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Good morning.
Happy birthday, Emma Chamberlain and Bob Katter. Let there be a thousand blossoms bloom!
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “The Bomb Response Unit conducted checks on an item, and it was determined to be a laser hair removal device.”
Victoria Police in a statement to TDA after Avalon Airport in Geelong was shut on Thursday morning following concerns of a bomb threat.
The stat: $650,000. The amount of money Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has been fined in court following a suit brought by the eSafety Commissioner. The Commissioner said the platform did not comply with its “transparency notice seeking information about steps it took to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse material.”
The big question:
Yesterday’s results: 35% of you said you’re spending less money on concert tickets this year to save money, while 30% of you said you don’t attend concerts. 22% of you said you’re spending less because your favourite musicians aren’t touring. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [2,019 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
The unemployment rate jumped to 4.5% and 18,600 jobs dropped out of the economy in April, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Economists had expected unemployment to hold at 4.3%. The participation rate, which measures the percentage of Australians who are either employed, or actively seeking employment, fell 0.1 percentage points to 67%. The weak result was driven by a fall in the number of working women - the first since August 2025, the ABS said. Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth said the figures showed some softening in the labour market against the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East.
A photographer has been charged after allegedly stealing camera equipment from a Bondi Beach massacre victim and selling it to a pawn shop days after the attack. Fifteen people, including former police officer and photographer Peter Meagher, died in the Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14. Police allege 35-year-old Danny Ridley, who had been hired as a photographer for the Chanukah event, stole Meagher’s camera in the aftermath of the shooting. Police executed a search warrant on Wednesday, allegedly seizing a camera, handcuffs, electronic devices, and a small amount of white crystal powder. Meagher, a retired detective sergeant and well-known figure at Sydney’s Randwick Rugby Club, had also been working as a photographer at the Chanukah by the Sea event when he was shot dead. Ridley was granted strict conditional bail and is due to face court again on 22 June.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
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I’ve got 1 minute
Australia is experiencing its worst outbreak of diphtheria since records began in the 1990s.
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that can affect the nose, throat and lungs, or the skin.
So far this year, national data shows Australia has recorded 233 cases, the majority of which are in the Northern Territory.
In response, the Federal Government will spend $7.2 million on vaccinations, treatments, and supporting Aboriginal health organisations in the NT.
Diphtheria
Diphtheria comes in two main forms:
Respiratory, affecting the nose, throat and neck, causing severe swelling and breathing difficulties
Skin, causing sores and lesions
Vaccinations are recommended in infancy and childhood, as well as a booster shot at age 50.
Even with antibiotic treatment, up to one in 10 people with respiratory diphtheria can die.
Outbreak
The National Disease Surveillance System shows health authorities have reported 233 diphtheria cases this year.
Most infections have been reported in the NT (139 cases) and WA (82 cases), with additional cases in Qld and SA.
Earlier this month, NT authorities also reported the country’s first suspected diphtheria-related death in years.
The federal Centre for Disease Control says diphtheria can “spread easily” in a community where most people aren’t vaccinated. It considers the entire NT at high risk of diphtheria.
Last month, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) asked the public to make sure their vaccinations were up to date, and to seek treatment if they had symptoms.
“In the Northern Territory, factors such as overcrowded housing, remoteness and limited access to care can increase transmission... which is why the response must be targeted, accessible and culturally safe,” AMSANT CEO Donna Ah Chee said.
Announcing the Government’s funding package to address the outbreak, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said: “We have enough vaccine, and we are making sure it is getting to the right communities.”
Reporting by Achol Arok.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Editor-in-Chief Billi FitzSimons unpacks how she prepares for a political interview with co-founder Sam Koslowski.
🌞 Want all the good news you’ve missed from the news cycle this week? You can sign up to TDA Good News here to make sure the explainer is in your inbox every Sunday morning.
Good finds
🎬 Jacob Elordi trades teen heartthrob for Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola's Priscilla – and it's exactly as quietly devastating as you'd hope. MUBI is streaming it now, and new members get 30 days free to watch this and everything else on the platform. Start your trial at MUBI.
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
World leaders have criticised Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for encouraging Israeli Defense Force (IDF) troops to shove and push detained activists, and sharing a video of it to his X account.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined in the criticism of Ben-Gvir, a member of his cabinet, saying his actions were “not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”
This week the IDF detained around 400 activists, including 11 Australians, from a humanitarian aid flotilla sailing to Gaza.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemned Ben-Gvir’s actions and the “degrading actions of Israeli authorities”.
Background
On 14 May, around 50 boats left Türkiye to travel to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud (GSF) and Freedom flotillas.
The flotillas said their aim was to deliver aid, including food, and medical, sanitary and educational supplies.
The IDF intercepted all the vessels and detained the activists. According to live tracking data from the flotillas, the boats were seized in international waters.
Video
On Wednesday (Israel time), Ben-Gvir shared a video to X of detained flotilla activists at the port of Ashdod, Israel.
The video shows Israeli troops shoving and pushing the detainees, who are later seen kneeling on the ground.
Ben-Gvir is also shown waving the Israeli flag and telling the group in Hebrew: “Welcome to Israel, we are the masters of the house.”
Response
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Ben-Gvir had “knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display”.
The GSF said their activists were “brutalised and humiliated,” and described Israeli criticism of Ben-Gvir as “performative”.
The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee called Ben-Gvir’s actions “despicable”, while Canadian PM Mark Carney said Israel’s treatment of the activists was “abominable”.
“The images we have seen posted by Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir – who Australia has sanctioned – are shocking and unacceptable. We condemn his actions and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement shared to X.
What’s next?
Netanyahu said the detained activists would be deported.
Summoning is when an ambassador is asked to meet with authorities, either from their host country or their home country.
In this case, Canada and France are asking representatives of Israel to explain Ben-Gvir’s actions and Israel’s treatment of French and Canadian activists in detention.
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
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Give me some good news
Credit: Ocean Census.
Scientists have discovered over 1,100 previously unknown marine species, in what’s been described as a “landmark” Ocean Census.
The annual global effort this year brought together leading scientists from across the world for 13 expeditions at depths of up to 6,500m. The 1,121 new discoveries in 2026 mark a 54% jump in annual identification. A new species of “deep-sea ghost shark, a symbiotic bristle worm living within a ‘glass castle’, as well as corals, crabs, shrimps, sea urchins, and anemones,” were among this year’s finds. Head of Science at Ocean Census, Dr. Michelle Taylor, said “by accelerating discovery and sharing data globally, we are not just finding new life, but generating the evidence needed to drive global science and policy at a critical moment.”
Reporting by Lucy Tassell.
TDA titbit
It’s a Thursday afternoon when Features Editor Emma Gillespie sends a story about T. rexes in Slack, and asks: “Why are the divas arms so small?”
Great question. Science finally has answers.
A new Cambridge University study suggests the T. rexes’ tiny arms may have evolved because the dinosaurs relied more on their “strong, powerful heads” to attack prey.
Cambridge researcher Dr Elizabeth Steell said: “If you’ve got a big skull and you’re tackling big prey, then you don’t need your arms as much.”
There you go Emma, happy Friday!
TDA asks
