Top storiesPublic support for marriage equality has dropped 4% in a fortnight and opposition is up 3%, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. With the postal survey campaign now in full swing, the latest poll shows 55% support for changing the law to allow same-sex couples to marry and 34% against. In July alone 72 records were broken for the highest maximum temperature, including in Sydney, which set a record high of 26.5C. It was the fifth-warmest winter on record for average temperatures, and the driest since 2002. Sign upIf you would like to receive the Guardian Australia morning mail to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here.

Source: The Guardian September 18, 2017 21:00 UTC