☕️ How does Clive Palmer have your number?

We’re officially into election week. We know it can feel overwhelming when everyone around you starts to talk about politics, so here’s your friendly reminder that TDA is here to take the mystery out of it all. Some ways we can help:

As always, hit reply to this with any questions you have!

“Forget about what you have been told by the ABC, in The Guardian and the other hate media. Listen to what you hear [at] the doors, listen to what people say on the pre-polling, know in your hearts we are a better future for our country.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in a speech at a Victorian Liberal Party event over the weekend.

77%
The number of frontline charities that have witnessed a surge in people seeking food, according to OzHarvest’s survey of charities.

1937
The first commercial flight across the Pacific, operated by Pan Am.

Over the weekend, many Australians received a text message from Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots party.

It comes at the end of the federal election campaign, which has seen politicians and parties from across the political spectrum send unsolicited, mass texts.

Australian law gives special rights to political parties to get around anti-spam rules.

Their access to a phone number directory doesn’t come from an official source but is often randomly generated. Here’s what you need to know.

In the lead-up to previous federal elections, there have been a number of instances of politicians sending out bulk text messages to voters.

Former United Australia Party (UAP) MP Craig Kelly sent out mass text messages before the 2022 election.

Mass texts were also sent during the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023, urging people to either vote yes or no on the proposal.

Yes.

Australia has rules that require telemarketing companies to obtain a person’s consent before making calls and offer people a way to opt out of messages and calls.

However, electoral laws exempt political parties from these rules.

This is the case even if you have applied to the ‘No Call Register’, a list to hide your number from telemarketers.

Under the law, political parties can also access the electoral roll, which features the names and addresses of people in the states and territories.

However, the AEC said phone numbers are not gathered as part of the electoral roll, so politicians can’t be sourcing information from there.

Instead, political campaigns often maintain databases with contact information. Campaigners also often claim to use random phone number generators, to reach people whose details they do not have.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

This weekend, Australians will head to the polls to elect the next government.

In the lead-up, The Daily Aus is breaking down the terms you’ll be hearing during the campaign trails.

In this piece, we’re explaining: What are minor parties?

Most seats in Parliament are filled by the two major parties: the Coalition (the Liberal Party and the Nationals) and Labor.

However, minor parties are increasingly popular.

These are the parties that have members elected to parliament, but not enough members to form government or opposition.

Here are a few you may have heard of...

The Greens are one of Australia’s most prominent minor parties. At the 2022 election, they recorded their best-ever result, going from one to four seats in the House of Representatives.

The Greens are on the left of the political spectrum and are known for their socially progressive policies. This includes:

The Greens say their aim is to be in the balance of power in the House of Reps.

This means they want to win enough seats that a government (most likely Labor) would need their support to pass any law opposed by the opposition.

The Gillard Labor Government was in this position after the 2010 election.

You’ve also likely heard of One Nation, probably because of their high-profile leader: Pauline Hanson.

One Nation holds two seats in the Senate, one of which is held by Hanson herself.

It sits on the right of the political spectrum. It’s best known for its anti-immigration stance, which includes withdrawing from the UN Refugee Convention.

It also has a family tax policy it wants to introduce to allow couples with a dependent child to pay less tax.

This is a new minor party, backed by mining billionaire Clive Palmer (mentioned above).

This came after Palmer’s previous party, the United Australia Party, was deregistered following the 2022 election, when it only secured one Senate seat.

The Trumpet of Patriots is inpired by the politics of U.S. President Donald Trump, and promises to “make Australia great again”.

Historical trends show that voters are more and more putting minor parties and independents as their first preference.

In 1949, the Labor, Liberal and National parties secured about 96% of the House of Reps first-preference vote.

In the 2022 election, just 68% of Australians voted for one of those three parties as their first preference.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

For one day only get 2 Betty's Burgers for the price of 1! Yes, you read that right. 

What: To celebrate Betty’s Bestie Day, for one day only Betty’s is offering you and your ride or die 2 for 1 burgers with six burgers to choose from. PLUS get a free soft drink when you order through the Beach Club Rewards app! 

When: Thursday, May 1st. T&CS apply.

Head to a Betty's Restaurant this Thursday for 2-for-1 Burgers!  

The good news: Sihek, also known as Guam kingfishers, have bred in the wild for the first time since their extinction from Guam, their native habitat and an island in Oceania.

Nine young Sihek were hand-reared by zookeepers and released at Palmyra Atoll Preserve in September 2024. The birds explored their new tropical forest home and four pairs established territories, built nests and laid eggs. Professor John Ewen, from the Zoological Society of London said: “Many of us spent this Easter weekend out searching for… eggs… these tiny, unassuming eggs are far more exciting and precious than any of their chocolate counterparts.”

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

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

This one’s for anyone who spent the weekend tucked away at home with a good book and a cup of tea. It turns out you might not be too different from giant kangaroos! That’s right, a new study has found that extinct giant kangaroos were “homebodies” who “did not journey far throughout the course of their lives.”

Named the Protemnodon, these extinct kangaroos lived in Australia 40,000 years ago and weighed up to 170kg. Given their vast size, many scientists believed that they occupied an expansive territory. However, a recent analysis of fossilised teeth from Queensland revealed that these animals remained in a confined space, with their remains found in the very places they once lived.

Co-author Dr Scott Hocknull told the Guardian that “these gigantic kangaroos were just chilling at home, eating the rainforest leaves, because there were heaps of them around…these animals decided that staying put was a good bet.”

Honestly…feels.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

It's finally election week! Yes, we are now less than a week out from the election, when more than 18 million Australians are due to vote for who will form the country’s next government.

On today’s episode, we are going to break down who the major parties in Australia are.

First, we're exploring what the Coalition is, and what the Liberal Party and National Party stand for. Then we move to who the Labor Party is.