☕️ Social media ban now in effect

A new 16th birthday schedule has been unlocked: Get your Ls, pretend we’re in a country that does Sweet 16s, create an Insta.

Yes, today is the day that Australia’s world-first social media ban comes into effect.

In case you missed it, anyone under the age of 16 is now banned from making an account on several social media sites, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. If you want more info, listen to today’s podcast!

P.S. Someone check in on the high school teachers today. Remember when 6-7 was their biggest challenge?

“Staff are exhausted, demoralised, and fearful. We have seen our colleagues pushed to the brink, courses slashed, and the student experience threatened —all while the [Vice-Chancellor] and his executive ignore the people who keep this university running.”
National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) UTS branch president Dr Sarah Attfield after almost 1,500 staff voted in favour of a motion of no confidence in Vice-Chancellor Andrew Parfitt. A university spokesperson told the ABC it has raised concerns with the NTEU about the "integrity" of the vote.

$2.5 billion
The amount of money NSW residents lost to electronic gambling machines ('pokies') over July-September this year, according to analysis of publicly available data by Wesley Mission.

Lachrymose (lach-ry-mose)
Definition: Sad or likely to cry often and easily.
Sentence: After the break-up, he was lachrymose for weeks.

At least one Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians have been killed in clashes on the border between the two countries.

Both sides have blamed each other for the clashes, which were followed by Thai airstrikes on the border.

Malaysia, which helped broker the ceasefire, said the “fighting risks unravelling the careful work” done to stabilise the region.

Hundreds of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate their homes on both sides of the border.

Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of border disputes, originating during the French colonial rule of Cambodia.

Disputes over ambiguous borders drawn by the French in the 1900s led to sporadic military conflicts between 2008 and 2011, with eventual UN intervention.

The 2008 conflict also stemmed from Cambodia’s application to have the Preah Vihear temple, an 11th-century site on its side of the border, added to the World Heritage List.

In July, the two countries were involved in deadly clashes, with each accusing the other of starting the violence.

Cambodia accused Thailand of launching a “deliberate, unprovoked, and unlawful” assault, claiming Thai forces had targeted civilian infrastructure.

Thailand, in turn, said it was responding to an “unprovoked act of aggression” by Cambodian forces in the weeks prior.

At least 48 people were killed, and around 300,000 others were displaced during the clashes.

In July, the two nations agreed to a five-day ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump suspended trade with both countries until the violence ended.

Thailand said the talks focused solely on halting violence to protect civilians near the conflict zone, rather than resolving the long-standing border dispute.

Last month, Trump visited Malaysia, where he helped broker a new deal that saw both countries agree to demilitarisation and the release of Cambodian soldiers detained in Thailand.

Cambodia’s National Defence Ministry accused Thailand of triggering this week’s violence, saying the escalation followed “numerous provocative actions for many days”.

Thailand’s Government said its airstrikes were a response to targeted attacks by Cambodian forces on an airport and a hospital.

Malaysian President Anwar Ibrahim has urged the countries to “exercise maximum restraint,” warning the region “cannot afford to see long-standing disputes slip into cycles of confrontation”.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

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Content Warning: Sexual violence

On Friday, a jury in the County Court of Victoria found a man guilty of raping a woman twice in January 2024.

Despite the guilty verdict, a suppression order remains in place, meaning media outlets are not allowed to publish his name.

Instead, the perpetrator has only been referred to as a man, in his 20s, from a “high-profile” family.

The case comes amid growing criticism of the widespread use of suppression orders in Victoria’s court system.

What is a suppression order and why would a court use one?

Australia’s judicial system is based on the principle of “open justice”.

Court proceedings are normally available for the public to see and media to report on.

However, suppression orders (also known as gag orders) can be introduced to restrict what is made public.

When a gag order exists, it becomes an offence to publish details the judge has asked be kept secret.

Anyone who publishes those details can face prison time or heavy fines.

There are several reasons why a judge could decide to keep details like the names of alleged victims and perpetrators sealed from the public.

For example, alleged victims of crimes can request a suppression order to stop their name being revealed, due to the stress of being in the public eye. Suppression orders can also protect children who are accused of, or victims of, crimes.

A judge might also allow an order if an alleged offender’s safety is at risk, including for mental health reasons.

A gag order could also be introduced if there is a risk that a person’s right to a fair trial is undermined by media publishing details.

If the media does not abide by these rules, they could be fined more than $500,000. Fines differ from state to state.

Media companies often make legal applications to stop gag orders from coming into effect, and usually argue publishing the details are important for transparency.

Last week, a man from a “high-profile family” was found guilty of raping a woman in 2024.

The jury heard the offender raped the complainant at his home.

The victim testified that she was in a dark bedroom on 14 January 2024 when the man snuck in, climbed into bed, and penetrated her without consent, pretending to be a man she had previously had consensual sex with.

His identity has remained suppressed and media can’t publish the reason for the suppression order.

According to analysis by The Age, in 2023, Victorian courts issued 521 suppression orders. The next highest state was South Australia with 308.

In the same year, NSW issued 133, meaning Victorian courts issued almost four times the number of suppression orders despite having a smaller population.

Justin Quill, a partner at major law firm Thomson Geer, says the high rate of suppression orders stems from a precedent set during the “gangland wars” in the 2000s.

The gangland wars were a series of violent conflicts between rival criminal groups in Melbourne, primarily over control of the illegal drug trade, resulting in the deaths of several major underworld figures including Carl Williams.

“You had [corrupt police] charging someone and then being charged themselves. There were all these overlapping cases… [It] became almost the norm in Victoria — judges and barristers almost became conditioned to suppression orders,” Quill said.

1800 RESPECT

Call: 1800 737 732
Text: 0458 737 732
Video: 1800RESPECT.org.au

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

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‘Unified’ sporting events mean teams are composed of athletes with and without intellectual disability, called their ‘unified partners’. 22-year-old unified partner Lachlan Broadbent was named MVP for his role in the division four team that brought home the silver medal at the event, the first time Australia has competed in this para-sport at the international level. Delegation head Naomi Symington said: “The atmosphere was amazing… we couldn’t be prouder of [our athletes’] efforts, attitudes and how they have represented Australia on the world stage.” The Special Olympics are for people with intellectual disabilities and other neurodivergent conditions like autism. Next year marks the 50th year of Special Olympics Australia, with the national games set for Melbourne.

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Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

Do you think you’re getting enough sleep and physical activity?

If you are, you join the ranks of only 13% of people worldwide. 

A study published this week found only 12.9% of people globally achieve the recommended sleep of 7-9 hours per night and more than 8,000 steps per day.

The study had almost 71,000 participants who monitored their sleep and steps for around three and a half years. It also showed that 16.5% of people have short sleep hours and sedentary lives (less than 7 hours and 5,000 steps per day).

For the other 87% of you, (me included) we’ve got to get our act together.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

This morning, Australia’s world-first social media ban for under 16s has come into effect. This means that anyone under the age of 16 is banned from popular platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. Today, TDA interviews the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, about why this law has come into effect and how it will be enforced.