Morning Mail: Trump continues to trash Comey, Labor's budget reply, remembering Mark Colvin

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Guardian Australia's Morning Mail Friday 12 May 2017 g Labor split over Bight oil drilling Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Mail. Among the stories leading our website this morning: A Labor senator has broken ranks with his party to vote with Liberals in support of oil and gas drilling in the Great Australian Bight, deadlocking a Senate committee investigating the proposal. That prompted the Greens to accuse the Labor party of being directly influenced by donations from oil giant Chevron. Keep reading for the rest of the top stories this morning, with more news from around Australia and the world.

Headlines Trump admits asking Comey if he was under investigation for ties to Russia The president says he spoke with FBI director James Comey about the investigation and contradicted previous statements on his decision to fire him Wayne Swan urges Labor to avoid being 'trickle down-lite' on tax Former treasurer says party must pursue a robustly progressive approach – and keep a 'Buffett rule' on the table Shorten's budget reply: Labor will back Medicare levy hike for top income brackets Opposition leader denies Scott Morrison's budget was 'Labor lite' and says only those on the highest incomes should fund the NDIS Domestic violence cost Victoria $5.3bn in 2015-16, report says Exclusive: Independent report for state by KPMG counts cost of family violence paid by state and federal governments and individuals NSW police complaints in limbo as new watchdog falls behind schedule A new commission being set up to replace two bodies that oversee complaints about police has been delayed and the existing agencies have already cut staff Australian news and politics Wayne Swan: 'We simply have to get rid of neoliberal economics' – Australian politics live podcast The former Labor treasurer talks to Katharine Murphy about the challenge for his party in an era when global politics has shifted to the right Federal budget 2017: Bill Shorten delivers budget reply speech – as it happened Opposition leader responds to 2017 federal budget after Morrison reveals corporate tax cut will blow out to $65.4bn. As it happened Bill Shorten's budget reply commits Labor to restore $22bn in school cuts Labor will also oppose the $3.8bn hit to universities in the government's higher education package, including the 7.5% increase in student fees Scott Morrison's plan to test sewage for drug use 'might misfire', say experts Trying to identify where welfare recipients are using drugs by testing wastewater is more likely to turn up results from affluent professionals, researchers say Gonski 2.0: NSW urges principals to fight $1.8bn cut in school funding Education department warns schools not to rely on federal funding estimates but federal minister calls it a scare campaign Liberal Democratic party logo failed to meet AEC guidelines Ruling comes after complaint that logo of David Leyonhjelm's party was deliberately designed to mislead voters and suggest a connection with Liberals Company tax cut cost reaches $65.4bn over 10 years New figure emerges during a confusing question time, with Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison initially supplying different answers to Labor queries Around the world Acting FBI head disputes White House claim Comey had lost staff support Andrew McCabe tells Senate the White House's assertion that fired director James Comey had lost the confidence of the FBI rank and file 'is not accurate' Female ex-bullfighter and maths genius among candidates standing for Macron France's newly elected president announces 428 names to stand for his party in elections next month Austrian court jails asylum seeker for war crimes in Syria Man convicted of 'murder as a terrorism offence' and jailed for life after reportedly boasting of shooting troops in Homs region 'It's shameful for Franco's victims': Spanish MPs vote to exhume dictator Symbolic resolution approved to remove El Caudillo's remains from mausoleum, but for some it is more than a little late Somali government calls for end of arms embargo to defeat al-Shabaab Move would help army drive out Islamist group, says president as UN chief seeks extra $900m in aid for drought-hit country

One last thing Mark Colvin had the ability to reach through the microphone into our mindsAdmired for his mellifluous voice, insatiable curiosity and scrupulous impartiality, the ABC broadcaster loved life and changed lives, writes Jonathan Holmes of his late friend and colleague. "It's no small feat, on ABC Radio and more especially on Twitter, to be so well-known, and yet so little loathed." Mary-Ellen Field,  the woman whose organ donation inspired the play Mark Colvin's Kidney has also written for the Guardian and tells how she became friends with the ABC journalist – and how she lied to the transplant team: "Mark Colvin hugged me and said I musn't cry. I knew I would never see him again" Have an excellent day and if you spot something I've missed, let me know on Twitter at @earleyedition.

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