☕️ Australia's school bullying problem

Many of you weren’t happy with the answer to yesterday’s riddle.

For those who didn’t see it, this was yesterday’s riddle: “What is bigger: the sum of all existing numbers or the product of all existing numbers?”

The answer was the sum, because to get the product we need to multiply by 0 (meaning the answer is 0).

However, many of you pointed out that if you include negative numbers, the answer to both would be 0.

You’re right. I’m on notice 🫡

“I don't look at the comments on my social media... if I did, I'd find it difficult to leave the house in the morning. What we want is [young people] engaging with each other in a normal way. One way to do that is through restrictions on social media.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking to Nova about a push to ban under 16s from social media.

60,028
How many “politically motivated crimes” were committed in Germany in 2023, according to federal police data. Politically motivated crimes in the country have almost doubled since 2013.

1934
Notorious outlaws Bonnie & Clyde died during a police shootout in the U.S. state of Louisiana.

Australian pharmacies will be banned from making replicas of drugs like Ozempic.

Ozempic is an injectable type 2 diabetes treatment. Its popularity as a weight-loss medication has led to a global supply shortage.

It has led to an increase in pharmacies making replica medications that imitate the effects of Ozempic. The Federal Government has announced it will outlaw this practice from October.

It follows growing concern over the safety of pharmacy-made medications, which face fewer approvals than imported/branded drugs.

GLP-1RAs are a type of medication used to regulate blood sugar levels. They are present in drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

The global shortage of these drugs is not forecasted to ease until next year.

To meet demand, some pharmacies have ‘compounded’ their own medications for patients. The Government believes at least 20,000 Australians are using these replicas, with most taking the drugs for weight loss.

From October, chemists will not be allowed to make medications that contain GLP-1RAs.

However, they can still sell legitimately supplied Ozempic and Mounjaro to Australians who have been prescribed the drugs by a GP or specialist.

Drugs created in-pharmacy don’t face the same scrutiny as products approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Similar concerns have also been raised by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.

The Government said the October ban gives patients time to prepare alternate medication plans.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the measure would “protect Australians from harm and save lives”, adding that “the risk of not acting” against replica products was “far greater” than keeping the status quo.

The ban was supported by several health bodies across Australia, including the TGA and Diabetes Australia.

A global education report has shown high rates of bullying in Australian schools compared to other similar countries.

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) compared data from 24 countries in 2022. Australia ranked second-worst for bullying, ahead of Latvia.

However, ACER said national bullying rates have declined since 2018.

ACER, an official partner organisation of the UN, analysed data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

PISA tests around 700,000 15-year-olds from 81 countries. It assesses that age group because 15 is when most students around the world are nearing the end of their compulsory education.

ACER examined results from 24 of the 81 participating countries.

ACER found Latvia, Australia and New Zealand had the top three highest reported bullying levels.

Korean students reported the lowest levels of bullying. Japan and the Netherlands also reported low rates.

Compared to data from 2018, reports of bullying decreased in every country in 2022.

ACER also analysed 2022 data from over 13,400 Australian students.

It found around one in every 16 school students reported being physically bullied in 2022.

Nearly one in five Australian students said they’d been made fun of at school, while one in ten reported having rumours spread about them or being purposefully excluded.

This number was higher among First Nations, female, and regional students.

In the latest Federal Budget, the Government committed $4.2 million to anti-bullying initiatives across the country over the next four years.

The Department of Education describes bullying as “a critical issue in Australian schools, particularly as young people live and learn in an increasingly complex digital world”.

This week is officially Australian Made Week!

From the Great Barrier Reef, to Kylie Minogue – it should come as no surprise that Australia has produced some pretty iconic things. But it doesn't stop there. This Australian Made Week, you can get behind Aussie makers and growers by shopping locally made products.

Whether it’s fashion, skincare, furniture, or toys – you can find whether an item is genuinely and authentically Australian made by looking for the green triangle and gold kangaroo logo.

Make an impact when you shop by helping us celebrate Australian Made Week.

The program will allow customers to borrow a cup from participating cafes for a small deposit fee, which they will have refunded to them when the cup is returned.

The trial will end in July, when the NT Government will consider implementing it long term. It’s part of an overall move towards waste reduction in the Territory.

Matildas icon Mary Fowler has her own Barbie, fitted out with Fowler’s classic black gloves and bubble braid hairstyle. It comes ahead of the Paris Olympic Games, where Fowler is expected to be included in the Aussie women’s squad.

U.S. tennis champion Venus Williams and Brazilian Olympic gymnast Rebeca Andrade are among some of the other athletes that now have their own doll replicas too.

Fowler in Barbie form is dressed in a pink and white kit, which varies a little from her usual green and gold with the Tillies or light blue with Manchester City.

Over the past month, we have brought you a number of episodes about the rising rate of men’s violence against women in Australia. We have spoken about specific cases, about new statistics and about roundtables being convened to discuss the issue.

For today’s podcast, we wanted to go straight to the person responsible for making sure this rate comes down, the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher.