☕️ First state to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12

Here is today’s riddle: A man looks at a painting in a museum and says, "Brothers and sisters I have none, but that man's father is my father's son." Who is in the painting?

The answer is in the tidbit!

“More than 100 people are dying on the roads each month, the secrecy must end.”
Australian Automobile Association CEO Michael Bradley calling for states and territories to release more comprehensive data about road deaths.

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How many gymnasts Australia is sending to the Paris Olympics, the biggest-ever team.

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The “equal pay for equal work” principle was endorsed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Arbitration Commission in Australia. This was a major step in the movement towards ending the gender pay gap.

The Victorian Government is set to raise the age of criminal responsibility in the state from 10 to 12, under a bill introduced to Parliament.

This is the age at which a child can be charged with, or prosecuted for, an alleged crime.

Here’s what you need to know.

The age of criminal responsibility in most of Australia is 10. Any child younger than 10 cannot be charged or prosecuted by police.

The Northern Territory and the ACT have raised the age of criminal responsibility to 12. In the ACT, the age will rise to 14 next year.

Victoria announced last year it plans to ultimately raise the age to 14 in 2027, but today’s bill only mentions raising the age to 12.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the proposed law will “enable earlier intervention and diversion for young lower-level offenders”.

If the bill is passed, police can still charge children. However, warnings and cautions will be used to divert children from court.

Alongside raising the age of criminal responsibility to 12, if a 10 or 11-year-old is at risk of harm to themselves or others, police will transport the child to “someone who can take care of them”.

Victoria’s Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the Premier’s announcement is “simply not enough”.

He said the Government needs to “invest in crime prevention [and] youth engagement programs.”

Pesutto criticised the Government for not clarifying whether it “is proceeding with its commitment to raise the age from 12 to 14.”

The Opposition didn’t indicate support for raising the age but said it would consider the matter.

The 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics could be “the hottest in history.”

A new report has warned that athletes risk cramping, exhaustion, injury, heat stroke or even death from competing in severe heat.

Tokyo became the hottest Games on record in 2021, with Paris expected to break that record next month.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said climate change “should increasingly be viewed as an existential threat to sport.“

Here’s what you need to know.

A report from FrontRunners, an Australian athlete-led conservation group, and the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) analysed heat risks ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

The ‘Rings of Fire’ report included findings from climate scientists, global sporting bodies and anecdotal evidence from athletes.

It raised concerns about sporting events coinciding with extreme heatwaves.

Temperatures in Paris could reach or exceed the mid-thirties during the 24 July-11 August Olympics. The Paralympics, set for the beginning of September, may also be affected “given the past precedent for heat waves to hit France later in the summer.”

Paris last hosted the Games in 1924. Temperatures in the French capital have warmed by 1.8°C since.

The report also noted there have been 50 heat waves in Paris between 1947-2023, which it said have been increasing in “frequency and intensity as a result of climate change.”

Temperatures at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics exceeded 34°C and humidity levels reached 70%.

Multiple athletes vomited or fainted at the finish line. Around one in 100 Olympians had a heat-related illness, and one in five Paralympians experienced heat stress.

Australian bronze-medal javelin thrower Kelsey-Lee Barber called “competing in high heat conditions” a “concerning“ reality, and pointed to a lack of strategies being offered to athletes.

Possible sleep disruption at the Paris Games was listed as a “major concern” among athletes, “given the lack of air conditioning in the Olympic Village.”

Olympic medallist and New Zealand tennis player Marcus Daniell described playing in conditions where “an egg can literally be fried on the court. This is not how sport should be played.”

Indian triathlete Pragnya Mohan said she can’t train in her home country anymore because of heat. “Your body feels like it’s shutting down,” she said.

FrontRunners CEO Emma Pocock said urgent climate action is needed to future-proof global sporting events.

“Climate and sports scientists, along with athletes, recognise the risks and want sports governing bodies to take action,” Pocock said.

Athletics Kenya President J.K. Tuwei noted that athletes face “extensive” and potentially “devastating” challenges like air pollution, food and water insecurity, disrupted sleep and exhaustion.

“This current generation of runners and those that have the hopes of coming after them... have such a fragile future.”

Are you wearing sunscreen right now?

If you said no, there are many reasons you should make it a priority in your daily routine. Not only is suncare the most important step in protecting yourself against skin cancer but it can also prevent hyperpigmentation.

According to dermatologist, Dr. Michelle Rodrigues there are more than 45 causes of pigmentation on the face alone. By applying a broad-spectrum face sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher you’re protecting your skin against both UVA and UVB rays. Combine this with a targeted serum like Mela B3 Niacinamide Serum, and you can both treat and help prevent sun damage and pigmentation.

Add it to your skincare routine by applying the serum right after you cleanse your face, and applying sunscreen right after you moisturise (before makeup).

Prioritise protecting your skin by wearing SPF every day.

Using AI and facial recognition technology, an RMIT University team of biomedical engineers created a smartphone tool that can detect if a person has had a stroke within seconds.

It’s hoped the tool will be used by frontline healthcare workers to help them detect stroke efficiently and effectively.

You might’ve seen that Robert Irwin has threatened to sue Pauline Hanson.

His lawyers sent a cease and desist letter this week after Hanson’s YouTube series used a cartoon depiction of Irwin to make a point about Queensland government spending, arguing it’s defamatory and was done without his permission. 

The One Nation leader responded saying that Irwin should be more like his father and “lighten up”. 

Enter Pauline Pantsdown, who released multiple parodies of Hanson in the 1990s, some of which attracted cease and desists.  

In a post to X, Pantsdown said Hanson’s lawyers have turned “180 degrees” from taking legal action against him in the 1990s, to telling Irwin to lighten up. 

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Riddle answer: The man's son.

This week, Australia played host to the Premier of China Li Qiang - the second most powerful politician in China after President Xi Jinping. It was the first such visit since 2017. He’s been shown around the country by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, visiting Canberra, Adelaide and Perth.

On the back of Albanese’s visit to Beijing in November last year, the first PM to do so since 2016, a “renewed and revitalised” relationship between Australia and China is being celebrated by both parties.

But are things as good as they seem? We explore this in today’s episode.