Good morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Thursday 19 September.

Top stories

Free movement between Australia and the UK would be explored by the British government in “post-Brexit” business talks, Britain’s international trade secretary has announced during a visit to Australia. The proposal, which would allow Australian citizens to live and work in Britain visa-free, and vice-versa, was part of ongoing trade talks, Liz Truss said, adding that securing a bilateral trade deal was an “absolute priority” and that such an arrangement would take months rather than years to complete. Trade minister Simon Birmingham confirmed that a deal with the UK would particularly benefit the UK’s agriculture sector but it’s unclear whether Australia would rush to embrace a visa-free arrangement such as is currently shared with New Zealand amid concerns over the possible flight of skilled workers.

On the eve of a week-long visit to America and a meeting with Donald Trump, Scott Morrison has declared that Australia is “prepared to do the heavy lifting”. Emphasising the importance of the US-Australian alliance, the prime minister told parliament that Australia would be “a partner that pulls their weight in the alliance”. Morrison will depart Australia on Thursday for a visit that will include a state dinner with Trump in Washington and meetings with senior members of the administration, including the vice-president, Mike Pence, the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and the secretary of defence, Mark Esper.

Tough new penalties for wage theft will be reserved for the most serious breaches to prevent employers being criminalised for “genuine mistakes”, attorney general Christian Porter has said. Porter reiterated that the Coalition government was “committed to introducing strong and effective criminal sanctions to help stamp out deliberate and systematic wage theft by Australian employers” despite unions warning that the reintroduction of a Coalition bill that proposes an amnesty for employers who failed to pay superannuation would let law-breakers off the hook.

With over 6 million visitors last year, the Great Ocean Road is in danger of “being loved to death”, as concerns grow over traffic congestion, road safety and damage to Aboriginal cultural sites. Erosion has damaged midden sites dating back 5,000 years, there have been multiple fatal road smashes, and traffic gridlock has engulfed the 242km route following a boom in 50 to 60-seater coach tours. “What we would like to see is fewer tourists but spending longer here … exploring the other wonders that the area has to offer,” local tourism promoters said, amid calls for a road tax.

World

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv as election results hang in the balance. Photograph: Ammar Awad/Reuters

Israel’s next prime minister remains unknown with both Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Benny Gantz vowing to form government. Rightwing nationalist Avigdor Lieberman looms as a potential kingmaker after inconclusive election results gave rise to five possible alternative scenarios, including the possibility of fresh elections.

The EU has set Boris Johnson a two-week deadline to table a plan for replacing the Irish backstop, after it emerged earlier in the day that the UK prime minister expressed surprise over the scale of checks still needed under his alternative Irish border proposal.

Saudi Arabia has displayed physical “proof” of Iran’s involvement in missile attacks on major oil facilities, urging the US and the international community to “hold Iran responsible”. Iran insists the attacks came from Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar has accused Donald Trump of putting her life at risk, after the president retweeted a post that falsely claimed she partied on the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

A major study in the UK has found that C-section babies have different gut bacteria to those delivered vaginally, potentially explaining the higher prevalence of asthma, allergies and other immune conditions in babies born by caesarean.

Opinion and analysis

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Comedians (from let) Julia Davis, Romesh Ranganathan, Sarah Silverman, Tiffany Haddish and Steve Coogan. Composite: n/a

Humour is at best subjective – but that hasn’t stopped the Guardian from putting together a list of the definitive 50 best comedians of the 21st century. From the unadulterated silliness of Mighty Boosh to the cerebral musings of Daniel Kitson, the path-breaking challenge of Hannah Gadsby to the delicious darkness of Julia Davis. But with 112 Emmy nominations and a back-catalogue of rolled-gold comedic hits, there can be only one number one.

If incomes don’t keep up with property prices, we’re in danger of another housing bubble, predicts Greg Jericho: “If house prices start to go up again, as looks likely, it means that affordability will only get worse unless household incomes begin to rise. But, as the head of the Reserve Bank noted, rising house prices in a period of weak income growth is inherently unsustainable – and that is a worrying thing for an economy such as ours which relies so greatly on household wealth derived from the value of the family home.”

Sport

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Wallabies players Nick Phipps, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Matt Toomua celebrate a try. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

“If the Wallabies turn up they can beat anyone”. That’s the assessment of former skipper James Horwill, and it’s not just a patriotic line, writes Paul Rees. Having played in the 2011 tournament, Horwill knows it is about the here and now rather than what went before.

The NRL’s match review panel has been branded a “kangaroo court” by South Sydney captain Sam Burgess, but relaxing rules would result in less consistency and transparency, writes Matt Cleary.

Thinking time: the rise of female Australian authors

In 2012 the Stella Count was introduced alongside the Stella prize for books by women in order to highlight gender disparity in Australian literary culture. Within just six years, 49% of published book reviews in Australia were for books written by women – a figure that has researchers praising Australian publications. “If we think about our ideas about what men and women are, what kinds of stories can and can’t be told, and what kinds of stories are considered important, whether books by men and women are getting equal access to those pages is really important,” said the study’s lead Julianne Lamond.

And yet the issue of “partitioned criticism” remains. “Books by men can often be considered more serious even if they’re about the same subject matter that women are writing about. So Jonathan Franzen writes about family and it’s a serious book, and for every woman writer that does the same it’s considered a woman’s book. I think there’s still some work to be done there.”

Media roundup

Peter Dutton could gain increased powers to strip dual nationals of their citizenship if found guilty of terrorism, reports the Australian, with the new legislation also potentially retrospective. Qantas boss Alan Joyce has accused airports of using their monopoly status to charge passengers exorbitant fees, writes the Canberra Times. And, some of NSW’s top schools are losing students at an alarming rate, reports the Daily Telegraph, claiming parents are using Naplan scores to help shop around.

Coming up

The man accused of shooting dead Australian tourist Sean McKinnon is expected to make an appearance in court in New Zealand.

Sign up

If you would like to receive the Guardian Australia morning mail to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here.