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I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “The Easter long weekend and the school holidays are a time when many people travel, spend time outdoors….which can increase the risk of exposure to mosquitoes and mosquito bites.”
NSW Health Executive Health Protection Director Dr Kerryn Coleman in a statement warning people to protect themselves from mosquitoes during the long weekend. It comes after Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus and Barmah Forest virus were discovered in inland areas of NSW at the beginning of this year.
The stat: 7.4. The magnitude of an earthquake that struck Indonesia on Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The big question:
Are you comfortable openly sharing your political or social views with people who disagree with you?
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
U.S. President Donald Trump addressed Americans on Wednesday night (local time), threatening to bomb Iran to “the Stone Ages where they belong.” Trump said: “We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly… we’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.” The U.S. President did not suggest the U.S. would take action on the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes, leading to global fuel shortages. Instead, Trump suggested countries buy oil from the U.S, or “build up some delayed courage” and take control of the Strait for themselves.
Mouse populations are reaching plague proportions across Australia's key cropping zones, with scientists warning farmers to remain on high alert. CSIRO research points to concerning mouse numbers in paddocks across Western Australia, while increases have also been recorded in South Australia and southern Queensland. Authorities warn mouse populations can increase rapidly, with small numbers turning into large infestations within weeks. Farmers are being urged to harvest as cleanly as possible to limit the rodents' food supply, then watch out for increased mice numbers in crop stubble. Following a 2021 mouse plague, the CSIRO told AAP it’s well-prepared for a future outbreak.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
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I’ve got 1 minute
A NSW court has refused to extend a suppression order on the identities of the family of alleged Bondi Beach terrorist Naveed Akram.
Naveed has been charged with 59 offences over the December shooting at a Bondi Beach Chanukah event which killed 15 people. Police killed his father Sajid at the scene.
Last month, Naveed’s mother, sister and brother were granted a temporary suppression order on their names and address.
The court ruled not to extend the order on Thursday because their information has already been leaked online.
Suppression orders
Australia’s judicial system is based on the principle of “open justice,” meaning court proceedings are normally available for the public to see and media to report on.
However, suppression orders (also known as gag orders) can be introduced to restrict what is made public.
When a suppression order is in place, it becomes an offence to publish details the judge has asked be kept secret.
Anyone who publishes those details can face prison time or heavy fines.
Ruling
On Thursday, Judge Hugh Donnelly ruled against extending the suppression order on the alleged shooters’ family’s identity.
While Donnelly acknowledged that evidence suggested Naveed and Sajid’s family had “nothing to do with what occurred,” he found the order would be ineffective as their information had already been shared on social media.
Naveed Akram’s lawyer Richard Wilson SC said in court last month the family lives in “constant fear” and has received death threats.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Emma and Zara unpack the history of the Kennedy family.
🌞 Wanting some good news? You can sign up to TDA Good News here to get some wholesome stories in your inbox every Sunday.
I’ve got 2 minutes
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced new gambling reforms, including the ability for social media users to opt-out of gambling advertising.
Limits on the number of television and radio ads will apply, as well as a ban in sports venues and on merchandise.
Albanese said the reforms will make sure “children don’t see betting ads everywhere they look.”
Alliance for Gambling Reform Chief Advocate Tim Costello said the changes “fall short”.
Background
In June 2023, a parliamentary committee released the final report from its inquiry into the impacts of online gambling. The committee was chaired by Labor MP Peta Murphy.
It recommended the Government completely ban ads for online gambling, create a new gambling warning label, and introduce identity verification for online gambling.
The Government is yet to respond to the report’s recommendations.
Murphy died in December 2023.
Reforms
During an address to the National Press Club on Thursday, Albanese announced gambling advertising reform, including:
No more than three ads per hour between 6am to 8.30pm on TV
A complete ban on gambling ads during live sport broadcasts from 6am to 8.30pm
No gambling ads on the radio during school drop off and pick up times (8-9am and 3-4pm)
No more celebrity endorsements of gambling platforms, including sport players
A ban on gambling ads on sport players and officials’ uniforms, and at sporting venues
No gambling ads on online platforms, unless they are only accessible by people over 18, with an account, who can opt-out of seeing them
Comments
Murphy’s widower, Rod Glover, responded to the reform’s introduction in a LinkedIn post, saying she would be “very proud of today’s progress.”
“The outcome achieved today is not perfect, but policy rarely is,” he said.
“This package represents a significant step forward on an issue the community cares deeply about, and I hope it is supported by all those in Parliament and beyond.”
Opposition
Alliance for Gambling Reform Chief Advocate Rev. Tim Costello said the reforms “fall short” of the inquiry’s recommendations.
“The onus [of protecting children] should be squarely on gambling companies and the platforms,” he said.
On the limit of three ads per hour from 6am to 8.30pm, Costello said: “Imagine three cigarette ads per hour.”
What’s next?
The Government will introduce a bill with the reforms, and is aiming to have them come into effect from 1 January 2027.
Albanese confirmed the Government will table its response to Murphy’s committee’s report “on the first day that Parliament returns”.
He noted: “The Government decides positions, not committees.”
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
A message from CommBank
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Give me some good news
Credit: NASA.
NASA has successfully launched its Artemis II mission, which will see the most powerful rocket the space organisation has ever built fly around the moon.
Onboard are four astronauts, three of whom are making history as the first of their kind on a lunar mission: Victor Glover, the first Black man to do so, Christina Koch, the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen, the first non-American. Koch and Glover were in the same intake of prospective astronauts to NASA in 2013. The crew will take several days to reach the moon, and will then fly all the way around it before returning home. NASA is in the process of planning future missions, including Artemis IV, which will see two astronauts spend a week on the surface of the moon conducting experiments.
Reporting by Lucy Tassell.
TDA titbit
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will play in its first FIFA World Cup in more than 52 years, celebrating the occasion by declaring a national public holiday.
The nation’s football team, The Leopards, beat Jamaica on Tuesday, qualifying for the tournament.
The last time the DRC played in the World Cup, it was under the name Zaire.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “You’ve been so close to making it these last few years, and your amazing perseverance is rewarded at last.”
TDA asks
