Good morning. The climate crisis is in the news today as politicians prepare for the Cop26 climate summit at the end of the month. NSW enjoys eased Covid restrictions but confusion remains over its vaccination record system. And if you’re dancing your way out of lockdown, we had some expert advice on how to keep your shoes in good nick.
As Scott Morrison continues negotiations with the Nationals over climate policy ahead of the Cop26 talks in Glasgow, the latest Guardian Essential poll suggests a majority of Australians want the Coalition to set a higher emissions reduction target for 2030 and a net zero target for 2050. Morrison has been signalling his support for a net zero target for many months and there has been persistent speculation the government may increase Australia’s current 2030 emissions reduction target of a 26-28% cut on 2005 levels. But with some Nationals hostile, and some MPs demanding high price tags before any agreement on targets, the weight of predictions suggest the Coalition is more likely to trumpet a projected overachievement on the current 2030 commitment than increase ambition.
The world is poised to make a big leap forward at the UN Cop26 climate summit, with world leaders “sharpening their pencils” to make fresh commitments that could put the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement within reach, John Kerry has said. More than 400 international health organisations and professionals have signed an open letter calling on politicians to consider the health benefits of climate action ahead of the summit, which begins on 31 October. Despite the rapidly approaching start date, there are still many unknowns about whether some major players will attend, including Scott Morrison.
Vaccinations are now key to enjoying many post-lockdown freedoms in NSW and parts of Victoria. There are plenty of ways you can prove your vaccination status, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing for NSW, which has overhauled its vaccination record-keeping process after it caused errors on the federal immunisation system. Experts say more needs to be done to ensure the systems are flawless, given people could be locked out of venues due to their vaccine status. “If people are being locked out of venues or work or anything, really, on the basis of their vaccination status, it’s unacceptable that that occurs because the information is not correct,” said Dr Katie Attwell, an expert in vaccine mandates.
Australia
Australia has been accused of double standards for supporting an international target for ecosystem protection, but not committing to a domestic target. A WWF-Australia report has revealed more than 1,500 of Australia’s unique ecosystems have no protections at all because they occur outside designated protected areas, such as national parks.
The Victorian Labor party faces another day of hearings at the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission. MP Luke Donnellan resigned from cabinet on Monday after Ibac heard he had paid for other people’s party memberships.
People living in low socioeconomic areas of Sydney and Melbourne have been hit hardest by Covid, with nearly 60% of deaths during the NSW Delta wave in the south-western or western Sydney local health districts. Experts say the spread in disadvantaged communities had been “utterly predictable”.
The federal agriculture minister, David Littleproud, has rejected demands from farmers for compensation for emissions reductions agreed more than two decades ago, saying the states should be responsible for compensating farmers over land clearing laws.
The world
An abandoned and rotting tanker with 1.1m barrels of crude oil on board could leave 8 million people without access to running water and destroy Yemen’s Red Sea fishing stock within three weeks, if an “increasingly probable” oil spill was to occur.
A new cancer treatment can wipe out tumours in terminally ill head and neck cancer patients, scientists have discovered.
The Metropolitan police’s decision to take no further action over Virginia Giuffre’s allegations of sexual assault against Prince Andrew “comes as no surprise”, a source close to the royal has said.
Fourteen EU member states are preparing to issue a joint declaration accusing the British government of risking “significant economic and social damage” to their fishing communities, as wider relations appear close to breaking point.
Recommended reads
For a building that began life as the headquarters of a pharmaceutical company, the Nicholas Building has evolved over the decades into one of the most fascinating buildings in Melbourne and the heart of a creative community. But the heritage-listed building is now up for sale and the current tenants are pleading with potential buyers to keep the use of space for artists. “A key for supporting artists is space and real estate. Historically people have always been pushed out with real estate and market forces changing the environment. It gets harder and harder. If spaces become less accessible, and a certain sort of art stops being made,” said letterpress print maker Carolyn Fraser.
Good shoes are hard to find. That perfect balance of style, comfort and durability often proves elusive and is dependent on changing factors: is it going to rain? How far do we have to walk? Will there be dancing? When we find a shoe that fits one or more of those parameters, we want it to last. How do you keep your leather swell? With the right kind of attention, a pair of shoes can last for decades – but neglect can be hard to undo. We spoke to the experts to get their tips on how to make a good pair of shoes go the distance.
How do you raise mortgage rates without actually raising them? The hope is new borrowing rules will take some steam out of the housing market without giving the rest of the economy a whack, writes Greg Jericho. “Those fortunate to be able to afford a home loan will now have to prove they can pay 3% above the interest rate the bank is offering. It is a new measure introduced ironically not to ensure people will be able to pay when rates increase, but because rates are not about to increase at all.”
Listen
A draft report from the disability royal commission found the federal health department’s approach to the vaccination rollout has been “seriously deficient”, having overlooked people with disabilities in favour of aged care residents. In today’s Full Story, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to disability advocate David Belcher about the difficulty he faced in accessing a Covid-19 vaccination. And inequality editor Luke Henriques-Gomes talks about the failures of the Australian government in protecting some of its most vulnerable populations
Full Story
How Australia’s vaccine rollout overlooked people with disabilities
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The Socceroos win in Kaiserslautern in 2006 was painful for Japan, but the team could take these two sides’ rivalry to another level on Tuesday, when they have an opportunity to blast a hole in the Samurai Blue’s chances of reaching the World Cup.
Media roundup
China has made a formal complaint to Canberra against former PM Tony Abbott over comments he made in Taiwan, including labelling China as a bully, reports the ABC. The AFL is investigating claims former player agent Ricky Nixon allegedly sold forged memorabilia, including footballs allegedly signed by Melbourne Demon premiership players, while purporting to raise funds for charity, says the Age. And the Sydney Morning Herald says Prince Charles has urged Scott Morrison to attend the Cop26 summit, warning the talks are a “last chance saloon” to avoid global “catastrophe”.
Coming up
Both houses of NSW parliament sit, with Dominic Perrottet as the new premier.
Ibac public hearings into allegations of branch stacking within Victorian Labor continue.
And if you’ve read this far …
The word “slut” scrawled at the end of the manuscript for John Steinbeck’s seminal novel The Grapes of Wrath may have been explained, thanks to a handful of Swedish academics who say the term is the Swedish expression for “the end”.
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