Have you heard of ‘juice jacking’? Neither. I thought it was some sort of gym-bro term.

But when Daniel, one of our TDA journos, pitched a story about public phone charging stations that could steal your data, we were intrigued. Fast-forward a few hours, and our digging into this new trend was summarised in a handy short video.

It’s well worth a watch - you can check it out here.

The quote
"The ABC has decided to further reduce our activity on X (formerly known as Twitter)… closing individual program accounts helps limit the exposure of team members to the toxic interactions that unfortunately are becoming more prevalent on X." - The ABC has issued a statement announcing it's closing most of its Twitter (now called 'X') accounts.

The stat
52
The number of further offences the driver involved in the Hunter Valley crash is facing, according to NSW Police.

Today in history
1993: Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Some headlines from this morning:

The Commonwealth Bank has reported an annual profit of $10.16 billion, after tax.

It marks a 6% increase in profits from the last financial year.

In a statement, the bank said this was partly because it was earning more from charging higher interest rates to borrowers, mainly mortgage holders.

These extra earnings were greater than the amount the bank lost from paying higher interest rates to savers.

The Senate is considering a bill that would remove limits on how much Australian recording artists can be paid when their music is played on the radio.

Music industry bodies say the limits prevent artists from receiving fair pay for their music. The radio industry body opposes the change.

A Government spokesperson told TDA the Government would not support the bill "at this time," which means it is not expected to pass.

How royalties work:

'Royalties' are payments to artists and recording companies for the use of their music.

In Australia, royalty arrangements differ by medium. For example, music streaming services pay artists a very small amount for each play.

By contrast, commercial radio stations typically pay by month, as a share of their total advertising revenue. The rate of pay is negotiated between the radio industry body and copyright bodies, who act on behalf of artists and recording companies.

The limit on royalties:

Under Australian law, a commercial radio station cannot be asked to pay artists more than 1% of its total earnings.

The ABC (including Triple J) has separate limits on how much can be spent on artist royalties, capped at 0.5 cents per member of the Australian population.

Those limits don't apply to other types of copyright. This includes songwriter copyright, meaning songwriters (including artists) who write their music can often negotiate higher rates than performers who don't.

The bill:

Senator Pocock's bill would repeal these limits, allowing artists and copyright agencies to negotiate for higher royalties.

A similar approach has been recommended by a range of expert reviews and inquiries since at least 1995. It was most recently recommended by a parliamentary committee in 2019. That committee concluded it could see "no public policy which is served" by the limit.

Industry response:

Music industry bodies support the bill, including the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

In a press conference at Parliament House yesterday, Australian artist Jack River called it "a very simple change that could make a great difference to [artists'] careers and our lives... All we're asking for is to negotiate our own value with radio. All other rights holders have this freedom."

Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) opposes the change, arguing the limits are compensation for the requirement that commercial radio stations play a set amount of Australian music.

Government response:

A Government spokesperson told TDA the Government was "not in a position to support Senator Pocock's Bill at this time," but would give further consideration to "issues of artists' incomes" in future.

The spokesperson said the Government needed to understand the likely impacts on regional and remote radio broadcasters and the ABC before deciding on a final position.

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

For the first time ever, there’s an all-female nominee list for the MTV Video Music Awards’ ‘Artist of the Year’ category.

Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Shakira, and Nicki Minaj are among those nominated. The awards scrapped gendered categories in 2017. The 2023 VMAs will be held next month in New Jersey.

Feeling the winter social slump? You're not alone. In a recent survey of young adults (18-25), 72% struggle to socially connect in winter. However, it's important to remember that staying socially active is just as crucial as being physically active for a healthy life.

With VicHealth's Reality Check initiative, we're here to remind you (and ourselves at TDA) to prioritise face-to-face moments. Joining a local sports team or scheduling regular dinners with your friends can break up the day-to-day routine and make a real difference. It may sound simple, but you might be surprised by the impact it can have on your overall well-being!

Disneyland Melbourne? You heard right.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp has thrown her support behind a theme park in the city, telling the Herald Sun: “As Australia’s capital city of fun, of course we should have a Disney theme park in Melbourne. We’ve even got the perfect spot for it – Fishermans Bend.”

She went on to say: “I know a Disney theme park in our municipality would be a huge hit with residents — myself included — visitors, students and traders.”

We’ll be keeping an eye on this one! 👀

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