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Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Manchester City: Match report

Phil Foden made his first Manchester City start as Pep Guardiola named a weakened XI with top spot a..

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  • Phil Foden made his first Manchester City start as Pep Guardiola named a weakened XI with top spot assured
  • Bernard gave Shakhtar Donetsk the lead when he curled in a wonderful effort from just inside City's area
  • Ederson then saved well to deny Bernard a second as Shakhtar started Wednesday's match on the front foot
  • Ismaily then doubled Shakhtar's lead when he dribbled round Ederson and slotted home into an empty net
  • Gabriel Jesus hit the post from close range after a mazy run from substitute Brahim Diaz in the second half
  • Sergio Aguero scored a consolation in added time from the penalty spot after coming on as substitute
  • AS IT HAPPENED: Sportsmail's LUKE AUGUSTUS provided live updates on the Champions League action

By Chris Wheeler for the Daily Mail

Published: 16:36 EST, 6 December 2017 | Updated: 18:07 EST, 6 December 2017

Pep Guardiola was waiting to see how his players would respond to defeat. Now he will find out in the Manchester derby.

It has taken 29 games and seven-and-a-half months, but the Premier League leaders finally lost on a freezing night in Ukraine.

Manchester City’s imperious run at home and abroad came to an end here in the Metalist Stadium at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk and a Brazilian contingent led by the gifted Taison who ripped them to shreds before half-time.

Shakhtar's players celebrate with Bernard after the midfielder gave the Ukrainians the lead with a wonderful curling effort

Shakhtar's players celebrate with Bernard after the midfielder gave the Ukrainians the lead with a wonderful curling effort

Pep Guardiola saw his side fall to their first defeat of the season as they were comfortably beaten at the Metalist StadiumPep Guardiola saw his side fall to their first defeat of the season as they were comfortably beaten at the Metalist Stadium

Pep Guardiola saw his side fall to their first defeat of the season as they were comfortably beaten at the Metalist Stadium

Phil Foden was making his first start for Manchester City as Guardiola gave the 17-year-old a chance to impress in Ukraine

MATCH FACTS, RATINGS, TABLE AND MATCH ZONE

SHAKHTAR DONETSK (4-2-3-1): Pyatov 6.5; Butko 6, Ordets 6.5, Rakitskiy 6, Ismaily 7 (Azevedo 64, 6); Stepanenko 6, Fred 6.5; Marlos 7 (Kovalenko 82), Taison 8, Bernard 7; Ferreyra 6 (Khocholava 89).

Subs: Shevchenko, Dentinho, Patrick, Petriak.

Scorers: Bernard 26, Ismaily 32

Booked: Rakitskiy

Manager: Paulo Fonseca 7

MAN CITY (3-4-3): Ederson 5; Adarabioyo 5.5, Fernandinho 6 (Aguero 70, 6), Mangala 5.5; Danilo 5, Toure 6, Gundogan 6, Foden 6; B Silva 5, Gabriel Jesus 5.5, Sane 6 (Diaz 62).

Subs: Bravo, Walker, Sterling, Aguero, Otamendi, Duhaney.

Scorers: Aguero 90 pen

Booked: Danilo, Gundogan

Manager: Pep Guardiola 5

Referee: Benoit Bastien (France) 7

Star man: Taison

A first defeat since the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal on April 23 was not a total surprise in what was essentially a dead rubber for City.

They had already qualified for the knockout stage as winners of Group F, and Guardiola rested players to avoid unnecessary injuries ahead of Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford against a very capable Shakhtar side still fighting for their Champions League lives. Teenager Phil Foden was handed his full first-team debut and played out of position at left wing-back. Tosin Adarabioyo made his second Champions League start in an unfamiliar back-three and an equally unfamiliar line-up.

But the manner of the defeat will concern Guardiola who will not have enjoyed seeing his team so comprehensively outplayed for 45 minutes.

