Dutton hangs on, Russian pro-war blogger killed in bomb blast, Sakamoto dies at 71 | The Guardian
03/04/2023
Dutton hangs on, Russian pro-war blogger killed in bomb blast, Sakamoto dies at 71
Charlotte Graham-McLay
Good morning. With the loss of the outer east Melbourne electorate of Aston in Saturday’s byelection, the Liberal party now holds just 14 of 79 federal urban seats. It has led to renewed calls for a strategy overhaul and raised questions about Peter Dutton’s leadership – including from the former PM Malcolm Turnbull, who says the party must move back to centre. But he’s warning that doing so will prove difficult. Polling shows support for the Coalition has fallen again.
Housing crisis | Australia’s painful rental crisis will get worse in the coming years, a report says, due to a shortage in supply of new houses and units caused by costs and ongoing constraints in construction.
Superannuation | The Albanese government could save the budget billions by winding back generous super benefits that effectively produce “taxpayer-funded inheritance schemes” for the wealthy, a Grattan Institute report argues.
Renewable energy | Solar panels could be a lifesaver for public housing tenants grappling with soaring energy costs, says one Melbourne woman who relies on power-hungry machines to help her breathe.
Russia-Ukraine war | One of Russia’s most influential pro-war military bloggers was killed in a blast in a cafe in central St Petersburg, according to Russia’s interior ministry, after a bomb was hidden inside a gift box.
Finnish election | The prime minister, Sanna Marin, has conceded defeat after her centre-left Social Democratic party was beaten into third place by its conservative and far-right rivals.
Credit Suisse | Switzerland’s federal prosecutor has launched an investigation into whether last month’s state-backed takeover of the stricken bank by its bigger rival UBS broke Swiss criminal law.
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Australia’s ‘mortgage prisoners’ and fears from the global banking crisis
The international banking crisis has sparked fears that nervous investor sentiment could impact local banks. But Guardian Australia’s senior business reporter, Jonathan Barrett, tells Jane Lee why Australians should be more worried about a rush of mortgage failures than a run on the banks.
In-depth
The so-called “great resignation” never spread across Australia as it did the US. But when a new study asked a nationally representativesample of 1,400 workers from across Australia – the majority of whom held tertiary qualifications – about their experiences of employment since the pandemic began, it found about half now feel exhausted and in poorer physical and mental health. Burnout is on the rise, and a third of workers under 54 are thinking about quitting their jobs.
“We are blasting bees with huge amounts of agrichemicals and destroying their natural foraging habitats,” says a pollination ecologist, Stephen Buchmann. “Once people accept that bees are sentient and can suffer, I think attitudes will change.”
Rugby Union | Teenage sensation Max Jorgensen and Melbourne’s Carter Gordon are among six uncapped players in Eddie Jones’s first Wallabies squad in the lead-up to this year’s Rugby World Cup.
Gun register | The federal attorney general and police ministers are meeting to discuss how to create and roll out a national gun register.
Medicare savings | A report finds that GPs are more likely to undercharge than overcharge Medicare, with $351m estimated in savings in 2021-22.
Rowing record | After 235 days rowing 14,000km solo across the Pacific Ocean, Michelle Lee will navigate the Great Barrier Reef to arrive in Cairns and set foot on land for the first time since she left Mexico on 8 August.
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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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