An empathetic excuse

PRIVACY PLEASE

Queensland Liberal MP Andrew Laming will not recontest the next federal election following allegations that he took a photo up a woman’s skirt, with Guardian Australia reporting he has pleaded for privacy, has been ordered to take “empathy training”, and will become the third MP to take mental health leave.

Labor has called for the member for Bowman to resign entirely, a move that would plunge the Coalition into minority government, however Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told ABC’s Insiders that any decisions on expulsions are up to the state LNP and that he considers Laming to remain a “fit and proper” person to be an MP.

Also speaking to Insiders, Liberal backbenchers Katie Allen and Sarah Henderson both called for drug and alcohol testing as part of cultural reforms at Parliament House.

On the other side of the aisle, Labor has referred an anonymous historical sexual ­assault allegation against a senior Labor figure to the Australian Federal Police, which The Australian ($) reports was referred despite party representatives believing the complaint to be not credible and politically motivated.

Elsewhere, Liberal senator Jim Molan has used his government Facebook account to label a grieving mother’s petition for a royal commission into veteran suicides as “disingenuous”, “duplicitous” and “very apple pie”, New Matilda reports.

And the latest Newspoll ($) has Scott Morrison’s personal approval rating down seven points to 55% satisfaction, while the two-party preferred vote remains 48-52 to Labor.

PS: Ahead of the first digital ALP national conference starting tomorrow, The Australian ($) reports that Anthony Albanese plans to make sexual violence and women’s safety a focus at the event, while other factional debates cover nuclear energy, an anti free trade motion from the Electrical Trades Union, and an attempt “by the right faction to water down the party’s push to recognise Palestine as a state and to call out issues with China’s policies on Hong Kong, Tibet and the persecution of ­Uighurs”.

1800 Respect: 1800 737 732; Lifeline: 13 11 14.

MISSING LINK

Scott Morrison has agreed to Annastacia Palaszczuk’s request to halve Queensland’s intake of international arrivals for two weeks to ease pressure on hospitals. The ABC adds that Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young believes a now inactive case recorded yesterday seems to be the “missing link” between the man’s brother, who tested positive to the UK variant last Thursday, and a doctor who worked at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and tested positive in early March.

Queensland police have also shut an investigation into another Brisbane man who tested positive Saturday, after wrongly claiming he had a party with 25 guests after he was identified as a close contact; there were only five in the house, most of whom were housemates.

Queensland Health currently lists six close contact hotspots:

There are also 19 casual contact sites, which fall as recently as Thursday March 25 and cover additional suburbs including Alderely, Everton Park, Lawnton, Newmarket, Newstead, Nundah, Stafford, and Strathpine.

PS: Note that while no media organisation chose to breach any of the cases’ privacy even when one was assumed to have had a rager after being identified as a close contact, The Courier-Mail made sure to resuscitate photos and names of the two young women of colour who broke restrictions months ago.

NET LOSS

Nine Entertainment Co has requested assistance from the Australian Signals Directorate after a major cyber attack hit its broadcast systems and prevented two shows from going to air early yesterday morning.

Concurrently, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Australian Parliament also began investigating a potential cyber attack in Canberra yesterday evening, one reportedly affecting government-issued smartphones and tablets.

MYANMAR COUP CONTINUES

Finally, Al Jazeera reports that Myanmar soldiers yesterday opened fire at people gathered for the funeral of one of 114 people killed on Saturday — the bloodiest day since the February 1 coup — as the defence chiefs of 12 countries, including Australia, condemn the military for attacks on demonstrators.