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Good morning!
Here is today’s trivia question: What is the only letter that doesn’t appear in any U.S. state name?
Answer is in the titbit!
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: "It's really important that Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation is consulted when it comes to doing major construction works... Our job is about making sure disturbance doesn't happen in the way it's happened."
Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation chairperson Trent Nelson speaking to the ABC after workers uncovered human bones believed to be ancestral remains during a sporting oval upgrade in Echuca. Local Yorta Yorta leaders say they were not consulted on the project, which they say could have prevented the disturbance of the remains.
The stat: 47%. The proportion of Australia’s suppression orders that come from Victoria. Suppression orders restrict the details of a court case, such as an offender’s name.
The big question:
How do you get to work or uni?
Yesterday’s results: 48% of you said you read 1-2 books a month. [2,250 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
The Victorian Government is drafting a law to give workers the right to work from home two days a week. On Tuesday, it clarified that the draft law, if passed, would apply to all businesses, regardless of number of employees. A Government survey last year showed more than 3,000 workers didn’t feel they were able to ask their bosses to work from home, and many who could work remotely had had their requests denied. The law is still being drafted and will still need to pass Parliament.
Canadian leader Mark Carney is officially in Australia for his first time since becoming prime minister. Carney's three-day trip to Australia comes after a series of engagements between himself and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who have met nine times, most recently on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa in November. Carney arrived in Sydney alongside his wife Diana Fox on Tuesday and will travel to Canberra to address federal parliament on Thursday. It will come off the back of his widely heralded World Economic Forum speech in January, when he called for middle powers to work together to build a more co-operative, resilient world.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
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Keep an eye out for the PayTo logo.
PayTo is in your banking app. Check with your financial institution to find out more. PayTo is a registered trade mark of NPP Australia Ltd ABN 68 601 428 737.
I’ve got 1 minute
Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has officially left the Kyle and Jackie O Show, broadcaster ARN has announced.
The network said in a statement to the ASX on Tuesday: “The KIIS breakfast show will be taken off-air effective immediately.”
The statement said that Jackie O has told the network she “cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands”.
Sandilands and Henderson have been broadcasting together for more than 25 years. In 2023, they signed a 10-year contract reportedly worth $200 million.
Henderson’s decision relates to a segment where Sandilands questioned her recent work ethic, telling his co-host: “You’re off with the fairies, you are unfocused.”
Henderson has been off air since the incident.
The network also stated that Sandilands breached his contract with ARN during this segment, calling his behaviour “an act of serious misconduct”.
ARN has given Sandilands 14 days “to remedy this breach”.
The broadcaster, which owns 58 radio stations across Australia, warned Sandilands’ contract will be cancelled if the breach “is not remedied”.
In the meantime, he will be taken off the air immediately, “with interim arrangements made for the show.”
ARN said it has also offered Henderson “the possibility of an alternative show on the ARN network.”
Reporting by Emma Gillespie and Billi FitzSimons.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, we unpack how the Middle East conflict could affect the cost of living.
🏀 Sport news is for everyone. Sign up to TDA Sport here for a daily drop in your inbox.
Sun fact of the day
Summer plans change. UV still shows up. Keep SPF50+ in your bag so protection’s always part of the day.
*Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
On Saturday, the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, killing the regime’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has responded with retaliatory strikes targeting Israel and U.S. military bases across the Middle East, including in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, the Australian Government has changed its advice to “do not travel” for most of the region.
Here’s how Australia has responded to the growing conflict.
Initial response
The Federal Government has been broadly supportive of the U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Shortly after the first strikes were confirmed, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia “stands with the brave people of Iran in their struggle against oppression”.
He expressed support for the U.S. “acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran from threatening international peace and security.”
In a post to X on Sunday, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor called Khamenei’s death “welcome news”.
On Monday, the Coalition put a motion to the Senate condemning the Iranian regime, and congratulating the U.S. and Israel for “their sustained efforts to prevent... Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon”.
The Coalition and One Nation voted in favour of the part of the motion which congratulated the U.S. and Israel, while Labor and the Greens voted against it.
Labor had tried to pass an amendment changing the language to say Australia “supports” the U.S. and Israel’s efforts.
Labor supported the rest of the motion condemning the regime, while the Greens voted against the entire motion.
Greens Leader Senator Larissa Waters said the attacks had “unleashed chaos across the Middle East,” calling them “illegal, abhorrent and unilateral.”
Waters noted reports from Iranian state media that a strike on a school in the first wave of attacks killed dozens of children.
Military response
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has played down the possibility of Australia joining the conflict, telling Channel 9: “Australia is not central to the issues in the Middle East.”
“We didn’t participate in these strikes and we wouldn’t anticipate participating in the future,” Wong said.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Government had confirmed Australian defence personnel at an air base near Dubai were safe following an Iranian strike.
Aussies abroad
The Government estimates there are 115,000 Australians currently in the Middle East.
Wong and Marles have said the fastest way to bring Australians home is commercial flights, but acknowledged that evacuation plans were difficult while airspace across much of the region remains closed.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has opened a registration portal for Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate families in Israel, Iran, Qatar, and the UAE.
Community response
Following the attacks on Iran, thousands of Iranian Australians held gatherings across the country to celebrate the death of the Supreme Leader and show support for those in Iran.
Kambiz Razmara, the vice-president of the Australian-Iranian Society of Victoria, told TDA: “ We turn up to show the people in Iran that we haven’t forgotten and that we stand with them.“
“Iranians are very much against the regime, so we are waiting with hopeful anticipation,” he said.
Reporting by Elliot Lawry.
A message from Audible
The two-word mindset shift you won’t unlearn
If you’ve ever overthought a text, replayed a comment, or spiralled over someone else’s opinion – this one hits. Exclusive to Audible, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins shines a light on how much energy we spend on things we can’t control… and what changes when we stop.
It’s an empowering, no-nonsense audiobook that fits easily into your commute, walk or dinner prep – and leaves you speaking up more and sweating the small stuff a whole lot less.
Give me some good news
Credit: Murray Chambers
And today’s good news: Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) and the Taronga Conservation Society have successfully restored the lost traditional song of one of Australia’s most endangered birds.
With fewer than 250 regent honeyeaters in the wild, scientists discovered young birds were mistakenly learning the songs of other species; because they couldn’t find older males of their own species. Birdsong is essential for attracting a mate, and with the regent honeyeater losing its traditional song, researchers held grave concerns for the species future breeding success. However, the team at Taronga used targeted “song tutoring” to revive the lost song. ANU said by “using recordings and direct exposure to just two wild-born male tutors, scientists taught young zoo-bred males the species’ traditional wild song. The breakthrough offers new hope for the critically endangered regent honeyeater.
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA titbit
A video of McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski tasting the brand’s new burger has gone viral.
In a post to Instagram, he said: “The Big Arch might be my new go-to lunch order. Who else is counting down the days until it’s in a store near you?”
He added: “I don’t even know how to attack it.”
The CEO then took a small bite and showed it to the camera. He spent the rest of the video talking about the burger, but didn’t take another bite.
Watch here and decide for yourself: Relatable, or corporate PR?
Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.
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Titbit answer: Q.
TDA asks
