Good morning Valued Subscriber,
How much is that doggie in the bus window? At least $100,000, according to today's story by Sarah Lansdown on the, ahem, interesting decision by a school to invest in a robot dog as a teaching tool. Brindabella Christian College has been boasting on buses and trams of its partnership with Boston Dynamics, whose robot doggies have been impressing/terrifying people for quite some time. But critics say it's a wasteful spend when the school is under financial scrutiny, including for repeatedly failing to pay staff superannuation entitlements on time.
In politics, public servants are facing a unique dilemma when grappling with how to balance their duty of impartiality with taking part in our thriving democracy. Dana Daniel reports that some of the political operatives looking to unseat Labor MP Alicia Payne are public service employees. "There are people whose names won't be mentioned," Voices for Canberra founding member Arnagretta Hunter said. In a court case the magistrate described, perhaps with some understatement, as "unusual" a Canberra construction company worker slapped a 12-year-old across the face before taking the child's shoes. Hannah Neale reports on the story. Meanwhile, up in Sydney, Jarryd Hayne has left prison to reunite with his family after a year behind bars on a rape conviction which was quashed yesterday. A possible fourth trial still hangs over his head. Temperatures dropped sharply overnight to a minimum of minus 3 degrees. After a frosty start, the top temperature should be about 11 degrees today. John-Paul Moloney, managing editor | 