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Along with our Great Barrier Reef and America's Grand Canyon, Mount Everest is commonly and justifiably included in the list of the world’s greatest natural wonders. Like the former two, it’s the whole Everest massif, not just its singular, pre-eminent summit that constitutes this wondrous phenomenon. The stellar cluster of adjacent peaks and the glaciers they feed; on the southern, Nepal side, the valleys carved deep by tumbling rivers, cloaked in rich and distinct altitude-graduated vegetation; on the other side, the starkly different, high undulating plateau of Tibet, where aridity lies bare, the bones of the earth exposed to the thin cold air and intensely bright high-altitude light. All add to the richness and complexity.

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The mountain itself is the central jewel, the enduring symbol of human hope, striving and achievement, the primary reason why, especially on the more diverse Nepal side, tens of thousands flock to make the arduous trek up towards points below it to gaze in wonder at the all-round spectacle, and why climbers, and those who aspire to be climbers, harbour the desire to stand on the highest point on earth.

The crowds have brought comparatively great wealth to the Sherpa people, who live in the valleys on the Nepal side. There’s hardly a house where glass windows don’t feature prominently, whereas in other parts of Nepal, adorned by lower but no less spectacular mountains, glass windows are rare or non-existent, the people are poor.

The government reaps a rich reward as well, collecting more than $4 million annually from climbing permits alone. Yet little of this gets put back into managing the burgeoning problem of overcrowding.

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Once the preserve of only hardened climbers relying on their own skills rather than others’ and even forging new and more difficult routes, Everest’s summit has now become a purchasable commodity via dozens of companies offering to guide the two easier routes.

Every season now we see the farcical and deadly situation of hundreds of climbers queuing up the well-trodden line, all reduced to the speed of the person in front with few, if any "overtaking lanes".  Many of them have a bare minimum of experience and all are relying on their guides’ fragile ability to save them in the event of an equipment malfunction, a sudden change in weather or the onset of the often fatal pulmonary or cerebral oedema.

The record numbers of ascents this year have been accompanied by a predictable increase in fatalities, many of them attributable to the overcrowding caused by unregulated numbers of minimally experienced climbers whose main qualifier has been to have deep pockets.

Above Base Camp all human bodily waste simply stays there to be desiccated and blown about with the snowflakes until eventually brought down into the valley entombed in the glacier. Nowhere else on earth is such a natural treasure treated with such disregard for the impact of overcrowding. Rafting down the Grand Canyon is strictly controlled to preserve its natural integrity, numbers on America’s highest peak Denali are restricted and strict environmental guidelines are enforced, similarly popular walking trails around the world, including in Australia, have limits.

But Nepal is a poor country and officials are not inclined to limit numbers on Everest because they say it would result in a loss of revenue. For many years now, experienced climbers like myself have been lobbying the government to make changes.

To me there is an elegant solution that should not result in any loss of revenue but would spread the windfall to mountain villages below lesser peaks across the country. The rules could be changed so that there’s a process of qualification requiring aspirant "Everesters", or those wanting to ascend any of the other increasingly popular 8000-metre peaks, to first climb a designated 6000-metre mountain away from the Everest region followed by climbing a similarly designated 7000-metre mountain.

As well as spreading the economic benefit and seeing more of these these hardy, wonderful people enjoy glass in their windows, it would automatically reduce numbers on Everest and give those who eventually qualified at least a safe foundation of experience. Finally some dignity would be returned to a sullied icon.

Tim Macartney-Snape is a mountaineer and author.  He and Greg Mortimer were the first Australians to reach the summit of Mount Everest. They did so without oxygen.

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Bernard Tomic has denied not giving it his all despite lasting just 82 minutes against Taylor Fritz in another forgettable French Open for the Australian.

The big-serving American made the most of a disinterested Tomic to run away with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 first round victory, the 21-year-old’s most dominant in a grand slam.

World No.84 Tomic raced through his service games at almost comical speed as his main draw record on the French clay worsened to 3-10.

