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Good morning!
In case your brimming inbox and sale signs everywhere hadn’t reminded you, we’re nearing the end of the financial year.
When it comes to the less exciting parts of the EOFY, we’ve got you covered. Watch this short explainer on tax returns as your shortcut to adulting. You’re welcome!
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “These so-called ‘nudify’ services are not harmless tools and have absolutely no positive use case – they are increasingly being used to generate degrading and abusive content, including sexual exploitation material involving children as we’ve seen time and time again in our schools.” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant announcing the shutdown of three deepfake AI platforms on Friday, including a site with around 50,000 Australian visits per month.
The stat: $US16 billion ($AU11 billion). The latest valuation of the Australian payments company Airwallex. The company raised millions of dollars in a new round of funding last week.
The big question:
Do you think Channel Nine should have parted ways with Karl Stefanovic?
Last week’s results: 55% of you are dining out less often to save money. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [1,330 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes has exceeded 1,400 as authorities press on with the search for survivors. Officials said more than 1,600 foreign rescuers had arrived and that additional teams were on the way, adding to a growing international response to the twin quakes that struck on Wednesday and prompted hundreds of aftershocks. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated more than 10,000 deaths were possible from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes. At the time of publishing, more than 55,000 people are listed as unaccounted for on a website promoted by the country's opposition.
An Australian woman linked to ISIS has been granted bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court. It comes a week after her daughter lost a bail bid in the same court. The two women were charged with slavery offences after they returned to Australia in May with other family members of former ISIS fighters. Prosecutors allege Kawsar Ahmad migrated to Syria with her husband and their children to join IS in 2015. Investigators warned Ahmad could spread extremist ideology if released. The woman’s lawyer argued she did not support IS and posed little threat to community safety. A judge found the risk was low, granting Ahmad bail with strict conditions.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
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Because a happy dog is an enriched dog!
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 1 minute
For the first time, the personal income tax paid by members of the Royal Family has been made public.
Documents show King Charles III paid £12.9 million ($AU24.6 million) in income tax in 2024-25. Media has also reported Prince William paid £7.76 million ($14.85m) last financial year. The King is one of the top 100 highest taxpayers in the UK.
Where does the Royal Family actually get their money from?
Income
King Charles’ primary funding source is the ‘Sovereign Grant’, which taxpayers pay to the monarchy via the UK Treasury.
Then there’s the ‘Privy Purse’, mainly made up of income generated by the Duchy of Lancaster – a land portfolio allocated to the King.
Finally, the King’s personal wealth. For example, the Balmoral and Sandringham estates, inherited from Queen Elizabeth II. This doesn’t include Royal residences, art collections, or Crown Jewels.
The Sovereign Grant is calculated based on a percentage of profits from the Crown Estate from the past two financial years. The Crown Estate is land or assets held by the Royals, which they cannot sell. A key Crown Estate investment is in offshore wind farms.
In the 2025-26 financial year, the Crown generated £1.2b ($2b) in profit, largely through its 36 offshore wind farms. This year the Sovereign Grant was £132 million ($250 million).
Another key element in the Crown’s structure is property. While the reigning monarch “holds” properties like Buckingham Palace, they cannot sell them.
This week, King Charles and Queen Camilla announced they would not live in Buckingham Palace when its 10-year, £369m ($AU706m) renovations finish next year. It is the first time since it was built that the reigning monarch hasn’t lived at the Palace.
Tax
The report also included the amount of personal income tax Charles paid in the previous two financial years.
He paid £12.9m in 2024-25. The Prime Minister paid £54,718 in 2023-24, and Prince William paid £7.76 million in 2024-25. For comparison, the average UK income tax bill in 2023-24 was £10,595.
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, features editor Emma and copyeditor Lucy explain why Channel Nine fired Karl Stefanovic. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.
⚽️ Want the latest on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while staying across the biggest storylines across men's and women's sport? Sports journalists George and Pav have you covered in the TDA Sport Newsletter.
Good finds
🥬 Good food shouldn't cost the earth – literally. Harris Farm ties their pricing directly to their values, from regenerative farming and cage-free eggs to milk pricing that ensures farmers are paid fairly. Groceries that do good? Shop here.
💳 Missing bills usually starts with a reminder you set and still forget. With BPAY®, you can schedule payments straight from your banking app the day a bill arrives, for things like rent, energy, council rates or credit cards, so it’s handled early. Your Biller details can be saved after your first payment, making it even easier next time with BPAY.
Scheduled payments are subject to systems and funds availability. T&Cs apply. BPAY is a registered trade mark of BPAY Pty Ltd ABN 69 079 137 518. BPAY is made available by over 150 BPAY participants. You should obtain a PDS from your relevant BPAY participant and consider whether BPAY is right for you. Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
A class action has been filed in the Federal Court against one of Australia’s biggest mining companies.
Dozens of women allege they were sexually harassed, assaulted and silenced at Fortescue’s fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) mine sites over nearly 20 years.
It is the third Australian mining giant to face a class action over allegations of workplace sexual harassment in the past two years.
Background
Fortescue is one of the world’s largest iron ore miners, with remote FIFO operations across Western Australia.
FIFO workers often live on site, in shared accommodation, for weeks at a time. In 2022, a WA parliamentary committee inquiry found sexual harassment and assault were rife across the FIFO mining sector and called for sweeping reform.
Lawsuit
The class action was filed in the Federal Court on 25 June by Brisbane law firm JGA Saddler.
Women who worked at a Fortescue Australian mining hub or accommodation camp between 1 February 2006 and 5 December 2025 may be eligible to join if they experienced sexual harassment, sex discrimination or a hostile workplace.
The names of the two lead applicants have been suppressed due to personal safety concerns.
Allegations
The lawsuit alleges decades of systemic sexual harassment and assault at Fortescue’s remote worksites.
Women allege they were followed to their rooms, groped at the gym, and unable to eat in communal areas without being harassed.
One woman alleged she returned to find a strange man in her room. Another said she was pulled into a dark alley and forcibly kissed.
The claim also alleges women were warned not to wash their underwear in on-site laundries because theft was so common.
JGA Saddler, the law firm representing the complainants, alleges women who reported incidents were punished for speaking up.
“Women who have lodged complaints about unacceptable behaviour are then dismissed, demoted, silenced or blacklisted from the industry,” lawyer Paris Hamrey said.
One woman alleged she was told to sign a waiver, sent to a hotel room alone and instructed not to speak to anyone. Another alleged she was dismissed within a month of raising concerns about a male colleague who refused to be trained by her.
Response
Fortescue told the ABC sexual harassment and unlawful discrimination have no place at the company and that it is “committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace for all employees and contractors.”
The company declined to comment on the specific allegations. It said it is investing $300 million to upgrade living quarters, including installing deadlocks, swipe-card access, CCTV and improved lighting.
What’s next?
This is the third class action JGA Saddler has filed against an Australian mining giant. Similar lawsuits against Rio Tinto and BHP were filed in late 2024 and remain before the courts.
Under the Sex Discrimination Act, employers can be held liable if they allow women to work in environments where they are likely to be exposed to sexual harassment or discrimination.
The Fortescue case will now proceed through the Federal Court alongside the other class actions.
Reporting by Elliot Lawry.
A message from The University of Canberra
Not everyone has a perfectly mapped-out five-year plan
And honestly, most people are figuring it out as they go. At the University of Canberra, you’re supported wherever you’re starting from. With practical learning, a community where you’ll find your people, whether that be online or on campus, and courses designed to help you find what truly fits your life and career direction.
Give me some good news
The Socceroos have progressed to the World Cup knockout stages following a nil all draw with Paraguay in their final group game.
Australia went into round three in San Francisco chasing a win or a draw to guarantee their spot in the round-of-32. A dominant Socceroos side couldn’t get through a tenacious Paraguay defence, but the scoreless result was all that was needed. It means the Aussies finish second in Group D behind the U.S - one of the tournament’s three host nations. The team will now head to Dallas for next weekend’s knockout clash against the runner-up of Group G - Egypt. Socceroos coach Tony Popovic told SBS the team’s performance has been “unbelievable” so far and he’s “just so proud of everyone involved - the staff, the players, just a wonderful young group of men”.
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA titbit
A white whale has been spotted off the NSW coast, and there’s speculation it could be Migaloo.
For those unfamiliar, Migaloo is an albino humpback whale known to travel up and down the east coast.
If you live near Port Macquarie, keep your eyes peeled for him, and let researchers know at migaloo.com.au if you see him!
Reporting by Lucy Tassell.
TDA asks
