Happy Thursday!

May your day be as good as the Connections words were yesterday (if you’re not playing yet, what are you waiting for?)

Quote of the day
“The Australian Government collects more money from HECS than it does from [taxes on gas]. Thank you, children, you’re the backbone of our economy, not the gas industry.” - Australia Institute Executive Director Richard Denniss at the National Press Club.

Stat of the day
$AU89.2 billion
The value of Elon Musk’s compensation package as Tesla CEO, which has been voided by a U.S. court. It comes after Tesla shareholders launched a legal challenge in 2018, in response to Musk’s record-breaking pay packet ($US55.8 billion). A judge called the package an “unfathomable sum” and ruled it was unfair to shareholders. Musk can appeal the decision to the Delaware Supreme Court.

Today in history
1961
The oral contraceptive pill became available in Australia for the first time.

Some headlines from this morning:

• Australia has ranked 14th in a global anti-corruption index. The Corruption Perceptions Index from watchdog Transparency International ranks countries based on public perceptions of government corruption. Denmark topped the list as the least corrupt country, while Somalia was rated lowest at 180th. Transparency International credited Australia’s new national anti-corruption commission but called out whistleblower protections and political donations, which it said quote “require comprehensive reform to ensure they are effective”.

• Universal Music Group has published an open letter accusing TikTok of “bullying”. Universal claims TikTok has tried to intimidate them, by removing songs by “certain developing artists” from the platform ahead of an expiring contract between the music publisher and the social media giant. Universal represents thousands of artists including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Steve Lacy. TikTok responded by accusing Universal of putting “their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters”.

Inflation fell to a two-year low at the end of 2022

Prices rose by 4.1% over the year to December 2023, according to the latest inflation data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.6 per cent over October-December, the smallest quarterly growth since March 2021.

CPI measures average price changes across goods and services like food, transport and housing.

This doesn't mean prices are falling — it means prices are increasing at a slower rate than they did previously.

A quick refresher
Inflation measures price growth. It summarises prices in around 90 categories (e.g. fruit, rent, furniture). When inflation is high and unpredictable, your money buys less.

Like many countries, Australia has been battling high inflation. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) wants inflation to fall back to 2-3%.

Prices for the September 2023 quarter were 5.4% higher than the previous year, according to ABS data.

Latest data
Housing and rental costs were still significant contributors to rising prices across the December quarter. For example, rental prices rose 7.4% in the 12 months to December.

Food prices increased at a slower rate again, down to 4.5% in October-December, compared to 9.2% for the same period in 2022.

Rate rises
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept the cash rate at 4.35% after its final meeting for 2023 in December.

RBA Governor Michele Bullock said slowing inflation was a key influence in its decision. Board members are not expected to lift rates at the next RBA meeting on 6 February.

Bullock has previously warned the bank would "not hesitate" to raise interest rates further if inflation did not reduce at the RBA's desired pace. Higher interest rates discourage borrowing and spending.

Global inflation
The recent inflation data coincides with the latest report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which called the global economy “surprisingly resilient” in 2023.

The IMF said inflation is falling faster than anticipated “in most regions” which could ease financial conditions. It expects the global economy to grow at a stronger rate in 2024 than it previously forecast.

It warned economic risks remain in 2024, however, including rising fuel costs, underlying inflation, and geopolitical tensions.

The Vic Govt has ignored calls to ban duck hunting

The Victorian Government will not ban recreational duck hunting, going against the advice of an inquiry.

Last year, a parliamentary committee led by Labor Government MPs recommended banning the autumn/winter recreational hunting season.

Victoria’s decision goes against other states including QLD, WA, and NSW, where duck hunting has been outlawed.

Animal rights advocates criticised the move.

Duck hunting
States and territories determine duck hunting rules. In Victoria, it’s illegal during duck breeding seasons, but seasonal hunting is permitted. Shooters need a special licence during this period.

Animal welfare advocates have long opposed recreational duck hunting, saying it can severely damage a duck’s bill, legs, and wings, causing intense suffering before they are killed.

Review
The Victorian Government launched a review into duck hunting last year, which attracted more than 10,000 public submissions — the most ever received by a parliamentary committee in the state.

It recommended a ban on seasonal hunting over concerns about the falling number of native birds in the state.

It also said the practice had caused an “unacceptable wounding and death rate” of threatened bird species.

Government response
Instead of a total ban on the practice, Outdoor Recreation Minister Steve Dimopoulos this week announced duck hunters will be subject to stricter measures from 2025.

The restrictions include delaying the daily start time for hunting to 8am, limiting hunters to six kills a day, and making extra training compulsory for shooters.

Dimopoulos said duck hunting was a “legitimate activity” which “supports regional communities and economies.”

Opposition
The Greens and the Animal Justice Party slammed the government’s decision not to outlaw duck hunting.

Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said the government failed to follow its own advice, and that the move revealed “the power of the shooting lobby” over the Labor Party.

Some Labor MPs have previously spoken publicly about wanting to see duck hunting banned across the state.

Shooters
Victorian construction union secretary John Setka supported the government’s decision to allow duck hunting to continue across the state.

Shooters, Fishers, and Farmers MP Jeff Bourman, who was on the parliamentary committee, said the government had made the right decision in not banning the activity.

It’s estimated 0.4% of people in Victoria own the appropriate licence to shoot birds.

We’re all about celebrating good news, especially when it’s about lollies. That’s why we were pumped to hear about our fave lollies - Allen’s - announcing their new packaging.

Their new packaging will reduce their use of plastic by 21% across their range. To put that into context, Allen’s says this change will avoid 58 tonnes of waste annually - or, in numbers we can truly understand - equivalent to the weight of 4.6 million Snakes Alive lollies*!

You can find out more about what they’re doing here.

*Compared to Allen’s lolly packaging in 2022.

63 years ago today the oral contraceptive, aka the pill, became available to Australian women. TDA fact checker Lucy joins the pod to talk about the history of the pill, how it changed Australia, and the future of contraception.

Listen to our episode on Thalidomide here.

Watch our video on male contraceptives here.

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A live newborn great white shark has been sighted for the first time by a filmmaker and a PhD student looking for sharks in California.

Great whites are grey on top and white underneath, however, this shark was roughly 1.5 metres and completely white. University of California biologist Phillip Sternes said he was reviewing drone footage with wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna when the pair realised they’d filmed a newborn shark.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has issued a health warning over sexual enhancement drugs that contain undeclared substances.

‘Kamasutra Herbal Jelly for him, Commander Stamina Time tablets, Excite for her tablets’ — not as fun as they sound, it turns out.

The TGA tested a range of products and identified several potentially harmful substances that were not listed as ingredients. This included sildenafil, the main ingredient in the branded, prescription-only medication ‘Viagra’.

Selling drugs containing undisclosed sildenafil is illegal. However, suppliers appear to have been bypassing regulations by selling their products online.

The TGA said sildenafil can cause serious side effects when taken in combination with other medications and has urged consumers to avoid taking these products.

It said it’s working to intercept supply chains to remove the products from the market.