Tomic managed to combine nonchalance and impatience in a first set that lasted just 23 minutes.

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The 26-year-old barely looked up between serves and even tried to concede a winner against his serve on match point, despite his bemused opponent and the chair umpire telling him his delivery had been a fault.

Tomic then shrugged his way through another abrupt post-match press conference, although stopped short of saying he hadn’t given his all.

He did agree with compatriot Nick Kyrgios’ social media post last week that the French Open "sucked", compared to Wimbledon, but said it was just a fact that his game wasn’t suited to the slower surface.

"[I’m] pretty sure I did [try], but, you know, surface is not good for me," he said. "I mean, it’s not difficult. It’s just my game is not built for this surface. Everything I do is not good for it."

His performance – both on and off the court – mirrored last year’s first round exit, although on that occasion he had won seven straight matches on clay to qualify for the main draw.

Slight rain was all that could slow Tomic’s self-driven demise in the first set, while he could only laugh when a trainer was called for him inadvertently early in the second.

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Turning away the help, Tomic returned to court with a wry grin, praying towards the sky saying "I love Roland Garros, I love it".

The comic relief seemed to spring Tomic into action, albeit briefly as the world No.84 found himself back on serve, breaking for 4-4 in the second set.

Fritz dug in though, earning the break after winning back-to-back 22-shot rallies against the Queenslander.

Normal service resumed though as Tomic watched an ace sail by as the American, ranked 42 places higher, secured the set and an early break in the third to all but kill off the first glimmers of a contest.

The grass season awaits the former world No.17, who is slated for qualifying at Queens next month, but with another shrug of his shoulders Tomic said the only concrete plan he currently had was to return to his Paris hotel.

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Times are tough. Your relationship is in the emergency room and the last rites are being read. The person you fell in love with has the capacity and the inside knowledge to destroy you. It is time for drastic interventions.

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Divorce has few victors. Children suffer. Everyone, almost invariably, loses. There may be exceptions to this but if you can consider avoiding divorce in your life, do it.

This is about the moment when your partner is on the brink of being out the door or is at the point of running you out, and it's not what you want. Before you connect again we need to build respect, then protect an then re-connect.

First, if you do not want your relationship to end it is likely you are grieving, hurt and sad. Your partner may want to rush things along to a quick separation. For this reason slow the process down, if you can.

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People who want to end a relationship abruptly are almost always out of the resilient zone. They are feeling agitated and usually ascribing the reason they feel this way to you. Usually they are in the 'flight' mode. Alternatively, they are absent and attributing the reason for feeling deadened to you.

As hard as it is to think about their perspective at this time, it is important. Realise that there is often just as much pain the person wanting to leave. This can be hard to believe, especially if there has been infidelity, and they will often put on the appearance that they are determined to be rid of you. In the dark recesses of their mind, however, a shred of doubt will always linger.

We are going to use that shred of doubt to increase your chances of not getting divorced.

Respect

The first thing to know is that the person you hope beyond hope will care for you and love you is not able to do that for you at the the moment. Even if they don't show it, they are going through their own turmoil and pain. Most likely they are concealing this and instead directing their anger and blame towards you. You may well think, 'Well, let them, it's their fault after all – they're the person who wants to leave!'

If you really don't want to separate and divorce, you need to think clearly and be strategic. This means you may need a lot of support from friends and family as you process your feelings.

First, avoid begging, pleading or cajoling. Make sure that the people you vent to or confide in do not make emotional submissions on your behalf.

There is a part of you that is probably hurting like hell. There is probably another part that is furious. The fragile part of you that is in pain wants to cling on. However, if you chase your partner they will feel suffocated or hunted and shift to the agitated zone. They will begin to feel trapped and that everything has to happen quickly. Needing to cope with this will switch them into the avoidant zone. It is time to stop giving your partner reason to leave you.

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This is going to be very hard, but don't be put off by the challenge. It may be the best thing you ever do.

