It’s time for the first riddle of the year!

In what year did Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall in the same year?

Answer is in the tidbit!

The quote
"Parts of Australia are in the grips of dual COVID waves with the nation's two biggest states on high alert with the new fast-moving variant of the virus." – Dr Jeremy McAnulty from NSW Health in a press conference yesterday, talking about a spike in COVID-19 cases in NSW and Victoria linked to a new variant that has been described as a "grandchild to Omicron".

The stat
40
That’s how old North Korean leader Kim Jong Un turned this week... we think. His official date of birth hasn’t been confirmed by North Korea, but the U.S. Government has 1984 recorded as his birth year.

Today in history
2023: Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" went on sale worldwide. It is the UK's fastest selling non-fiction book in history, with 400,000 copies sold on its first day.

Some headlines from this morning:

The Federal Government has blocked part of a development proposal for Australia's first offshore wind farm over environmental concerns.

The Victorian Government had planned to build a port and warehouse facility to support a renewable wind farm, off the southeast coast of Victoria.

However, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has rejected the proposed terminal over concerns of an "unavoidable" impact on environmentally-protected waterways and native species.

First, wind farms
Offshore wind farms are built in oceans or large bodies of water. They work by converting energy from strong winds into electricity.

They generate more electricity than onshore wind farms because winds over water are typically stronger and more constant.

Wind farms are also more effective offshore than on land because they use larger and more powerful turbines (machines with rotor blades that capture the wind's energy).

Victoria
The Victorian Government said it wants to develop offshore wind farms as part of its transition to renewable energy sources.

Last year, it announced plans for the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal at the Port of Hastings. However, the proposal needed Federal Government approval before it could go ahead.

Rejection
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water rejected the plans last month - arguing building and operating the site would cause ecological harm.

Plibersek said construction of the terminal would "destroy" or "substantially modify" the protected wetlands, and concluded the proposal was "clearly unacceptable".

She added that the site risked harming "critical" marine species and key habitats for migratory birds.

Response
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the State Government was "unhappy" with the decision, "particularly because the Federal Government itself has set very strong renewable energy targets and we have strong renewable energy targets".

Allan said her government will review Plibersek's decision and consider its options. Hastings is listed as the Government's preferred primary port, and it's looking into secondary port options in Geelong and northern Tasmania.

Two Australian leaders have renewed concerns about customer exploitation by big supermarkets.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles wants supermarket CEOs to explain why reduced produce costs aren't being reflected in grocery bills.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud has called for a formal investigation into supermarket pricing by the consumer watchdog.

Coles and Woolworths control roughly two-thirds of Australia's supermarket sector.

What is price gouging?
Price gouging occurs when a business charges an unreasonably high amount for a product.

In Australia, businesses can set prices that allow them to make a profit on goods and services – meaning it isn’t illegal for businesses to charge a price that customers think is too high.

However, businesses aren't allowed to mislead or lie about the reasons for their prices or price increases.

Grocers and farmers
Coles and Woolworths both made annual profits above $1 billion last year.

However, many farmers reported decreased demand for their produce last year. For example, data from Meat and Livestock Australia showed a 60-70% reduction in prices for cattle and sheep meat producers in 2023.

It's led to concern that supermarkets are underpaying farmers for their produce, and setting unfairly high prices for customers.

Inquiry
In December, the Senate opened an inquiry into Australia’s big supermarkets, including an investigation into Coles and Woolworths' pricing patterns and increased prices of essential items.

Greens Senator Nick McKim said Coles and Woolworth's dominance has led "to unfair pricing and stifled competition".

However, Nationals Leader and Shadow Agriculture Minister David Littleproud downplayed the significance of the Senate inquiry, suggesting it wouldn’t "go far enough".

Fresh calls
On Sunday, Littleproud called for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to investigate supermarket prices. He urged the ACCC to issue strong penalties for any retailers found to be acting unfairly.

QLD Premier Steven Miles has asked major supermarket CEOs for a meeting to discuss their pricing decisions. In a letter shared yesterday, Miles expressed his concern over the "widening gap" between what farmers receive and what customers pay.

Government response
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he is "concerned" about disproportionate pricing at supermarkets.

Chalmers said he is in "regular contact" with the ACCC, with further talks scheduled this week.

The inquiry is due to table its recommendations in May.

Supermarket response
Coles and Woolworths both welcomed the opportunity to speak with Premier Miles.

Coles said a "range of costs" like energy and packaging as well as market pressures influence how prices are set.

Woolworths maintained it pays farmers the market price for their produce, which can change as customer demand varies. It said its "always working to strike the right balance" between providing high-quality and affordable produce and supporting its suppliers.

Aldi told TDA it's committed to selling groceries for an affordable price. It didn't specify if an Aldi representative would meet with Miles.

A spokesperson for Metcash – operators of IGA – said they would look forward to meeting with Miles.

Metcash works as a wholesaler to independent grocers across Australia. It said the company has implemented several measures to support IGA stores and customers, including reducing its own profit margins.

At only 21 years old, Australian tennis star Olivia Gadecki is just getting started. She’s in good form - earlier this month, she qualified for her first WTA 500 tournament and put in a strong performance at this year’s Brisbane International. It was the perfect warm-up for this year’s Australian Open, where Gadecki is a wildcard.

It’s not all been smooth sailing for the rising talent. When TDA sat down with her before this year’s Australian Open, she spoke about the tough times on the professional circuit - from living out of a suitcase to the knockbacks of facing tough opponents. But when she plays at home, she gets goosebumps - and she’s focused on making her home crowd proud of her when she hits the court in Melbourne this summer.

With the Australian Open only days away, it’s time to get to know Olivia Gadecki. You can watch our chat with her here, before securing tickets here to see her live on court.

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

An animal shelter in Poland has successfully found warm homes for about 300 dogs who were freezing outside because there wasn’t enough space for them inside the shelter amid temperatures as low as negative 20 degrees Celsius. Calling it “Operation Frost”, the shelter said they “are extremely grateful and moved” by the response from the public to temporarily house the dogs.

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How does climate change relate to newborn babies?

Well, it turns out climate change could be impacting the weight of the baby when it’s born, according to a new study from Curtin University. It recorded over 385,000 pregnancies in Western Australia between 2000 and 2015, from 12 weeks before a child is conceived until it is born.  

The study found a link between the weight of a child at birth with bioclimatic exposure during pregnancy. Bioclimatic exposure is how the environment (or the climate) impacts living organisms (people). Heat or cold exposure during pregnancy showed links to babies being born smaller or larger. 

Dr Sylvester Dodzi Nyadanu, who led the study, said, "Pregnancy is a vulnerable period for climate change and so any climate care intervention is reproductive health care."

Riddle answer: It happens every year.

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