Pressure mounts on Malcolm

IT’S ON! … OR IS IT?

The Australian ($) reports that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton could launch a leadership challenge as early as this morning, as his supporters urge him to “strike immediately”. Liberal MPs who spoke to the Oz told the paper a significant number of cabinet ministers and members of the outer ministry were ready to support Dutton should a leadership challenge arise. The Daily Telegraph ($) reports that Dutton told his supports last night he might wait until mid-September to challenge PM Malcolm Turnbull, so he can garner further support.

In related news, Queensland Liberal MPs have told the Herald Sun ($) they were urged by party president Gary Spence “to topple Mr Turnbull in favour of Mr Dutton”.

NEW SCHOOL RULES CRUELLED

The Age reports that independent schools are backing away from a “controversial plan” by the government that would determine private schools’ level of government funding by the income tax paid by the school’s parents. The proposal could potentially have helped mend the government’s “poisonous relationship” with the Catholic sector, but instead could become another policy “headache”.

The paper reports that education bureaucrats believe focusing on socio-economic data of the private school make up is a flawed model, given the proposal was built on “incomplete data”, according to Colette Colman of Independent Schools Council of Australia.

IPSWICH ISSUES

The Courier Mail ($) reports that arrangements have been made for the “consent to the appointment of the administrator and interim management committee”  following the likely passing of a new law to sack the current Ipswich City Council.

Although the government hasn’t disclosed all the details, the administrator will be drawn from within the government, with the likely candidate being Economic Development Queensland general manager Greg Chemell. The total cost of appointing an interim management committee to assist the administrator will reach $3.4 million, which is less than the cost for the 11 councillors over the same period, according to Queensland’s Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe.

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THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

Well Peta, you can see how confusing it is and the reality is — I don’t know.

Craig Kelly

Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly’s responds to Sky News’ Peta Credlin when asked which version of the NEG he would take to the backbench committee considering he hadn’t even received a briefing from the Energy Minister’s office regarding the Prime Minister’s policy re-developments.

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Turnbull stumbling in the dark after policy cave-inBernard Keane

“The emissions targets remain a kind of vague aspiration, but one that Turnbull says he can’t get through parliament, so they’re on hold. It’s a complete capitulation to denialists in an effort to douse the fire around his leadership — not to mention an embrace of a whole new level of government interventionism from a government we were once promised would be ‘thoroughly liberal’.”

As #auspol dominates discourse, journalists turn to log offChristopher Warren

“Not for the first time. Back in the Neolithic era (in social media terms, 2010), a gallery reporter hit back at readers with a “Leave it to the professionals”. News.com.au political editor Malcolm Farr put it more colourfully last week on ABC’s The Drum, dismissing ‘that great grandstand of digital idiots on Twitter’.”

US to take on wage stagnation, while debate here goes in circlesGlenn Dyer and Bernard Keane

“It seems policymakers are trying to shift the goalposts and convince us that wages growth in the 2-3% range — which is barely ahead of inflation, and mean some private sector workers are going backwards — is a great achievement. Still, that’s better than the neoliberals and reactionaries at the Financial Review. Editor Michael Stutchbury has attacked people concerned about wage stagnation as “whingers” and has campaigned, along with a claque of wealthy economists, including some who don’t even live here, for the RBA to raise interest rates even if it undermines jobs growth.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Detectives looking into allegations that Asia Argento sexually abused teen actor

Q&A Recap: PM Dutton ‘fills me with terror’

Voters don’t know who Peter Dutton is or think he is ‘creepy’: Labor ($)

WaterFIx program that saved millions of litres of water axed by Sydney Water as drought reached crisis point ($)

4WD towing laws to be toughened by QLD government ($)

Q&A: John Marsden says he would not have written the Tomorrow series today

Yoga fitness and singing helped Briton survive 10 hours in Adriatic

Trump dares ‘worst CIA director’ Brennan to sue as security row deepens

Asia Argento accused of paying off actor who says she sexually assaulted him aged 17

‘We showed no care’: Pope vows no more cover ups on sexual abuse

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Melbourne

• Victorian parliament sits.

• The Australian Workers Union raids case will return to Federal Court for a case management hearing.

• Melbourne’s Bicycle Network will hold a public memorial for the 27-year-old Dutch woman who was killed by a stolen car while cycling in South Yarra in early August.

• The committal hearing for a man in relation to the attempted importation of over $60 million worth of cocaine into Victoria by boat will be heard.

• Essendon football coach John Worsfold to hold a media conference.

• A major Melbourne Park announcement will be made by Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley and representatives from Melbourne United football club.

Gold Coast

• The case of Dylan Voller will be mentioned in the Southport Magistrates Court for public nuisance, after he participated in a protest outside the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in April. Voller was among a number of protestors who gathered to raise awareness for the rights of Indigenous people.