Guardiola rotated for the clash though he still included Fernandinho, Ederson, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus in City's XIGuardiola rotated for the clash though he still included Fernandinho, Ederson, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus in City's XI

Guardiola rotated for the clash though he still included Fernandinho, Ederson, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus in City's XI

City's Ilkay Gundogan competes for possession in midfield against Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian attacking midfielder FredCity's Ilkay Gundogan competes for possession in midfield against Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian attacking midfielder Fred

City's Ilkay Gundogan competes for possession in midfield against Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian attacking midfielder Fred

Bernard impressed in the early stages for Shakhtar as they attempted to seal their place in the Champions League last 16Bernard impressed in the early stages for Shakhtar as they attempted to seal their place in the Champions League last 16

Bernard impressed in the early stages for Shakhtar as they attempted to seal their place in the Champions League last 16

Facundo Ferreyra tries to reach the ball ahead of Eliaquim Mangala as Fernandinho (left) and Taras Stepanenko watch onFacundo Ferreyra tries to reach the ball ahead of Eliaquim Mangala as Fernandinho (left) and Taras Stepanenko watch on

Facundo Ferreyra tries to reach the ball ahead of Eliaquim Mangala as Fernandinho (left) and Taras Stepanenko watch on

Sane and his City team-mates failed to establish themselves early on as Shakhtar dominated the opening period in KharkivSane and his City team-mates failed to establish themselves early on as Shakhtar dominated the opening period in Kharkiv

Sane and his City team-mates failed to establish themselves early on as Shakhtar dominated the opening period in Kharkiv

So too will the fact that it precedes such an important game against United following three unconvincing Premier League wins over Huddersfield, Southampton and West Ham.

Will this result knock City out of their stride? It’s unlikely. But Jose Mourinho will be relishing the opportunity to test their mettle.

Guardiola stood solemnly on the touchline last night, his breath visible in the cold air as he screamed instructions, but to little avail.

City were two down by half-time and well on the way to a rare defeat after winning 21 of their 22 games this season (note: if we are counting pen shootout win over Wolves). Sergio Aguero’s late penalty mattered little.

Bernard's effort loops over the outstretched Ederson as the home side grabbed a deserved lead in the group stage matchBernard's effort loops over the outstretched Ederson as the home side grabbed a deserved lead in the group stage match

Bernard's effort loops over the outstretched Ederson as the home side grabbed a deserved lead in the group stage match

Bernard celebrates after his effort after 26 minutes gave Shakhtar a deserved lead at the Metalist Stadium in KharkivBernard celebrates after his effort after 26 minutes gave Shakhtar a deserved lead at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv

Bernard celebrates after his effort after 26 minutes gave Shakhtar a deserved lead at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv

(L-R) Ederson, Yaya Toure, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho react after Bernard's goal put City's 100 per cent record in danger(L-R) Ederson, Yaya Toure, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho react after Bernard's goal put City's 100 per cent record in danger

(L-R) Ederson, Yaya Toure, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho react after Bernard's goal put City's 100 per cent record in danger

By doing so, they failed to become only the sixth club in Champions League history to finish the group stage with a 100 per cent record. Not even Guardiola’s great Barcelona side, Lionel Messi and all, managed that.

Afterwards, the City boss claimed it might actually be a good thing for the club in the long run.

‘It hurts,’ said Guardiola. ‘It’s never nice to lose.

‘But we needed to lose a game. It will be good for the club, for all of us. People say things when you win a lot and you can forget that now.

‘We came here when our job was done. We tried. People cannot say we didn't come to try to win the game.

Mangala attempts to dispossess Marlos as Shakhtar's Brazilian stars flourished during the first half at the Metalist StadiumMangala attempts to dispossess Marlos as Shakhtar's Brazilian stars flourished during the first half at the Metalist Stadium

Mangala attempts to dispossess Marlos as Shakhtar's Brazilian stars flourished during the first half at the Metalist Stadium

Ismaily showed great composure to dribble round City goalkeeper Ederson who had come sprinting out off his line...Ismaily showed great composure to dribble round City goalkeeper Ederson who had come sprinting out off his line...

