Morning Mail: Albanese’s approval plummets; US airstrikes on Iran; and a Sydney uni’s chatbot tutors

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The recent muddle over immigration levels appears to have cost the government, with our latest Essential poll showing a sharp fall in support and the prime minister’s personal rating hitting an all-time low.

The government’s rating will probably not improve if, as economists forecast today, the Reserve Bank will raise interest rates despite the slump in property prices, and a university is replacing tutorials with chatbots.

Overseas, the US has resumed airstrikes on Iranian targets and the UK has had its hottest summer ever.

Police ‘punch’ | Video footage has emerged capturing a New South Wales police officer boasting about “punching” a protester in the head “when he was down”, before the protester was charged with assaulting police.

Property plunge | The prospect of the steepest property market downturn in history will not stop the Reserve Bank from delivering an expected fourth interest rate hike as it battles to bring inflation back under control, economists say.

Exclusive | Labor’s national primary vote has dropped five percentage points in a month, falling to 26% in the latest Guardian Essential poll as Anthony Albanese saw his approval rating as prime minister fall to its lowest ever level.

One Nation’s primary support also dropped again and is now at 23%, but the Coalition has regained some ground.

Chatbot tutors | An Australian university has swapped in-person classes with an AI chatbot , online quizzes and optional online tutorials in two subjects as institutions give the technology more teaching responsibilities.

Testing time | Drug testing will resume at New South Wales music festivals from next month, but will not be rolled out into the wider community despite calls from peak health and harm reduction groups.

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