Morning Mail: Exxon Mobil CEO named US secretary of state, Aleppo deal to evacuate civilians, the reality of Safe Schools

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Guardian Australia's Morning Mail Wednesday 14 December 2016 g Rick Perry to be named head of US department he wanted to scrap Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Mail. Sign up here for our Guardian Today email, sent every day at noon, and you can sign up to our new Guardian Australia sport email here. Among the stories on our website this morning, Donald Trump has chosen former Texas governor Rick Perry to head the US Department of Energy, a transition official said. This would put him in charge of the agency he proposed eliminating during his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. It became known as his "oops" moment when, during a 2011 Republican debate, Perry declared he wanted to eliminate three government departments, but forgot one of them mid-speech – "I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops." (watch the video). He later remembered it was the Department of Energy he thought shouldn't exist. He now has been asked to lead the Department of Energy. In other appointments, Donald Trump has confirmed Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil CEO with close ties to Vladimir Putin, as his choice for US secretary of state. Keep reading for the rest of the top stories this morning, with more news from around Australia and the world.

Headlines The reality of Safe Schools Emotive words ignore what Safe Schools is – voluntary professional development for teachers. But even some supporters question its underpinning philosophies Scott Morrison extols virtues of 'good debt' in face of threat to credit rating Treasurer to say government will use debt to invest in infrastructure once 'bad debt' for recurrent spending is under control Donald Trump's secretary of state pick: is Exxon's boss prepared for the job? Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil CEO and former Boy Scouts president, would be the first top US diplomat in modern history never to have held public office Deal reached to evacuate rebels and civilians from Aleppo Turkish intelligence and Russian military negotiate Syria deal allowing moderate rebels to flee to Idlib province Closure of Hazelwood power station to add $78 a year to power bills Australian Energy Market Commission report finds wholesale energy prices will rise 36% due to shutdown of brown coal-fired generator in Victoria Australian news and politics Energy suppliers, business and consumer groups call for climate policy certainty Business Council of Australia, Australian Conservation Foundation and St Vincent de Paul join call for reliable, affordable energy during decarbonisation Fears tax office website collapse may have led to significant loss of data Most ATO web services back online on Wednesday, but there are reports that failure of storage system and backup may have led to loss of petabyte of data What is Safe Schools, what is changing and what are states doing? Find out what each state is planning to do with the Safe Schools LGBTI program after federal funding is due to expire 'She's just a happy little girl now': the Safe Schools effect on students Behind the controversy Safe Schools has carried on supporting parents and teachers caring for young people who are questioning or transitioning gender NT police search for teacher who went missing while swimming in watering hole Centralian Middle School teacher was swimming at Ellery Creek Big Hole during a school excursion Snake eats wallaby on Australian golf course – picture Australian golfers were surprised to discover the python eating the wallaby during their round of golf Tax office announces crackdown on Uber and other ride-sharing services Records will be 'electronically matched' with ATO information to identify those not complying with tax obligations Around the world Trump and Russia critics fear Rex Tillerson will upend European relations US allies look to Senate confirmation hearings for ExxonMobil CEO and 'friend of Putin' amid concerns over future of Nato and Russia sanctions Thousands protest against rightwing government in Poland KOD leaders say illiberal agenda of ruling PiS threatens to reverse democratic freedoms won since communist era Greece 'boxed in' as EU and IMF fight over nation's debt relief plan IMF distances itself from policies underpinning bailout, as Greek officials worry war of words may lead to IMF pulling out of rescue programme Uber employees 'spied on ex-partners, politicians and Beyoncé' Cab startup's former forensic investigator Samuel Ward Spangenberg claims he was fired from the company after blowing whistle on lack of security Wave taller than a six-storey building sets 'remarkable' world record UN weather agency recorded 62ft wave in February 2013 in the North Atlantic, in a remote spot between Great Britain and Iceland after a strong cold front

One last thing Snake eats wallaby on Australian golf courseGolfers reportedly looked on in disbelief as a four-metre python swallowed a wallaby at Paradise Palms golf course in north Queensland. Have an excellent day and if you spot something I've missed, let me know on Twitter at @earleyedition.

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