Ismaily showed great composure to dribble round City goalkeeper Ederson who had come sprinting out off his line…

...before side-footing home into Ederson's empty net to double the home side's lead as Danilo watched on helplessly ...before side-footing home into Ederson's empty net to double the home side's lead as Danilo watched on helplessly 

…before side-footing home into Ederson's empty net to double the home side's lead as Danilo watched on helplessly

Ismaily is mobbed after his goal saw Shakhtar took a big step towards a place in the Champions League knockout stagesIsmaily is mobbed after his goal saw Shakhtar took a big step towards a place in the Champions League knockout stages

Ismaily is mobbed after his goal saw Shakhtar took a big step towards a place in the Champions League knockout stages

‘Now we are going to see on Sunday. Football is about how you recover in good and bad moments and try to stay stable.

‘We have said many times we cannot win all the time, we are going to lose games. Today was the first. Now we have to recover. It’s another competition, the Premier League.

‘But the world is not going to finish on Sunday. It doesn't matter what is going to happen.’

Bizarrely, Shakhtar coach Paulo Fonseca followed Guardiola into the post-match interview room dressed as Zorro, fulfilling a promise he had made if the Ukrainian champions reached the knockout stage.

To be sure of that, they needed at least a draw last night even though Napoli’s defeat to Feyenoord would have sent them through anyway.

Shakhtar played like a team determined to take three points, not one, and remain unbeaten their seven games at home to English clubs even though they are currently playing 300km from Donetsk in Kharkiv.

Shakhtar keeper Andriy Pyatov denied Gabriel Jesus brilliantly by sprinting off his line to tackle the Brazilian forwardShakhtar keeper Andriy Pyatov denied Gabriel Jesus brilliantly by sprinting off his line to tackle the Brazilian forward

Shakhtar keeper Andriy Pyatov denied Gabriel Jesus brilliantly by sprinting off his line to tackle the Brazilian forward

Guardiola barks out instructions to his team from the sideline as his City side improved after the half-time intervalGuardiola barks out instructions to his team from the sideline as his City side improved after the half-time interval

Guardiola barks out instructions to his team from the sideline as his City side improved after the half-time interval

Fernandinho rises to head on goal as the Brazilian faced his former club in City's final Champions League group stage tieFernandinho rises to head on goal as the Brazilian faced his former club in City's final Champions League group stage tie

Fernandinho rises to head on goal as the Brazilian faced his former club in City's final Champions League group stage tie

Foden became City's youngest-ever Champions League player but failed to change the course of Wednesday's matchFoden became City's youngest-ever Champions League player but failed to change the course of Wednesday's match

Foden became City's youngest-ever Champions League player but failed to change the course of Wednesday's match

City simply couldn’t live with the pace of Taison, Bernard and Marlos, and went behind in the 26th minute lead.

Taison made the initial break and the ball was fed to Bernard on the left-hand side of the box. He weighed up his options for a moment and spotted Ederson slightly off his line and vulnerable.

The execution still had to be perfect, though, and it was. Bernard curled his shot over the outstretched fingertips of the City keeper and under the bar.

Ederson rushed out to block from the same player moments later after Taison had created another chance, but he was guilty of the error that handed Shakhtar a second goal in the 32nd minute.