Stop discussing the relationship for a time

Trying to reason with or persuade a partner who wants to end a relationship rarely works. It is never just a matter of convincing the other person. You may be distressed and upset. They are also likely to be confused, reactive and defensive. This situation involves a powerful cocktail of emotions.

Stop pursing them

Immediately stop anything that your partner might view as trying to keep them involved. This means stopping: frequent phone calls, texts or emails; loving messages of any kind; begging, pleading; describing all the good times in your relationship; following your partner around; encouraging talk about the future; asking for reassurances; buying them gifts or flowers; planning holidays or trips away together; trying to schedule dates together; the surveillance program – no spying on them, checking their phone or computers or their arrangements.

Stop saying 'I love you'. Completely stop. Every time you say 'I love you', you might be reminding your partner that they might not love you.

Get a life

As shattered as you likely are, get a life. While this is a really big ask, you do need ot act as if you are moving forward with your life. Otherwise, you might as well seek legal advice and draw up the documents.

I expect you are asking yourself, 'How can I do this when I feel like crap? I can hardly function, it'a  miracle getting out of bed each day, and things are horrible at home.'

Start to treat yourself better. Start doing things that are out of character compared with the way you have been acting lately. Move gently beyond helplessness into action and power.

Edited extract from The Revolutionary Art of Changing Your Heart by Andrew Fuller, published by Hachette Australia on 28 May 2019, $29.99 Trade Paperback.

Dr Andrew Fuller is an Australian clinical psychologist.

The Australian teenager dubbed "Egg Boy" after he smashed a raw egg on the head of far-right Senator Fraser Anning has donated $100,000 toward helping those affected by the Christchurch mosque attacks.

The money was raised on two Go Fund Me pages set up by others after Will Connolly, 17, egged Anning, who had blamed Muslim immigration for the shooting.

In an Instagram post, Connolly said he had donated $99,922.36 to the Christchurch Foundation and Victim Support. The post did not say whether that was Australian dollars, but if it is, the amount would be nearly NZ$106,000.

The money was transferred "after a huge amount of red tape", Connolly said in the Tuesday evening post.

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"I decided to donate all monies to help provide some relief to the victims of the massacre… it wasn't mine to keep," he said.

"To the victims of the Tragedy, I whole heartedly hope that this can bring some relief to you."

The teenager had egged Mr Anning at a far-right rally in Moorabbin in Melbourne's south-east on March 16, the day after the Christchurch terror attack.

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Senator Anning was criticised around the world for saying Muslims were "not blameless" for the mosque shootings which killed 50 people.

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Will, a 17-year-old student from Melbourne's bayside, cracked an egg on the head of the politician during the Melbourne rally, in response to his comments. He was then tackled to the ground by a group of the senator's supporters.

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Following the incident, police handed Will an official caution, but he was not charged.

At the time, Will's lawyer Peter Gordon said his client was relieved with the "common sense outcome" from police.

"[Will] appreciates that he went about expressing a passionately held view in the wrong way and he acknowledges that," he said.

"He thanks the police and his family and everyone who has supported him through a pretty stressful time for him. He wants to get back to pursuing his year 12 studies."

Latrell Mitchell has always been compared to Greg Inglis during his short but esteemed career so far – and that is the very reason, he says, why he will never play for South Sydney.

In the same week Mitchell joined the NSW Blues camp and whispers emerged he had already agreed to a two-year extension with the Sydney Roosters for around $800,000 a year, the gun centre for the first time gave an insight into why he hasn't seriously entertained persistent links with the Rabbitohs.

"I have always thought about [the move] with GI moving out, but then again, I've been hyped up after 'GI' for most of my career now, and I think if I move there I'd be more of a shadow," Mitchell said. "I am a person that wants to make my own name.

"I know me and GI have the same attributes on the field. Then again, I want to try and be better than Greg. I know he would have tried to be better than his idol. And I know for a fact he would want me to be better than him. That is the way it goes.

