive rate rises. The SMH ($) has come out swinging in defence of landlords today, saying most are working families or middle-income earners, but added in the next breath that surgeons, school principals and mining engineers own the most rental properties. It added that more than 300,000 made a reported income of less than $18,200 in 2021. I wonder why.

THE KIDS ARE NOT ALRIGHT

Jewish kids at Victoria’s public schools are copping anti-Semitic harassment that’s seeing them refuse to go to school, The Age ($) reports. It’s included swastikas draw on desks, notes that read “Jewish rat”, and Hitler memes. Anti-Defamation Commission boss Dvir Abramovich told the paper he hears about it nearly daily, a symptom of something “very troubling” brewing in Victoria. It comes as private schools have received nearly twice as much government funding as public schools since 2012, Guardian Australia reports. That’s according to parliamentary library data which found funding to 2021 was up by 34% for independent schools, 31% for Catholic schools, and just 17% for public schools. It’s worse in Queensland, where independent school funding has been nine times greater than public schools. In WA, public schools are underfunded by about $203 million a year, WA Today ($) reports.

Nationally, Australia is an international laggard on education equality among our peers — we are 30th out of 38 OECD countries when it comes to fairly funded high schools, a 2018 UNICEF report found. So what went wrong? Gonski’s landmark reforms were watered down when the Gillard government promised Catholic and private schools they wouldn’t lose a dime, The Guardian explains. Then the Abbott government scrapped the 2017-18 public school funding boost. Then the Turnbull government created a 20% funding cap for public schools, leaving state governments to foot the bill. They didn’t. For private schools, the cap was reversed.

CALLING THE SHOTS

About two in five aged-care residents are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, The Australian ($) reports, despite 1072 cases and 40 deaths in the past week. This year, more than 1100 have died with COVID in residential aged care, the paper says, and experts are calling for a vaccination data hub to give staff a better overview of everyone’s vaccination status. If you’re over 65, you should get a booster if your last vaccination or COVID infection was six months ago, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) says. Meanwhile, all remaining COVID fines in NSW — totalling 29,017 — could be scrapped after the Redfern Legal Centre launched a legal challenge against the NSW Police and the fines commissioner. Earlier this year, a Supreme Court decision invalidated 33,121 of the 62,138 total but Revenue NSW has so far refused to cancel the rest. Redfern Legal Centre wants fines to be refunded.

It comes as Tasmania has become the first state to officially recognise those who identify as asexual, the ABC reports, adding the A to LGBTIQ+. Asexual can be loosely defined as “people who have little to no sexual attraction to others; aromantic”, the broadcaster explains, but healthcare has often assumed asexuality is something that needs to be fixed. The state government’s LGBTIQ+ reference group agreed to adopt the extra letter, so it’ll appear in all government documents in future, providing much-needed visibility and representation. Tasmania has become a leading state for the rights for LGBTQIA+ communities since decriminalising homosexuality in 1997.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

A female is on the run after stealing surfboards off the coast of California. A multi-agency search has been launched for the culprit, with officials arming themselves with a shortboard to lure her. Her “brief reign of terror and delight”, as the BBC put it, began when she started approaching surfers, either blatantly snatching their boards to hang ten or biting the waxy edges to see if she fancies it. She’s a feisty sea otter, and not a bad surfer either, Santa Cruz photographer Mark Woodward noted — he once saw her “ride a decent wave” on one of the stolen boards. When she’s not committing crime she’s often seen lazily gorging on crab ceviche, with Woodward adding the feminist hero is a “healthy … big girl”. She’s actually the daughter of another otter known for approaching kayaks and paddleboards, who was rehomed in a marine centre. There she gave birth to this culprit, known as Otter 841, who appears to have inherited her mother’s brazen genes.

But Otter 841’s life of aquatic crime has escalated far beyond her mum’s. Videos show the fluffy sea otter, who is a little bigger than a labrador puppy, “accosting swimmers, wrestling surfboards out of their hands, and hopping on boards herself before dragging them away”, the Beeb continues. What otter chaos. Her favourite boards to steal are foam or rainbow ones — that these are often the choice of novice surfers is not likely to be coincidence. The authorities had to act. A sign with a cute cartoon otter has been erected at Santa Cruz beach reading “aggressive sea otter in this area” and teams are scouring the coast to find and relocate her. So far she’s evaded capture, but it won’t be straight to otter jail if she’s spotted. She’ll be eating “some of the best seafood for dinner every day and be an ambassador for her species”, an aquarium spokesperson said. That’s one way to stop recidivism.

Hoping you can channel a little sea otter confidence today.

SAY WHAT?