Shakhtar defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy watches as Jesus is brought down by a sliding challenge during the second halfShakhtar defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy watches as Jesus is brought down by a sliding challenge during the second half

Shakhtar defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy watches as Jesus is brought down by a sliding challenge during the second half

Bernardo Silva failed to seize his opportunity after being handed a rare start by Guardiola on Wednesday eveningBernardo Silva failed to seize his opportunity after being handed a rare start by Guardiola on Wednesday evening

Bernardo Silva failed to seize his opportunity after being handed a rare start by Guardiola on Wednesday evening

Brahim Diaz made an impact and provided a spark off the bench after coming on as a substitute just past the hour markBrahim Diaz made an impact and provided a spark off the bench after coming on as a substitute just past the hour mark

Brahim Diaz made an impact and provided a spark off the bench after coming on as a substitute just past the hour mark

Sergio Aguero smashed home City's consolation from the penalty spot after Jesus was brought down in the Shakhtar areaSergio Aguero smashed home City's consolation from the penalty spot after Jesus was brought down in the Shakhtar area

Sergio Aguero smashed home City's consolation from the penalty spot after Jesus was brought down in the Shakhtar area

Ismaily galloped into space to reach Taison’s pass swung down the left channel, and the Brazilian raced off his line to try and intercept.

One of the reasons City signed Ederson was his qualities as a sweeper keeper, but he got it badly wrong this time. Ismaily beat him to the ball, took it round him and slotted it into an empty net.

City were rocking. Andriy Pyatov came out to claim the ball and send Gabriel Jesus sprawling after he had been put through by Foden, but that was City’s only real chance of the first half and it ended with Taison wriggling through to swing another shot inches over the bar.

City improved in the second half but they still struggled to stem Shaktar’s free-flowing football and Taison went close again with another effort just off target.

Aguero and Tosin Adarabioyo (right) walk off the pitch together at a freezing Metalist Stadium following the final whistleAguero and Tosin Adarabioyo (right) walk off the pitch together at a freezing Metalist Stadium following the final whistle

Aguero and Tosin Adarabioyo (right) walk off the pitch together at a freezing Metalist Stadium following the final whistle

Ederson trudges off the pitch after City saw their 100 per cent Champions League record go up in smoke against ShakhtarEderson trudges off the pitch after City saw their 100 per cent Champions League record go up in smoke against Shakhtar

Ederson trudges off the pitch after City saw their 100 per cent Champions League record go up in smoke against Shakhtar

Andriy Pyatov is embraced by Davit Khocholova as Shakhtar celebrated after booking their place in the knockout stagesAndriy Pyatov is embraced by Davit Khocholova as Shakhtar celebrated after booking their place in the knockout stages

Andriy Pyatov is embraced by Davit Khocholova as Shakhtar celebrated after booking their place in the knockout stages

City’s best attempts came from Fernandinho who placed a free header wide before making way for Aguero, while Jesus clipped the outside of the post after great work by young substitute Brahim Diaz.

Guardiola’s side did manage to pull a goal back in added time when Jesus was tripped in the box and Aguero converted from the penalty spot.

It was the fifth game in a row that City have snatched a late goal. But after those dramatic winners, this one made little difference.

Both clubs advance to the knockout stage in February when Guardiola’s approach and line-up will be altogether different.

For now, he will switch his sights to the Manchester derby and ensuring this remains an unfortunate blip.

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Why Australia decided to quit its vaping habit

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He’s talking about students in his class, teenagers, who can’t stop vaping.

He sees the effect of the candy-flavoured, nicotine-packed e-cigarettes on young minds every day, with children even vaping in class.

“The ones who are deepest into it will just get up out of their seat, or they’ll be fidgeting or nervous. The worst offenders will just walk out because they’re literally in withdrawal.”

Those who are most addicted need nicotine patches or rehabilitation, he says, talking about 13 and 14-year-olds.

is enough and introduced a range of new restrictions. Despite vapes already being illegal for many, under new legislation they will become available by prescription only.

The number of vaping teenagers in Australia has soared in recent years and authorities say it is the “number one behavioural issue” in schools across the country.

And they blame disposable vapes – which some experts say could be more addictive than heroin and cocaine – but for now are available in Australia in every convenience store, next to the chocolate bars at the counter.

For concerned teachers like Chris, their hands have been tied.

“If we suspect they have a vape, all we can really do is tell them to go to the principal’s office.

