Morning Mail: OJ Simpson dies, locked up children miss schooling, Dutton’s office bill for Rinehart party trip
Good morning. The Queensland government is in the firing line, accused of failing to provide adequate schooling to children who are locked up. Children held in the “youth hub” of the Caboolture police watch house are receiving about 44 minutes of schooling on average each weekday. Lessons at that level have been dismissed as “meaningless” by child advocates.
Meanwhile, we can reveal that while Peter Dutton travelled at his own expense to the lavish birthday party of Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart, in Perth, his office billed taxpayers thousands of dollars for two staff to travel with him.
And OJ Simpson, the ex-NFL star who was found not guilty of murder in 1995 after a celebrity court trial that gripped the world, has died of cancer aged 76.
Australia
Youth justice | Data from a question on notice by the Queensland shadow attorney general, Tim Nicholls, has shown children held in a police watch house “youth hub” are receiving less than an hour of daily schooling on average.
Exclusive | Peter Dutton’s office claimed nearly $6,000 in public expenses for staff and security to travel to Perth with the opposition leader when he attended Gina Rinehart’s lavish birthday party in February.
‘Ambitious target’ | Australia could cut national greenhouse gases by at least 65% and up to 75% by 2035, according to an initial assessment by the Albanese government’s climate advisory body.
Avian influenza | Back yard chicken owners have been urged to implement biosecurity measures to prevent contact with wild birds in the wake of a global outbreak that has reach as far as Antarctica.
Advice revealed | Within months of Labor’s election win, officials told Andrew Giles “concrete steps” were needed on deporting some non-citizens in warnings of increased legal risks over immigration detention.
World
‘Black room’ | A banquet room with frescoes depicting characters inspired by the Trojan war has been unearthed among Pompeii ruins – and described as one of most striking discoveries ever made at the archaeological site.
Gaza crisis | The US is seeking to deter Iran from carrying out a retaliatory strike against Israel, officials say; meanwhile, Hamas says it doesn’t have 40 captives who are still alive who meet the “humanitarian criteria” for a proposed hostages-for-prisoners ceasefire agreement.
OJ Simpson | The former NFL star, acquitted of murder in 1995 in a case that gripped the world and heralded a blending of celebrity and crime that has become a staple of media ever since, has died aged 76.
Russsia-Ukraine war | Ukraine’s MPs have passed a mobilisation bill aimed at conscripting hundreds of thousands of new troops as its forces deal with growing casualties and fresh Russian offensives.
Micronesia | Three fishermen stranded on a remote Pacific atoll for more than a week were rescued after spelling out the word “HELP” in the sand using giant palm fronds.
Full Story
Labor’s changing rhetoric on Palestine
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, spoke this week about finding a pathway to peace in the Middle East – calling for a two-state solution and the recognition of Palestine as a state. In response, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, accused Wong of alienating Australia’s international allies. Gabrielle Jackson speaks with Lenore Taylor and Mike Ticher about the response to Wong’s calls to recognise Palestinian statehood.
In-depth
Thirty years ago, a humble silver bus was transformed into a cinematic icon when the low-budget Australian film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert became a heartwarming, Oscar-winning smash hit. But for years, no one knew where the bus used in Stephan Elliott’s film went after it had seemingly vanished without trace. The story of where she ended up, and how she was found, is worthy of a film in itself.
Not the news
Bri Lee’s debut novel, The Work, is torn between two books: one is a half hearted skewering of money and power, the other a modern romance. Split between New York and Sydney, the novel uses the lenses of gender inequity, power and class to scrutinise the cultural sector’s gatekeepers and profiteers. Ultimately though, says Jack Callil, this satirical – and horny – art world romp tries to tick too many boxes.
The world of sport
Swimming | James Magnussen should be banned for life if he deliberately dopes in a bid to break a world record in the Enhanced Games, the World Aquatics chief has said.
Football | David Squires on … the most brutal moment in the A-League’s history; plus, Liverpool take on Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen face West Ham in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.
Golf | All the action as the best in the golfing world take on the course on day one of the Masters at Augusta.
Media roundup
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is preparing to travel to Ukraine in a show of support aimed at combating claims of faltering Australian backing for Ukraine’s war against Russia, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Peak farming bodies say a mining company’s proposal to store waste carbon dioxide in Australia’s biggest underground freshwater system puts the nation’s food production system at risk, reports ABC News. Police in Melbourne and shipping operators are bracing for parts of the city and the Port of Melbourne – Australia’s busiest port – to be shut down on Monday as part of global protest action over Israel’s invasion of Gaza, reports the Age.
What’s happening today
New South Wales | A hearing is scheduled in Sydney in the class action against the federal government over AstraZeneca vaccinations.
Western Australia | A hearing is scheduled in the legal dispute between Yindjibarndi people and the mining company Fortescue Metals.
New South Wales | The infrastructure minister, Catherine King, is due to give the keynote address at the 2024 Infrastructure Conference.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
