| | 12/02/2025 Sam Kerr not guilty, the Australians going to Jordan Peterson’s talkfest, how Zelenskyy will woo US |
|
|
| | | | Morning, everyone. After a six-day trial that was two years in the making, a jury took only a few hours to decide that Sam Kerr was not guilty of racially aggravated harassment. We have the full story from London. The UK capital is also the destination for senior Coalition figures who are attending a conference led by the rightwing thinker Jordan Peterson next week. And we have an exclusive interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy about how he plans to convince Donald Trump to keep backing Ukraine. |
|
|
| Australia | | Exclusive | TheCoalition frontbencher Bridget McKenzie, the Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming and key figures from News Corp are to attend a UK conference led by Jordan Peterson which aims to “re-lay the foundations of our civilisation”. The former prime minister Tony Abbott will speak at the gathering next week. | Kerr cleared | Sam Kerr has been cleared of a racially aggravated harassment charge by a jury at Kingston crown court. The prosecution case, threw up issues of race, power and privilege after the Matildas star called PC Stephen Lovell “fucking stupid and white”. | Up in the air | The Albanese government may have to acquire the embattled regional airline Rex and operate it as a state-owned carrier, as efforts to find a new buyer to rescue the airline remain fruitless. | Psychiatry save | NSW Health could save $35m a year and improve patient care by giving psychiatrists a 25% pay rise compared with what they are spending on contractors to fill vacancies, according to modelling. | Sovereign challenge | Old Parliament House will review its public booking system after a group of self-styled “sovereign citizens” seeking to “indict” politicians were able to hold a formal event condemning the Australian government’s “occupation” within the building. |
|
|
|
| World | | Gaza tensions | Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says the ceasefire with Hamas will end if hostages are not released this weekend, while Donald Trump is meeting Jordan’s king (pictured) amid tensions sparked by his proposed Gaza “takeover”. What will the Hamas delay and Trump’s threats mean for the ceasefire deal? And given that the deal could collapse, how popular is Hamas in Gaza? | Exclusive | Europe will not be able to fully protect Ukraine if Donald Trump withdraws US support in its war with Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the Guardian in an exclusive interview on the eve of what could be his most consequential diplomatic trip since Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago. The Ukraine president also said he would offer US firms lucrative reconstruction contracts to try to get Trump onside. | ‘Chasing dollars’ | The Arkansas Republican senator Tom Cotton has used a new book to condemn Elon Musk for “chasing Chinese dollars” and having “shamefully supplicated China’s Communist rulers” to advance companies including Tesla and SpaceX. | AI opt out | The US and the UK have refused to sign the Paris AI summit’s declaration on “inclusive and sustainable” artificial intelligence in a blow to hopes for a concerted approach to developing and regulating the technology. | ‘I was dying’ | Salman Rushdie took the stand in the trial of the man accused of attempting to kill him at a literary gathering in New York, telling the court: “It occurred to me quite clearly I was dying.” |
|
|
|
| | | Have your say | | Join our research panel to share your thoughts on The Guardian's advertising and commercial partnerships. You'll also go into the running to win one of three $50 vouchers each month. | | Join now |
| | |
| In-depth | | Attendance at school in Australia is falling, and fewer children are going through to complete year 12. These are the two main takeaways from the Productivity Commission’s latest report on education services. Caitlin Cassidy studies the numbers showing attendance and retention at a 10-year low, while there is a record low number of children (63.9%) enrolled at public schools. |
|
|
| Not the news | | The latest series of The White Lotus, Mike White’s satire on the rich, takes a new gang of shiny unhappy people to a resort in Thailand in “a sumptuous feast for all the senses”. According to our reviewer, Lucy Mangan, it is “exquisitely shot, scripted, paced and performed … Come on in, the water’s lovely – until the bodies start floating past.” |
|
|
| Media roundup | Whyalla steelworks’ owner, Sanjeev Gupta, says his firm is seeking new finance to help steady the crisis-hit plant, the Adelaide Advertiser reports. Harvests at vineyards across NSW have defied frost, storms and heatwaves as the glut of wine looks set to continue, the Central Daily reports. |
|
|
| What’s happening today | Business | Commonwealth Bank will release its half-year results, with shares at a record high. | Environment | TheAustralia Institute presents its climate integrity summit at Parliament House. | Canberra | Industry minister Ed Husic will address the National Press Club. |
|
|
|
| Brain teaser | And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. | |
|
|
| Contact us | | If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email customer.help@guardian.co.uk |
|
|
A message from Lenore Taylor editor of Guardian AustraliaI hope you appreciated this newsletter. Before you move on, I wonder if you would consider supporting our work as we prepare for a pivotal, uncertain year ahead.
The course of world history has taken a sharp and disturbing turn in 2024. Liberalism is under threat from populist authoritarianism. Americans have voted to install a president with no respect for democratic norms, nor the facts that once formed the guardrails of public debate.
That decision means an alliance critical to Australia’s national and economic security is now a series of unpredictable transactions, with a partner no longer committed to multilateralism, nor efforts to curb global heating, the greatest threat we face. We just don’t know where this will lead.
In this uncertain time, fair, fact-based journalism is more important than ever – to record and understand events, to scrutinise the powerful, to give context, and to counter rampant misinformation and falsehoods.
As we enter an Australian election year, we are deeply conscious of the responsibility to accurately and impartially report on what is really at stake.
The Guardian is in a unique position to do this. We are not subject to the influence of a billionaire owner, nor do we exist to enrich shareholders. We are here to serve and listen to you, our readers, and we rely on your support to power our work.
Your support keeps us independent, beholden to no outside influence and accessible to everyone – whether they can afford to pay for news, or not.
If you can, please consider supporting us with just $1, or better yet, support us every month with a little more. Thank you. | | Support us |
| Lenore Taylor
Editor, Guardian Australia |
| |
|
|
|
|