“At my old school, my head teacher told me he wanted to install vape detector alarms in the toilet, but apparently we weren’t allowed to because that would be an invasion of privacy.”

E-cigarettes have been sold as a safer alternative to tobacco, as they do not produce tar – the primary cause of lung cancer.

Some countries continue to promote them with public health initiatives to help cigarette smokers switch to a less deadly habit.

Last month, the UK government announced plans to hand out free vaping starter kits to one million smokers in England to get smoking rates below 5% by 2030.

But Australia’s government says that evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit is insufficient for now. Instead, research shows it may push young vapers into taking up smoking later in life.

‘Generation Vape’

Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are lithium battery-powered devices that have cartridges filled with liquids containing nicotine, artificial flavourings, and other chemicals.

The liquid is heated and turned into a vapour and inhaled into the user’s lungs.

Vaping took off from the mid-2000s and there were some 81 million vapers worldwide in 2021, according to the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction group.

Fuelling the rise is the mushrooming popularity of flavoured vapes designed to appeal to the young.

These products can contain far higher volumes of nicotine than regular cigarettes, while some devices sold as ‘nicotine-free’ can actually hold large amounts.

The chemical cocktail also contains formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde – which have been linked to lung disease, heart disease, and cancer.

There’s also a suggestion of an increased risk of stroke, respiratory infection, and impaired lung function.

Experts warn not enough is known about the long-term health effects. But some alarming data has already been drawn out.

In 2020, US health authorities identified more than 2,800 cases of e-cigarette or vaping-related lung injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 68 deaths attributed to that injury.

In Australia, a major study by leading charity The Cancer Council found more than half of all children who had ever vaped had used an e-cigarette they knew contained nicotine and thought that vaping was a socially acceptable behaviour.

School-age children were being supplied with e-cigarettes through friends or “dealers” inside and outside school, or from convenience stores and tobacconists, the report said.

Teens also reported purchasing vapes through social media, websites and at pop-up vape stores, the Generation Vape project found.

“Whichever way teenagers obtain e-cigarettes, they are all illegal, yet it’s happening under the noses of federal and state authorities”, report author and Cancer Council chair Anita Dessaix said.

“All Australian governments say they’re committed to ensuring e-cigarettes are only accessed by smokers with a prescription trying to quit – yet a crisis in youth e-cigarette use is unfolding in plain view.”

In addition to the government’s move to ban the import of all non-pharmaceutical vaping products – meaning they can now only be bought with a prescription – all single-use disposable vapes will be made illegal.

The volume and concentration of nicotine in e-cigarettes will also be restricted, and both flavours and packaging must be plain and carrying warning labels.

But these new measures are not actually all that drastic, says public health physician Professor Emily Banks from the Australian National University.

“Australia is not an outlier. It is unique to have a prescription-only model, but other places actually ban them completely, and that includes almost all of Latin America, India, Thailand and Japan.”

‘We have been duped’

Health Minister Mark Butler said the new vaping regulations will close the “biggest loophole in Australian healthcare history”.

“Just like they did with smoking… ‘Big Tobacco’ has taken another addictive product, wrapped it in shiny packaging and added sweet flavours to create a new generation of nicotine addicts.”

“We have been duped”, he said.

Medical experts agree. Prof Banks argues that the promotion of e-cigarettes as a “healthier” alternative was a classic “sleight-of-hand” from the tobacco industry.

As such vaping has become “normalised” in Australia, and in the UK too.

“There’s over 17,000 flavours, and the majority of use is not for smoking cessation”, she tells the BBC.

“They’re being heavily marketed towards children and adolescents. People who are smoking and using e-cigarettes – that’s the most common pattern of use, dual use.”

Professor Banks says authorities need to “de-normalise” vaping among teenagers and make vapes much harder to get hold of.

