☕ Australia's response to the U.S. execution livestream

As of today, almost every school student in Australia is back for Term 4.

The exception? Tasmania, which is giving its students another week of holidays.

Classic Tasmania.

The quote: “The number of people affected by this year’s cold and flu season has remained unusually high from August to early October, contributing to persistently low donor turnout."
Lifeblood Chief Customer Officer Cath Stone says blood supplies have plunged to their lowest level in almost a decade, as the organisation launches a critical appeal for 16,000 donors this week.

The stat: 76%. The percentage of Australians in households relying mainly on JobSeeker who are living below the poverty line, new research from the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) and UNSW shows.

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: 13% of you say you have run a marathon, while 87% say you haven’t. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [2,237 votes].

Together with AAP.

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Contraception is an important decision to make, so make sure you do it your way.

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The WA Government is considering merging Curtin, Murdoch and the University of Western Australia (UWA) into one university, despite concerns.

The government says a merger could help address declining local student enrolments and research funding, with a business case expected to be completed by mid-2027.

However, the three universities have been reluctant to support the proposal, citing its potential cost and the impact on student choice.

Here’s what you need to know.

The WA Government undertook a University Sector Review in 2023, and a University Feasibility Study in 2025.

The 2023 review found that the state’s four public universities were “lagging” most other Australian states and territories in research, research training and student enrolments. The 2025 study updated that analysis.

On Sunday, the WA Government announced it would develop a business case for a potential merger between UWA, Curtin and Murdoch universities.

The Government cited the studies from 2023 and 2025, which it said found a merger would “provide maximum benefits” to the state’s economy.

The business case will also look at whether the merger could be funded by the universities themselves.

In a statement to TDA, Shadow Education Minister Liam Staltari questioned the timing and potential cost of the proposal.

He said that while “WA families are being crushed by the cost-of-living”, the merger “could cost the taxpayer huge amounts and kick off years of disruption for students and staff”.

Curtin University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne said the proposal would create a “mega-university of almost 120,000 students”, bringing “complexity, not competitiveness” and “diminish[ing] student choice and opportunity”.

A UWA spokesperson told TDA the university was “open to discussions”, but said a merger “would need to be backed up by a sound business rationale and offer significant benefits to students and the WA community”.

A Murdoch University spokesperson said the government should support “a more diversified, accessible higher education sector rather than pursuing a ‘my university is bigger than yours’ competition with the other states”.

The WA Department of the Premier and Cabinet will begin consulting a steering committee by the end of the year.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, we talk about why Firmus pulled out of what would have been the second-biggest listing in ASX history. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.

💶 A new 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts is expected to be introduced to Parliament this week. Get the latest in TDA Finance here to make sure the explainer is in your inbox on Wednesday morning.

🗣️Tell Australia's industries what you think of them. Crazy Ideas College's 2-minute survey asks what draws you in, what puts you off and what needs to change. Have your say.

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Last week, the U.S. military announced it would live stream its first firing squad execution since World War II.

The man set to be executed on 3 December is Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009.

The Greens are now calling on the eSafety commissioner and the Government to stop the livestream from being accessed in Australia.

Here’s what you need to know.

Hasan was an army psychiatrist when he opened fire at a military medical facility in Texas in November 2009.

Thirteen people were killed and 32 were injured, most of them soldiers.

A military jury sentenced him to death in 2013.

During the trial, Hasan represented himself, called no witnesses and made no attempt to deny the charges.

Lethal injection is the standard execution method in the U.S.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Government added firing squad, electrocution and gas asphyxiation to the available methods, partly because lethal injections have become harder to carry out.

Just this month, the state of Tennessee failed to execute convicted murderer Christa Pike via lethal injection.

The last firing squad execution by the US military was in 1945.

The last military execution of any kind was in 1961.

Last week, the U.S. government confirmed that Trump had approved a firing squad to execute Hasan, on the recommendation of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The execution is set to take place at Fort Hood, where the 2009 attack occurred.

Speaking to conservative media outlet Real America’s Voice, Hegseth said: “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public.”

A Pentagon official confirmed the livestream and said more details would follow.

Trump initially said the livestream would “absolutely” go ahead, but later told reporters he was unsure, saying: “I know what the military would like to do, but I’ll make a decision.”

NSW became the last Australian state to abolish the death penalty for all crimes in 1985.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young wrote to Communications Minister Anika Wells and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, asking them to confirm they would “take whatever action is necessary” to stop the livestream from being accessible in Australia.

She also wants the Government to warn YouTube, TikTok and Meta that they could face significant fines if the footage is livestreamed or shared later.

An Australian Government spokesperson told TDA the vision of an execution being livestreamed would be “deeply distressing to many Australians”, particularly younger people.

The spokesperson added that platforms had a responsibility to ensure the footage did not appear on Australians’ screens.

Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson called the livestreamed execution “enormously problematic”, but said he had concerns about censorship.

New Zealand, Denmark, France and Spain are looking at their options to restrict the broadcast.

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

The festival that kick-started the careers of Rebel Wilson, Nash Edgerton and Sam Worthington could do the same for yours.

Tropfest started in 1993 as a screening for mates at a Darlinghurst cafe, and has grown into the world's largest short film festival. Now it's back for 2027: shoot a brand-new short film, seven minutes or less, that includes this year's Tropfest Signature Item, a necklace. The 16 finalists premiere at the Domain this summer.

Entries open Tuesday 1 December. If you’re keen to enter, start working on your breakout film now.

Batt-Doyle finished the Chicago Marathon on Sunday in a time of 2:20:38 – beating the previous Australian record (set by Jess Stenson in 2025) by 46 seconds. Batt-Doyle finished sixth in the women’s race and improved her own personal best by over two minutes. The 31-year-old is a two-time Olympian in the 5000m, and was already the Australian record-holder in the half-marathon and 10,000m. After her record-breaking effort, Batt-Doyle said: “I'm very, very happy. I feel a sense of relief, because it's something I really felt I could achieve and it's been on my mind the past couple of years.”

Reporting by George Finlayson.

A motorsport team has discovered the one thing you really don’t want to run out of in a race: fuel.

Anton De Pasquale was leading the Bathurst 1000 for Team 18 on the final lap when his car ran out of fuel, handing Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood a dramatic victory.

The team later admitted it had miscalculated how much fuel it needed. Team boss Adrian Burgess summed it up: “We were f***ed”. De Pasquale also took to Instagram to say they were “gutted”.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.