There are 55 days left of 2023 - we can do this!

The quote
"We all understand that we not only have an interest, but a responsibility to do everything we can to chart a better path forward together.” - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the situation in Israel and Gaza, while in Jordan over the weekend. The talks in Jordan included Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The stat
83%
The percentage of Qantas shareholders who voted against the company’s annual remuneration report, the document that outlines how the company plans to pay its executives.

Today in history
1999: A referendum was held on whether to establish Australia as a republic. The proposal was: “To alter the Constitution to establish the Commonwealth of Australia as a republic with the Queen and Governor-General being replaced by a President appointed by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Commonwealth Parliament.” The referendum failed.

Some headlines from this morning:

Supermarket giant Coles has been accused of subjecting its workers to mandatory bag checks.

The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU) says Coles has recently begun enforcing bag checks.

It comes as Coles employees in the union continued strike action this week, fighting for higher wages, more workplace safety, and better job security.

Bag check policy

Documents obtained by the RAFFWU show Coles implemented a policy in July 2022 requiring employees to have their bags inspected at the end of every shift.

The bag-checking policy states that it will help Coles "proactively manage the risk of loss" so the store can continue to provide "lower prices for [its] customers."

If employees refuse to have their bag checked, they could face "termination of employment".

A Coles spokesperson told TDA that this policy is "standard across the retail industry" and that "it has been at Coles for many years."

However, the RAFFWU believes that in the past, bag checks were only conducted if there was a suspicion that employees had stolen from the store.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived in China ahead of talks with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping.

It's the first visit to China by an Australian Prime Minister since 2016.

Here's what the leaders are expected to discuss.

Background

Albanese's visit coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first Australian PM visit to China, when Gough Whitlam established diplomatic ties between the two nations in 1973.

Diplomatic ties remain, but the relationship has been strained in recent years, in part by China's negative reaction to Australian criticism on matters like the treatment of its Uyghur ethnic minority, China's actions in the South China Sea, and its treatment of democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

Albanese government

The Albanese Government has said it aims to "stabilise" relations between the two countries.

In an interview last week, Albanese said Australia and China would always disagree on some matters, but that it was "very clearly" in Australia's interests to engage with its largest trading partner.

He added that, despite Australia's strong alliance with the U.S, he wanted Australia to be a "middle power" encouraging dialogue between China and the U.S.

Concessions

Each government has made concessions in the lead-up to the visit.

China has dropped import penalties it imposed on Australian barley, and has announced a review of penalties on wine. The import penalties were widely seen as a punishment for Australia's support for an inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China has also freed Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who had been imprisoned on charges of spying.

Last month, the Australian Government announced it would not cancel a Chinese company's lease on the Port of Darwin.

The lease had been under review for several years over national security concerns.

The Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet says it is satisfied those concerns can be managed.

Yang Hengjun

A key item likely to feature on the agenda is the detention of Australian citizen Yang Hengjun. Yang, a prominent pro-democracy blogger, was arrested in 2019 and later charged with spying. His family and friends say his health is deteriorating rapidly.

Albanese said he is "very sympathetic" to Yang's situation and added the Government "will always... make representations on behalf of Australians," but did not indicate the likelihood of Yang's release.

Get all the news you need to know today in your ears on The Daily Aus podcast!

Scientists have discovered two pristine coral reefs in the water surrounding the Galápagos Islands. The reefs are situated 370 to 420 metres below sea level, with one of the reefs spanning over 800 metres in length. The discovery has helped scientists expand their understanding of the reefs within the Galápagos Islands Marine Reserve.

Coco Gauff is leading the new generation of tennis superstars - those emerging from the shadows of Serena and Venus Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. On the back of winning the U.S. Open this year, it’s easy to see why the world has fallen in love with the 19-year-old American on the court - she’s strategic and passionate. But tennis isn’t the only thing Coco Gauff cares about.

See, according to her, tennis has given her a platform - and she uses it. From speaking up after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 about why Black Lives Matter, to throwing support behind the push for the women’s U.S. Soccer team in their fight for equal pay, Gauff is ready to take on the world - whether she’s holding a tennis racquet or a microphone. We took a deep dive into Coco Gauff - the tennis player and the human - ahead of the Australian Open 2024.

Watch it here, and snap up some tickets to see her on court here.

Ever wondered if animals have an imagination? No? Just us?

As it turns out, a recent report from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute has found that rats could have the ability to imagine.

Researchers used virtual reality to see if rats could navigate through scenes by monitoring activity in the rat’s hippocampus – a part of the brain that is important for learning and memory.

The rats successfully completed the tests, with researchers finding “rats can efficiently navigate [to] goal locations” and seem to be able to mentally recreate places far away from their current location.

How’s that for a fun fact on a Monday!

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