☕️ Barnaby Joyce joins One Nation

It’s that time again. For the last time this year, the RBA is announcing its latest decision on the cash rate.

Reminder: We usually refer to changes in the cash rate as the RBA changing interest rates, because it affects rates across the economy, including home loans. The higher the interest rate, the more expensive it is to borrow money.

It’s widely expected the cash rate will be held at 3.6%, where it’s been since August. The decision will be announced at 2.30pm.

“Cleveland had spent 74 of his last 87 days in Unit 18 locked in his cell for longer than 22 hours each day… this was not only entirely inappropriate, but inhumane.”
An excerpt from the WA Coroner's report into the 2023 death by suicide of First Nations teenager Cleveland Dodd, who was held in solitary confinement at a juvenile facility within an adult jail.
13 YARN: 13 92 76
Lifeline: 13 11 14

$45 million
The amount of money the Federal Government has loaned Arnott's to support its move to sell Tim Tams worldwide.

Flamingos are born whitish grey, and develop a pink or reddish colour from the food they eat, like plankton or prawns that are high in beta-carotene pigments.

Federal MP Barnaby Joyce has announced he will join One Nation, after leaving the National Party last month.

In a post to Facebook, Joyce said joining One Nation, founded by Pauline Hanson, was a “considered and serious decision”.

Hanson has confirmed Joyce will run for a seat representing NSW in the Senate at the next federal election, due in 2028.

Joyce has been the MP for New England, a seat that covers areas of northern NSW, since 2013.

He was previously a Senator for Queensland.

Joyce was the leader of the National Party from 2016 to 2018, but stood down after it was revealed he had a personal relationship with a former staffer.

He was a backbencher for the Nationals until last month. Joyce had previously confirmed he would not run for the seat of New England in 2028.

Hanson founded One Nation in 1997.

One Nation has four federal senators including Hanson.

One Nation’s policies include significantly reducing the number of people allowed to migrate to Australia each year, and limiting the number of countries whose citizens can move here.

The party’s website says it is “the only political party to question climate science,” and that it is in favour of Australia withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.

Joyce said he had decided to move to One Nation because the party’s policies “put Australia first and centre.”

He criticised the current Government’s energy and immigration policies, and said he can’t effectively oppose them from the Nationals backbench.

Joyce will remain a member of the House of Reps (now representing One Nation) until the next election, when he will run as a Senator for NSW.

“I will let the voters be the ultimate arbiter of that decision,” Joyce said.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

⛱️ It’s peak summer, so here’s your friendly reminder: Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, and Slide. Fewer than 1 in 10 do all five, but each one helps protect your skin in the long run. Find out more.

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Federal Communication and Sport Minister Anika Wells has come under scrutiny in recent days following revelations about her travel expense claims.

The Opposition has called for a review of taxpayer-funded travel to New York and with family in Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended Wells’ expenses, saying they were all “within guidelines”.

Politicians can be reimbursed for a range of work-related charges, governed by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA).

The IPEA says business expenses must:

It also requires politicians to be “personally responsible and accountable” for their spending.

IPEA defines reasons for travel as activities related to their electorate, ministerial position, political party, or as a member of Parliament.

Parliamentarians have a designated budget, and must report all travel expenses to IPEA.

They can claim expenses for family members’ travel from their “home base” to Canberra — up to nine business class return airfares for a spouse and three economy return airfares for each dependent child.

Parliamentarians can also claim up to three return business class airfares for family members to accompany them on “parliamentary business” in Australia.

Wells is the Minister for Sport and Communication.

While speaking at the National Press Club on Wednesday about the upcoming social media ban, Wells faced questions from journalists about a trip to New York that cost almost $100,000.

Wells and two of her staffers travelled to New York to host an event called ‘Protecting children in the digital age’ at the UN General Assembly, where she promoted the social media ban. She called the trip “incredibly important,” saying it “fuelled a global momentum“.

The Sydney Morning Herald has since reported that Wells expensed an official trip to Adelaide that coincided with a friend’s birthday party, while The Australian Financial Review reported she expensed a 2024 trip to Melbourne for the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The Herald also reported that when Wells travelled to Thredbo for a Para snow-sports event, her family joined her for the weekend.

Wells travelled to France three times in 12 months to attend the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.

On Monday, The Herald reported Wells expensed flights for her husband to join her at the AFL grand finals from 2022 to 2024.

Speaking to the ABC on Sunday, Albanese said the trip to New York for the UN General Assembly was an “important event that directly led to the European Union taking action.”

Albanese said he had approved the last-minute flights after directing Wells to delay her trip due to the Optus Triple Zero outages.

Addressing the Thredbo trip, Albanese said it was “within entitlements and Anika Wells was working on that trip as Sports Minister.”

At a press conference on Sunday, Shadow Finance Minister James Paterson said: “If [Wells] wants to attend a birthday party of a friend... if she wants to take her family on a ski holiday, she can pay for it herself.”

Addressing Albanese’s claim that the expenses were within guidelines, Paterson said: “Just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be done.”

He said the expenses “should be referred to the IPEA for review to make sure it’s actually within the rules”.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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Stenson finished the marathon in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds, finishing fifth in the race.

The 38-year-old said that after the race, she spoke to the previous record-holder, Sinead Diver. She told Australian Athletics that Diver “called me right away and we just cried. She was so happy for me.”

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Reporting by George Finlayson.

It’s often said that when it rains, it pours. At the Louvre, it leaks.

Weeks after a $100 million jewel heist, the Paris museum has revealed a water pipe leak damaged up to 400 documents in its Egyptian antiquities department.

Deputy museum administrator Francis Steinbock told French media the leak sent “dirty water” flooding one of the library’s three rooms.

While none of the volumes were priceless manuscripts, they were key reference works for experts on ancient Egypt.

This incident has sparked fresh criticisms of the Louvre’s infrastructure, with art specialists noting the department had long sought funds to protect its collections.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.

Over the weekend, Netflix announced it was acquiring Warner Bros. for over $AU100 billion in a deal that has significant ramifications for the media landscape in Hollywood and beyond.

In today’s podcast, we’ll explain what we know about the deal itself, why everyone is talking about it, and what it means for all of us Netflix watchers.