Morning Mail: Rape alleged in WA youth detention; rightwing lobby’s ‘bizarre’ campaign; and Japan’s moon mission

Source: The Guardian Australia · 2026-10-18T20:17:47.000Z · Politics

Want to get this in your inbox every weekday? Sign up for the Morning Mail here , and finish your day with our Politics, really newsletter Good morning. Today we detail allegations of “brutal” and “hectic” sexual abuse inside Western Australia’s youth detention centres, as coverage from our Duty of care investigation continues. Meanwhile, a war of words has broken out between Advance and Coalition MPs in Victoria over fears the conservative lobby group’s pre-election ad campaign may hurt their fortunes at the ballot. Exclusive | Victorian Coalition MPs have criticised a conservative lobby group’s pre-election campaign as “bizarre” – and warned it may cost them a majority government at next month’s state election. Duty of care | As former child detainees alleging sexual abuse in WA state custody seek redress, one lawyer is condemning a shocking colloquial term used to describe compensation payouts. The Greens | Jordon Steele-John has accused an internal faction within the Greens of playing “nasty political games” and the leader, David Shoebridge, of pressuring him to take leave after complaints about his conduct were made public last week. ‘We are very close’ | Two years after a major train line in Sydney was closed to make way for rapid, driverless rail, local residents are now poised for change – not just to their commute, but their communities. ‘Totally unnecessary’ | An incarcerated Indigenous woman who gave birth via caesarean section was shackled to a hospital bed while she was in labour last weekend, an advocacy group has said. Page turners | Cloudstreet, Tim Winton’s sprawling family epic, has been voted Australia’s favourite book in a nationwide poll run by ABC Radio National to determine readers’ top 100 Australian books. Continue reading...

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