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Good morning!
Don’t forget to tell your boss it’s officially Fun at Work Day today. So if your boss gives you too much work, you’re allowed to say “that’s not very fun”.
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “It doesn’t appear that the public has warmed to the Coalition or warmed to the Liberal Party in response to that work of holding the government to account... We have a lot of work to do to remind ourselves and those who do support us what it is that we stand for and the values that we hold dear.”
Liberal Senator Jane Hume speaking on Sky News on Thursday. A recent poll for The Australian showed 22% of those surveyed would rank One Nation first if an election were held that day, compared to 21% who would vote for the Coalition (which split earlier this month).
The stat: 16,000. The number of employees that tech giant Amazon has announced plans to lay off.
The big question:
Are you in a run club?
Yesterday’s results: 36% of you said you have 3-4 streaming services [2,100 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Police have confirmed they are treating the alleged throwing of a homemade bomb into an Invasion Day rally on Monday as a “potential terrorist attack”. A 31-year-old man removed the bomb from a bag and threw it into the crowd of 2,500 people, who were protesting in Perth CBD on 26 January. Police said the bomb, which failed to detonate, was designed to “explode on impact”. The court granted a suppression order of the man's identity due to fears for his safety. First Nations activists had strongly criticised police and political leaders for "double standards" in language after the Bondi Beach massacre was promptly declared a terror attack.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has vowed to find Julian Ingram, who is accused of fatally shooting three people, including his pregnant former partner Sophie Quinn and her aunt Nerida Quinn, in a western NSW town last week. Ingram remains at large, and Lanyon said specialist riot squads will be deployed to assist in the search. Police also warned they would arrest and prosecute anyone helping the alleged murderer to access food and water, amid a heatwave across the outback region. Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said: "All members of the community should exercise extreme caution. They need to be aware that there is a gunman on the loose in their area… We ask them not to approach this person."
Recommendation of the day
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I’ve got 1 minute
Several of Australia’s largest gambling platforms have been penalised after failing to enforce rules protecting people with gambling problems.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found some platforms failed to stop people registered with BetStop from making accounts, and sent them marketing material.
BetStop allows people to ban themselves from online betting services for periods ranging from three months to a lifetime.
BetStop
The Government launched BetStop in 2023. It allows people to ban themselves from placing a bet with digital and phone betting providers for a minimum of three months to a lifetime.
As of the end of 2025, just over 35,000 people had active exclusions in place. Almost 50% of all registrations were from people under the age of 30, while nearly 40% of applicants opted for a lifetime ban.
Breaches
Under BetStop, digital betting providers must ensure that a person registered for self exclusion cannot access their old account, does not receive marketing material, and cannot make a new account.
Its investigation of Tabcorp, LightningBet, Betfocus, TempleBet, Picklebet, and BetChamps found repeated breaches of these requirements throughout 2024.
ACMA said gaps in the providers’ “underlying systems and processes... failed to adequately identify and protect people who had self-excluded.”
This meant some people registered with BetStop were allowed to open accounts, access betting, or were sent marketing materials.
The watchdog ordered Betfocus, LightningBet, and TempleBet to commission independent audits of their systems.
Tabcorp was the only company fined, paying $113,000. It will also be required to hold a third-party review of its verification processes and conduct staff compliance training. BetChamps received a formal warning, while Picklebet’s penalty is yet to be determined.
Reporting by Achol Arok.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Billi explains what we know about the improvised bomb at an Invasion Day rally.
🌞 Need some good news?. You can sign up to TDA’s dedicated Good News newsletter here, and wake up to silver linings in your inbox on Sunday morning.
Sun fact of the day
Heading for a morning walk? UV doesn’t care if it’s before coffee. Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide before you head out the door.
*Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
Telstra has announced it has discovered that some older Apple devices cannot access its network, including to contact Triple Zero.
The impacted models are the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X, following software updates released this week.
It comes amid a spate of Triple Zero access issues dating back to 2024.
Telstra said it is investigating the issue “as a priority”. Apple has paused software updates for older iPhones.
Details
Telstra shared the issue on Wednesday night, saying older iPhones updated to iOS 16.7.13 had been impacted. This software update was released by Apple on 26 January.
The same day, Apple shared a support blog post explaining previous Triple Zero outage issues in Australia, encouraging customers to update their software to avoid them.
Apple said: “In the rare event that these exceptional circumstances... happen again, some older mobile phones might still encounter the same issue”.
The company encouraged customers with older iPhones and Apple Watches to “update your devices to the latest software version.”
Among the models listed by Apple were the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X — the three devices Telstra said were impacted by the connectivity issue.
Outages
Since 2024, there have been multiple instances of Australians being unable to connect to Triple Zero.
On 18 September 2025, three deaths were linked to an Optus outage, where customers could not connect to Triple Zero over a period of 15 hours.
Two months later, a TPG customer was attempting to call Triple Zero using an affected Samsung phone. A person then died. TPG did not confirm if this was the same person as the customer unable to reach Triple Zero.
In 2024, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone/TPG switched off their 3G networks. As some 4G devices revert to 3G when dialling Triple Zero, telcos are required by the Federal Government to alert affected customers within five business days of discovering an incompatible device. If the device cannot be made compatible, it must be blocked by the telco after 28-35 days.
What’s next?
Telstra said it is working with Apple to investigate the issue.
It recommends customers with the impacted devices delay software updates.
In an update on Thursday morning, Telstra shared that Apple has found a fix for the issue, available in an upcoming software update.
A Senate inquiry into the Optus Triple Zero outages is due to hand down its findings next month.
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
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Give me some good news
There are two separate pairs of Aussies set to play in the Australian Open doubles finals, as the tournament nears its conclusion this weekend.
In the mixed doubles, defending champions Olivia Gadecki and John Peers are one win away from becoming the first mixed doubles pair to defend an Australian Open title since 1989. They will face French pairing Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in Friday’s final. Meanwhile, Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans advanced to the final of the men’s doubles today. Kubler, who won the men’s doubles with Rinky Hijikata in 2023, said after the match: "This is the first time we've played together. Hopefully, this isn't the last time…we've been going all right!". The pair will play the final on Saturday.
Reporting by George Finlayson.
TDA titbit
Credit: Norfolk Healthy Produce.
Your grocery shop is about to get a lot more colourful!
Purple tomatoes have been approved by national food regulators to be sold and grown in Australia.
How are they purple? Scientists have genetically modified the tomatoes with genes from snapdragon flowers, altering its original colour and making it turn purple as it ripens.
Only five other genetically modified crops, including cotton and canola, are allowed to be grown in Australia.
They’re expected to hit the shelves next year.
Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.
TDA asks
