Good afternoon. Anthony Albanese has stood firm on the decision not to set up a federal royal commission into the Bondi beach terror attack, calling for national unity and criticising the politicisation of the incident.
The energy minister, Chris Bowen, had earlier accused Sussan Ley of “disgusting” conduct, saying she was “not the arbiter of grief” after her broadside yesterday on the foreign minister, Penny Wong. The opposition leader, for her part, made “no apology for my passion”.
The Minns government’s new laws to ban protests for up to three months after a terror incident will face a constitutional challenge by three groups who regularly organise protests in Sydney. The NSW premier is “confident” the laws will withstand any challenge. The constitutional expert Anne Twomey writes that anti-protest laws rushed through parliament “often have an unhappy ending in the courts”.
Elsewhere, the ABC has defended two of its best-known journalists, Laura Tingle and Sarah Ferguson, over their coverage of the Bondi attack.
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‘Unusual’ pink platypus spotted in Gippsland, Australia – video
Victorian fisher Cody Stylianou thought he’d seen a huge trout. But, skimming just below the surface, and moving differently than a fish would, was a pink platypus.
What they said …Journalist and TV presenter of Media Watch, Linton Besser. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
“We try and be as fair as we can to everyone because the person who’s tipping you into a story this week might be the subject of your story next week.” – Linton Besser.
The new host of Media Watch has spoken to Amanda Meade about the ups and downs of his first year in the coveted role.
Full StoryHow does Gina Rinehart, like her father before her, use wealth and power to influence politics? Illustration: Sam Kerr/The Guardian
Gina: Like father, like daughter – episode 2
Gina Rinehart’s first major foray into the political spotlight was successfully lobbying against Labor’s mining super profit tax during the early 2010s. But what did she learn from Lang Hancock, who campaigned to overturn the iron ore export embargo in the 1950s, setting the foundation for their family fortune?
Before bed readJonathan Seidler’s hanukiah on 15 December. Photograph: Jonathan Seidler
“The Bondi attack has desecrated our most joyful festival. My anger burns white hot,” Jonathan Seidler writes. Although he is desperate to return to normality, Seidler is also “clinging to this twilight zone of grieving. To experience any semblance of joy seems unfathomably traitorous.”
Daily word game Photograph: The Guardian
Today’s starter word is: LOUD. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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