☕️ Victoria's changes to the pill

Half the country has a public holiday today.

The rest of us are showing admirable restraint. To those of us working, I think we deserve extra chocolate on our cappuccino today.

The quote: "Kristi Noem… has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)… I thank Kristi for her service”.
U.S. President Donald Trump in a post to Truth Social announcing he is removing Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, where she was essentially the face of the administration’s crackdown on immigration. Trump removed Noem minutes before she was due to give a press conference. She has been given a new role as ‘Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas’.

The stat: 11: The number of teams that began at the Melbourne Grand Prix, the F1 season’s opening race. It is the first time in more than a decade that there have been more than 10 teams, with Cadillac joining this season. On Sunday, George Russell from Mercedes won the Australian Grand Prix.

The big question:

Friday’s results: 60% of you admit that you like to try different coffee shops and are not a “loyal customer” to a local one. [1,448 votes].

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Pharmacists in Victoria will soon be able to provide the contraceptive pill without a prescription or GP consultation.

Under a trial launched in 2023, women have been eligible to access resupplies of the medication at certain Victorian pharmacies.

The state program will now be expanded so that, from 1 July, women can get their first script and follow-up supplies at one of 850 participating pharmacies.

Trained pharmacists will still be required to conduct a consultation and outline any risks.

They will also provide “comprehensive advice about other options, including long-acting reversible contraception,” according to a statement from Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan.

“Accessing contraception should not be a burden for women,” Allan said.

Allan also said the move would particularly benefit women in rural and regional parts of the state.

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has criticised the decision to allow pharmacists to prescribe the pill, saying it undermines “established medicines safety safeguards.”

RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz accused the State Government of prioritising politics over public health.

“In an election year, [the Government] has chosen a shortcut on women’s healthcare instead of investing in the evidence‑based solutions that actually improve access.“

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Billi and Elliot unpack what actually constitutes a world war.

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🚿 Cutting just 1 minute off your shower saves around 9 litres of water. If all 5.5 million people across Greater Sydney did the same, we’d save close to 50 million litres in a single day – that’s almost 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

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This week, the Queensland Government passed a law banning the expressions “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea”.

The ban applies to the use of the phrases to make “a reasonable member of the public feel menaced, harassed or offended.”

Police Minister Dan Purdie said the law is “in direct response to a specific attack on Jewish people... [Queenslanders] expect to be able to practise their faith without fear”.

The Labor Opposition voted against it, saying Premier David Crisafulli had “backflipped on the legislation and gagged debate on his amendments.”

On 14 December, two gunmen opened fire at a Jewish community event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring many more.

In the wake of this terrorist attack, the Federal Government passed new hate speech legislation.

Under the bill, a person found guilty of committing a hate crime as part of their role as a religious or spiritual leader faces up to 12 years in prison.

A non-citizen associated with a terrorist or hate group can also have their visa cancelled or refused.

Last month, the Qld Liberal-National Government announced changes to the state’s hate speech laws.

A joint statement from Premier David Crisafulli and Qld Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the reforms would address intimidation at places of worship and restrict terrorist slogans and symbols.

The bill bans Nazi, Hezbollah, Hamas, and ISIS emblems/flags, and increases penalties for displaying terrorist symbols from six months to two years’ imprisonment.

A new offence prohibits slogans used by some pro-Palestine activists.

Queensland is the second state to examine further hate speech measures in response to the Bondi terror attack, after a bipartisan committee of NSW MPs filed a report in January recommending certain law changes.

However, it is the first to legislate change. The NSW Government has not yet released draft legislation on hate speech, but has stated its intention to do so.

In the Queensland bill, two phrases are specified: “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea”.

“Globalise the Intifada”:

Intifada is the Arabic word for “uprising”. In the NSW report, the committee said “the term intifada cannot be separated from its history of violence against Jewish people” and “inspires violence”.

However, the committee noted that it had received multiple submissions from stakeholders who argued the phrase was “commonly understood as a call for peaceful global solidarity and/or opposition to Israel’s violations of international law“.

“From the river to the sea”:

This phrase refers to the Jordan River on Israel’s eastern border, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

The NSW committee did not recommend banning it, determining it didn’t meet the same threshold as “globalise the intifada”.

According to the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, the phrase “effectively calls for ethnic cleansing of Jews”.

According to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, it is “a demand for democratic coexistence between Jews and Arabs”.

Both slogans have been outlawed in some cities overseas.

For example, in 2024, the German Government declared “from the river to the sea” was a “Hamas slogan” and using it could be considered a punishable offence.

In December, police in London and Greater Manchester announced “globalise the intifada” was banned at protests, relying on existing hate speech and public order powers designed to target racially-aggravated hate speech.

Shortly after, two men in the UK were arrested for chanting the slogan at a protest.

The original bill was written with scope for further slogans to be added.

This week, amendments were introduced to cover only the two specific expressions in the legislation, removing the ability to add more phrases.

Purdie said the law is “necessary to prevent their use to incite discrimination, hostility or violence against Jewish Queenslanders.”

Multiculturalism Minister Fiona Simpson described it as “very targeted because the Jewish people have been targeted through antisemitism.”

Under the laws, a person who “publicly” recites, distributes, publishes or displays a prohibited expression “in a way” that could cause someone to feel “menaced, harassed or offended” could face a maximum of two years in prison.

Exemptions include “genuine” artistic, religious, educational, historical, and legal purposes.

Journalists reporting in the “public interest” is also considered a “reasonable excuse”.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles said Labor had planned to vote to allow the bill to be debated, but against “the amendments that threatened freedom of speech.”

Miles claimed Crisafulli had “backflipped on the legislation and gagged debate on his amendments,” adding that “Labor could not support the LNP Government’s abuse of its large majority.”

The LNP holds 53 of the 93 seats in Queensland’s one house of Parliament.

Labor, the Greens, and independent MPs ultimately voted against the bill.

Miles noted that “Queensland Labor stands against antisemitism in all forms.”

Greens MP Michael Berkman told Parliament he has attended pro-Palestine rallies, calling the bill “a crude facade”.

“We will not support a bill that purports to tell us what these words mean,” Berkman said, adding that he believes the slogans are “a call for peace, equality and freedom of expression from violence.”

Berkman concluded by saying: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.“

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

Thinking about changing your hair? Do it for a good cause

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The Leukaemia Foundation's World’s Greatest Shave is a simple way to show up. Shave, cut or colour your hair, and every dollar you raise supports families navigating cancer.

Last year, that support helped fund 39,000 nights of accommodation near treatment, financial relief for 866 people, transport to 1,800 appointments, and more than $600,000 for new research.

So if you’ve been thinking about a bold hair change, this might be the perfect reason.

According to the latest annual report from international conservation charity Shoal, the newly discovered species were found in caves, pools and swamps across five continents. Among them is a Chinese cavefish with a swim bladder that protrudes from its body like a built-in life jacket. Conservation biologist Mike Baltzer said freshwater life “is richer than we fully understand.” The 309 names are a “reminder that freshwater biodiversity is still unfolding before us,” he added. 

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

AI is everywhere - at work, university and now, the freeway.

Last year, 22-year-old Hugo Burton received an AI-detected seatbelt fine after his passenger briefly put their arm under their seatbelt while he was driving. 

Burton represented himself in court, arguing it would be impractical or potentially unsafe for him to constantly check on his passenger on the M1 freeway in Brisbane. 

The magistrate agreed, with the ABC reporting she said the M1 is “acknowledged… to be a potentially dangerous road,” adding it requires “considerable concentration”.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.