☕️ CCTV in childcare centres

A shoutout to all of those who are reading this newsletter at your desk this morning.

If you’re office is anything like ours, July is when half the team goes jet-setting overseas. Based on the number of automatic out-of-reply messages we’re receiving at the moment, it would appear we’re not alone!

For those of us still here: Stay strong. Stay hydrated. Stay warm.

“We are absolutely blown away by the strength of this young man and the power of this incredible community.”
A post in a Facebook group dedicated to finding 19-year-old Darcy Deefholts, who was swept out to sea while surfing off NSW’s Mid-North Coast and survived the night by camping on a small island.

2,305
The number of heat-related deaths from 23 June to 2 July 2025, according to a rapid study from the Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The study has yet to be peer-reviewed. Researchers estimate 65% of the deaths were a direct result of climate change increasing the heat by 1-4°C.

Reality TV personality Jojo Siwa has gone viral on social media for her cover of ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ by Kim Carnes. You can watch it here.

The Federal Government is “carefully” considering a plan to combat antisemitism, which was handed down on Thursday by special envoy Jillian Segal.

The plan advises a crackdown on social media algorithms responsible for spreading hate, extra visa screening to identify “extremist views,” and introducing antisemitism education in school curricula.

While the plan has taken nine months to develop, it has been delivered less than a week after a Melbourne synagogue was firebombed in an alleged antisemitic attack.

Last year, the Government announced two special envoys to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal was tasked with designing a plan for the Government to combat hatred directed at Jewish people.

Segal’s report said there has been an uptick in “hatred directed at the Jewish community around the world” since Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Israel’s subsequent war with Hamas in Gaza has caused a humanitarian crisis.

Segal handed down the plan to combat antisemitism yesterday, laying out a series of reforms.

She characterised social media as a “vector” for hatred, urging action to remove “bots” from platforms and step up moderation of harmful content.

Segal also urged further transparency from social media companies about how algorithms function.

Additionally, Segal said she will recommend ways to improve school education on “Jewish history, identity, culture, and antisemitism”.

Her report also proposes greater powers for authorities to refuse or cancel visas if a person has “antisemitic views of affiliations”.

Currently, visas can be rejected on “character grounds”.

The Government recently denied a visa to rapper Kanye West after he released a song titled ‘Heil Hitler’.

Segal also proposed cancelling the visas of people found to be “involved in antisemitism”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared alongside Segal at a press conference to announce the Government would closely consider the report’s recommendations.

“There are Jewish students who have been attacked, vilified, abused, because of their identification... by a perpetrator, for being Jewish. That has no place whatsoever in Australia,” the PM told reporters.

A yearly check-in report will assess the effectiveness of some measures in driving down antisemitism.

The Coalition has welcomed the report, although it urged the Government to take stronger action immediately.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said: “It should not fall to one individual to shoulder this fight against hate.”

The Coalition has pushed for the Government to commit to a 15-point plan laid out by the Executive Council of the Australian Jewry (ECAJ) earlier this year. Segal’s report echoes part of this plan, although she did not push for a ban on student encampments like the ECAJ.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Two major childcare providers will install CCTV cameras at all their centres across the country in response to alleged child abuse by a Melbourne worker.

It’s one of multiple safety measures now being considered in government reviews and at individual childcare centres since the allegations surfaced.

Unions and advocates have questioned whether the measures will be effective enough to address deeper concerns about the childcare sector.

Former Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown is facing 70 offences relating to eight victims.

The charges include rape, attempted child sexual assault, and producing child abuse material. Brown is due to face court in September.

The families of 1,200 children were told to test them for possible infectious diseases.

Brown worked at approximately 20 childcare centres between 2017 and 2025.

Childcare centres are now responding to growing concerns about safety within the industry.

G8 is the second-largest provider in Australia, operating more than 400 centres. It owns one of the multiple locations Brown worked at prior to his arrest.