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"I want to be myself, be my own man and play my own game. They have a big [Indigenous] fan base. My old boy came down to Souths to have a crack. He got homesick and went home. He has always been a Souths supporter and has always rubbed it in. I don’t know how to explain it."

Like everybody else in the game, Mitchell wanted Inglis to "finish off on a high" before his recent retirement but now wishes him only the best. "I just hope he's doing well off the field," Mitchell said.

Mitchell's future beyond 2020 at the Sydney Roosters has been a huge storyline for most of the season, and after Inglis's shock retirement the young pin-up was heavily linked with a move across to the other side of Anzac Parade.

Even the most rusted-on Souths fan, however, would now understand Mitchell's reluctance to pull on the cardinal and myrtle. The past few months became stressful for Mitchell as he went through a messy split with long-time manager Steve Deacon and linked with new agent Wayde Rushton.

"You can’t put all your trust in one bucket with someone. All that stuff is in the past," he said.

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When the Roosters extension is posed to him, Mitchell did not appear surprised, giving the look of a man who has heard every story linking him at some stage to all 15 rival clubs.

"That's the first time I'm hearing this. How much was it?" Mitchell asked.

When told around $800,000 a year, Mitchell smiled and said: "I would love to see that. I am still under contract with the Roosters until next year. Whatever happens, happens. I will leave it all aside. I don’t need to worry about it."

The only concern for Mitchell right now is winning another series for the Blues. He would have loved the chance to play alongside Luke Keary in what shaped as an all-Roosters left edge with Boyd Cordner and James Tedesco sweeping across the back.

Mitchell was just as excited to link up with good mate and new NSW No.6 Cody Walker, the debutant he's also had the privilege of playing under with the Indigenous All Stars at the start of the year.

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Queensland have their own superstar 21-year-old in Kalyn Ponga but Maroons fans will be fearing what Mitchell is capable of for the Blues.

If they need reminding, Queenslanders need only to go back and watch what he did to the Wests Tigers a few Saturday nights back at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Roosters and NSW skipper Cordner has seen first hand how Mitchell has blossomed spectacularly since he first stormed onto the Origin arena last year and the Blues captain is expecting even more from him this time around.

"There are times in the game when he's the only player in the NRL who can do what he does, and I suppose that's why he's so good. He's a game-breaker," Cordner said.

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At a parliamentary hearing in Ottawa on Tuesday sat two name cards – "Mark Zuckerberg" and "Sheryl Sandberg" – and two empty chairs.

For the second time in less than a year, Facebook's founder and its chief operating officer declined to appear before an international committee of legislators from nearly a dozen countries who are investigating privacy, big data and democracy.

This did not please the Canadian hosts of the committee, who blasted the pair for not appearing, and the panel issued an unusual, open-ended summons: Zuckerberg and Sandberg will be required to come before Parliament should they venture to Canada for any reason.

"If Mr Zuckerberg or Ms Sandberg decides to come here for a tech conference, or to go fishing, Parliament will be able to serve that summons and have them brought here," said Charlie Angus, a member of the left-wing New Democratic Party.

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If they entered the country and didn't appear before the committee, Parliament could hold them in contempt, said Bob Zimmer, a Conservative who chairs the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.

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While the threat seemed mostly symbolic, Tuesday's hearing showed again that anger and frustration with Facebook is real – and arguably growing.

In recent years, the company has been dogged by allegations that it is dodging responsibility for the spread of disinformation on the social network and not protecting users' personal information – accusations repeated before the international committee Tuesday.

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The committee – officially called the International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy – is made up of representatives from Canada, Britain, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France, Ireland, Latvia and Singapore.

The group first met in London last year. Zuckerberg was invited but did not show up.

Though other technology companies, including Google, were summoned to the Ottawa gathering, it was Facebook's decision to send relatively junior representatives that drew the most outrage.

Zimmer called the top executives' absence "abhorrent".

"Shame on Mark Zuckerberg and shame on Sheryl Sandberg for not showing up today," he said during the hearing, according to CNN.

