Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 9 April. Top stories The Coalition has notched up its 30th straight Newspoll loss, with the latest survey published by the Australian on Sunday night showing Labor ahead of the Coalition 52% to 48% on the two-party preferred measure. Malcolm Turnbull is now only two points ahead of his opposite number, Bill Shorten, as preferred prime minister, leading 38% to 36%, and the Coalition's primary vote is on 38%. This week's Newspoll has loomed as a milestone because Turnbull used Tony Abbott's sustained poor showing in the survey as one justification for launching his successful leadership coup in 2015. The poll does not mean Turnbull's leadership is under immediate threat, writes Katharine Murphy, but nor is there any sign of the Coalition developing a coherent policy platform. Ben Raue dives into the polling history to see what the run of bad polls tells us about the Coalition's chances at the next election. Donald Trump has warned there will be a "big price to pay" for the chemical strike in a rebel-held Damascus suburb that killed at least 42 people on Saturday, as the UK and France called an urgent meeting of the United Nations security council. At least 300 people were affected by the gas, amid a barrage by Syrian regime jets, helicopters and artillery on the district of Douma. Trump called the Syrian leader "Animal Assad" in a tweet, as the European Union called for an international response. Ill-equipped and overrun local doctors said they treated patients with symptoms of suffocation, foaming at the mouth, dilated pupils and burned eyes. Fraud charges are expected to be laid against one of Queensland's biggest cotton irrigators, John Norman, within a matter of weeks. In an exclusive story as part of Our wide brown land series, Kerry Brewster reports that if the trial of the owner-operator of Norman Farming and former cotton farmer of the year goes ahead, it is likely to draw attention to the links between the irrigator's family and that of the federal minister for agriculture and water resources, David Littleproud. Any charges would also throw the spotlight on the Queensland government's failure in administering a key plank of the $13bn Murray-Darling basin plan, how it withheld critical information about the alleged crimes, and whether it lied about its own investigation. The major parties are close to making a deal on charities and foreigners making political donations. Members of the federal parliament's joint standing committee on electoral matters meet today in an effort to thrash out a deal on controversial changes that have charities and not-for-profit groups up in arms. The committee is due to produce a report on legislation that would establish public registers for key non-party political actors and require the public reporting of non-financial particulars, such as senior staff and discretionary government benefits. The legislation would also prohibit foreign donations. A panel of legal experts has released a design for a national integrity commission with far-reaching powers, in a move that will increase pressure on the Turnbull government to declare a position on the proposed anti-corruption body. The Australia Institute's panel of former judges has called for a body with the power to hold public hearings and broad jurisdiction to investigate all forms of corruption, not just criminal offences. In March, the attorney general, Christian Porter, told Guardian Australia the government was considering "detailed models" for an anti-corruption body, including by combining some existing organisations. Sport Cyclist Matthew Glaetzer has bounced back to lead Australia's golden haul on day four of the Commonwealth games. Stephanie Morton claimed her third gold of the Games in the women's keirin ahead of compatriot Kaarle McCullough, with Amy Cure also grabbing gold in an epic women's 10km scratch race. Sebastian Vettel won the Bahrain Grand Prix after his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen ran over a mechanic. The German driver managed to take hold of Valtteri Bottas despite deteriorating tyres, with Lewis Hamilton third. The injured mechanic was taken to hospital with a leg injury after a dramatic pit-lane collision with Raikkonen's car. Thinking time |
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