If this is your final working week for the year, we’re so glad you’re choosing to start it by reading this newsletter.

May your last week be filled with stress-free days, long lunch breaks and - if you’re customer-facing - people talking to you nicely.

The quote
“You didn’t just succeed, you Exceled.” — Microsoft’s message to 2023’s Excel World Champion Andrew “Annihilator” Ngai, who won the annual data-crunching competition for the third time in Las Vegas last week.

The stat
10,000
The number of doughnuts in a Krispy Kreme truck allegedly stolen by a 28-year-old woman in NSW last month. The woman was arrested and charged on Thursday.

Today in history
2019: Former U.S. President Donald Trump was impeached for the first time. Trump was charged by the House of Representatives with two counts - abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Some headlines from this morning:

Vodafone has shut down its 3G network as 4G and 5G services are becoming increasingly widespread.

It is the first telco in Australia to close its 3G network, with other providers following in 2024.

The 3G shutdown
The 3G (or third generation) network became the more efficient option after 2G for sending and receiving data. Since then, 4G and 5G have been introduced as faster networks.

Telstra has announced its 3G network closure for June 2024. It plans to reallocate 3G services to support 5G.

Optus will close its 3G network in September 2024. Similarly, Optus will repurpose 3G technology to support and improve its 4G and 5G services.

The digital gap
Despite improvements to 5G networks, remote areas of Australia still have little to no connectivity to phone services.

Earlier this year, RMIT released the "Mapping the Digital Gap" report.

It revealed that 43% of 1,545 remote First Nations communities in Australia have no mobile service.

While some communities rely on shared public phones, others have no telecommunications at all.

New safety and quality standards have been introduced to reduce cosmetic surgery risks.

The new rules will impact cosmetic surgeries from "small day procedure clinics through to large health organisations". However, they do not apply to non-surgical procedures, like injectables.

It follows "concerning reports of patient harm" in the sector, according to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (ACSQH).

Background
ACSQH describes cosmetic surgery as an invasive procedure "to revise or change the appearance" of bodily features "with the dominant purpose of achieving what the patient perceives to be a more desirable appearance."

A 2022 independent review found there are "no universal minimum standards for education and training in relation to cosmetic surgery".

It prompted calls from Health Ministers for urgent reforms.

Psychologist check
Under the new standards, a patient's "general health" must be assessed before they can be referred to a cosmetic surgeon.

This includes a physical and psychological assessment "to ensure a person is suitable for surgery".

The ACSQH standards said assessment results will be used to determine patient goals and develop a care plan "in collaboration with patients, carers and families".

Pushback
The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) raised concerns about the sharing of confidential psychological test results.

ASPS President Dr Nicola Dean said the standards shouldn't mean hospitals can "look at psychological test results or private patient details of consultations".

Dean also warned against overloading private hospitals with paperwork. "If they are, these institutions may refuse to host cosmetic surgery and patients may be pushed overseas."

Understanding risks
The standards are also aimed at better informing patients of the risks associated with cosmetic surgery.

This includes ensuring patients fully understand the risks and financial costs of a procedure to give "informed consent" before it goes ahead.

Practices will also be responsible for ensuring measures are in place to reduce the risk of infection from a procedure, during and after surgery.

Criticism
The ASPS said the standards do not go far enough to ensure minimum requirements to close what it called a "significant gap" in provider qualifications.

"As it is, the standards do not require practitioners performing cosmetic surgery to be qualified surgeons. Cosmetic surgery is real surgery and should only be performed by surgeons," Dean said.

Non-surgical procedures
A crackdown on invasive cosmetic procedures follows the development of tighter regulations for the 'injectables' industry.

An independent inquiry to improve industry standards made 16 recommendations which were subsequently accepted by the Medical Board of Australia.

This included improving patient consent and pre-procedure consultation and regulations around advertising and influencers.

When we sat down with the Australian 22-year-old ahead of next year’s Australian Open, we were struck by his quiet, humble temperament. For a champion with such a bright future, he certainly wasn’t talking himself up. You can watch our interview with him here. We’re absolutely positive we’ll see Hijikata in a Grand Slam Final over the next few years - and we’re selfishly hoping it’s at the Australian Open so we can be in the stands when he reaches the big dance. 

Ahead of the Australian Open 2024, we sat down with Rinky Hijikata to ask him not only about his tennis, but about how he views the world.

You can watch that chat here, before securing tickets here to be part of the live excitement here.

Get all the news you need to know today in your ears on The Daily Aus podcast!

A treatment using the medical technology from the Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines has been found to successfully reduce the risk of skin cancer recurring.

A clinical trial of over 150 patients with high risk melanoma found the Moderna-Merck treatment, which uses mRNA technology, reduced the risk of skin cancer recurrence and death by nearly 50% when used after surgery.

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An 11-year-old boy from the UK who went missing six years ago – allegedly stolen by his mum – has been found in a remote area of France.

The boy, whose name is Alex Batty, was allegedly abducted by his mother while on holiday in Spain in 2017. Batty told police he had been living in “spiritual communities” since he was kidnapped, most recently in France.

A man named Fabien Accidini was delivering medication to pharmacies one evening when he passed Batty walking in the heavy rain alone with a flashlight, according to local media La Depeche. Batty was in search of a city with an embassy. Accidini offered Batty a lift and let him use his phone to message his grandmother (who lives in the UK and was his legal guardian) on Facebook.

“Hello grandma it is me Alex i am in France Toulouse i really hope that you receive this message i love you i want to come home”... followed by two missed calls.

Accidini drove Batty to the nearest police station where they got in contact with the Greater Manchester Police in the UK.

What a coincidence! That’s exactly who The Daily Aus reaches. Get in touch with us to see how we can work together.