As the hearing progressed, legislators grilled Facebook's representatives on its handling of disinformation, casting the company as a threat to democratic institutions.

Damian Collins, a British legislator, pressed Facebook on why it had not removed a digitally manipulated video of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that went viral last week.

The company's director of public policy, Neil Potts, countered that Facebook had done something – it downranked the video, making the content less likely to appear in users' news feeds.

In separate testimony, former Facebook adviser Roger McNamee urged governments to close such platforms until they were completely overhauled.

"At the end of the day, though, the most effective path to reform would be to shut down the platforms at least temporarily," McNamee said, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "Any country can go first. The platforms have left you no choice. The time has come to call their bluff."

Though Canadian legislators did not announce any further steps, their anger was evident.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith of the governing Liberal Party mocked Zuckerberg for vowing, in a recent opinion piece for The Washington Post, to keep talking to legislators.

"If he was an honest individual writing those words," Erskine-Smith said, "he'd be sitting in that chair."

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A heavily pregnant 26-year-old woman was walking to work in Sydney's inner east on Tuesday morning when she was allegedly assaulted by another woman who suddenly emerged from an alcove.

NSW Police said there was no provocation for the attack in which the woman was allegedly punched repeatedly in the head by the stranger.

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The alleged assailant, 28, then pulled the victim's hair and rammed her into a power pole on Wentworth Avenue in Surry Hills.

The victim, who is 30 weeks pregnant, fell to the roadway where she was helped by a passerby who attempted to separate the women.

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"The civilian did not hesitate to leap to the rescue of the pregnant woman and we commend his bravery," said Chief Inspector Adam Johnson.

At the same time, a probationary police constable, who happened to be walking by just before 9am, restrained the alleged attacker.

"We would also like to praise the swift response of the probationary constable who saved the woman from further harm," Chief Inspector Johnson said.

Nine News reported the constable, who shielded the victim from a further assault, had only been with the police force for three weeks.

The alleged attacker was taken to Surry Hills Police Station and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

She appeared in Central Local Court where she was ordered to remain in custody.

The pregnant woman was taken to hospital for observation and treatment.

The child's father told 2GB's Ben Fordham the unborn child was unharmed.

A key Coalition proponent of constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians has warned that strong bipartisan support will be crucial for a successful referendum and rushing the process could risk a Brexit-like outcome.

Julian Leeser, a Liberal MP and co-chair of Parliament's constitutional recognition committee, said it would be premature to stake out political positions before the completion of a comprehensive "co-design" of the referendum proposal.

"Nobody in Australian politics wants to put up a referendum that doesn't succeed, so we have got to get this right," Mr Leeser said on Tuesday.

"We know that to have a referendum pass you need to have bipartisan support.

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"And indeed we have had two referenda fail when we had bipartisan support from party leaders but not from some senators and premiers."

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Indigenous constitutional recognition has been on the political agenda for a decade, but attention has focused on the concept of a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous "Voice to Parliament" since 2017, when it was proposed in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Voice would be a representative body advising on policies affecting Indigenous people.

The proposal has been backed by Labor but has faced hostility in the Coalition, with senior figures describing it as a "third chamber" of Parliament. That claim has been rejected by advocates of the idea.

In a report late last year, MPs from both sides on the constitutional recognition committee backed further exploration of the concept and recommended a "co-design" consultation process with Indigenous communities that would examine national, regional and local elements of a Voice. The Morrison government supported the findings and has provided funding for the design process.

Labor had committed to a referendum in this term of Parliament had it been elected.

Mr Leeser said "Labor was writing cheques it couldn't cash" and the detail had to be sorted out first.

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"At one point, they flirted with a referendum being put forward without the detail. We've seen an international example of that — it's called Brexit … Vote first and sort out the details later. It didn't end well," he said.

Attorney-General Christian Porter said it was difficult to arrive at a final position while the concept remained "exceptionally vague" but reiterated resistance among senior Liberals to a constitutional Voice to Parliament.

