Secret childcare ratings leave NSW parents in dark, Albanese poised for climate action, Sam Kerr scores on Chelsea return | The Guardian

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15/09/2025

Secret childcare ratings leave NSW parents in dark, Albanese poised for climate action, Sam Kerr scores on Chelsea return

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Paul Gallagher

Good morning. There are fears of glaring safety gaps in New South Wales’s childcare system, as we reveal that parents were kept in the dark over the findings of a secret rating system used by education officials, which were sometimes starkly different to public ratings.

As Labor gets ready to release its much anticipated 2035 emissions reduction target this week, we survey the federal government’s climate action ambitions.

The Christmas Island flying fox (described as “cute” and “chonky”) is at risk of extinction. And Sam Kerr has scored in her return to the pitch for Chelsea after 20 months out.

Oh, and it’s time to choose your bird of the year.

Australia

Conservation | The “incredibly cute and fluffy” Christmas Island flying fox is critically endangered – and with no recovery plan, scientists fear it could be just one cyclone away from extinction.

Childcare centres | A NSW childcare centre was approved as “meeting” government standards in the publicly available rating system – but flagged months later as a “very high risk service” in a secret rating system maintained by the Department of Education.

Economics | New analysis suggests workers are now reaping a greater share of the national income than before the Covid pandemic – with a tighter labour market driving those changes.

Bird of the year | Australia has the greatest diversity of avian life in the world – and we want to hear which birds should be shortlisted for the Guardian/Birdlife Australia bird of the year poll next month.

‘A facility for them’ | The US will be able to use a major naval precinct in Western Australia to dock its own nuclear-powered submarines, the government has confirmed, after committing $12bn to the project.

World

Prince Harry visits a memorial to soldiers killed in the Russia-Ukraine war

Russia-Ukraine war | Poland’s foreign minister has said the Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace was an attempt by the Kremlin to test Nato’s reactions, with drones now detected over Romania.

‘My conscience is clear’ | Prince Harry has talked about the cost of war, his portrayal in the press and his family, as the Guardian joined him on a secretly planned trip to Kyiv.

Gaza crisis | Medics at the largest hospital still functioning in Gaza say they will soon be overwhelmed by a wave of newly displaced Palestinians; US secretary of state Marco Rubio is in Israel for talks to limit diplomatic damage over Qatar strikes; Guy Pearce and Annie Lennox are among celebrities to join call to end “normalised horror” for children in Gaza.

Charlie Kirk shooting | The Utah governor has claimed that Tyler Robinson, the man suspected of killing rightwing activist Charlie Kirk, has a “very different ideology” to his conservative family.

Epstein fallout | Peter Mandelson’s role as the UK ambassador to the US was seen as “worth the risks” despite warnings in the vetting process over his links with Jeffrey Epstein, a senior official has said.

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