Good afternoon.
The Victorian Liberals have their third leader in 12 months after Brad Battin was rolled by the party room. First-term MP Jess Wilson has become the first woman to lead the party in Victoria after unsuccessfully running against Battin in late December, when John Pesutto was axed.
Sam Groth, who today received an apology from News Corp over reporting that suggested his relationship with his wife had begun when she was underage, will stay on as Wilson’s deputy. Meanwhile in New South Wales, Gurmesh Singh was named to replace Dugald Saunders as Nationals leader.
Top news
In pictures
Stephanie Johnson’s Obligate Carnivore and Elizabeth Smither’s Angel Train were ruled out of the 2026 Ockham book awards after AI was used in their cover designs. Illustration: Quentin Wilson
The books of two award-winning New Zealand authors have been disqualified from consideration for the country’s top literature prize because artificial intelligence was used in the creation of their cover designs.
What they said …
The UN resolution, which includes references to an independent Palestine, was passed by a vote of 13-0 with China and Russia abstaining. Photograph: Olga Fedorova/EPA
“This resolution must be read in its entirety … It clearly affirms no annexation, no occupation, no forced displacement.” Amar Bendjama, Algerian envoy to the UN
The UN security council today voted to endorse Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, including the deployment of an international stabilisation force and a possible path to a sovereign Palestinian state. The inclusion of references to an independent Palestine was the price the US paid for backing from the Arab and Islamic world.
Full Story
In the final episode of this special Full Story investigation, Broken trust looks at how police are failing to learn from their mistakes. Composite: Victoria Hart/Guardian design
Broken trust: why police are failing to learn from their own mistakes
Ben Smee, Guardian Australia’s Queensland correspondent, has been reporting on the national crisis of domestic and family violence, as well as the culture and attitudes inside the Queensland police, for years.
Guardian Australia can reveal allegations from a former senior Queensland detective who has accused police of covering up their own failures in cases in which vulnerable women died after seeking police protection, and alleges she was ordered to “protect the organisation’s reputation at all costs”.
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Full Story
Broken trust: why police are failing to learn from their own mistakes
Sorry your browser does not support audio – but you can download here and listen $https://audio.guim.co.uk/2025/11/16-13016-BT_EP2_Silence_ch_141125_1410.mp3
Before bed read
Scrub Creek walking track on the Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk. Photograph: D Parsons/DCCEEW
Louise Southerden has written about the new Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk in northern NSW, which follows ancient trails. Bundjalung man Ashley Moran has a personal connection to the track and says the multiday hike will give walkers a new appreciation of the area’s significance.
“As far back as 22,000 years ago, these trails would have been heavily used by various clan groups within the Bundjalung nation,” he says.
Daily word game
Photograph: The Guardian
Today’s starter word is: UNIS. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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