ALBANESE'S EMISSIONS MISSION

According to both the ABC and The Australian ($), Labor leader Anthony Albanese has written a letter calling on Scott Morrison to support a new bipartisan energy policy that, even if Labor and the Coalition hold competing emissions targets, would incorporate scalable emissions levers.

Albanese’s letter gave soft praise for the Morrison government’s donor-friendly technology investment roadmap but — while acknowledging that neither the National Energy Guarantee nor Clean Energy Target are likely to be revisited — highlighted that the framework does not constitute a national energy policy. The ABC reports that Albanese is likely to discuss the letter when he addresses the National Press Club today.

A COAL LOT OF ISSUES: The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the NSW government’s latest Strategic Statement on Coal Exploration and Mining, to be released today, will bank on global coal demand defying the Paris climate goals until 2050.

At a time when the Arctic Circle is experiencing a record heatwave with temperatures up to 38 degrees, it’s perhaps a little short-sighted.

VICTORIA'S SECOND WAVE HITLIST

As Melbourne prepares for a spike in community transmission — the source of 11 of yesterday’s 17 new cases, for example, are listed as “under investigation” — The Age reports that the state government has announced a return to on-the-spot fines; will bring in more health workers for quarantine hotels; and, along with the federal government, has only just abandoned plans to divert Australians returning from overseas away from Melbourne.

Following Premier Dan Andrews’ announcement that health officials sent to door-knock across multicultural communities today will focus on greater cultural and linguistic capability, the AFR ($) notes that the company engaged to manage crisis communication with Victoria’s 1864 confirmed virus cases, Whispir, was only asked to communicate in languages other than English on Monday.

DJOKOVIC POSITIVE: In global cluster news, the ABC reports that Novak Djokovic has become the fourth top men’s tennis player to test positive; Nick Kyrgios has in turn hit out at them for playing/partying in an exhibition tournament in the Balkan region.

HEYDON FALLOUT

In the latest updates to the Dyson Heydon controversy:

• John Howard has stood by his 2003 decision to appoint Heydon to the High Court, as questions emerge over how widespread the “open secret” of alleged sexual harassment was amongst senior legal circles (Sydney Morning Herald)
• Arthur Moses SC, a high-profile Sydney barrister and former president of the Law Council of Australia, has called for the Morrison government to establish a federal judicial commission to deal with misconduct complaints against judges (The Australian $)
• Courts across Australia are reviewing their process for sexual harassment complaints, while chief justice of the NSW supreme court, Tom Bathurst, has informed staff of plans for a new policy (The Guardian).

TRUST IN CHINA PLUMMETS

According to the Lowy Institute Poll 2020, Australians’ trust in China’s President Xi Jinping “to do the right thing regarding world affairs” has dropped to just 22%, half of what it was in 2018.

As the ABC unpacks, polling of 2448 Australians in late March suggests about one in three trust Donald Trump, 87% of people have confidence in Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and their greatest concerns are COVID-19, drought, and economic downturn.

CLOSING THE POWER GAP: According to The Sydney Morning Herald, a separate study by the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Organisations has found a majority of Indigenous Australians want an elevated role for Indigenous-run organisations and equal partnership with government under new Closing the Gap processes.

STATE VIRUS WATCH: TASMANIA EXTENDS RENTAL PROTECTIONS

• The Tasmanian government announced it will extend certain protections for residential tenants — including moratoriums on rent increases and certain evictions — until September 30, 2020, a date roughly in line with most other states and territories.
• Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk pledged $3 million from the $25 million Queensland Tourism Icons Program for outback tourism operators, with allocation to be decided with advice from the Outback Queensland Tourism Association.
• According to The Age, the Victorian government’s latest relief scheme will cap kindergarten fees at half-cost for term three.