Brisbane

• Queensland parliament sits.

• The Queensland government will introduce new laws to sack the Ipswich City Council, after a corruption probe charged 15 people, including former mayors with over 80 offences. If the legislation is passed, it would mean Ipswich will have no councillors for the first time since 1860.

Canberra

• First speech to parliament will be given by Australia’s first female Muslim senator, Mehreen Faruqi. The Greens senator was sworn in yesterday.

• The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporate Finance Services will hold a joint inquiry into options for greater involvement by private sector life insurers in worker rehabilitation.

• An Auditor-General report will be released on the effectiveness of the Attorney-General’s Department’s design of the Data Retention Industry Grants program.

• Minister for Defence Marise Payne to give a keynote speech at the Australian Defence Magazine STEM in Defence Summit, which brings together defence, defence industry and education to build a greater STEM-skilled workforce.

• A reenactment of the first woman in parliament speech will be held at Old Parliament House this evening celebrating the 75th Anniversary. Those being celebrated are the United Australian Party’s Dame Enid Lyons, the first woman elected to the House of Representatives, serving from 21 August 1943 to 19 march 1951 and Western Australia ALP Senator Dame Dorothy Tagney, the first woman elected to the Senate, who served from 21 August 1943 to 30.

• ‘The Global Financial Crisis:10 years on’ will be held by The National Press Club. Guest Speakers to tackle questions like how appropriate was Australia’s response? And can it happen again? include former treasurer Wayne Swan, Editor of The Guardian Australia Lenore Taylor and Lowy Institute Senior Fellow John Edwards.

Sydney

• It’s the last day of the 2018 Variety B to B Bash, an iconic Australian event that travels through outback NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory to help kids in need. As part of the event, over 100 vintage cars will travel through bush tracks to pay a visit to local schools and towns to make donations.

• The Rocky Hill climate change coal case will hear from independent expert witnesses Emeritus Professor Will Steffen and energy analyst Tim Buckley today. The Land and Environment Court is hearing a challenge from Gloucester Resources Limited and Yancoal Australia to prevent the approval of a greenfield mine application known as the Rocky Hill Coal Project.

• Cosplay enthusiast Sicen Sun will be sentenced, with the possibility of jail time, after he produced replica guns with a 3D printer and advertised them for sale online.

Perth

• Western Australia state parliament sits.

• The Nexus Theatre will host ‘@lantis: A Science Fiction Radio Play Series’. The live radio play was written and directed by Stephen B. Platt as part of his PhD research into Science Fiction in live performance.

Darwin

• Northern Territory parliament sits.

• Woolworths and a Victorian-based transport company have been charged with the death of a man who was run over in a local loading dock shopping centre. Both companies have been charged with breaching health and safety laws and could face up to $1.5 million in fines.

Hobart

• Tasmania’s House of Assembly and Legislative Council sits.

• Peter Jeffrey Rose, who caused nearly $3000 worth of damage on a Spirit of Tasmania ferry during a drunken rampage, is expected to be sentenced. Unbelievably, the man escaped with a copper wire after being locked up for abusing security staff.

• Community groups will hold a public meeting to voice their concern over a major Freycinet tourism development for Dolphin Sands. Those speaking will include author and journalist Martin Flanagan, Freycinet Actions Network’s Sophie Underwood, state Greens leader Cassy O’Connor and Labor Opposition MP David O’Byrne.

Australia

• AMSA Global Health Conference, 2018 continues. The event brings together more than 700 medical students from Australia and New Zealand.

• The 8th annual Be Medicinewise Week continues, encouraging families across Australia to be conscious of their medical decisions and health choices.

THE COMMENTARIAT

It would take a ‘miracle’ to save Malcolm Turnbull – Peter Hartcher (The Age): “Turnbull’s supporters are angry and frustrated at Abbott. But among many in the conservative faction of the Liberal Party, there is glee. Turnbull has been humiliated. And, to the conservatives’ great satisfaction, he has been humiliated over what they consider his pet fetish – climate change and carbon emissions.”

Replacing the Prime Minister is sheer madness ($) – Troy Bramston (The Australian): “We are already the coup capital of the world. No other country topples their leaders, state and federal, more often than we do. There is more stability in tin-pot dictatorships, military juntas and banana republics than in Australia”.

Forget data breaches, this is why I am finally ready to quit Facebook – Melissa Singer (The Sydney Morning Herald): “By friending me on Facebook then hitting on me, this guy knew far more about me than I’d normally divulge on a dating profile… I’ve learnt that men (and presumably some women) are using social media platforms as surrogate dating apps. And I’m not standing for it.”

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