| | | 20/02/2024 ATO’s plan to expand ‘robotax’, wage rise hope for 2024, Navalny’s widow vows to fight on |
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| Martin Farrer |  |
| | | Morning everyone. The Australian tax office has been widely panned for pursuing historic debts in a scheme nicknamed “robotax”. But in an exclusive this morning, we reveal how officials plan to expand its scope. We also look at why Australians might be able to expect a pay rise this year, and overseas the widow of Alexei Navalny has vowed to continue her husband’s work. |
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| Sign up for The Crunch newsletter | | Get the most important charts and dataviz direct to your inbox every fortnight. | | Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties | | |
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 | Australia | | Vape views | Australians are concerned about the widespread availability of illegal vapes and many support a ban, according to interviews with more than 130 people aged 14-39. Most of those questioned – predominantly those who had never vaped – supported a ban on all e-cigarettes, and there was wide support for plain packaging, health warnings, flavour restrictions and increased vape-free areas. | Exclusive | The Australian Taxation Office is preparing to expand a controversial scheme that resurrects decades-old debts in its pursuit of more than $15bn, despite rising numbers of complaints and transparency concerns. | Wages hope | Workers can expect their wages to rise faster than inflation this year as demand for labour is expected to remain strong, according to a survey of human resources professionals. | Tobacco arrest | A Chinese man has been arrested and detained in Australia for 11 months at the request of US authorities investigating an alleged tobacco smuggling conspiracy that generated an estimated A$1.1bn in revenue to North Korea. | Mental health ‘fail’ | A senior police officer has called for a national overhaul to the way mental health incidents are dealt with, arguing clinicians, not cops, should attend cases if lives are not at risk. |
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| World | | ‘Stand with me’ | Yulia Navalnaya has published a video address in which she vowed to continue her late husband’s political work and called on Russians to “stand with me” as Alexei Navalny’s family were told they would not get access to his body for another two weeks. | Rafah threat | Israel’s defence minister has said the country will launch its threatened ground offensive against Rafah if Hamas does not release its remaining Israeli hostages by the beginning of Ramadan in just under three weeks. | Red Sea | The Houthis have claimed a significant strike in their campaign of launching missiles at ships, with two projectiles hitting a cargo ship that the Yemeni rebels say is at risk of sinking. | Swift claim | Thailand’s prime minister has claimed that Singapore sought a deal with Taylor Swift to prevent her from playing elsewhere in south-east Asia on her Eras tour. | A dish served cold | Nusr-Et steakhouse, the outlet at the Park Tower hotel in London where chef Salt Bae serves up steak dishes costing up to $1,300, is turning off its heating to save on bills. |
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| Full Story | | Why police are accused of radicalising an autistic teenager Courts and justice reporter Nino Bucci explains how and why police targeted a vulnerable teenager, and the questions the case raises about the deradicalisation process. | |
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| In-depth | | As the issue of illegal boats rears its head again in the political debate, Peter Dutton’s latest line of attack on the government is to accuse them of taking $600m out of the border protection budget. But is he right? Paul Karp looks at what the opposition leader is claiming and whether his arguments stack up. |
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| Not the news | | This week’s “big idea” feature is on habituation – the term given to our brain’s tendency to respond less and less to things that are constant, that don’t change. As we get used to the pleasant aspects of our life, both big (a loving spouse, a comfortable home, a good job) and small (a great view, a tasty dish), we notice and appreciate them less. Unless, that is, you break up the experience. Would it help you? |
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| The world of sport | | Football | Lionel Messi has taken to one of China’s largest social media platforms to reject “false stories” over his non-appearance in a recent Inter Miami friendly in Hong Kong. | Cricket | David Warner will play his final bilateral international cricket series against New Zealand this week but the opener is expecting a hostile welcome from home fans in Wellington and Auckland. | Premier League | Roy Hodgson has stepped down as Crystal Palace manager to allow “the club to plan ahead”, with the German coach Oliver Glasner confirmed as his replacement two hours before they are due to face Everton this morning. |
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| Media roundup | The Sydney Morning Herald says some private colleges are banning students from entire countries such as India and Pakistan in response to the government’s visa crackdown. The Age claims that dumping stamp duty could add $5bn to the Victorian economy. The Telegraph lays bare what it claims are new details about Sydney’s gangland war in a series it has called The War 2: Kill or Be Killed. |
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| What’s happening today | Julian Assange | Final appeal of WikiLeaks founder against extradition from the UK to US as a 24-hour vigil takes place at the UK consulate in Melbourne. | Business | Half-year results from BHP. | Indigenous Australians | Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children. |
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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. | |
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| Contact us | If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email customer.help@guardian.co.uk |
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| | | Lenore Taylor | | Editor, Guardian Australia |
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| | I hope you appreciated this newsletter. Before you move on, I wonder if you would consider supporting Guardian Australia. As we look ahead to the challenges of 2024, we’re aiming to power more rigorous, independent reporting.
In 2023, our journalism held the powerful to account and gave a voice to the marginalised. It cut through misinformation to arm Australians with facts about the referendum and exposed corporate greed amid the cost-of-living crunch. It sparked government inquiries and investigations, and continued to treat the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves.
This vital work is made possible because of our unique reader-supported model. With no billionaire owner or shareholders to consider, we are empowered to produce truly independent journalism that serves the public interest, not profit motives.
And unlike others, we don’t keep our journalism behind a paywall. With misinformation and propaganda increasingly rife, we believe it is more important than ever that everybody has access to trustworthy news and information, whether they can afford to pay for it or not.
If you can, please support us on a monthly basis from just $2. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you. | | |
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![FILE PHOTO: MLS: Preseason-Inter Miami CF at Hong Kong League XIFILE PHOTO: [US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 4, 2024; Hong Kong, HONG KONG; Inter Miami player Lionel Messi on the sideline in a preseason friendly soccer match against Hong Kong XI at Hong Kong Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lam Yik/Reuters via USA TODAY Sports/File Photo](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4806ff1b933bc35ed9e8ad459dcf26b4bc408d11/0_64_4843_2907/master/4843.jpg?quality=85&dpr=1&width=600&s=49c03e410d99c4018f77cf57cca3474e)
