Afternoon Update: Bruce Lehrmann ordered to pay Ten’s legal costs; former AFL player dies at 29; and voice to parliament book wins award

Good afternoon, and welcome to Afternoon Update.

The federal court has ordered Bruce Lehrmann to pay most of Channel Ten’s legal costs from his failed defamation suit against the TV network and The Project host Lisa Wilkinson.

Justice Michael Lee on Friday said Lehrmann should pay almost all of Ten’s costs on an indemnity basis, except when it came to the failed qualified privilege defence argument, where the network would receive regular costs.

The costs for all parties have been estimated to be between $8m and $10m for the 24-day civil trial which Lehrmann lost.

The former Liberal staffer lost the defamation case he brought against Ten and Wilkinson, with Lee finding last month that on the balance of probabilities Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins on a minister’s couch in Parliament House in 2019.

Top news

• High court win for Albanese government on indefinite detention | The high court has ruled indefinite detention to be legal in cases where non-citizens refuse to cooperate with their own removal. The win has sparked trouble for the Albanese government’s deportation bill, which would require non-citizens who have exhausted avenues to remain in Australia to cooperate with measures to arrange their lawful removal from Australia.

• ANU student suspended over pro-Hamas comments | Student Beatrice Tucker told ABC radio: “Hamas deserves our unconditional support … nothing can justify what has been happening to the Palestinian people for 75 years”. Tucker has been suspended until Tuesday pending disciplinary action.

• Jury in Victoria’s alleged campsite murder trials discharged | Greg Lynn has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, with arguments expected to be heard on Friday. Justice Michael Croucher told the jury the dismissal was due to technicalities in the law.

• Former AFL player dies at 29 | The former Fremantle and Greater Sydney player Cam McCarthy died in Perth on Thursday evening. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

• Matildas goalie Lydia Williams to retire after Paris Olympics | Williams (pictured), who turns 36 next week, will retire from international football after a career that has spanned five World Cups, six Asian Cups and a decades-long stint on the Matildas. She said it was an “honour and privilege to represent my country, my heritage, my sport, my family, and many teammates”.

• Kamahl charged with stalking Sydney woman| The 89 year old musician will face Sutherland local court in June after a police investigation into text messages he allegedly sent a 38-year-old woman. In an interview with 9 News, he said he was “not worried” about the charges.

• Medicare rebate rises for longer gynaecological consults | The change is in response to the growing number of women suffering from endometriosis and complex gynaecological conditions like chronic pelvic pain and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

• Australian director to receive Golden Lion at Venice film festival | The lifetime achievement award will go to Peter Weir (pictured), who directed films including The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society and Gallipoli. He was praised by the festival for his impact in Hollywood “while keeping his distance from the American movie industry”.

• Apple apologises for iPad ad | The tech giant earned ire from many creatives after releasing an ad for the newest iPad which showed a press crushing various items including books, drawing tools and instruments. In a statement on X, Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice-president of marketing communications, said: “we missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry”.

Full Story

Newsroom edition: how Labor is trying to frame the 2024 budget – Full Story podcast

The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will next week present his government’s third and possibly final budget of this term. He has said it won’t be one of “scorched-earth austerity” and will take into account hardships caused by the cost-of-living crisis. But the 2024 Australian federal budget is not without its economic and social challenges and the government needs to convince voters that the economy is in safe hands.

Bridie Jabour speaks with editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor and deputy editor Patrick Keneally about the Albanese government’s budget narrative.

What they said …

***

I think what every state and territory government wants is for the commonwealth government to pay for 100% ... for everything that happens everywhere.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese, speaking at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, in response to ACT government’s requests for a 50-50 funding deal for a new or upgraded sports stadium in Canberra. $249.7m will be injected into the sports facility in the leadup to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

In numbers

The 2022 figure is a 25% increase from the 1623 sleeping rough in February 2023. NSW’s homelessness minister, Rose Jackson, said the figures were unprecedented but not unexpected.

Before bed read

The Voice to Parliament Handbook has won book of the year at the Australian book industry awards. The book was recognised as “a poignant reminder of a significant moment in Australian history” at the annual award ceremony in Melbourne on Thursday.

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: MANA. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

Sign up

If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. And start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know. Sign up for our Morning Mail newsletter here.