Morning mail: voters unmoved by election promises, RBA to decide on rate rise, female facial hair

Tuesday: Labor leads in polls but both parties struggle to engage voters. Plus: what happens when female facial hair is made visible?

Good morning. It’s a big day in finance today as the Reserve Bank of Australia meets this afternoon to consider raising interest rates, which hasn’t happened since November 2010. And the Victorian treasurer, Tim Pallas, will hand down the state’s budget.

At the halfway mark of the six-week federal election campaign, the primary vote for both Labor and the Coalition is largely unmoved, despite billions of dollars in election promises being made as voters tune into the contest, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. Support for both the major parties has dropped since the start of the campaign, but Labor is emerging as the party most trusted to manage the cost of living pressures facing Australians. Speaking of, both major parties have policies designed to help people into the property market. The Coalition is spruiking its existing Home Guarantee scheme, while Labor is promoting the party’s new “Help to Buy” scheme, a shared equity program. So, how do the two schemes compare? Meanwhile, election results in closely fought seats could be delayed by a steep rise in postal votes recorded by the Australian Electoral Commission. So far, 1.54m postal vote applications have been made – already higher than those of entire 2019 election.

Flood and cyclone-prone areas in eastern Australia may soon be “uninsurable”. A new report suggests up to one in 25 households will struggle to be covered by 2030. Nicki Hutley, an economist and member of the Climate Council who wrote the report, said insurance costs were already rising sharply and people were struggling to get insurance in parts of the country. She said people were seeing changes, citing the Black Summer bushfires and the recent devastating floods in northern New South Wales.

A rocket strike has hit the Black Sea port city of Odesa in south-western Ukraine, causing deaths and injuries, according to the local governor, Maksym Marchenko. Efforts to evacuate morecivilians from Mariupol ran into delays and hundreds of people remain trapped in the Azovstal steelworks, the last stronghold of resistance. The UN human rights officehas said that the death toll of civilians killed inUkraine since the start of the Russian invasion has exceeded 3,000 people.

Australia

Queensland’s rental crisis is hitting residents in manufactured home parks, who say rent rises add to cost of living pressures. There is a push to peg them to increases in pensions.

The RBA is considering raising the official cash rate for the first time since 2010 and the outcome will have big ramifications for the federal election. So, with so much riding on it, how does the RBA make its determination and what is the likely outcome?

More education is needed on Australia’s frontier wars, and universities should “step up” and expand “tokenistic” Aboriginal histories modules so that teachers can “feel comfortable talking about Aboriginal history, culture and telling the truth”, say speakers at a truth-telling panel on the Myall Creek massacre.

The world

The phones of Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, and the defence minister, Margarita Robles, were targeted with Pegasus spyware last year. The “illicit” and “external” targeting will be investigated by Spain’s highest criminal court.

Pakistan and India are facing critical water and electricity shortages after suffering through unprecedented April temperatures that have repeatedly hit almost 50C.

A committee in Switzerland’s parliament will debate the future of the country’s controversial banking secrecy laws this week, amid pressure from UN officials to scrap rules under which whistleblowers and journalists can be prosecuted.

Recommended reads

It is not uncommon for women to have facial hair. It is uncommon for women to have visible facial hair. “Twelve years ago when I stopped removing my facial hair, it was because I wanted to find an alternative to the endless cycle of hair removal, and the need to silently enact my daily ritual of disappearance,” writes Bastian Fox Phelan. “I had been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, but did not agree with the medical view that I suffered from ‘unwanted’ hirsutism. Since high school, the ‘unwanted’ aspect of my existence was not the hair itself, it was the negative attention I received.”

On World Press Freedom Day, will Australia’s major parties pledge to fix our whistleblowing law? “Whistleblowers make Australia a better place. They hold governments who commit wrongdoing to account. They shine light on the darkest of acts. Prosecuting whistleblowers – especially those who exposed government wrongdoing – is undemocratic. It has a chilling effect. There is no public interest in prosecuting these truth-tellers. They should be protected, not punished. Fortunately, there is a simple solution,” writes Kieran Pender.

The adage, try before you buy, may be more apt for clothes than any other product. Making sure something fits well is important for a long-lasting wardrobe, as poorly fitting garments can strain, stretch and ultimately break faster. Fit can also indicate how well something has been constructed, which is a good indication of its quality. This week, our experts take us inside the fitting room and explain how a well-made garment will feel when you try it on.

Listen

For many survivors of the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, the upcoming winter will be their third in temporary accommodation, and some feel as if they’ve been left to fend for themselves throughout the recovery. In today’s Full Story, Rural Network reporter Natasha May explores what the past two years have been like for survivors in NSW and Victoria, and how red tape, the pandemic and a lack of government assistance has left some out in the cold.

Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.

Sport

The date 30 April 2022 will live in renown, not just for the NSW Waratahs, but more broadly for Australian rugby and the Super Rugby Pacific competition as a whole. The Waratahs upset the Crusaders 24-21 at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday afternoon to confirm the resurgence of the men in sky blue under new coach Darren Coleman.

Uefa has told Russia that the country’s bid to host the men’s European Championship has been rejected and that their team will be replaced by Portugal in the women’s tournament this summer, as it took further measures in response to the war in Ukraine.

Media roundup

The Age has revealed how three more people died in recent months after triple-zero delays in Victoria. At least 16 members of parliament do not reside in the electorate they represent, according to the Australian.

Coming up

The RBA will meet to discuss interest rates at 2.30pm. The Apra music awards will be held tonight in Melbourne.

And if you’ve read this far …

Loch Ness monster enthusiasts have been getting excited by a holidaying couple’s film of a mysterious ripple in the loch. Nessie expert Gary Campbell says “In terms of video evidence, there’s been two or three really good videos in the past, but this is certainly up there with the best of them.” But, is it really?

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