Inside Exclusive Brethren schools, French far right blocked from power, public transport deserts revealed

Good morning. Schools set up by the secretive Exclusive Brethren receive generous taxpayer subsidies while students are subject to strict surveillance, need approval to access external counselling and are discouraged from going to university, a Guardian Australia investigation has found.

In France a last-minute alliance of left-green parties, alongside tactical voting, has relegated Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally to third place in the French election, according to projections. Polls had predicted NR would perform much better, perhaps even forming government.

And back home analysis has found that 7 million people living in Australia’s major cities face huge barriers in accessing reliable public transport. It means they have little choice but to rely on their cars – and lower income suburbs appear to be the worst off.

Ben Woodbury, a former student of the schools set up by the Exclusive Brethren, says his school years were the “darkest moments” of his life. Being gay in a church that forbids homosexuality, Woodbury felt isolated, alone and suicidal, and says he was unable to access the external psychological support he needed. Former teachers have raised concerns about access to psychological help under a new “student support” policy introduced to the schools last year which they say undermines student confidentiality.

A spokesperson for OneSchool Global said student welfare was a top priority and that the approval process was designed to make sure students got the right help.

Today’s story is the first part of a Guardian Australia investigation that looks into the culture of the schools, which are closely connected to the notoriously secretive church led by Sydney-based Bruce Hales.

As disabled actors fight for authentic casting, there are still complex impediments to access – and, says Prisoner alumna Kate Hood, “we see cripping up all the time”. Hood, 65, counts herself as lucky because she trained in acting overseas before she acquired disability. But, she says, “a person who is born with a disability has a snowflake’s chance in hell of being trained”.

A finalist in the Blake prize for religious or spiritual art has been taken off a gallery wall after an intense campaign by Christian activists offended at Jesus Christ being portrayed as a Looney Tunes character, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Sex work will be banned from being funded through the NDIS, ABC News reports. Melbourne airport has backed down from its demand for an underground station for the airport rail link, the Age says.

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