☕️ ACT Govt to drop 'good character' references

If your office is like ours, every sport-inclined person is talking about the Ashes.

If you don’t know what they’re talking about, TDA’s sport journalist George has this tip: yell ‘howzat!!!!’ every time the ball hits the batter’s legs. And then talk about plums.

(I don’t know if this is a stitch-up or not.)

“It’s a testament to our steadfast support for the right of the courageous people of Ukraine to live in peace and to determine their own future .”
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy in a statement announced a new $95 million military assistance package to Ukraine.

1,000
The number of public service jobs the Victorian Government has committed to cutting, in its response to a review of the sector..

U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey tried ricotta hotcakes at Sydney restaurant Bills. After Hugh Jackman recommended them to her, Winfrey said on her Facebook account that she walked four miles (around 6.5km) for dish, and that "they were worth every step!"

A former doctor has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for selling the drug ketamine to the late actor Matthew Perry.

Perry died in his Los Angeles home in October 2023. An autopsy found his death was due to a ketamine overdose.

Five people were charged over Perry’s death.

Salvador Plasencia, who has surrendered his medical license, is the first to be sentenced.

Perry was best known for playing Chandler Bing in the TV series ‘Friends’.

In his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’, Perry spoke openly about his drug addiction, and detailed his use of medical ketamine to treat depression and anxiety.

Perry died on 28 October 2023 after he was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home.

An autopsy found Perry had as much ketamine in his body as an anaesthetist would use to put someone under for surgery.

A group of five people were charged in August 2024 in relation to Perry’s death.

The group includes Placensia, another doctor, a friend, Perry’s live-in assistant, and an alleged drug dealer, Jasveen Sangha (aka “Ketamine Queen”).

All five members of the group pleaded guilty to drug charges.

Prosecutors found Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry “multiple times” at the actor’s home, as well as in a carpark in the backseat of Perry’s car.

Court documents show that in a text exchange, Plasencia said “I wonder how much this moron will pay” for the drugs.

However, prosecutors said: “Plasencia did not provide the ketamine that caused [Perry’s] death.”

Plasencia faces two-and-a-half years in prison, and will pay a $US5,600 ($AU8,485) fine. In September 2025, he surrendered his medical license.

The other group members will be sentenced later this year and early next year.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

It’s heating up, and you might hear of people chasing a “summer glow” – but just a reminder, your skin keeps score. Even just 15 minutes in the sun can start to damage your skin. Learn more.

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The ACT has become the first Australian jurisdiction to introduce a bill banning “good character” references in child sexual abuse cases.

Attorney-general Tanya Cheyne – who introduced the bill – said existing laws are “perverse”.

The bill was informed by ‘Your Reference Ain’t Relevant’, a campaign started by survivors of child sexual abuse.

Co-founder Harrison James told TDA the proposed reform is “one of the most significant... in the past decade.”

People charged with an offence can give the court a reference about their “character” from someone who knows them.

Most child sexual abuse cases are heard in state or territory courts, meaning individual jurisdictions determine sentencing procedures, such as the inclusion of character references.

In 2024, character references for convicted sex offender Ashley Griffith were “take[n]... into account” by the Queensland District Court in sentencing. Griffith had pleaded guilty to 307 child abuse offences.

Under the proposed bill, judges could not consider the “good character” of people found guilty of sexual offences against children.

Cheyne said “good character” has often allowed offenders access to children.

“It is perverse that the same good character that facilitated the child sexual abuse, can then be presented as a mitigating factor during the offender’s sentencing,” Cheyne said.

‘Your Reference Ain’t Relevant’ was founded in May 2023 by Harrison James and Jarad Grice.

The group campaigns against character references being included in the sentencing of child sex offenders.

In June, their campaign was discussed by the standing council of Attorneys-General from across Australia. James said the Attorneys-General were “really interested” in reforming sentencing.

James said: “It is not just a legal reform, it’s a cultural shift... it was really courageous for the [ACT] Attorney-General to go forth with it”.

He added that victim-survivors “understood that good character was actually a tool for these offenders to ingratiate themselves into the contact with the child.”

James believes Queensland and NSW will soon follow suit with similar “landmark“ reform.

ACT Shadow Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Deborah Morris said reform is “long overdue”.

Morris said: “Too often, victim-survivors feel re-traumatised and at-risk navigating a complex and lethargic system.”

The Opposition will “examine the bill closely to ensure that it puts victims first,” she added.

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Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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Head to Betty’s Burgers to try today or skip the queue and order via the Betty’s app here.

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Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter has responded to the backlash she received over the cover of her 2025 album ‘Man’s Best Friend.’

Speaking to ‘Variety,’ the ‘Espresso’ singer said she thinks “it wouldn’t matter so much if I wasn’t a childhood figure,” adding that she “really can’t help that. It’s not my fault I got a job when I was 12 and you won’t let me evolve.” 

Before embarking on her singing career, Carpenter starred as Maya Hart in Disney Channel’s ‘Girl Meets World,’ and had a role in children’s TV show, ‘Sofia the First.’

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

Yesterday, Spotify released its annual Wrapped feature for 2025. It's a yearly tradition where millions of users get to see their most listened to songs and artists from the year, among plenty of other interesting stats.  

Alongside these personalised data drops, Spotify also released stats telling us about national listening trends. And there's been a lot of discussion about one thing: the absence of Australian artists from the top of those lists. Today, we’ll explore why this is the case and what we learned from Spotify Wrapped 2025.