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As we enter the last few days of the Paralympics, we thought we would explore one of the stories of the 160 athletes who have represented Australia over the past week.

You’ve likely heard about Alexa Leary – the debut para swimmer who has won two gold medals at the Paris Games, and who has captivated audiences with her infectious post-swim interviews.

But do you know her story? We explore her journey to the Paralympics in today’s podcast. You can listen on Apple here, Spotify here, or wherever you get your podcasts!

“[Inflation is] affecting everyone. So the role of interest rates in this is to try and temper demand. That’s what monetary policy does, and it’s working, clearly working, but we need to see the results in the inflation numbers.”
RBA Governor Michele Bullock speaking at an event yesterday.

20%
How much of a forest in Brazil’s capital city Brasilia burned down this week. Authorities suspect the fire was started intentionally.

2022
Liz Truss became the UK’s Prime Minister following the Conservative Party’s internal elections. She resigned 49 days later.

"If it bleeds, it leads" - That's what generations of newsmakers have always been told and known to be true. Well, we here at The Daily Aus don't accept that. We want to do news differently.

The Good Newsletter newsletter is a new addition to TDA’s content offering, and we need your help getting the word out there.

Former Labor leader and current NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has announced he will step down at the next election.

Shorten was a union boss before he entered Parliament in 2007.

He became leader following the Rudd-Gillard years in Government and led Labor to two elections in 2016 and 2019, which were both lost. He resigned as leader after losing to Scott Morrison in 2019.

Shorten’s resignation comes after a long-anticipated bill to reform the NDIS passed through the Parliament two weeks ago.

Yesterday, he said: “I love the NDIS. I helped create it. We’ve repaired it. I’ll always defend it. I will use every minute left in this job to secure the future of the scheme and ensure it continues to empower with choice and control”.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Australians lose more to gambling than anywhere in the world,

according to the Grattan Institute.

New national data found the average Australian lost over $1,600 to gambling in 2022. This was more than double the average loss in the U.S.

The report has reiterated calls for a ban on gambling advertising.

It also proposed ‘loss limits’ to restrict how much gamblers can spend on online betting and poker machines (‘pokies’).

The Grattan Institute said Australia was one of the first nations to deregulate the gambling industry.

Pokies, or Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) became legal in NSW in 1956. The state has the highest rate of poker machines, with one for every 75 people.

Most other jurisdictions legalised EGMs in the 1990s, with pokies becoming common in local pubs and clubs.

WA is the only state where EGM access is restricted to casinos. Severe gambling harm is less common in WA compared to other states.

Poker machines are more common in Australian suburbs than:

Average annual gambling losses ($AU) per adult by country:

In the 2020/21 financial year, Australians lost a total of $24 billion to gambling.

Around half was lost on EGMs.

A further $6 billion was lost on betting, followed by lotteries and casinos.

Australians who live within 250 metres of a poker machine are more likely to experience financial hardship from gambling.

In 2019, there was one poker machine for every 131 people in Australia.

This was the third-highest rate in the world, behind Japan and Macao.

93% of poker machines in Australia are located outside of casinos.

Australia is one of “only a small number of countries” that allows pokies outside of dedicated gambling venues, according to the Grattan Institute.

The report made several recommendations, including:

Grattan said loss limits would act as a ‘seatbelt’ to help gamblers avoid “catastrophic losses”. People would have to choose “how much they are willing to lose” before they start gambling.

Grattan Institute CEO and report co-author Aruna Sathanapally said: “Australia has let the gambling industry run wild, and gamblers, their families, and the broader community are paying the price... Gambling products are designed to be addictive, and the consequences can be catastrophic”.

Gambling helpline: 1800 858 858

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

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The separated chemicals can then be used for renewable batteries. A team of researchers is set to begin a full trial of the filter at water treatment plants with State Government funding.

Lead scientist Dr Cheng Zhang said: “If this testing goes as we believe it will, we hope to reach commercial production within 3 years.”

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here — we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

She does not have time for this, she does not have time for you, but Anna Sorokin does have time for Dancing With The Stars U.S.

In case you’re not familiar, Sorokin has been convicted of several counts of fraud-related charges, after she was found to have posed as a German heiress, running up serious tabs at restaurants and hotels she never paid. Her story was the inspiration behind Netflix’s dramatised series ‘Inventing Anna’, with Emmy-winning actor Julia Garner playing the title character.

The convicted scammer, who is currently sporting a surveillance ankle bracelet, will compete alongside Olympic bronze medallists Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik (pommel horse guy) in the show’s upcoming season.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

If you’ve watched any of the Paralympics over the past week, you’ve likely heard of Alexa Leary.

She has won two gold medals, broken two world records - well, the same world record, twice - and brought a smile to the faces of all of us.

So who is Alexa Leary and how did she become one of Australia’s most treasured Paralympians this year?

We’ll tell you her story today.