Breaking the news

WIZARDS OF OZ

The Australian’s ($) Janet Albrechtsen and Stephen Rice published the Sofronoff report findings yesterday before the ACT government released it. Guardian Australia says Walter Sofronoff released it, but under a strict embargo — the Oz denies breaching it with its story yesterday, saying it got the report from other sources, but an ACT government spokesperson said it was “confident” the report was not obtained from government. ACT police chief Neil Gaughan says he, the ACT police and the AFP had not yet seen the report. The ACT government spokesperson added it was “disappointed” the report was released because it “harmed” people involved and “affected the inquiry process”. The ABC also got a copy, but did not publish ahead of the embargo.

Speaking of Aunty — Four Corners staff filming protesters allegedly targeting Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill’s home is “morally wrong” and makes the broadcaster “complicit” — so says a letter WA Premier Roger Cook wrote to ABC chair Ita Buttrose. The ABC released a statement saying it had received a tip “just prior” to protesters arriving, The West Australian reports, and didn’t know it was a private home. The paper is going after one of the alleged protesters, Matilda Lane-Rose, saying she “admitted she is unable to answer questions” because she responded to a reporter asking about nuclear saying it was best answered by a scientist, not a uni student. One thing is clear: “If the Burrup Hub was actually a country itself, it would be the seventh largest exporter of LNG in the world,” Lane-Rose told press. Meanwhile, Greenpeace protesters draped UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s home (not 10 Downing Street, his private one) in black fabric and held a banner that read “Rushi Sunak — oil profits or our future?” as The New Daily reports. Quite.

HOME TRUTHS

More than 1600 Australians become homeless every month amid our housing crisis, according to Homelessness Australia. Guardian Australia reports it was particularly bad in Queensland (up 12.9%), WA (up 11.1%) and NSW (up 10.2%) from December 2022 to March 2023. Women and children make up 74% of that figure. CEO Kate Colvin says there’s a funding shortfall of more than $450 million for the sector. It comes as the Commonwealth Bank reckons the cash rate (4.1%) will be slashed by a quarter in March next year because the economy is struggling, the SMH ($) reports. But Westpac says it’ll probably happen in September, and the NAB says it’ll probably not happen until early 2025. Homeowners would save more than $400 a month on a $600,000 mortgage, the paper says.

Meanwhile the Australian Tax Office is cracking down, the AFR ($) reports, chasing $30 billion in overdue small business tax through 476 wind-up proceedings this year. Compare that with just 14 in the first half of last year, though there were 950 wind-up cases in the first half of 2019. It’s mostly pursuing “GST, pay-as-you-go withholding and superannuation guarantee charge”, a spokesperson said. Speaking of small biz… staff at The Cornish Arms in Melbourne would be red-faced today after a customer receipt inadvertently revealed that the waiter had called them “fucking bogans” for adding ice to their pinot grigio, news.com.au reports. May I just say: LOL. I’m with the customer here — it’s gotta be ice cold.

THE DON’S ARMAGEDDON?

Former US president Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty in a Washington DC courthouse to criminal charges over trying to overturn the 2020 election result. It’s the third time he’s been arrested in four months, CNN notes, though he’s expected to be released before trial — it’s actually part of the purpose of today’s hearing, for Judge Moxila Upadhyaya to approve bail conditions. Special counsel Jack Smith is there too — he’s leading the probe into the plot to overturn US President Joe Biden’s election win leading up to the January 6 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Trump’s four counts are: conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Check out the indictment here.

Prosecutors say Trump and six unindicted co-conspirators were involved — to be crystal clear in light of, ahem, recent events involving Crikey, I’ll just list the “unindicted co-conspirators” here… former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, as well as former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark. That makes five — the sixth is not known. The indictment describes them as “a political consultant who helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding”. Moving right along… and prior to his trip to Washington today, Trump posted that Biden and his family “steal Millions and Millions of Dollars, including BRIBES from foreign countries, and I’m headed to D.C. to be ARRESTED for protesting a CROOKED ELECTION” (emphasis his own).

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

Toronto man Brook Trafton’s childhood dream came true when he was shuffling through a deck of cards. Trafton is a hardcore fan of the tabletop game Magic: The Gathering — it was the first trading card game, a predecessor to Pokémon, and had about 35 million players in 2018. Trafton was casually perusing a pack he’d bought when a card made his heart stop. It was the one-of-a-kind One Ring card, created to celebrate JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series. A fiery artwork glimmered up at him, with the gold ring and lettering printed in the Black Speech of Sauron language. Needless to say, as nerds go, this was the crossover beyond his wildest dreams. Trafton was overwhelmed with emotion, he tells the BBC. “How can someone like me actually find something so astronomical?” He rang the store to find out how to make sure the card was real — they promptly hung up on him, assuming it was a prank.

So Trafton called every bank he could think of to get a safe-deposit box in the next 30 minutes, then immediately retained a lawyer and a public relations firm. “It was even crazier than the lottery,” he says. All the while, one name bounced around in his head: Post Malone. The US rapper admitted to The Howard Stern Show in 2022 that he’d bought a Magic: The Gathering card for about US$800,000. Trafton had a few offers on the table when he got a call at work that Post Malone had heard about the card, and wanted to meet him to see it. He was ushered backstage at his Toronto show to meet the rapper in person, who (after photos and hugs and starry-eyedness) asked as to the bidding price. Trafton said he’d received offers more than $2.3 million. Post Malone was quiet a moment before saying: “Yeah, I’ll take it.” Trafton cried. Of course, it would’ve been cool to keep it, but being able to sell it is “life-changing” for a “guy like me”, the retail worker says. Besides, he’s just glad it went to someone who nerds out as hard as he does, famous rapper or not.

