Good morning. Amid the gloom over the property market downturn across Australia, new figures reveal that it is the more high-end houses being hit worst – down more than 10% from their peaks in some cities.
A new report has projected staggering economic losses to be felt across Australia by the end of the century due to coastal flooding as rising sea levels cause “safe land” to vanish amid a worsening climate crisis.
Alarming warnings from tech industry insiders in recent days have left some global leaders scrambling to quantify the threat to humans posed by AI. And we look back at the life of author Blanche d’Alpuget.
Australia
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‘Less and less viable’ | The Climate Council forecasts that more than 267,000 coastal properties will be damaged by flooding by 2100 as Australia’s sea levels rise, costing hundreds of billions of dollars.
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A mixed bag | High-end homes are recording steep price falls, while more affordable properties are proving resilient, leaving Australians to experience the real estate downturn in very different ways.
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Renters warned | So-called “RentTech” companies may be circumventing Victorian laws designed to protect tenants’ personal data by asking for “excessive” information, a review has found.
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Analysis | The RBA hoped this year’s three interest rate rises would tame inflation. But with the US-Iran conflict, rising oil prices and the explosion in datacentre investment, nothing is going their way.
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Koala concerns | The Victorian government sat on a report for more than 12 months that found the state’s koala population was in chronically poor health, a report reveals.
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‘A true one-off’ | Blanche d’Alpuget is being remembered as a successful author who “lived fearlessly” – and brought her own star power to her relationship with her “great love”, Bob Hawke.
World
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Far-right gains | Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has accused the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party of seeking “ethnic cleansing”, after its seismic victory in a state election.
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Middle East crisis | Tehran claims to have attacked 10 ships around the strait of Hormuz after the US sank five Iranian tankers, as escalating strikes sent the oil price above $100 a barrel for the first time since July.
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‘Gambling with our lives’ | Pressure is rising for curbs on artificial superintelligence as Anthropic insiders warn that AI could kill all humans in the next decade. But how seriously should we take them?
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Know when to fold ‘em | Apple has unveiled the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable phone and the most significant change to the iPhone since the smartphone’s introduction in 2007.
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‘It’s a good start’ | Prominent Israelis are welcoming UK sanctions on illegal settlements in the West Bank. The UK foreign secretary has rejected claims that the sanctions will make British Jews less safe.
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King Harald V | Tens of thousands lined the streets as Norway said farewell to King Harald V in a ceremony attended by Europe’s royals and global political figures that brought 13 days of mourning to a close.
Full Story
Greg Jericho on One Nation’s superannuation ‘sugar hit’
One Nation’s proposal to allow people to access 3% of their super contributions for three years is touted as a lifeline for those struggling to get by. But are we better off with our money in super or in our pockets? Greg Jericho speaks with Matilda Boseley about One Nation’s “sugar hit” policy. Plus: in his latest Grogonomics column, Greg Jericho says horror warnings about the “collapsing” housing market are absurd.
In-depth
A chain of flowers tattooed from knee to foot, a gold nose ring worn on a left nostril, a primary school tie caked in mud: these images linger in Sonia Patil’s mind as she tries to help Nepali flood victims find their loved ones. The Melbourne-based chef has no direct connection with Nepal, but is part of efforts trying to match information of the missing with an official database of flood victims – a task where success is bittersweet at best.
Not the news
The revered writer Witi Ihimaera has often written about Māori politics and resistance across his storied career. His play Woman Far Walking, about an ancient woman who has witnessed 160 years of colonialism, angered some New Zealand viewers resistant to acknowledging Māori losses of lives, land and language. And now, 26 years after it was first performed, the work is finally having its Australian premiere.
Sport
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Tennis | In the quarter-final matchups at the US Open, Elena Rybakina beat Zheng Qinwen to seize the world No 1 ranking while Mirra Andreeva faced off against Coco Gauff.
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AFL | Before the AFL finals, Martin Pegan looks at where the Brisbane v Adelaide semi-final will be won and lost.
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NFL | Circus or spectacular? Either way, the NFL’s exercise in cultural exchange has gripped Melbourne, Jack Snape writes.
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Football | Napoli are taking on Arsenal and Liverpool are facing Atlético Madrid in today’s Champions League action.
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Cricket | Grim predictability blights Pakistan’s brief moments of light against England amid Test gloom, Andy Bull writes.
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Cycling | Matthew Brennan has snared a fifth stage win at the Vuelta a España.
Media roundup
The NSW government is facing pressure to immediately halt the controversial practice of floodplain harvesting amid legal uncertainty, ABC News reports. Brittany Higgins has accused the Victorian government of using her credibility to promote promised reforms that it won’t deliver before the November election, the Age reports. Gun reform advocates are anxious before a vote on Tasmania’s controversial firearms legislation, the Mercury reports.
What’s happening today
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ACT | Federal parliament is sitting in Canberra.
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Culture | The Prime Minister’s Literary awards winners are set to be announced later today.
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ACT | Former prime minister Kevin Rudd is scheduled to speak at the National Press Club today.
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NSW | A public hearing in the inquiry into unsolved murders and long-term missing persons cases is being held at NSW Parliament House today.
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NSW | The trial of former broadcaster Alan Jones continues in Sydney.
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Brain teaser
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