If you were forwarded this email (Hi! Welcome!), you can sign up to the newsletter here.
Good morning!
Happy Mate Day. “Why mate?” you say. Because it’s May 8!
Check in with a mate, buy a friend a coffee, or do karaoke with your colleagues (my personal preference).
Whatever it is, look out for your mates today!
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “I don't condone any action where things get aggressive and behaviour gets out of hand here, but James Paterson went into that rage baiting, he went looking for a blue.”
One Nation Chief of Staff James Ashby speaking to Sky News, after Liberal Senator James Paterson was involved in an altercation with a One Nation volunteer at a polling booth in Farrer on Wednesday. The by-election is tomorrow. One Nation founder Pauline Hanson has apologised to Paterson over the volunteer’s conduct.
The stat: 200 million. The number of people that will be impacted by an “international cybersecurity breach” in Queensland’s Education Department. In a press release, the Department said “names, email addresses and school locations have been compromised” in the breach. This will impact people across Australia and overseas who use the platform Canvas.
The big question:
What is the quickest way for a brand to lose your attention?
Yesterday’s results: 56% of you said it depends if a brand loses your trust whether they can earn it back. 14% of you said they can earn your trust back and 30% of you said they can’t. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [1,693 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Three Australian women with ties to Islamic State were arrested at Sydney and Melbourne airports on Thursday night. They were part of a larger group, including children, returning to Australia after years in a Syrian refugee camp. The women had travelled to the Middle East with partners who intended to fight for Islamic State. AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt told reporters in Canberra the three women would be charged with a combined eight offences, including slavery, crimes against humanity and terrorism-related offences. Authorities have said the children will need significant support as they adjust to life in Australia.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced plans to force gas-exporting companies to reserve 20% of their product for Australians. It comes amid public discussion of Australia’s gas reserves, sparked by a Senate inquiry led by the Greens and independent Senator David Pocock. Natural gas is one of Australia’s biggest resources. Major companies such as Woodside have a deal with the Government to extract the gas and sell it to other countries. These companies are meant to pay a 40% tax on the top level of their profits, however this only applies to what is left after deducting costs. These deductions grow in value even after the original costs have been paid off, meaning Australia does not see much of this tax in practice. Now, the Government will introduce a bill to Parliament to divert more gas to Australia. The Greens and independents have criticised the policy, saying it will not see Australia earn more money from its own reserves.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
One in four mums end up organising their own Mother's Day celebration
If yours is one of them, it's probably time to come clean – and step up. Moonpig's new Now I Get It card range is built for exactly this: a cheeky, heartfelt way to finally own your childhood crimes (forged signatures, raided liquor cabinets, the lot).
Fully personalised with photos, notes, and gift add-ons like espresso martini sets or lounge socks. Cards from $7.99, delivered to her door.
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 1 minute
A federal judge in the U.S. has released a suicide note purportedly written by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, said he found the piece of paper inside a graphic novel after Epstein was removed from his cell following an apparent suicide attempt.
The note, which does not include a signature, reads: “They investigated me for months – FOUND NOTHING!!!”
Note
“They investigated me for months – FOUND NOTHING!!! ... It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do – Bust out cryin!! NO FUN – NOT WORTH IT!!”
Who is Epstein?
Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender.
In 2008, he served 13 months in jail after pleading guilty to charges related to sex-trafficking minors in a controversial deal.
In 2019, police arrested him again on new federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein was denied bail and died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial.
Epstein was friends with high-profile politicians, celebrities, and the wealthy, some of whom have also been accused of engaging in sexual crimes.
Reporting by Elliot Lawry.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Emma and Billi discuss 100 years of Sir David Attenborough.
🌞 Need a break from the news cycle? You can sign up to TDA Good News here to make sure all the wholesome news updates are in your inbox every Sunday morning.
Good finds
📱 More visibility over your payments: pay securely from your bank account with PayTo® using your PayID®, or BSB and account number – no card details needed. Authorise, view and manage PayTo agreements in your banking app and stay on top of your money.
