Meanwhile, Australia’s own Chris Kenny is reportedly the warm-up act for former US president Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Florida.

An utterly compelling court hearing will start in Hobart this morning: the final appeal of Sue Neill-Fraser, who was convicted of murdering her husband Bob Chappell onboard the couple’s yacht in 2009.

There’s a lot to unpack but basically Neill-Fraser was convicted entirely on circumstantial evidence, Chappell’s body has never been found, and much of the appeal is set to focus on why DNA from a troubled teenager was on the yacht.

It is also a test of right to appeal laws, which have been implemented in some states to allow for court hearings if new evidence emerges.

Here’s a story from AAP:

More than a decade after being convicted of murdering her partner, Hobart grandmother Susan Neill-Fraser has another chance to prove her innocence.

The body of Bob Chappell, who disappeared off the couple’s yacht on Australia Day 2009, has never been found.

Neill-Fraser, now 67, is serving 23 years in jail but has always maintained she did not kill the 65-year-old, her partner of 18 years.

Today she will embark on a landmark appeal hearing in the supreme court of Tasmania having convinced a judge there “fresh and compelling” evidence that was not heard at the original trial.

The reliability of the evidence – which centres on then 15-year-old homeless girl Meaghan Vass whose DNA was found on the Four Winds yacht – will be tested in front of a three-judge panel.

Vass denied being on the boat at the original trial but has signed an affidavit saying she was on board when Chappell was attacked.

Neill-Fraser’s lawyers have also questioned evidence led by the prosecution at the trial relating to DNA and blood testing and a “misleading” winching reconstruction on the yacht.

It was found Neill-Fraser attacked Chappell, dumped his body in the Derwent river and then tried to sink the boat.

“It was a deliberate killing for the purpose of some sort of personal gain,” Justice Alan Blow wrote in sentencing remarks after her 2010 conviction.

The case against Neill-Fraser was based entirely on circumstantial evidence.

If the appeal is successful she could face a retrial or her conviction could be quashed.

High-profile lawyer Robert Richter QC, who represented Cardinal George Pell, will lead Neill-Fraser’s legal team at the five-day hearing.

Vass is expected to give evidence via video link.

Neill-Fraser, who is eligible for parole in August 2022, won the right to a second appeal in 2019 under new Tasmanian laws that required “fresh and compelling” evidence to be brought forward.

Her first appeal was dismissed by the court of criminal appeal in 2012.

The health minister, Greg Hunt, revealed on Sunday that the federal government had established a myth-busting unit to tackle Covid-19 misinformation.

When we say Covid-19 misinformation, many of you probably immediately think of the former Liberal (now independent) MP, Craig Kelly. But the creation of this unit also made me think of the excellent Web of Lies series we have been running at Guardian Australia which you should definitely dig into.

Good morning all, it’s 1 March, 2021. Let’s see what’s happening today:

The federal health minister Greg Hunt has confirmed that the first 300,000 doses of the new AstraZeneca vaccine will start rolling out by next Monday. He also revealed the government “quietly” set up a “myth-busting unit” last year to address what he’s called “plainly ridiculous” misinformation surrounding the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, amid increasing concerns about the spread of false information and conspiracy theories.

In other vaccine news, some experts think Australia’s goal of vaccinating the entire adult population by October might just be feasible, even though it would require an extremely high daily rate of 180,000 doses. And new data suggests the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may be less effective in people with obesity.

Legal experts are calling for an independent investigation of the historical rape alleged to have been committed by a federal cabinet minister, citing it as a “very serious” integrity issue. Anthony Albanese, while agreeing the matter is best handled by police, yesterday called it a “test” for Scott Morrison, who must decide if the minister should continue in his current position. He refused to say how he would handle a similar allegation against a Labor frontbencher, arguing that this was a hypothetical. But Liberal senator Sarah Henderson last night referred a rape allegation against an unnamed Labor member of parliament to the federal police.

The heads of hundreds of private schools across New South Wales will be briefed by the boss of the police sex crimes squad this week as the sector scrambles to address concerns raised by a viral petition that has gathered more than 3,000 testimonies of alleged sexual assault committed by high school students.

Two conservation scientists have been cleared of research misconduct by the University of Tasmania after a review sparked by complaints from logging industry representatives.

Chinese investment in Australia plunged by 61% last year, new data shows. But according to one researcher, this may be more about changed foreign investment settings than a strained economic relationship.

Thousands of Victorians may have missed out on early cancer diagnoses during the pandemic, potentially allowing the disease to progress past the chance of recovery and causing a “cancer spike” later on, the Cancer Council says.