Morning Mail: ATO’s $42m debt collector contracts; teacher shortages bite; inside the nitazenes threat

Good morning. Today we reveal the scale of the contracts given by the Australian Taxation Office to Recoveriescorp, a measure of the ATO’s increasing reliance on the private debt collector.

Meanwhile, staff shortages are cutting deep in schools across Australia: we take a look at where the need is being most keenly felt.

We also examine the rise of the extremely potent drugs nitazenes in Australia. And: India’s cricketers have triumphed over South Africa in the Women’s World Cup final.

Australia

‘Diabolical’ | An international report has found that Australia’s teacher shortages are among the worst in the world, and disadvantaged and remote schools are suffering the most .

Debt collector costs | The ATO has awarded the private debt collector Recoveriescorp more than $42m in cont