Morning Mail: Angus Taylor’s approval plummets, earthquake in Japan, and an ultra long-haul flight

28 Jul, 20:54. AU edition

The opposition leader, Angus Taylor — Angus Taylor’s approval rating has crashed 16 points among men and four points among women. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Our latest Essential poll shows collapsing support for the Liberal leader; quake traps many in mall

Morning everyone. The good news for Angus Taylor is that support for One Nation seems to have plateaued. The bad news is the Coalition has slipped as well, and his approval rating is dangerously underwater.

Meanwhile in Japan, many are feared dead after an earthquake shook the southern island of Kyushu. We also look at whether Ben Carroll can reset Labor’s fortunes in Victoria, Fifa plans to sell off the World Cup and the English club cricketers who are seriously nicked off.

Australia

Day job | Qantas completed an ultra long-haul commercial flight when its Airbus jet landed in Toulouse overnight, after a flight from Melbourne lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes.
Exclusive | One Nation’s primary vote has plateaued and Angus Taylor’s approval rating has crashed, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. The opposition leader yesterday inadvertently took centre stage in an Icac hearing (he is not accused of wrongdoing) – and as Anne Davies writes, the fallout could be profound. Peter Lewis judges that the Albanese government is in good shape but needs to keep testing its thinking.
Carroll service begins | Ben Carroll’s first act as Victoria’s new premier was to announce a royal commission into alleged corruption in the construction sector, with experts saying the move could boost Labor’s hopes of holding on to power in the state. However, our Victorian state politics reporter says his toughest task will be to convince voters he’s not just more of the same.
Rex battle | The government will insist Rex Patrick pays up to $150,000 to cover its legal costs if he loses a fight to access documents about the Aukus agreement, escalating a battle in which several crossbench MPs have swung behind the former senator.
‘Basic’ errors | Asic has accused banks of “not getting the basics right”, after the regulator found faulty mortgage offset accounts meant borrowers were being overcharged tens of millions of dollars in extra interest payments.

World

Japan quake | A 6.8-magnitude earthquake has shaken south Japan, leaving at least 100 people injured, with many trapped and a “considerable number” feared dead inside a collapsed shopping mall.
France exodus | Thousands more tourists are being evacuated from sites on France’s Atlantic coast as the return of winds and extreme heat jeopardised firefighters’ battles to contain wildfires raging to the west of Bordeaux.
Apple milestone | Apple has become only the second company to pass the US$5tn valuation mark, as it benefited from investors fleeing AI and semiconductor stocks amid a wider tech sell-off.
‘Clicky Ponting’ | Australian cricket will always have Sandpapergate but the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League now has “Clicky Ponting”, after it emerged that a slip fielder allegedly clicked his fingers when a batter played at a ball in order to mimic the sound of a nick behind and get him dismissed.
Gross Grok | A UK Labour MP who is taking legal action against Elon Musk’s xAI company over fake sexualised images created by Grok says the AI tool was instructed to operate with “no restrictions on adult sexual content or offensive content”.

Full Story

Will a new premier save Victorian Labor?

Benita Kolovos talks to Reged Ahmad after a dramatic day in Victorian politics about whether a change in leadership can improve Labor’s chances at the ballot box.

In-depth

This month’s announcement of a $5.3bn television deal for NRL was hailed as a huge win for rugby league as it eclipsed the AFL’s $4.5bn arrangement struck in 2022. But, Jack Snape argues, the fans will slowly pay the price as they find that fewer games are available on free-to-air TV – and the Albanese government allowed it to happen.

Not the news

Adam Fleet celebrates the fact that John Woo’s Hong Kong thrillers such as The Killer are now available on streaming services in Australia after years in the licensing wilderness, enabling a new generation of fans to see how much of a debt action films owe to the director.

Sport

Commonwealth Games | Breanna Scott and Jesse Moore have added to Australia’s gold medal bonanza at the Commonwealth Games, taking out individual apparatus titles in Glasgow.
Football | Fifa has announced plans to sell the commercial rights to its tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors in a controversial US$20bn move that triggered an immediate backlash from Uefa and leading European clubs.
Rugby league | If you’re missing the football World Cup, the rugby league version is coming soon in Australia and New Zealand this October.

Media roundup

The ABC is reporting that hundreds of households have been kicked out of Queensland social housing after a tenancy and rental review. The Australian reports that divorces are falling – not because people are happier but because they can’t afford to split into two households. And Chinese cars could make up 60% of all imports within a decade, the Australian Financial Review reports, as weak domestic demand floods foreign markets.

What’s happening today

Economy | The ABS will release the latest inflation figures at 11.30am.
New South Wales | The premier, Chris Minns, delivers the State of the State report at Ceda in Sydney at 12pm.
Canberra | Doug Hilton, CSIRO chief executive, speaks at the National Press Club at 12.30pm.

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.