Morning!

Reflecting on the week of news, it's been a biggie for what I would label "youth-adjacent" news. First vaping, now HECS (for some context, read up on the HECS changes here).

Yesterday's poll on Instagram about the HECS indexation delivered some interesting results - of the more than 2000 respondents, only 5% think indexation is fair. 50% check their HECS debt about once a year, 36% check it more than once a year, and 11% never check it (only 2% said they don't have a HECS debt). One in four respondents has made a voluntary contribution to bringing down their debt.

We've answered some audience questions about HECS in our podcast today - you can listen here.

I've got 10 seconds

The quote
"If by 2pm today, we do not have an agreed upon statement that exonerates me... I will be forced to challenge [the suspension agreement] officially, demand re-entry to the party room and instruct my lawyers to commence legal proceedings." - Suspended Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming in an email sent to Opposition leader John Pesutto, requesting he declares that she is not a Nazi sympathiser. The 2pm deadline passed yesterday without a statement issued, and Deeming will now pursue legal action.

The stat
15%
The pay increase aged care workers will receive from July. It's one of several measures part of Tuesday's Federal Budget.

Today in history
2017: Anna Wintour, the editor of U.S. Vogue, is made a dame by the late Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

I've got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• The coronation of King Charles III will take place at Westminster Abbey in London tomorrow. Over 2,000 guests are expected to be in attendance for the formal recognition of Charles' succession as the head of the Commonwealth, including an Australian delegation led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The coronation ceremony is expected to begin at 8pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.

• Google has begun rolling out a 'passkey' system it says is a major step to delivering a "passwordless" future. Passkeys will allow users to sign into apps and websites with their fingerprint, face scan, or the PIN used to unlock their phone. It's aimed at removing the need for passwords, and is now available as an option on personal Google accounts.

I've got 1 minute

A 13-year-old student has been arrested after opening fire at pupils and staff at his school in Serbia's capital, Belgrade.

According to officials, the boy killed at least nine people, with others injured. Police say he had been planning the attack for weeks and had prepared a 'kill list' of people to target.

The attack took place on Wednesday morning (local time). Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said the country was "united in grief".

Eight of the casualties were fellow pupils, while one other was a security guard, according to Serbian officials.

The suspect is believed to have used his father's legally-obtained guns to conduct the attack. He has been taken to a psychiatric clinic for an evaluation of his mental health, and both his parents have been arrested.

The alleged shooter can't be held criminally responsible for his actions, because he is below the Serbian age of criminal responsibility (14). Vučić has proposed lowering this age in the wake of the attack.

Gun laws in Serbia:
Serbia has 39 guns held per 100 people in its population, which is the equal-most among all European countries, according to the global Small Arms Survey released in 2018.

Many firearms have been issued for hunting, or illegally kept after wars in the region in the 1990s. Serbian gun owners must satisfy a set of criteria to own a firearm. They must be aged over 18, pass a medical exam and a police background check, and also have no history of crime or substance abuse before being granted a permit.

Mass shootings have been rare in Serbia.

I've got 2 minutes

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, the Greens' Deputy Leader, has commenced court proceedings against fellow Senator Pauline Hanson.

Faruqi alleges one of Hanson's tweets violated section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

She is seeking an official declaration to this effect, as well as a $150,000 donation from Hanson to a charitable organisation of Faruqi's choosing.

The tweet:
The tweet in question was sent after the death of Queen Elizabeth II last year.

Faruqi tweeted "Condolences to those who knew the Queen. I cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples."

Hanson responded "Your attitude appalls and disgusts me. When you immigrated to Australia you took every advantage of this country... It's clear you're not happy, so pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan."

What the law says:
Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to take any public action likely to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" someone on the basis of "race, colour or national or ethnic origin".

Section 18C does not make these acts a criminal offence – that is, they do not incur a fine or other legal penalty, but a court can make a declaration that they are unlawful and order compensation.

In 2011, a Federal Court judge declared Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt had breached the Act in articles about light-skinned First Nations people. In 2014 the Abbott Government tried to repeal Section 18C but failed.

Faruqi's claim:
In a statement, Faruqi said Hanson had "crossed a line... I refuse to let [her] get away with racist bullying and harassment".

She claimed Hanson had "doubled down" when asked to apologise and had "ignored conciliation attempts from the Australian Human Rights Commission".

As well as a legal declaration, Faruqi is asking that Hanson be restricted from using phrases like "piss off back to Pakistan" or "go back to where you came from".

She also requests the tweet be deleted and replaced by a pinned tweet on Hanson's profile stating she breached the law.

In addition, Faruqi is asking Hanson to make a $150,000 donation to a not-for-profit or community organisation, undertake anti-racism training, and pay Faruqi's legal costs.

Hanson and her party One Nation have not issued any public statement in response to Faruqi's announcement of legal proceedings at the time of writing. The tweet remains online.

Give me some good news

A trial of a new drug to treat Alzheimer's has found it slowed the disease by 35% when compared to participants taking a placebo treatment.

The study enrolled people with early symptoms of Alzheimer's, with pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly saying the treatment "significantly slowed" cognitive and functional decline.

Today's podcast

A message from our sponsor

So it's a bit chilly - we get it. Winter is well and truly coming, and with it comes colder temperatures, longer nights, and shorter days. But that ain't an excuse to stay indoors. Throw the doona to one side, switch off the streaming, and find a blanket of snow and a stream of a freshwater river to reset your body and mind. You're going to need the right gear for the mission, though - and that's where Kathmandu comes in. We recommend their newest puffer jacket - the Heli R. It's lighter (220g!) and more packable than the original, but offers the same cosy warmth. Winter winter, chicken dinner. Check it out here.

A TDA tidbit

On May the Fourth, who better to receive a Walk of Fame star than Star Wars actor Carrie Fisher.

Fisher, who died in 2016, was given the 2,754th star on the Walk of Fame.

Her daughter Billi Lourd accepted the star on her behalf.

In case you missed it

View all stories on Instagram