Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 23 Ferbruary. Top stories The Australian government was repeatedly warned over the last four years that mould growing throughout Nauru's regional processing centres was making people sick, but refugee families, including young children, are still being forced to live under rotting canvas in Nauru. At least 330 refugees and asylum seekers, including 36 children, live in mould-prone tents on Nauru. Some tents and work buildings have previously been found to be "highly toxic", with the level of mould measured at up to 76 times the safe level. At least a dozen former staff who have worked in the regional processing centre are understood to have developed conditions from exposure to mould. The conditions include toxic mould syndrome, cognitive and neurological symptoms, chronic pain and chest infections. A class action against the commonwealth government, for failing in its duty of care to those housed in its immigration centres, and those contracted to work there, is being considered by Australian law firms. Thousands of refugees and staff may have been exposed to toxic mould. The health impacts could last years and any damages payout could run to millions of dollars, a source close to government told the Guardian. The Department of Home Affairs rejects the allegations, telling the Guardian there had been "no cases of anyone developing health issues following exposure to mould at the Nauru RPC". The deputy executive director of Unicef Justin Forsyth has quit in the wake of accusations of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff while chief executive of Save the Children. It emerged this week that Forsyth was accused of sending inappropriate texts and making comments to female staff about their appearance while heading the charity in 2011 and 2015. Forsyth said: "I want to make clear I am not resigning from Unicef because of the mistakes I made at Save the Children. They were dealt with through a proper process many years ago. I apologised unreservedly at the time and face to face. I apologise again." Tesla's big battery in South Australia is consistently working to serve the peak energy demand each day, taking the "straw off the camel's back," according to the Australia Institute's latest national energy emissions audit. Energy expert Hugh Saddler examined its consumption and output of electricity. He found a consistent pattern of the battery charging overnight when wind generation was abundant and cheap, and discharging into the grid during the late afternoon when demand and spot market prices reached peak levels. Only 30% of the battery's 100MW capacity was devoted to this sort of trading, the rest stabilises the energy system by maintaining the frequency of the grid at the required 50Hz and 240 volts. Saddler said it demonstrated the valuable role energy storage could play in the system. The head of the US National Rifle Association (NRA) has broken his silence, with a bitter attack on gun control advocates, accusing them of exploiting the tragedy to push their agenda. Wayne LaPierre, whose lobby group faces an unprecedented challenge from the activism of students, slammed his opponents as "elites" and "socialists" hellbent on undermining Americans' constitutional rights. "The elites don't care not one whit about America's school system and schoolchildren," he said. "If they truly cared, what they would do is they would protect them. For them, it's not a safety issue, it's a political issue." Labor has pledged a major review of tertiary education if elected and "wants prospective students to see Tafe and uni as equally attractive study options". Tanya Plibersek, Labor's education spokeswoman, says it would be the first time a national inquiry has put Tafe and universities on an equal footing. Plibersek said there was much more that could be done to capitalise on the strengths of universities and Tafes. Sport A pivotal year lies ahead as Super Rugby seeks to emerge from troubled waters after a disastrous 2017. The new 15-team format is no panacea for the competition's ills, but at least it is keeping the patient alive until a remedy is found, argues Bret Harris. Tonight, Carlton and the Western Bulldogs meet at Whitten Oval for the AFLW's first pride game. "Lots of LGBTI people love footy, but footy hasn't always loved us," Bulldogs fan Wil Stracke tells Guardian Australia ahead of the match, which is helping break down multiple barriers of discrimination. Thinking time |
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