We are currently running a poll on attitudes towards the Melbourne Cup (which is today).

Last year when we ran the same poll, 20% of respondents said they were planning to watch the Melbourne Cup - so far, we’ve had nearly 7000 people complete the poll. We’re curious to know if this number has shifted - let us know your thoughts here. We’ll bring you the results in this newsletter tomorrow.

The quote
"What I've said is that we need to cooperate with China where we can, disagree where we must and engage in our national interest." – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking to reporters in Beijing on Monday. Albanese will leave China today.

The stat
1 in 4
The number of primary healthcare nurses planning to leave their current job within the next two to five years, according to a new survey by the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association.

Today in history
2000: The U.S. Presidential election between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush ended in a statistical tie. The election result was only settled on 12 December by the Supreme Court, which declared Bush the winner.

Some headlines from this morning:

The Federal Government has announced a scholarship program to attract more people to teaching. It comes amid growing concerns of a national staff shortage.

Anyone starting a teaching degree in 2024 can now register for scholarships worth up to $40,000.

Students won't need prior teaching experience to be eligible.

Here's how it will work.

The program

The Federal Government yesterday announced a scholarship program for undergraduate and postgraduate full-time teaching students.

Eligible students will receive $10,000 per year for every year of their degree — four years for undergrads (or $40,000) and two years for postgrads ($20,000).

Up to 1,000 scholarships will be handed out each year from 2024 to 2028.

Recipients

High-achieving school leavers and mid-career professionals will be among those targeted for the program, along with First Nations and regional/rural students.

A $2,000 'top-up' payment will also be offered to students who complete a final-year placement in a school located in a remote part of Australia.

Scholarship recipients must commit to teaching at a public school for at least two to four years after graduation.

Application process

Only students beginning a teaching degree in 2024 will be eligible for the first round of scholarships.

Applications haven't opened yet but will close in January. Offers will then be made to applicants by March.

Australians, New Zealanders, and permanent residents will be eligible for the program. It will also extend to students with a permanent humanitarian visa.

Teacher burnout

The scholarship announcement comes less than a week after the Government launched a campaign to recruit more teachers.

It's forecast that the number of high school teachers entering the industry will be 4,100 below classroom demand by 2025.

Shortages are being blamed on growing enrolments in schools at a time when enrolments in teaching courses have declined, worsened by teacher burnout and pay concerns.

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Services Australia will hire 3,000 new workers to meet demand for Centrelink enquiries.

The recruitment drive comes after a new report showed over 80% of calls to Centrelink aren't answered by a person.

It's part of a $228 million funding boost for Services Australia — the government agency responsible for Centrelink, Medicare, and child support.

Demand

Between July and August, fewer than 17% of calls to Centrelink were answered by a person. Callers who did get through waited an average of 30 minutes.

Over 2.8 million calls received a 'congestion message' — an automated response activated during periods of high demand.

Services Australia said the message encourages callers to use "self-service options rather than repeatedly calling".

The Australian Unemployed Workers' Union maintains a dashboard where Centrelink callers record their attempts to get through via phone.

At the time of publication, it had reported 133 successful calls from 896 attempts from the beginning of last month onwards.

Bill Shorten, Minister for the NDIS and Government Services, suggested job cuts under the previous government made the agency’s job "increasingly difficult".

Robodebt

The Royal Commission into Robodebt (a 2015 to 2019 scheme that illegally collected over a billion dollars from welfare recipients) handed down its final report in July.

It called on the Government to facilitate "easy and efficient" Centrelink customer service options, by improving online, in-person and over-the-phone support.

The Government announced a funding boost to reduce call wait times, speed up claim payments, and "ensure Robodebt never happens again".

Staff boost

Part of the announcement includes 3,000 new Services Australia positions, to be recruited "as quickly as possible".

Shorten said boosting staff would help bring a "people-centred approach" to government services.

"We are committed to restoring Services Australia's funding, replenishing its workforce and getting the Agency back on track."

So far, 800 new employees have been hired for roles in capital cities and regional centres.

Opposition

Shadow Minister for Government Services, Paul Fletcher, pushed back on Shorten's comments about the previous government's handling of Services Australia jobs.

"Bill Shorten has tried to blame wait time blowouts on anyone but himself," he said.

Fletcher said the Government had "failed to come up with any new ideas" for Centrelink's digital service offerings to address wait times in today's announcement.

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

Ischia Brooking has become the youngest-ever player in the history of the A-League.

Brooking made a brief appearance for the Western Sydney Wanderers at just 14, two weeks before her 15th birthday, in a match against the Newcastle Jets on Sunday.

With the Australian Open 2024 on the horizon, the buzz surrounding Coco Gauff is palpable. There’s a magnetic force surrounding Coco - you can see her unwavering desire to enjoy every moment. She’s the face of tennis's new wave of superstars, rising from the shadows of legends like Serena and Venus Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.

Fresh off her U.S. Open victory, we’re counting down the days until we see the 19-year-old work her magic on Rod Laver arena.

Coco’s tennis is a platform for change and she seizes it. Whether speaking out in the wake of George Floyd's death in 2020 or standing behind the fight for equal pay for the women's U.S. Soccer team, Gauff is poised to make an impact. Coco’s story isn't just one of victories and accolades; it's a tale of determination, resilience, and a deep-seated commitment to change.

You can watch a video we made about her here, and get your ticket to see her at the Australian Open 2024 here.

I have officially found my favourite competition on earth.

This month, Japan hosted its first “zoning out” competition. The rules are simple: zone out for 90 minutes, don’t use any electronic devices, be still, and don’t fall asleep. A number of competitors were handed a red card for falling asleep. Harsh.

Hiroto Furui, the general producer of the competition, told Sankei News, “I want people to take a moment to forget the stress that many Japanese people are dealing with, and reset their minds.”

The competition was won by three participants. One of those winners, Junma Sasaki, said: “Normally, I can’t just sit around for 90 minutes. It was kind of refreshing.”

Obsessed.

What a coincidence! That’s exactly who The Daily Aus reaches. Get in touch with us to see how we can work together.