Look out for the PayTo next time you’re checking out or paying a bill.
PayTo is in your banking app. Check with your financial institution to find out more. PayID and PayTo are registered trade marks of NPP Australia Ltd ABN 68 601 428 737.
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
From today, Instagram will no longer offer end-to-end encrypted messaging as a feature for users.
End-to-end encryption allowed messages to only be read by the sender and recipient – not Meta itself.
This means Meta will now be able to view the contents of all Instagram messages, whereas previously it could not access chats where encryption had been enabled.
Meta cited low usage of the feature as a reason for removing it.
So, what does this actually mean for users?
End-to-end encryption
Associate Professor in Computer Science at the University of Sydney Dr Qiang Tang explained to TDA that end-to-end encryption is like a “sealed envelope,” ensuring information can only be seen by the sender and the recipient.
End-to-end encryption works by scrambling messages into unreadable code before they leave a user’s device.
Only the intended recipient has the digital “key” needed to decode the message.
This means even the platform hosting the conversation cannot access the contents of encrypted chats.
Update
Prior to 8 May, Instagram users could choose whether they wanted their messages to be end-to-end encrypted.
Now, that option has been removed.
Some online safety advocates had urged Meta to scrap the feature, arguing it could make it harder to detect harmful behaviour involving children online.
An eSafety spokesperson told TDA that “strong encryption plays an important role in protecting privacy,” but said it does not “remove a platform’s responsibility to prevent harm”.
Senior Research Associate at the University of Sydney Dr Rob Nicholls told TDA: “It’s a huge change… it was only [in] 2019… that Meta committed to… privacy absolutism for messaging and now they’ve walked back from that.”
He said: “If you’re doing nothing wrong, you can expect privacy in your communications. If you’re doing something which is criminal, your expectations might be disappointed.”
Meta response
“Very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs, so we're removing this option. Anyone who wants to keep messaging with end-to-end encryption can easily do that on WhatsApp,” according to a Meta spokesperson in an emailed statement to TDA.
Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.
A message from ConnectID®
Identity verification, minus the hassle.
ConnectID® is a new, secure way to verify your identity, using your bank instead of uploading copies of your driver licence. Your bank already knows who you are, so you don't have to prove it from scratch every time.
When a business asks you to prove who you are (think: rental applications, telco sign ups or getting a refund), look for the ConnectID button, authenticate through your banking app, and consent to share only what's needed. Look out for ConnectID next time you need to verify your identity.
ConnectID is a registered trade mark of ConnectID Pty Ltd ABN 80 648 970 101.
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
Give me some good news
Credit: Cocodona 250 Livestream via Canadian Trail Running
An American physical therapist has become the first woman to win the overall title at the Cocodona 250 Ultramarathon in the U.S. state of Arizona – a 400km race.
Rachel Entrekin won the women’s race in 2024 and 2025, but this year she outdid herself by setting the course record, beating all of the men too. Entrekin ran the distance in 56 hours and nine minutes.
She is the first woman and fourth person ever to run the course in fewer than 60 hours. The course takes runners up and down steep peaks, for a total of 11,000 metres of elevation, and through parts of the Sonoran Desert. After the race, Entrekin said simply: “I feel fine.”
Reporting by Lucy Tassell.
TDA titbit
Credit: Elite Event Robotics, KGO via CNN and WeAU13 News.
Hate plane delays? This is your warning to stop reading.
A Southwest Airlines flight bound for San Diego, in the U.S. state of California, was delayed for more than an hour after a robot was brought onboard as a passenger, according to a local news service.
And yes, the robot had its own paid ticket, bought by its owner who sat next to it on the plane.
The issue? The airline’s policy says large carry-on items can’t be placed in aisle seats, which is exactly where the robot, named Bebop, was sitting.
Bebop also contained a large lithium battery, which had to be removed before the plane could take off.
Rest assured, battery-less Bebop had a safe flight and the TDA team hopes it enjoyed San Diego!
TDA asks
