Good morning Valued Subscriber,
From palm trees to Parliament? It has been a surreal few days for Julian Assange. Our newsroom, like those around the world, was fixed on flight trackers yesterday as Assange made his way from tropical Saipan to mid-winter Canberra. The logistics of covering Assange's arrival at Canberra Airport required heavy planning, especially for photographers Elesa Kurtz and Gary Ramage who were out in the cold with lenses at the ready.
Little was known yesterday about Assange's plans for today. But given the praise heaped on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by Assange's legal team, a visit to Parliament to meet those who supported his release seems a fair bet. Mark Kenny calls Assange's release a victory for persistent, quiet diplomacy.
Speaking of victory, it was a resounding win for NSW in game II of the State of Origin series. They'll now have to beat Queensland in Brisbane to clinch the series. They haven't done that since 2005. There's plenty more happening in the news. In case you missed it, Hannah Neale reports on a high-profile lawyer fined for a "bawdy" dance, the former DPP Shane Drumgold expressed relief at the dropping of defamation claims against him, and just when we thought we'd had enough news ... possible bird flu was detected in Canberra.
Assange will have a frosty greeting in Canberra, after overnight temperatures of minus 1. Today will reach 13 degrees with light winds.
John-Paul Moloney, managing editor | 