Albanese’s approval plummets; US airstrikes on Iran; and a Sydney uni’s chatbot tutors | The Guardian

Support the Guardian

Support us

Fund independent journalism

02/09/2026

Albanese’s approval plummets; US airstrikes on Iran; and a Sydney uni’s chatbot tutors

Martin Farrer

Morning everyone. The recent muddle over immigration levels appears to have cost the government, with our latest Essential poll showing a sharp fall in support and the prime minister’s personal rating hitting an all-time low.

The government’s rating will probably not improve if, as economists forecast today, the Reserve Bank will raise interest rates despite the slump in property prices, and a university is replacing tutorials with chatbots. Overseas, the US has resumed airstrikes on Iranian targets and the UK has had its hottest summer ever.

Australia

Police ‘punch’ | Video footage has emerged capturing a New South Wales police officer boasting about “punching” a protester in the head “when he was down”, before the protester was charged with assaulting police.

Property plunge | The prospect of the steepest property market downturn in history will not stop the Reserve Bank from delivering an expected fourth interest rate hike as it battles to bring inflation back under control, economists say.

Exclusive | Labor’s national primary vote has dropped five percentage points in a month, falling to 26% in the latest Guardian Essential poll as Anthony Albanese saw his approval rating as prime minister fall to its lowest ever level. One Nation’s primary support also dropped again and is now at 23%, but the Coalition has regained some ground.

Chatbot tutors | An Australian university has swapped in-person classes with an AI chatbot, online quizzes and optional online tutorials in two subjects as institutions give the technology more teaching responsibilities.

Testing time | Drug testing will resume at New South Wales music festivals from next month, but will not be rolled out into the wider community despite calls from peak health and harm reduction groups.

World

An anti-US billboard featuring Donald Trump in Tehran.

US strikes | The US launched new airstrikes on Iranian targets, quashing hopes that an exchange of fire last ⁠weekend might not presage a ⁠wider renewal of hostilities. Follow developments live.

‘Be serious’ | Mark Carney has rebuked Donald Trump’s administration and urged officials in Washington to “start being serious” amid escalation trade tensions between the US and Canada. A pioneering online mapping app that defied Donald Trump by refusing to rename Lake Ontario has become the most in-demand navigation tool in the US.

Rail attacks | Russia has opened a deadly new phase in its war against Ukraine by deliberately targeting the country’s railway network, with six employees killed on Tuesday in the latest strikes on Kyiv.

Hot summer | The current UK summer has been declared the hottest on record by the Met Office which said the season’s mean temperature was made 130 times more likely by the climate crisis.

Ruffalo defended | More than 170 prominent Jewish artists – including Todd Haynes, Joel Coen, Hannah Einbinder, Wallace Shawn and Naomi Klein – have signed an open letter supporting Mark Ruffalo after the actor was accused of invoking antisemitic tropes.

The Guardian is a reader-funded news organisation that answers to no one other than the public. You can support us here – it’s quick, and any amount helps. Thank you.

Support us

Full Story

One week on in Nepal

Cait Kelly speaks to Rafqa Touma from Kathmandu about the devastation caused by last week’s floods, the search for survivors, and what happens next.

In-depth

Charles Perrottet has taken the stand at Icac in Sydney.

The latest NSW anti-corruption hearings have shed more fascinating light on dealings between the Liberal rightwing fixer Charles Perrottet and the property developer Jean Nassif. Confronted with evidence that he had inside knowledge of government policy that could help Nassif, Perrottet claims he was just “making stuff up” to impress the developer. Anne Davies follows the trail.

Not the news

Phil Gore stocks up on Coco Pops between laps.

Nerd clusters, jelly cups, custard pouches, meat pies and even cheeseburgers don’t sound like the sort of things that many elite athletes would use to refuel. But Phil Gore, the Australian endurance athlete who ran 6.71km every hour for an entire week, tells Jo Khan how they hit the spot and powered him to his record.

Sport

Tennis | Alex de Minaur begins his US Open challenge today against Italy’s Andrea Guerrieri, but Thanasi Kokkinakis fears he may have contested his last US Open after he pulled out of the tournament with injury overnight. Follow the action live here.

Football | Aston Villa completed the signings of Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis on deadline day, while Newcastle have signed the Belgian forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo for £51m from Lille. Follow all the deals here as the window shuts.

Cricket | Michael Hussey has rejected the chance to become England’s Test batting coach in favour of a part-time deal with Cricket Australia. The former England all-rounder Ben Stokes has joined the Adelaide Strikers ⁠for the 2026-27 season that begins in December.