☕️ Coalition's net zero debate

Thank you so much for checking out our other newsletters yesterday. There was certainly a buzz in the office as we watched many of you keenly try out a new read.

Here’s some TDA newsletter trivia for you: over the last 30 days, this morning newsletter has been opened 3.3 million times.

"A lot of kids, they’re really genuinely harmed by what they’re being exposed to on social media… We’re not going to be bullied out of taking action by any social media giant."
Federal Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek speaking to Sunrise on Monday morning, in response to the Daily Telegraph’s report that Google is threatening to sue the Australian Government if they choose to include video platform YouTube in their under-16s social media ban.

Eight hours
How long it will take to fly from Moscow to Pyongyang, after Russian and North Korean officials announced the first direct passenger flight between the cities in three decades. The 6,500km journey is being operated by Russian carrier Nordwind Airlines, but flights will only operate monthly.

Almonds are a member of the peach family. Both are classified under the ‘Prunus’ species, which also includes cherries, plums, and apricots. Due to their close botanical relationship, people with almond allergies may also be sensitive to stone fruits.

The U.S. and the European Union (EU) have agreed to a new trade deal that will see a 15% tariff on most European products.

U.S. President Donald Trump and EU President Ursula Von der Leyen met at one of Trump’s golf courses in Scotland on Monday morning (AEST) to negotiate the deal.

As part of the deal, the EU will also have to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S, on top of existing commitments.

A tariff is a tax on imports. It is applied to foreign-made goods brought into another country, and paid by the importer.

For example: Country A and Country B make the same product. Country A wants its citizens to buy its own version of the product, not Country B’s, so it applies a tariff.

Importers in Country A now pay the tax when they bring in B’s product, and pass on the cost to consumers, making this version of the product more expensive to buy.

In April, Trump imposed global tariffs on all imports entering the U.S, including a 20% tariff on products from EU member countries.

The EU’s leadership can negotiate trade deals on behalf of its 27 members.

Following Trump’s announcement, the EU began negotiations with the U.S. Trump twice threatened to increase tariffs on the EU while negotiations were ongoing.

Von der Leyen and Trump agreed to a single “15% tariff rate for the vast majority of EU exports” on Monday morning.

Both leaders also agreed to a tariff exemption for some products, including aircraft parts and natural resources.

As part of the trade deal, the EU will invest an additional $US600 billion ($AU915 billion) into the U.S.

The EU will also purchase $US750 billion ($AU1.14 trillion) worth of U.S. energy. Von der Leyen said the investment will “replace Russian gas and oil”. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the EU pledged to “end its dependency on Russian energy” and “diversify” Europe’s energy sources.

The EU is also required to make an as-yet undetermined investment into U.S. military equipment.

Steel and aluminium tariffs will remain at 50% globally with no exemptions for the EU.

Following the meeting, Trump told reporters: “It’s great that we made a trade deal today instead of playing games and maybe not making a deal at all… It’s the biggest deal ever made”.

Von der Leyen called the deal a “breakthrough”, saying it “delivers stability and predictability… on both sides of the Atlantic.”

The Netherlands’ Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X: “No tariffs would have been better, but this agreement provides more clarity for our businesses and brings more market stability.”

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has introduced a bill to scrap Australia’s legal commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

It follows the Western Australian Liberal Party’s move to abandon net zero, which MPs or Senators have not formally adopted.

The push comes as the Coalition conducts a post-election review of its policies, including on energy.

Labor has suggested Joyce’s bill could be a sign the Coalition will drop its commitment to net zero.

Net zero greenhouse gas emissions refers to balancing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and taken out of the atmosphere.

When fossil fuels like coal, gas, and oil are burned, they release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Australia has legislated to achieve net zero by 2050. The plan involves reducing emissions by transitioning to renewable energy, such as wind and solar.

Joyce is a former leader of the National Party, the Liberals’ coalition partner. He has long criticised plans to transition to net zero emissions.

On Monday, Joyce introduced a bill to the House of Representatives to repeal the law binding Australia to a net zero target by 2050.

Joyce’s bill would also scrap other measures, including the Net Zero Economy Authority — an independent body tasked with moving workers into low-emissions industries. Last year, the Coalition voted against establishing the Authority.

In a speech to Parliament, Joyce said Australians are being “done over” by net zero energy policies.

“This is not about whether you believe in climate change or not,” he said.

“Net zero is going to have absolutely no effect on the climate whatsoever.”

UN climate scientists have called on all countries to reduce emissions more rapidly, in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Over the weekend, the WA State Liberal Council voted to withdraw the party’s support for net zero by 2050.

The council is the organisational wing of the party. Liberal parliamentarians are not bound to its decisions.

Federal WA Liberal MP Andrew Hastie hinted he would push for the federal Liberals to adopt the measure, in order to “[call] out Labor’s moral hypocrisy on climate and energy policy”.

The South Australian Liberal branch has also voted to scrap net zero.

Joyce introduced a “private members’ bill,” which can be put forward by an individual MP or Senator without necessarily reflecting a party’s overall position.

The bill is set to fail as Labor has a majority in the House of Representatives.

A spokesperson for Coalition leader Sussan Ley told TDA Joyce is “entitled” to put forward a private members’ bill in Parliament.

The Liberal Party is currently reviewing all of its election policies, including on energy. The Coalition spokesperson said its policy would aim to reduce both power bills and emissions.

Liberal MP Garth Hamilton backed Joyce’s push to scrap net zero commitments.

However, Victorian Liberal Senator Jane Hume said “successive elections” had shown Australians voted for stronger action on reducing emissions.

The Government has now questioned the Opposition’s commitment to net zero emissions.

“Even Peter Dutton backed net zero. Sussan Ley won’t,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office said in a statement.

Climate Minister Chris Bowen said the bill indicated internal divisions in the Coalition.

“People in rural and regional Australia have the most gain out of jobs and investments created by net zero,” Bowen told Parliament.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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🍊 Australia is dominating in the pool at the World Aquatics Championships.
🍊 De Minaur has picked up his first major win of the year.
🍊 A member of England’s winning women’s Euro team played the whole tournament with a broken bone.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cricket, rugby union, and more…

A team of scientists working at the Galapagos Islands National Park found “over 250 living colonies” of the corals around the islands, including in one place they had not previously been detected. The scientists’ study said the coral species had last been sighted in 2000, and was thought not to have survived the ongoing impacts of an El Niño-related rise in ocean temperatures in the early 1980s. It’s believed the corals survived by going into deeper, cooler waters, and were able to return to the shallows after the 2020 to 2023 La Niña event made the ocean colder. Study lead author Dr Inti Keith said: “Even the most vulnerable species can persist if we protect the right habitats”.

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

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

The August issue of U.S. Vogue features a brand-new kind of model – one generated by AI. 

The AI model was displayed in an advertisement for fashion brand Guess. 

Seraphinne Vallora, the company that generated the model for Guess, says on their website: “We use advanced AI to design photorealistic images and cinematic video campaigns that feel immersive, editorial, and emotionally resonant.”

Despite the ad featuring in the magazine, Vogue told the BBC its inclusion was not an editorial decision and marked the first time an AI model has featured in the magazine.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

No illegal substances were discovered in More than 86% of strip searches conducted by NSW Police over the last decade. That’s according to a new report by the Redfern Legal Centre, which analysed data from thousands of searches between 2014 and 2023.

It comes amid an ongoing legal battle in the state, where a class action alleging unlawful strip searches by NSW Police is continuing in the Supreme Court.

Today, we’ll take a closer look at this new data, the legal requirements around stip searchers and the ongoing legal challenge.