"To the extent that the concept has meant, or means, and in my observation it likely does mean, some kind of constitutionally enshrined extra parliamentary process … members of the executive government, the government itself, have rejected that notion," Mr Porter told Sky News on Tuesday.

"But that doesn't mean that you don't give full consideration to other plans or models and ways in which to recognise Indigenous people in the Australian constitution."

Constitutional lawyer and Cobble Cobble woman Megan Davis said it was "very early days" and the Morrison government was just settling in.

"It's important to exercise patience and respect. We have always sought to educate and persuade government and the Australian people on the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the proposal for a referendum on a Voice to Parliament," Professor Davis said.

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Cody Walker says he will not sing the national anthem before the State of Origin opener next Wednesday, even though millions of sports fans will be tuned in to what will be one of the biggest sports events of the year.

Just as he remained silent during Advance Australia Fair before the Indigenous All Stars game at the start of the year, Walker will not change his mind because of the enormous interest surrounding the Origin opener at what will be a packed-out Suncorp Stadium.

While insisting he did not want to court controversy, the Blues rookie told the Herald on Tuesday: "I'm not pushing my views on anyone, it's just how me and my family have grown up and how I feel. I've already voiced my opinion, and I want to reiterate it's just my opinion.''

Blues coach Brad Fittler said it was completely up to Walker if he chose to remain silent during the anthem but he added: "I'll be singing it."

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Walker, however, found a high-powered supporter in Johnathan Thurston, who said he thought there should have been more debate about the anthem when several Indigenous All Stars brought the matter to a head at AAMI Park in February.

"The stand the team took on not singing the national anthem … it was like it was just brushed over,'' Thurston said in an interview with the Herald.

"They did that and there wasn't really any discussion to come out of that, even though it was a stand they took for themselves and their family.

"I thought it was great leadership by the team. Cody Walker came out after the game and said the national anthem doesn't represent him or his family. We made a decision based on that and that was pretty much the end of it. I can't remember anyone from the game coming out and having a further discussion about it."

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga also supported further debate straight after the All Stars game and said: "We expect them to sing the national anthem, but I'm also in favour of the fact, if it is offensive to Indigenous Australians, let's have a discussion about it.

"We're a multicultural society, so all of Australia should decide on what our anthem should be. The majority of us are third- and fourth-generation Australians now. What does contemporary Australia want? If it's important to people, why not call for a referendum?"

In the US, The NFL was last year forced to review its policy after many players refused to stand for the American national anthem, with players given the option to remain in the dressing-room if they did not want to sing The Star-Spangled Banner.

While Walker will literally stay tight-lipped during the anthem, he was more than happy to sing the praises of his NSW left-edge combination of fellow indigenous stars Latrell Mitchell and Josh Addo-Carr.

Such was the popularity of his centre and winger, Walker's two sons, Kian and Kade, have run around wanting to be Addo-Carr and Mitchell.

"When I did the Fox League interview with my boys, they came on TV and when asked who their favourite players were they said, 'Fox and Latrell'," Walker said.

"They won't be getting the No.3 and No.5 on the back of their jerseys, I can tell you. It will be the No.6.

"I played with both of them in the All Stars game, but I was on the right edge. They are superstars of the game. I can count my lucky stars."

Moments after learning of his first Origin selection on Sunday, Walker received some praise and advice from one of the most popular league identities north of the border – Souths coach Wayne Bennett.

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"He was very happy when I saw him Sunday. I got three handshakes and a cuddle. That's a record I think," Walker said.

"It's always good to hear those things from a guy who is a legend. He's an unbelievably-experienced coach and we're so lucky to have him at the club.

"He told me to soak up the week, not let the hype leading up to the game get to me, but let the game get me up."

Scott Morrison got the government re-elected on the back of a budget built on an illusion: that the economy was growing strongly and would go on doing so for a decade. The illusion allowed Morrison to boast about getting the budget back into surplus and keeping it there, despite promising the most expensive tax cuts we’ve seen.

