| | 19/02/2025 Zelenskyy rejects Russian ‘ultimatums’, RBA cut welcomed, $110,000 tickets to political access |
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| | | Good morning. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the meeting between Trump and Putin officials about ending the war in Ukraine, saying it was merely a forum for Russian “ultimatums” that his country has already rejected. Back home, the Reserve Bank’s interest rate cut has been broadly welcomed by Australians, amid hope for it to go further. And business leaders are forking out up to $110,000 to attend networking and fundraising functions designed to rub shoulders with politicians. |
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 | Full Story | | Who pays for our politics and what do they want? Laws on political donations, often seen as the murky underbelly of politics, are getting a rewrite. Labor – with the help of the Coalition – has brought in new legislation but some of the changes have infuriated the crossbench. Reged Ahmad speaks to Anthony Whealy, a former judge and now chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, on what we know about those who donate to political campaigns and whether the new laws could lock out independents. | |
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| In-depth | | The RBA’s announcement on Tuesday of a rate cut was clearly the one the government was after, with Labor’s responses hitting journalists’ inboxes mere minutes after it was announced. Josh Butler delves into how both sides of politics will use the news to prove that they are the ones to handle the cost-of-living crisis. |
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| What’s happening today | Politics | Victoria, NSW and Queensland parliaments are all sitting. | Melbourne | Ebony Bell, charged with assaulting senator Lidia Thorpe in May last year, will appear in a magistrates court. | Terrorism | Asio’s director general of security will release the annual threat assessment. |
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| id: 'cb55'}} | Brain teaser | And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. | |
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| Lenore Taylor
Editor, Guardian Australia |
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