Morning Mail: Victoria’s female MPs ‘on high alert’; Snowy Hydro’s $25bn bill; and Tour de France routes revealed

Good morning. With just five weeks until the Victorian election, female MPs say they are “on high alert” over potential threats after the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines.

International students across Australia say they fear disruption to their lives as they are forced to navigate the impacts of Labor’s sudden visa changes.

There are dire warnings for the future of the world’s coral reef ecosystems, including the Great Barrier Reef. And we look at the resurgence in bogong moth numbers across eastern Australia.

Australia

• ‘I can’t sleep’ | International students in Australia are facing uncertainty amid the Albanese government’s sudden changes to student visa rules, which have left some fearing the disruption ahead.

• ‘On high alert’ | The alleged attack on Helen Haines has sent a chill down the collective spine of female MPs before the Victorian election. “Nunchucks” allegedly wielded by an agitated man at WA MP Hannah Beazley’s office may have been drumsticks, a court has heard.

• ‘Could have been worse’ | The cost of Snowy Hydro 2.0 has blown out to as much as $25bn, with a reassessment finding the renewable energy project will not be completed until the end of the decade.

• The road ahead | Jim Chalmers has revealed December’s midyear budget update will project higher unemployment and weaker growth, as economists warn of a difficult six months.

• Analysis | If you live on the eastern side of Australia, you’ve probably noticed that bogong moths are back in a big way. Data from citizen scientists reveal how they are coming back from the brink.

• Opinion | There are plenty of reasons why Australians feel “mad as hell” at the moment, Nicki Hutley writes. Here are three things the government could do right now to make people feel better off.

World

• Russia-Ukraine war | Russia has carried out a massive attack on Ukraine, bombarding Kyiv with ballistic missiles just hours after Vladimir Putin said he had agreed to resume negotiations; Downing Street has rejected US envoy Steve Witkoff’s description of Putin as a “humanitarian”.

• Middle East crisis | Iran will strike oil facilities, undersea cables, datacentres and AI facilities across as many as seven countries in the Gulf in the event of a fresh US-Israeli attack, Tehran has said.

• ‘Wake-up call’ | Almost every shallow-water coral reef on the planet, including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, faces ecosystem collapse before 2075 because of global heating, UN advisers warn.

• French unrest | “Illegitimate” demonstrations will be banned in the coming days, Emmanuel Macron says, as France seeks to get a grip on civil unrest after some of its worst street violence in years.

• Active Denial System | Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, has reportedly signed a memo permitting officials to test a non-lethal “heat ray” for potential use at the US southern border.

• ‘Pure arrogance’ | There’s anger in Finland as it was revealed that Google illegally felled 250,000 trees and stripped an entire area – even taking the topsoil – to build a new datacentre project.

Full Story

Alan Jones on trial: Alleged victim’s mother ‘trusted’ Jones

The mother of the youngest complainant wept on the stand after being presented with a note written by her son alleging “something happened” at Alan Jones’s property at Fitzroy Falls. As the prosecution questioned the mother, she told the court she had “trusted” Jones with her then teenage son. Amanda Meade joins Nour Haydar to unpack an emotional week in the courtroom.

In-depth

Air travel can become not just messy but a “biological hazard”, with stomach bugs combined with turbulence increasing nausea and leaving passengers caught short while making it to the lavatory. Airlines don’t always allow hygiene issues to hinder their schedules but they can cause major disruptions. Changing seat covers, using air freshener and cancelling flights: here’s how airlines tackle mid-flight contamination.

Not the news

Diana Reid only used about 25 lines from Jane Austen’s first published novel for her film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, inventing most of the dialogue herself. But as she toiled over her screenplay, the Australian author found herself having some oddly formal conversations down at the pub. She talks about how Austen infected her speech, the impact of Ang Lee’s 1995 film, and surprising Brits with her accent.

Sport

• Surfing | Surfing faces a cultural reckoning as women’s voices grow louder over sexual abuse allegations, Lucy Small writes.

• Cricket | South Africa beat Scott Boland – and the weather – in their second Test to force a series decider against Australia.

• Football | Bruno Fernandes is a symptom of Manchester United’s culture of entitlement, Jamie Jackson writes. Unai Emery and Julian Nagelsmann have emerged as leading targets to replace Michael Carrick if he is sacked. Plus: follow all of today’s Europa League action.

• Cycling | Tour de France 2027 routes have been revealed with British stages, time trials – and a volcano.

• Basketball | Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had an extraordinary NBA debut.

Plans to rezone pockets of Sydney’s inner west to enable 20-storey unit blocks to be built are facing intense backlash from residents angry over the “radical change”, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Traders at the Queen Victoria Market say the Melbourne cultural icon is at risk, the Age reports. A Tasmanian farmer has revealed that the state’s feral deer issue is costing him more than $300,000 each year, the Mercury reveals. There’s alarm after Australians withdrew a record $1.46bn from their retirement nest eggs last financial year on compassionate grounds, ABC News reports.

What’s happening today

• NSW | The trial of murder-accused Beau Lamarre-Condon continues at the NSW supreme court.

• NSW | The trial of veteran broadcaster Alan Jones continues in Sydney.

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