AUSTRALIA BRACES FOR FURTHER RANSOMWARE ATTACKS

The fallout from the global Wannacrypt ransomware attacks continues. While Australia avoided much of the chaos that hundreds of thousands of businesses in 150 countries experienced this time around, the country is likely to face another round of attacks, experts say. Both The Australian Financial Review and The Herald Sun warn that it is small to medium sized business that are most at risk.  Meanwhile the Fairfax papers report Cyber Security Minister Dan Tehan has conceded the government could not guarantee that public service agencies would be secure from future attacks, and The Guardian quotes various cyber security experts who advise victims not to pay ransomware demands.

HENRY’S TAX SPRAY

The Australian and The Australian Financial Review both lead with former Treasury secretary and current National Australia Bank chairman Ken Henry‘s scathing response to the governments $6.2 billion tax on the major banks. Henry told the Oz the tax was so bad it deserved a “full public inquiry” and that the costs would inevitably be passed on to customers, while at the AFR he describes the tax as perpetuating a “dishonest fiscal strategy” that will take Australia’s tax system “back to the 1980s”.

MANUS TO CLOSE

The Fairfax papers are reporting that detainees at the Manus Island detention centre been told to “consider their options” as the detention approaches its closing date of October 31 this year. The Papua New Guinea immigration official in the recording, believed to be centre co-ordinator Jeffrey Kiangali, tells the men they could live in the PNG community or live temporarily at a transit centre in East Lorengau, but reiterated that “no one will be resettled in Australia”. 

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Australian star David Warner says pay dispute puts Ashes summer in doubt

Families’ NDIS support slashed

Fairfax Media’s second largest shareholder calls on board to reject new $2.76 billion TPG bid

THE COMMENTARIAT

TPG Capital closes in on Domain dream with revised $2.76 billion Fairfax Media bid — Michael Smith (Australian Financial Review $): “Even with shareholder support, one of the biggest challenges for the TPG consortium will be securing Foreign Investment Review Board approval. While TPG is promising to support quality journalism if it is successful, the track record of private equity firms suggests this objective will be low on its priority list.”

Bill Shorten steady under pressure with Labor figures strong — Shaun Carney (Herald Sun $):”As for Shorten, the fact is that, unlikeable or not, he’s done a fair job of restoring the Labor Party after its disastrous time in office. And he’s done it with policy, not charm and charisma.”

Millennials ask: can we have some more? — Nick Cater (The Australian $): “The conviction of many millennials that they are the most put-upon generation since their ancestors rose from the swamp appears impossible to erase, despite the weight of contrary historical evidence. High house prices and slow internet connections are minor inconveniences compared with, say, rickets or sitting in a cold and muddy trench facing a barrage of German artillery, but that’s really not the point.”

NSW must give the terminally ill the right to a dignified death — Parliamentary working group on assisted dying (Sydney Morning Herald): “The proposed legislation outlines that the patient must be able to communicate their consent, understand the other options available to them, including palliative care, and understand the consequence of the decision. To be eligible for consideration, the patient must be at least 25 years of age and a resident in NSW. They must also be suffering from a terminal illness that, in reasonable medical judgment, would be likely to result in the death of the patient within 12 months.”

THE WORLD

The US has accused the government of Bashar Al-Assad of using crematoriums to destroy the bodies of people executed at Sednaya prison. The allegation was made by acting assistant secretary of state Stuart Jones, who said the US had “credible evidence” of mass graves. Earlier this year an Amnesty International report alleged that 20-50 people were being hanged at the prison every day. — Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron has chosen a rightwing prime minister, installing Republican Party mayor Edouard Philippe. The move is designed to further divide and conquer the French right in the lead-up to parliamentary elections, though has angered leftwing parties. — The Guardian

Portugal is savouring victory after Salvador Sobral came out on top of Eurovision 2017. The Portuguese language ballad that helped him to victory is seen as a boost for pop culture in a country where English language hits often dominate. — BBC

WHAT WE’RE READING

Trumpenstein: creating a media monster (Medium): “Trump spent 100+ days attacking the press, which forced them  – for their own survival, and maybe democracy’s  — to get better at their jobs. And now his creation will bring him down.”

How Google took over the classroom (New York Times): “Google is helping to drive a philosophical change in public education — prioritizing training children in skills like teamwork and problem-solving while de-emphasizing the teaching of traditional academic knowledge, like math formulas. It puts Google at the center of one of the great debates that has raged for more than a century: whether the purpose of public schools is to turn out knowledgeable citizens or skilled workers.”

What’s digitization doing to health care? (Motherboard): “New software is industrializing medicine by turning doctors into data entry clerks — and making them suicidally depressed in the process.”

Ann Coulter is worried ‘the Trump haters were right’ (Daily Caller): “My fingers are still crossed, it’s not like I’m out yet, but boy things don’t look good … it’s as if we’re in Chicago and Trump tells us he’s going to get us to LA in six days. But for the first three days we are driving towards New York  … I think all of the Trump true believers are petrified.”

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