1. New findings reveal Secret Service watchdog suppressed memo on January 6 texts erasure
According to The Guardian this morning, “Top career officials at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) office of the inspector general (OIG) tried to alert Congress in April that Secret Service texts from the time of the January 6 Capitol attack had been erased, but their efforts were nixed by its leadership, documents show.”

“Secret Service has resisted OIG’s oversight activities and continued to significantly delay OIG’s access to records, impeding the progress of OIG’s January 6, 2021 review,” the memo said.

2. Santos buys gas pipeline to connect to east coast market
Santos’ much-maligned Narrabri gas project is about to be connected to the east coast market after the company purchased a gas pipeline “to inject new supply into NSW,” says Santos’ midstream and clean fuels president Brett Woods.

“The approved underground pipeline route for the Hunter Gas Pipeline, which still needs buy-in from landholders and local councils, would create a second north-south link by connecting Queensland’s Wallumbilla gas hub near Roma to Newcastle and Sydney markets. The 820km pipeline project would cost about $1.2 billion, according to estimates from 2020,” the AFR reports.

“Once fully operational, Narrabri has the potential to deliver more than half NSW’s gas demand, creating a more secure, local and affordable supply for businesses, manufacturers and families,” Woods said.

3. Perrottet contradicts himself with Penrith stadium upgrade
The NSW Government has announced it will plough ahead with the $300 million upgrade proposal for Penrith stadium, home to NRL club the Penrith Panthers and situated in one of the state’s most marginal seats.

Yet this comes after state Premier Dominic Perrottet said his government would not inject funds into other sporting precinct developments to prioritise flood relief projects for areas affected in northern NSW.

And it was only last weekend when part of a grandstand at Leichardt Oval collapsed at a rugby union match where a group of spectators suffered injuries including concussion, bruises and broken bones.

“The Labor opposition has called on the government to produce documents to the upper house about why it has dumped [other similar] projects and why it is proceeding with the Penrith project, given other pressing budgetary needs,” The Guardian reports.

“We will be scrutinising this decision closely. We will be asking questions about what drove it, who knew about it and its impact on the local community,” Labor MP John Graham, who called for the papers, said.

The papers in question require “the production of business cases, tender documents and contracts, as well as cost-benefit analyses”.

4. NRL Premiership-winning coach Paul Green dies aged 49
Lauded NRL coach Paul Green was found dead in his Brisbane home on Thursday morning, with a post-mortem examination to be conducted.

With many accolades both as a coach and player, Green will be remembered most in the NRL community as the man who steered North Queensland to their first premiership win in 2015.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys said his thoughts were with Green’s family and friends.

“I had the pleasure of sitting on the NRL Competition Committee and found Paul to be a passionate, smart and witty individual. Our condolences go to his family and to his many friends,” he said.

Green played 162 games across five different clubs as a halfback, five-eighth and hooker while also playing seven State of Origins for Queensland. (AFR)

5. ASX to fall to this morning
ASX futures were down 19 points or 0.27% to 6947 near 6.30am AEST, with the AUD +0.2% to 71.06 US cents.

On Wall St: Dow +0.1% S&P 500 -0.1% Nasdaq -0.6%.

In Europe: Stoxx 50 +0.2% FTSE -0.6% CAC +0.3% DAX -0.1%.

10-year yield: US 2.89% Australia 3.28%.