Earlier this week, G8 confirmed it would “accelerate” the installation of CCTV cameras at its centres after piloting them at a number of sites.

G8 also committed to giving parents additional control over which staff members will have oversight of their child’s “personal care”.

This includes nappy changes and using the bathroom.

A day after G8 announced these changes, another major provider Brown worked for, Affinity Education, confirmed it was making similar changes to “fast-track” CCTV installation. It will also require staff to undergo a training “refresher” on child safety.

Victoria has launched a review that will consider whether to make CCTV camera compulsory at centres.

The United Workers’ Union (UWU) said the measures could have “unintended consequences and [not] actually fix fundamental problems in the sector”.

UWU Early Childhood Director Carolyn Smith said: “If you go to the extreme of CCTV being rolled out in 17,000 centres nationally, aside from the massive expense, how do you ensure these images don’t fall into the wrong hands?”

Federal Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh welcomed the centres’ move to install CCTV.

“This is only one part of the change that needs to be made,“ Walsh said in a statement to TDA.

The Federal Government will introduce legislation to withdraw funding for providers who “put profit over safety”.

Shadow Minister Jonno Duniam told TDA: “We welcome urgent adoption of any possible measure that can improve transparency at childcare centres and the safety of kids.“

A dedicated website for affected families has been set up here: vic.gov.au/childcare-centres-investigation

1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Have you heard of habit stacking? 

This technique forms new habits by pairing them with existing ones. 

So, by linking your daily vitamin intake to an existing routine - like brushing your teeth or brewing your morning coffee - you build healthy habits that stick.  

Blackmores make habit stacking even easier with their new range of Rapi-Melts that rapidly dissolve in your mouth - yep, no water needed! 

Rapi-Melts are available in four delicious flavours each formulated to support a specific area of wellness:

Keen to start habit stacking? Add Blackmores Rapi-Melts to part of your daily routine and experience the difference today.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. 

🍊 Why did Red Bull fire Christian Horner?
🍊 The Wimbledon finals are around the corner.
🍊 Queensland smashed NSW in the men’s state of origin.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: rugby union, soccer, and more…

Malaria is a mosquito-borne illness that can be deadly if left un-treated. The new medication was developed by the company Novartis, and is expected to be rolled out in eight countries in Africa, where the disease is particularly widespread, very soon. These countries, which include Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, account for almost half of all malaria cases worldwide.

Children under the age of five make up the majority of deaths from malaria in Africa, a statistic that is expected to change now that there is a safe medication available for them to take. Novartis said it would make the medication free in most cases, “to increase access in areas where malaria is endemic.” The company’s CEO Vas Narasimhan said the treatment will ensure “even the smallest and most vulnerable can finally receive the care they deserve.”

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

A group of members of the U.S. Congress have written a letter to the Canadian embassy in D.C. to complain about smoke from ongoing wildfires spoiling summer.

Two Canadians have been killed died and tens of thousands of others have evacuated from their homes during the wildfires, which began in May.

The congresspeople, who represent northern states including Wisconsin and Minnesota, said: "Our constituents have been limited in their ability to go outside and safely breathe due to the dangerous air quality the wildfire smoke has created”.

They went on to explain that "summer months are the best time of the year to spend time outdoors” and that the smoke “makes it difficult to do all those things".

The lawmakers wanted to know “how [the Canadian] government plans on mitigating wildfire and the smoke that makes its way south”.

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

Did you know that rules of pet ownership are changing in Australia? Well, kind of.

At the start of this month, the ACT revealed a new draft code of practice that sets out mandatory rules of dog ownership in the territory. Among the new rules is a required minimum time of three hours spent with a dog every day.

Now that is just for the ACT, but it comes a month after new laws at the federal level came into effect that changed how pets are seen in the family law system. It means pets won’t just be seen as property, and there will be new special considerations to who took the best care of the pet.

Today, we’re looking at how the rules of pet ownership are changing.