Have plans tonight?**

You’re not alone. Tuesday night is the new Friday night, according to the NY Post, which reports there has been a “seismic shift in the vibe on Tuesdays” for restaurants and bars.

One local place even said they are selling double the number of martinis on a Tuesday compared to a Friday.

While this article is based on research in New York, I reckon they could be onto something. After all, Trivia Tuesdays are all the rage.

*This stands for ‘Thank God it’s Tuesday’ for those still trying to figure it out.
**Neither.

The quote
“After a death threat stemming from my climate coverage last year and resulting PTSD, in addition to family health issues, I’ve decided to [quit]." – Chris Gloninger, the chief meteorologist of a TV station in Iowa, announcing he is leaving the job partly due to harassment over his coverage of climate change and its impact on weather.

The stat
23%
The percentage that drug use has increased worldwide over the past decade, according to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Today in history
1967: The world's first ATM was installed in London.

Some headlines from this morning:

Australians with new tattoos can now donate blood after one week, down from four months, following a new decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The changes came into effect yesterday.

The rules for plasma remain unchanged – meaning people can still make a plasma donation immediately after getting a tattoo.

What’s changed?
Under the new rules, if you get a tattoo in a licensed Australian tattoo parlour or a cosmetic clinic, you’ll now be able to donate blood seven days after.

It comes after new research by the Red Cross and UNSW determined donations from one-week post-tattoo would have "no impact on the safety on the blood supply".

Anyone who gets a tattoo overseas or at an unlicensed venue will still need to wait four months before donating.

Response:
Lifeblood, the Red Cross' blood donation organisation, has welcomed the change.

With one in four Australians now having a tattoo according to a recent survey, Lifeblood says the rule change could mean 10,000 extra blood donations per year.

"People with tattoos are perfect donors because we know they’re not afraid of needles – one of the biggest barriers for new donors donating blood or plasma for the first time."

If you want your friends to wake up with us too, forward this email to them.

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here (it’s free!)

PwC Australia has announced it will sell its government consulting arm to a private equity firm for $1.

It comes after a Senate committee accused PwC of trying to"cover up" a confidentiality breach, when it allegedly used government information to attract clients.

The sale would allow the government consulting unit, which was not directly involved in the breach, to continue its work.

Background:
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is a global firm that provides a range of client services, including accounting and consulting (i.e. advice). Its clients include governments and businesses.

PwC's Australian branch employs more than 9,000 people, with around 1,750 of its staff working in the government consulting team.

Government contracts made up 20% of PwC Australia's 2022-23 revenue.

The breach:
Former PwC partner Peter Collins is accused of using confidential government information to attract business clients.

Between 2013 and 2016, Collins helped the government design new tax rules for global corporations. He signed several confidentiality agreements.

It is alleged he then improperly shared details about the rules with his colleagues so they could find a way around them and attract new clients.

The fallout:
In late 2022, Collins lost his practising licence over the breach.

Earlier this year, a Senate committee uncovered emails that suggested over 60 PwC employees were aware of the breach. CEO Tom Seymour resigned and nine PwC partners have been stood down. In May, acting CEO Kristin Stubbins admitted the "culture" in PwC's tax business "allowed inappropriate behaviour".

The Treasury has referred the matter to the Australian Federal Police.

Senate Committee:
A committee made up of cross-party senators was tasked with investigating PwC. Last week, it published a report accusing the firm of a "deliberate" cover-up and "calculated breach of trust".

"[PwC's] desire to aggressively monetise confidential Commonwealth information demonstrates no regard for the public interest... it is clear that the desire for personal gain trumped any obligations that PwC had to the Commonwealth of Australia and its citizens," the report read.

Consulting affected:
Although the breach did not originate within PwC's government consulting team, the fallout from the incident has affected the team's ability to carry out its work.

The Department of Finance recently confirmed "unethical behaviour" in past dealings was a relevant consideration in awarding new contracts.

Last month, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher suggested it would be difficult for PwC to win any new government contracts in the short term.

The sale:
On Sunday, PwC announced it planned to sell the consulting team to private investment company Allegro Funds for $1. PwC said this would "protect" the government consulting team by allowing it to pursue new work away from the firm.

According to its website, Allegro Funds specialises in "turnarounds" and "transformation" for the businesses it purchases, including "corporate carveouts" like the one PwC proposes.

The $1 price effectively reflects that the team in its current form has lost all its market value.

Response:
Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill, who sat on the investigating Senate Committee, said today the "mind-boggling" sale price raised several questions.

O'Neill accused PwC of acting in a "self-centred" way to rescue its lucrative government work. She said it would be difficult for the government to trust any PwC spin-off because PwC had not been fully transparent about who was involved in the breach.

"Not everybody at PwC can be bad... But [we have] no clear vision of who was ethical and who wasn't ethical," O'Neill said.

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

A small reptile species has been seen in Victoria for the first time in over 50 years.

The Victorian grassland earless dragon was last spotted in 1969, and was thought to be extinct. Zoos Victoria CEO Dr Jenny Gray said the rediscovery “inspires optimism” for the species’ recovery.

University is a huge chapter in our lives - and it's our job to point you in the right direction. That's why we're so proud to partner with Charles Sturt University, the right place to be if you're looking for a great career after your degree.

There's a real understanding of how important it is to land a full-time gig after your degree, and the stats from the Good Universities Guide don't lie. Take the Bachelor of Nursing*, for example - Charles Sturt Uni is ranked #1 in NSW for graduate employment, with 90% of students finding full-time work in the four months after graduation*.

It doesn't stop there - with top-class degrees on offer in Education, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Accounting, and much more. Oh, and when you need a break from lectures, you can hang out with the kangaroos on campus! With plenty of scholarships on the table, now is the time to learn more.

*Good Universities Guide 2022/23 & *010599C (Wagga / Bathurst / Albury / Dubbo), 0101019 (Port Macquarie)

Breaking news. A Spice Girls reunion could be on the cards.

According to Mel C, all of the Spice Girls want to reunite to play at Glastonbury Festival next year. Yes, “all”. As in, even Victoria Beckham. As in, Posh Spice.

“All of the Spice Girls would like to play Glasto, that is the truth,” Mel C told BBC.

"It's just getting it together, the timing being right. And it's quite daunting, some of the girls haven't been up on stage for years.”

She added: "But…we call it [playing Glastonbury] the bucket list, because as an artist it really is the ultimate."