Queensland critics face alleged ‘culture of fear’; extreme specialist fees revealed; and Bluey co-creator’s new alien

Good morning. The Queensland government has been accused of conducting a systematic campaign to suppress criticism of its policies by creating a “culture of fear” to silence dissenting views.

Also this morning, world leaders are flocking to Turkey for the high-stakes Cop31 climate talks. Australia has stormed into both Rugby League World Cup finals. And we hear from Bluey’s Daley Pearson about what’s behind his new alien film.

Australia

Exclusive | Weakening copyright protections for AI companies after big tech’s demands would be “ridiculous and dangerous”, the global peak body for the music recording industry has warned.

‘Culture of fear’ | The Queensland government is allegedly using “threatening” tactics to silence critics.

Soaring fees | More than 2.2 million Australians paid “extreme” fees to see a specialist last year, with psychiatrists and paediatricians among the most likely to unreasonably charge their patients.

‘It’s fully snowing’ | Springtime snowfall has swept over alpine areas of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania as an unseasonal cold blast whips through the south-east.

World of the fairywrens | From Fitzroy Crossing to Cape York, Howard Loosemore and his friends spent 15 years capturing every Australian fairywren species and their spectacular plumage.

World

‘My door is open’ | As he strives to form a new government, Gadi Eisenkot has reached out to Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies for support – claiming the PM has brought Israel to a historic crisis.

Climate crisis | The host of Cop31 says the summit must produce progress and “a tangible outcome that people can see is real”, as scores of world leaders gather in Turkey for the UN climate talks.

Kraków shooting | Polish prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation into the Kraków shooting that left six people dead and 17 others injured; two police officers have been hailed as heroes for confronting the gunman.

‘We will be back’ | Donald Trump is setting the stage for his administration to lurch further to the right, claiming the US had taken a “giant step back” by rejecting his party in the midterms.

Lunar mission | Nasa has launched a callout for a new generation of astronauts as it searches for explorers who could live and work on the moon and help “shape humanity’s future in space”.

‘Too close to call’ | New Zealand’s right-leaning coalition hopes to cling on to power after a cliffhanger election. But the shape of the next government will not become clear for some time yet.

Full Story

The ‘Taylor Swift of romantasy’ has a new book. Why are people mad?

Romantasy has turned into one of the biggest commercial juggernauts propping up modern publishing. But why are stories combining high fantasy and female-centric erotic romance still dismissed by mainstream culture? Alyx Gorman joins Taylah Strano to unpack the global phenomenon of romantasy – and the divisive release of Sarah J Maas’s latest novel.

In-depth

The Victorian opposition leader, Jess Wilson, who once supported the federal Indigenous voice to parliament, has vowed to repeal the state’s treaty with First Peoples within the first 100 days of a Liberal government. The Coalition argues that scrapping the treaty would save the state almost $1bn and free up funds to be spent elsewhere. But is tearing up the treaty what Victoria’s voters want – or is the idea out of touch?

Not the news

If you want to feel a bit sad, think about what Elliott from ET would have been like as an adult. Or Coraline, or Matilda, or those kids in Mary Poppins. The most amazing thing that ever happened in their lives was already over when they were kids. This is the central premise for Allen, Bluey co-creator Daley Pearson’s new film, following a man who met an alien as a kid – and then becomes obsessed with bringing him back.

Sport

Rugby league | A Reece Walsh hat-trick drove Australia past Samoa and into the Rugby League World Cup final; Abbi Church powered Australia past a spirited Fiji as the hosts reached the Women’s Rugby League World Cup final.

Rugby union | Henry Pollock powered a seven-try England to a crushing victory against Australia.

Cricket | Usman Khawaja has defended the timing of ball-tampering revelations: “I haven’t thrown anyone under the bus”.

Media roundup

Victoria’s next government, regardless of who wins office, could be forced to expand or build new jails due to strained capacity for prison beds, ABC News reports. Top Jewish and Muslim groups are urging the Albanese government to allow citizens to sue US tech giants over failures to police online hate, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The future of the McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery is under threat amid a funding crisis, the Age reports.

What’s happening today

VIC | The Victorian building royal commission is set to begin its first block of public hearings in Melbourne.

NSW | The Beau Lamarre-Condon murder trial continues in Sydney.

Business | ANZ’s financial results are due to be released today.

ACT | A public hearing is scheduled in the inquiry into the Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) bill in Canberra.

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.