The illusion began falling apart even while the election campaign progressed. The Reserve Bank board responded to the deterioration in the economic outlook at its meeting 11 days before the election.

It’s now clear to me that it decided to bolster the economy by lowering interest rates, but not to start cutting until its next meeting, which would be after the election – next Tuesday.

If that wasn’t bad enough for Morrison, with all his skiting about returning the budget to surplus he may have painted himself – and the economy – into a corner.

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In a speech last week, Reserve Bank governor Dr Philip Lowe made it clear that cutting interest rates might not be enough to keep the economy growing. He asked for his economic lever, “monetary policy” (interest rates), to be assisted by the government’s economic lever, “fiscal policy” (the budget).

He specifically mentioned the need to increase government spending on infrastructure projects, but he could have added a “cash splash” similar to those Kevin Rudd used to fend off recession after the global financial crisis in 2008.

See the problem? Any major slowdown in the economy would reduce tax collections and increase government spending on unemployment benefits, either stopping the budget returning to surplus or soon putting it back into deficit.

That happens automatically, whether the government likes it or not. That’s before any explicit government decisions to increase infrastructure spending, or splash cash or cut taxes, also worsened the budget balance.

And consider this. The Reserve’s official interest rate is already at a record low of 1.5 per cent. Its practice is to cut the official rate in steps of 0.25 percentage points. That means it’s got only six shots left in its locker before it hits what pompous economists call the “zero lower bound”.

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What happens if all the shots have been fired, but they’re not enough to keep the economy growing? The budget – increased government spending or tax cuts – is all that’s left.

The economics of this is simple, clear and conventional behaviour in a downturn. All that’s different is that rates are so close to zero. For Morrison, however, the politics would involve a huge climb-down and about-face.

My colleague Latika Bourke has reported Liberal Party federal director Andrew Hirst saying that, according to the party’s private polling, the Coalition experienced a critical “reset” with April’s budget. The government’s commitment to get the budget back to surplus cut through with voters and provided a sustained bounce in the Coalition’s primary vote.

The promised budget surplus also sent a message to voters that the Coalition could manage the economy, Bourke reported.

Oh dear. Bit early to be counting your chickens.

The first blow during the election campaign to the government’s confident budget forecasts of continuing strong growth came with news that the overall cost of the basket of goods and services measured by the consumer price index did not change during the March quarter, cutting the annual inflation rate to 1.3 per cent, even further below the Reserve’s target of 2 to 3 per cent on average.

Such weak growth in prices is a sign of weak demand in the economy.

The second blow was that, rather than increasing as the budget forecast it would, the annual rise in the wage price index remained stuck at 2.3 per cent for the third quarter in a row. The budget has wages rising by 2.75 per cent by next June, by 3.25 per cent a year later and 3.5 per cent a year after that.

As Lowe never tires of explaining, it’s the weak growth in wages that does most to explain the weakening growth in consumer spending and, hence, the economy overall. Labor had plans to increase wages; Morrison’s plan is “be patient”.

The third blow to the budget’s overoptimism was that, after being stuck at 5 per cent for six months, in April the rate of unemployment worsened to 5.2 per cent. The rate of underemployment jumped to 8.5 per cent.

Why didn’t Labor make more of these signs of weakening economic growth during the campaign? It had no desire to cast doubt on the veracity of the government’s budget forecasts because, just as they provided the basis for the government’s big tax cuts, they were also the basis for Labor’s tax and spending plans.

Labor was intent on proving that its budget surpluses over the next four years would be bigger than the government’s – $17 billion bigger, to be precise.

Think of it: an election campaign over which side was best at getting the budget back to surplus, just as a slowing economy and the limits to interest-rate cutting mean that, at best, any return to surplus is likely to be temporary.

Morrison’s $1080 tax refund cheques in a few months will help bolster consumer spending, but they’re a poor substitute for decent annual pay rises.

Ross Gittins is economics editor.

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