The Westminster system only works when honour and selflessness is present. Sadly, there’s very little of that left in our Parliament. I know. I’ve seen it from the inside.

Rex Patrick

The former senator says robodebt shows just how important Australia becoming a republic is, arguing there is an “overlap between the legislature and the executive arms in that ministers must also be members of Parliament”.

CRIKEY RECAP

Parliamentary convention is dead for the Coalition. Long live denial and deflection

MAEVE MCGREGOR

“There are few things Scott Morrison does better than obsessive secrecy, smug condescension and national gaslighting, though righteous hypocrisy is undoubtedly one. In answer to the robodebt royal commission’s withering indictment of him last week, this embarrassing melange of narcissism and naff sought predictable sanctuary in his labyrinth of lies and denial, recasting himself as nothing more than the jealous guardian of taxpayer funds.

“The policy rationale undergirding the (malevolent and illegal) scheme, he insisted, was well-intentioned and honourable, turning on a desire to ‘prevent billions of dollars in overpayment of welfare benefits’ in the ‘interests of taxpayers’. Or so said his rambling monologue from Italy.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Living in ‘an oven’: heatwave grips displacement camps in Syria (Al Jazeera)

Italy issues red alert for 16 cities as temperatures reach record highs (euronews)

Jane Birkin, actor and singer, dies aged 76 (The Guardian)

Cyclists fall ‘like skittles’ at the Tour de France in spectacular crash (CNN)

Putin says Russia will use cluster bombs in Ukraine if it has to (Reuters)

Ben Wallace to quit as [UK] defence secretary at next cabinet reshuffle (BBC)

Unexploded WWII ammunition found in Wellington Harbour (Stuff)

THE COMMENTARIAT

Corporate Australia hasn’t done due diligence on the Voice — Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (The AFR) ($): “As a proud Australian of Warlpiri Celtic heritage, I believe the Voice to Parliament will divide Australians by race. It is disconcerting to watch companies that are responsible for some of the most important businesses divert their resources towards a political campaign that will ultimately divide their shareholders and alienate them from their customers. The directors of the ASX 200 companies that have been most fulsome in their support of the Yes campaign know their shareholders are disgruntled by their largesse. And the truth is that the Voice cannot be in the best interests of shareholders because it is absolutely not in the best interests of the nation. So I am urging the nation’s ASX 200 companies to think again, and will be writing to them to make myself available to tell the other side of this argument.

“I am asking the directors of our most valuable and influential companies to urgently reassess their support for the Voice because they could be responsible for a tragic division within our nation. It’s time for serious due diligence. It’s not good enough to just listen to a small number of loud and powerful Indigenous personalities who do not tell the full story about this referendum, let alone the tragedy of Aboriginal disadvantage. In fact, I have very little confidence the Voice, enshrined in the constitution, would benefit those in remote communities who are most disadvantaged. On the contrary, this constitutional amendment could ultimately entrench failure for many Indigenous Australians. My voice is here if they are willing to listen.”

Barbie is still very white, and very thin. Can she be a good role model for my daughters? — Antoinette Lattouf (The Age) ($): “I’ve never owned a single Barbie doll and consider myself to be an intersectional feminist, which means I champion women’s rights with an awareness that class, race, sexuality and disability are additional barriers that can no longer be ignored. That is why I’m genuinely confused and conflicted by the fact I’m now involuntarily rooting for the blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world. I’ve even bought tickets for my primary school daughters and me to watch a preview of the new Barbie film. You may be thinking: what? Why? How? Good questions, and I’m struggling to answer them for myself. The best-selling toy of all time has always had a vexed relationship with women and girls.

“Not just because The OG Barbie, who was inspired by a sexualised toy for German men, has breasts that threaten to topple her over, and a body mass index that puts her anatomically impossible dimensions squarely in the anorexic camp. It’s also because some Barbie editions had scales permanently set to 49 kilograms and helpful health tips including ‘don’t eat’ … While I certainly soften to its satire and I am a fan of the very talented Margot Robbie, it’s hard to overlook that the film’s protagonist is still a very white, very thin sex symbol whose wardrobe is very pink. It makes me wonder whether, despite recent editions of Barbies in wheelchairs, with hearing aids, different body shapes, skin and hair types — will they forever be relegated to the role of sidekick to the real Barbie?”

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Eora Nation Country (also known as Sydney)

• Author Paulene Turner will chat about her new book, Secrets of the Nile, at Better Read Than Dead bookshop.

Yuggera and Turrbal Country (also known as Brisbane)

• Author Briohny Doyle will talk about her new book, Why We Are Here, at Avid Reader bookshop.