Good morning. Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is riding high amid Coalition turmoil, with the party garnering record support in the latest Guardian Essential poll.
We weigh up the future of the Liberals’ leadership and whether Sussan Ley can remain in the hot seat – as Malcolm Turnbull offers his insights into how and why the Coalition tore itself apart.
We look back at the battle to uncover the truth about the poo balls washing up on Sydney’s beaches. And: Alex de Minaur has fallen against Carlos Alcaraz in their Australian Open quarter-final.
Australia‘When it gets hot like that, not many people are out working unless you have to be,’ says Deane Munro, a farmer from Ouyen, Victoria. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The GuardianWorldUS law enforcement officers scuffle with demonstrators outside the hotel where Gregory Bovino is reportedly staying. Photograph: Seth Herald/ReutersFull StoryMalcolm Turnbull: ‘The pool of talent is not enormous at the moment.’ Composite: Dan Himbrechts/AAP Images
‘The opposition is in La-La land’: Malcolm Turnbull on the Coalition split
The Coalition has collapsed for the second time in eight months and Sussan Ley’s leadership could follow at any moment. So who should lead the opposition through this tumultuous time? Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks with Nour Haydar about what went wrong between the Liberals and Nationals – and what it will take to resuscitate his party.
In-depthA huge fatberg in Sydney Water’s Malabar sewage plant is responsible for the poo balls that have closed Sydney beaches. Composite: Victoria Hart/Guardian Design
After debris balls closed Sydney beaches in October 2024, Guardian Australia reported they could be linked to sewage outfalls. Authorities were less than keen to talk. Sydney Water pushed back hard, and its media team attempted to have any reference to the corporation removed from the story. Anne Davies lays out the 16-month battle to reveal the truth about Sydney Water’s poo balls.
Not the newsAlexis Wright: ‘The stories of the Rainbow Serpent are of deep spiritual belief that connects us to the power of this country.’ Composite: Guardian Design
It’s for good reason the Rainbow Serpent by Dick Roughsey has continued to be an Australian children’s classic for 50 years. The beloved work is competing in our reader poll to find the best Australian children’s picture book of all time. Acclaimed author Alexis Wright says the stories of the Rainbow Serpent remain foremost at the heart of Aboriginal people – and should be for all people who live in Australia.
SportCarlos Alcaraz meets Alex de Minaur at the net after winning their Australian Open quarter final match. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters
A “surgery factory” performing up to 5,000 additional surgeries every year aims to help ease pressure on Sydney’s hospitals, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Under age Snapchat users are verifying their accounts by scanning the faces of people who are decades older, the Age reports. Plans for a plastics factory in Adelaide’s south have been abandoned after “aggressive” protests, the Advertiser reports. A British rich lister has set up the world’s largest sheep operation in WA, the West Australian reports.
What’s happening today
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Sport | The action continues at the Australian Open tennis grand slam in Melbourne.
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Diplomacy | Anthony Albanese is making an official trip to Timor-Leste.
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ABS | The Australian Bureau of Statistics is set to release its consumer price index data for December.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.