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Good morning!
I have another office debate for you. It started with yesterday’s ‘Picture This’.
Yesterday’s first emoji riddle was ‘🪨📰✂️’ and (spoiler) the answer was ‘Rock Paper Scissors’.
But apparently there is a divide in how you say this game, depending on where you grew up.
People from Melbourne say ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ (at a quick pace) while people from Sydney say ‘Scissors Paper Rock’ (at a slow pace).
What about everyone in the rest of the country?
P.S. Happy last day of Autumn!
I’ve got 10 seconds
Quote of the day
"I aimed to encapsulate the journey of my dear friend Baker Boy from his roots as a young Indigenous performer from Arnhem Land to the music icon he has become today... the vibrant blue and orange background echoes the fusion of tradition and innovation that defines his sound."
Artist Matt Adnate describing his portrait of Indigenous rapper Baker Boy that has won the $3,000 packing room prize in the annual Archibald prize.
Stat of the day
29
The age of pro golfer Lexi Thompson, who has announced her retirement from the sport. Thompson started playing professionally at the age of 12.
Today in history
1790
The first copyright law was established under the U.S. Constitution. The law protected books, maps, and charts for a maximum of 14 years unless it was renewed for another 14 years.
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
A parliamentary committee has recommended the Federal Government establish Australia’s first ever Human Rights Act. Committee chair, Labor MP Josh Burns, said it would require Parliament to “expressly consider human rights when making laws”. The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcomed the recommendation, saying “people’s rights and wellbeing should be front of mind” when laws are being formulated. The President of the AHRC described Australia’s current framework as “outdated, ineffective, and in desperate need of reform.”
Victoria Police have arrested four men for allegedly recruiting children as young as 12 to steal more than $2 million in cash and cigarettes from service stations. More than 20 children were allegedly involved in over 140 cigarette thefts and armed robberies across the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Police also seized over 200 cannabis plants, nearly $250,000 in cash, luxury items, and weapons. An acting inspector said: “Concerningly, a significant proportion of these children were already known to Victoria Police.”
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I’ve got 1 minute
China has lifted export bans on most Aussie beef
China has lifted a ban on Australian beef exports, the Federal Government has confirmed.
It comes after Chinese authorities imposed sanctions on several Australian exports during the pandemic. Several of these had already been repealed over the last 12 months, including wine and barley exports.
The meat industry has welcomed the decision, saying it will support Australian farmers.
Sanctions
China announced several trade restrictions on an estimated $20 billion worth of Australian exports in 2020.
For some products, this took the form of added taxes, including heavy tariffs on Australian wine exports. Other products faced a complete trade ban, including products from 10 Australian meat exporters.
This week, China reversed a ban on five beef exporters. It comes after three suspended exporters had their bans lifted in December. Two others are still banned from exporting meat to China.
Meat bans
China’s decision to resume trade with five Australian meat exporters will take immediate effect.
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt told the ABC it was “fantastic news” for Australia’s farming and meat industries.
Watt said now-reversed trade bans had boosted Australian exports to China by $3 billion in recent months.
Industry response
Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) CEO Patrick Hutchinson called the Chinese market “incredibly important” to the Australian meat industry.
He said the lifted export ban was a “fantastic result” for the businesses, customers and workers impacted by the trade bans. Hutchinson added that Australian exporters will now have the chance to expand into the Chinese market.
AMIC said it will advocate for the remaining two exporters to have their suspensions lifted “as a matter of priority”.
I’ve got 2 minutes
Exclusive: The Victorian Govt has announced a new Domestic Violence strategy for Ballarat after three recent alleged murders
The Victorian Government is launching a $10 million campaign to end gendered violence in Ballarat — where three women have been allegedly murdered this year.
The initiative will target workplaces, schools, sporting clubs, and community groups in the regional Victorian city.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan told TDA the four-year program will focus on education, prevention, social media strategies, and encouraging male participation in anti-violence efforts.
Here’s what you need to know.
Ballarat
Today’s announcement follows the deaths of three women — Samantha Murphy, Rebecca Young, and Hannah McGuire — in Ballarat this year.
Police are continuing the search for Samantha Murphy’s body after the mother of three went missing in February. A Ballarat man has been charged with her murder.
The deaths sparked major protests calling for greater gendered violence awareness and prevention measures.
New campaign
The Victorian Government will launch what it called a “world-leading pilot” to prevent gendered violence in Ballarat — a regional city of about 100,000 people.
It said it plans to “saturate every corner of the community with awareness and action”. For example, educational materials will be distributed across cafes, sporting clubs, schools, and workplaces in Ballarat.
The Victorian Premier said the community has been “hurting” for several months. “Too many women in Ballarat have... lost their lives violently,” Allan told TDA.
Social media
Social media will form a major part of the campaign.
Online awareness materials will be ‘geo-targeted’ to Ballarat residents, ensuring they see specific gendered violence education messages.
The Premier said this means that “information and tools” will pop up in the social media feeds of users scrolling online in Ballarat.
The campaign will also recruit local influencers to discuss the harms of toxic masculinity with their social media followers.
Male attitudes
Allan said the awareness campaign will aim to encourage cultural change around male attitudes towards women. This includes plans to boost education programs for school students.
“Violence against women and girls has its origins in a lack of respect,” the Premier said.
Swipe to watch the Premier speaking to TDA about male attitudes and gendered violence.
Local response
Not-for-profit community organisation Women’s Health Grampians (WHG) has welcomed the Victorian Government’s campaign.
WHG CEO Marianne Hendron said locals have been calling for “tangible, practical” action on gendered violence.
Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson told TDA the community is ready to “come together” and do more to prevent violence against women and children.
Frontline workers
Premier Allan also said the State Government is working to hire more emergency responders.
This follows a Federal Government pledge of over $169 million for the states and territories to hire 500 additional emergency workers by the end of June.
Earlier this month, Federal Minister for Women Katy Gallagher told TDA that only half of the workers will be in place by the end of June.
Allan said, “We are working flat out...We are recruiting people right now,” to meet the 30 June deadline.
Next steps
The Victorian Government is expected to work with community groups to develop strategies for the Ballarat campaign over the next six months before it’s rolled out in full.
Mayor Hudson said: “It’s about bringing our whole community into a conversation as to what we can do to... improve outcomes for women and children.”
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Give me some good news
Vahiné Fierro has become the first Tahitian woman to win a famous surfing competition in Tahiti.
She was awarded the title of 2024 SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro. The World Surf League said this “will go down as one of the most culturally important days in competitive surfing history.”
The 24-year-old will compete at the Paris Olympics, where its surfing events will be held on the French island.
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TDA tidbit
“I’m that b**ch, Meloni.”
That’s how Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni introduced herself to a local governor.
Vincent De Luca, who heads up the Campania region, had called Meloni a “b**ch” months ago, after he led a protest outside the country’s Parliament against plans to give regional authorities more power.
At the time, Meloni, who leads the right-wing ‘Brothers of Italy’ party, said protesters should be at work instead of outside her office.
De Luca then told the media that he and fellow protesters didn’t have enough funding for daily administrative tasks, “and she tells us ‘work’. You work, bitch!”
Eep!
Want more from The Daily Aus? Listen to our podcast!
It’s been a big few weeks for Donald Trump, whose first criminal case has just wrapped up after a five-week trial.
The trial centred on Trump’s alleged cover-up of a ‘hush money’ payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll cover what happened during the trial and what it means for the presidential hopeful.
TDA asks
