Morning Mail: Queensland critics face alleged ‘culture of fear’; extreme specialist fees revealed; and Bluey co-creator’s new alien

Want to get this in your inbox every weekday? Good morning. The Queensland government has been accused of conducting a systematic campaign to suppress criticism of its policies by creating a “culture of fear” to silence dissenting views. Also this morning, world leaders are flocking to Turkey for the high-stakes Cop31 climate talks. Australia has stormed into both Rugby League World Cup finals. And we hear from Bluey’s Daley Pearson about what’s behind his new alien film.

Exclusive | Weakening copyright protections for AI companies after big tech’s demands would be “ridiculous and dangerous”, the global peak body for the music recording industry has warned. ‘Culture of fear’ | The Queensland government is allegedly using “threatening” tactics to silence critics. Soaring fees | More than 2.2 million Australians paid “extreme” fees to see a specialist last year, with psychiatrists and paediatricians among the most likely to unreasonably charge their patients.

‘It’s fully snowing’ | Springtime snowfall has swept over alpine areas of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania as an unseasonal cold blast whips through the south-east. World of the fairywrens | From Fitzroy Crossing to Cape York, Howard Loosemore and his friends spent 15 years capturing every Australian fairywren species and their spectacular plumage.

Read the original report at The Guardian.