“Kids are interpreting the fact that they can very easily get hold of [vapes] as evidence [they’re safe], and they’re actually saying, ‘well, if they were that unsafe, I wouldn’t be able to buy one at the coffee shop’.

But could stricter controls make it harder for people who do turn to vapes hoping to quit or cut down on tobacco?

“It is important to bear in mind that for some people, e-cigarettes have really helped. But we shouldn’t say ‘this is great for smokers to quit’, says Prof Banks.

“We know from

Australia, from the US, from Europe, that two-thirds to three-quarters of people who quit smoking successfully, do so unaided.”

“You’re trying to bring these [vapes] in saying they’re a great way to quit smoking, but actually we’ve got bubble gum flavoured vapes being used by 13-year-olds in the school toilets. That is not what the community signed up for.”

 

Read from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65522841

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Australia: Scott Morrison saga casts scrutiny on Queen’s representative

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In the past fortnight, Australia has been gripped by revelations that former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison secretly appointed himself to several additional ministries.

The move has been labelled a “power grab” by his successor as prime minister, and Mr Morrison has been scolded by many – even his own colleagues.

But the scandal has also dragged Australia’s governor-general into the fray – sparking one of the biggest controversies involving the Queen’s representative in Australia in 50 years.

So does Governor-General David Hurley have questions to answer, or is he just collateral damage?

‘Just paperwork’

Governors-general have fulfilled the practical duties as Australia’s head of state since the country’s 1901 federation.

Candidates for the role were initially chosen by the monarch but are now recommended by the Australian government.

The job is largely ceremonial – a governor-general in almost every circumstance must act on the advice of the government of the day. But conventions allow them the right to “encourage” and “warn” politicians.

Key duties include signing bills into law, issuing writs for elections, and swearing in ministers.

Mr Hurley has run into trouble on the latter. At Mr Morrison’s request, he swore the prime minister in as joint minister for health in March 2020, in case the existing minister became incapacitated by Covid.

Over the next 14 months, he also signed off Mr Morrison as an additional minister in the finance, treasury, home affairs and resources portfolios.

Mr Morrison already had ministerial powers, so Mr Hurley was basically just giving him authority over extra departments.

It’s a request the governor-general “would not have any kind of power to override or reject”, constitutional law professor Anne Twomey tells the BBC.

“This wasn’t even a meeting between the prime minister and the governor-general, it was just paperwork.”

But Mr Morrison’s appointments were not publicly announced, disclosed to the parliament, or even communicated to most of the ministers he was job-sharing with.

Australia’s solicitor-general found Mr Morrison’s actions were not illegal but had “fundamentally undermined” responsible government.

But the governor-general had done the right thing, the solicitor-general said in his advice this week.

It would have been “a clear breach” for him to refuse the prime minister, regardless of whether he knew the appointments would be kept secret, Stephen Donaghue said.

Critics push for investigation

Ultimately, Mr Hurley had to sign off on Mr Morrison’s requests, but critics say he could have counselled him against it and he could have publicised it himself.

But representatives for the governor-general say these types of appointments – giving ministers the right to administer other departments – are not unusual.

And it falls to the government of the day to decide if they should be announced to the public. They often opt not to.

Mr Hurley himself announcing the appointments would be unprecedented. He had “no reason to believe that appointments would not be communicated”, his spokesperson said.

Emeritus professor Jenny Hocking finds the suggestion Mr Hurley didn’t know the ministries had been kept secret “ridiculous”.

“The last of these bizarre, duplicated ministry appointments… were made more than a year after the first, so clearly by then the governor-general did know that they weren’t being made public,” she says.

“I don’t agree for a moment that the governor-general has a lot of things on his plate and might not have noticed.”

The historian says it’s one of the biggest controversies surrounding a governor-general since John Kerr caused a constitutional crisis by sacking Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975.

Prof Hocking famously fought for transparency around that matter – waging a lengthy and costly legal battle that culminated in the release of Mr Kerr’s correspondence with the Queen.

And she says the same transparency is needed here.