Hoping something moves you today, and that you have a restful weekend.

Folks, I just want to let you know I’m taking a week off to spend time with my Aunty Donna and Uncle Tony, who are visiting me from Australia here in sunny Vancouver where I live. Your Worm will be coming to you from the incisive pen of Anton Nilsson. Chat soon!

SAY WHAT?

They are not attacking [Donald Trump’s] First Amendment right. He can say whatever he wants; he can even lie. He can even tell people that the election was stolen when he knew better. But that does not protect you from entering into a conspiracy.

Bill Barr

The former US attorney-general, who was appointed by Trump and quit after he lost the election, says his former boss knew he’d lost the 2020 election. Barr’s eyebrow-raising comments undermine a key part of Trump’s defence, namely that he was not defrauding the Americans because he always believed he did win.

CRIKEY RECAP

‘Get a Liberal’: alleged ‘directive’ to ABC presenter underpins Chvastek dispute

DAVID HARDAKER

“So where’s Nicole Chvastek? And why did the respected ABC radio presenter disappear from the airwaves three months ago? If you haven’t heard of Chvastek — she hosted the ABC’s Statewide Drive program covering regional Victoria, southern NSW and eastern South Australia. When first queried about the absence in April, an ABC spokesman said she was off air while the Ballarat studios were undergoing renovations but that she would return.

“But as Crikey reported in May, Chvastek had lodged bullying claims against her employer. She has since resigned after reaching a confidential settlement. Crikey understands that a central allegation in the dispute is that a Sydney-based ABC executive directed Chvastek’s program to ‘get a Liberal’ for an interview after receiving a complaint from Victorian Nationals federal MP Darren Chester who was in government at the time.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Diplomatic spat after Poland calls Ukraine ‘ungrateful’ (euronews)

Saudi Arabia extends 1 million barrel-a-day oil cut, may deepen it in future (euronews)

ISIL confirms death of leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, names successor (Al Jazeera)

Your latest questions about Bill C-18 and the blocking of Canadian news answered (CBC)

Italian PM sues Placebo frontman for defamation (BBC)

Pence says Trump and his ‘gaggle of crackpot lawyers’ urged him to reject 2020 result (The Guardian)

THE COMMENTARIAT

Indigenous people need leaders who listen, not an Indigenous Voice to Parliament — Anthony Dillion (The Australian) ($): “I want neither villains nor heroes. Instead, I want reasoned discussion and voters to be able think for themselves about what is best for Indigenous Australians. I want to bring the focus back to Indigenous people and address a concern raised by the Yes camp that I believe has some legitimacy; namely, ‘clearly, the current approach isn’t working’, as stated in the official Yes and No referendum pamphlets. I say ‘some legitimacy’, because while I agree the current approach isn’t working as well as it could, I have not seen evidence from the Yes camp that the Voice could fix the current approach, as it suggests in the pamphlet: ‘The current approach is broken and the Voice is our best chance to fix it.’

“​The pamphlet states that voting Yes means ​’government getting better advice and delivering better outcomes​’, yet no detail is given for how to achieve this. Specifically, how would advice from the Voice be any better than the advice from the current multitude of Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices speaking to government?​ But if the current approach is broken, then a valid question arises: what is there to lose by voting Yes? After all, even if the Voice doesn’t result in the hoped-for improvement of the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians, then at least they would be recognised in the constitution.​ And surely that is a good thing, right? It certainly is, but I do have reservations about the need for the proposed Voice to be enshrined in the constitution.”

Australians are owed a royal commission into the pandemic — Phillip Coorey (The AFR) ($): “Thus far, there have been only similarities to Rudd’s failure to hold an inquiry into Australia’s involvement in the Iraq War — either complete radio silence or garbled excuses about how the nation is still dealing with COVID-19 and that now is not the time. All as memories and recollections fade and the main players move on.​ As for its impact on lives, livelihoods and well-being, nothing comes close to the misery the pandemic inflicted, a misery that was often exacerbated as state and federal governments fumbled blindly and, at times incompetently, in trying to deal with it.​ A royal commission into the pandemic should not be conceived with retribution or payback in mind but with a view to how things could be done better the next time. Such as, should unelected health officials be able to wield absolute power as they did during the pandemic, with little weight given to the economic and mental health consequences?

“Or, have we done enough in the aftermath to guarantee vaccine self-sufficiency and supply chains, and could JobKeeper be better designed so it could be implemented quickly without the waste?​ And what about all the other assistance, from both the Commonwealth and the Reserve Bank of Australia, which served only to overheat the economy?​ How do we better calibrate that in future?​ And does there need to be constitutional change to ensure the states and territories better coordinate their responses, rather than going off in eight different directions as they did on border closures and so forth, motivated by parochialism, while indifferent to the cruelty that resulted through people being unable to attend funerals or have their babies delivered in a nearby hospital?​”

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Yuggera and Turrbal Country (also known as Brisbane)

• Cass Moriarty will lead a writers’ panel conversation entitled “Silent Keepers” with Al Campbell and Lyn Yeowart about their books The Keepers and The Silent Listener respectively, at Avid Reader bookshop.

Eora Nation Country (also known as Sydney)

• Start Beyond’s Angus Stevens will speak about his new book, Viewer Discretion Advised, at Better Read Than Dead bookshop.

• Author Anna Funder will talk about her new book, Wifedom, at Glee Books.