The Australian public need to know whether Mr Hurley counselled the prime minister against the moves, and why he didn’t disclose them

The government has already announced an inquiry into Mr Morrison’s actions, but she wants it to look at the governor-general and his office too.

“If the inquiry is to find out what happened in order to fix what happened, it would be extremely problematic to leave out a key part of that equation.”

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull – Mr Morrison’s predecessor – has also voiced support for an inquiry.

“Something has gone seriously wrong at Government House,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“It is the passive compliance along the chain… that did undermine our constitution and our democracy… that troubles me the most. This is how tyranny gets under way.”

PM defends governor-general

Prof Twomey says the criticism of Mr Hurley is unfair – there’s was no “conspiracy” on his part to keep things secret.

“I don’t think it’s reasonable for anyone to expect that he could have guessed that the prime minister was keeping things secret from his own ministers, for example.

“Nobody really thought that was a possibility until about two weeks ago.”

Even if he had taken the unprecedented step to publicise the appointments or to reject Mr Morrison’s request, he’d have been criticised, she says.

“There’d be even more people saying ‘how outrageous!'” she says. “The role of governor-general is awkward because people are going to attack you either way.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also defended Mr Hurley, saying he was just doing his job.

“I have no intention of undertaking any criticism of [him].”

A role fit for purpose?

Prof Hocking says it’s a timely moment to look at the role of the governor-general more broadly.

She points out it’s possible the Queen may have been informed about Mr Morrison’s extra ministries when Australia’s parliament and people were not.

“It does raise questions about whether this is fit for purpose, as we have for decades been a fully independent nation, but we still have… ‘the relics of colonialism’ alive and well.”

Momentum for a fresh referendum on an Australian republic has been growing and advocates have seized on the controversy.

“The idea that the Queen and her representative can be relied upon to uphold our system of government has been debunked once and for all,” the Australian Republic Movement’s Sandy Biar says.

“It’s time we had an Australian head of state, chosen by Australians and accountable to them to safeguard and uphold Australia’s constitution.”

But Prof Twomey says republicans are “clutching at straws” – under their proposals, the head of state would also have been bound to follow the prime minister’s advice.

“It wouldn’t result in any changes that would have made one iota of difference.”

 

Read from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-62683210

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Australia election: PM Morrison’s security team in car crash in Tasmania

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A car carrying the Australian prime minister’s security team has crashed in Tasmania during an election campaign visit.

Four police officers were taken to hospital with “non-life threatening injuries” after the car and another vehicle collided, authorities said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was not in the car, but the accident prompted him to cancel the rest of his campaign events on Thursday.

The other driver involved was not hurt.

Tasmania Police said initial investigations suggested the second car had “collided with the rear of the police vehicle, while attempting to merge”. It caused the unmarked security vehicle to roll off the road.

The two Tasmania Police officers and two Australian Federal Police officers were conscious when taken to hospital for medical assessment, the prime minister’s office said.

“Family members of the officers have been contacted and are being kept informed of their condition,” a statement said.

“The PM is always extremely grateful for the protection provided by his security team and extends his best wishes for their recovery and to their families.”

Australians go to the polls on 21 May. Mr Morrison – prime minister since 2018 – is hoping to win his conservative coalition’s fourth term in office.

Polls suggest the opposition Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, is favoured to win. However, Mr Morrison defied similar polling to claim victory at the last election in 2019.

Mr Morrison’s Liberal-National coalition holds 76 seats in the House of Representatives – the minimum needed to retain power.

Political observers say the cost of living, climate change, trust in political leaders, and national security will be among key issues in the campaign.

In recent weeks, the prime minister has faced accusations of being a bully and once sabotaging a rival’s career by suggesting the man’s Lebanese heritage made him less electable. Mr Morrison has denied the allegations.

Mr Albanese stumbled into his own controversy this week when he failed to recall the nation’s unemployment or interest rates.

Read from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-61103987

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