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Good morning!
Here’s a dad joke for all of you this Friday.
Why is Friday a happy day?
Because the next day is a sadder day.
Thank you, I’m here till Monday! (Literally, because then I go on holiday for two weeks and TDA co-founder Zara Seidler is taking over. I can’t promise her jokes are as good.)
I've got 10 seconds
The quote
“There’s one particular tree that I’ve been having [a] special relationship with, so to say, in the last 15 years… I cannot reveal which one.” — Novak Djokovic on his favourite tree in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens, where he meditates between Australian Open matches.
The stat
3.9%
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December, per the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Today in history
2023: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced she was stepping down.
I've got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Queenslanders are bracing for the possibility of more severe weather, with warnings a tropical cyclone could make landfall next week. The Bureau of Meteorology warned there’s a high chance of a cyclone forming over the weekend, with an unpredictable tropical low developing in the Coral Sea. Forecasters said there is a risk of the weather system severely impacting communities on the east coast of Queensland from Tuesday.
Two Malaysian terror suspects have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the 2002 Bali Bombings. 202 people, including 88 Australians, died in the terrorist attack on a popular tourist district of the Indonesian Island. Hundreds of others were wounded in the bombings. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he welcomed those responsible for the attacks "now finally being held accountable for their actions". The men have been held in the U.S. military prison Guantanamo Bay since 2006. Both are expected to be sentenced next week.
I've got 1 minute
A new warning has been issued amid concerns of a rapid spread of fire ants in northern NSW and southeast Queensland.
Recent heavy rainfall in the region has raised concerns about the species spreading through floating ant-rafts.
Fire ants are aggressive insects that cause an extremely painful sensation when they sting.
Fire ants
Fire ants are an invasive species native to South America. They are small (2-6 millimetres), but use their sting to kill larger animals, and can also destroy agriculture and local plant populations.
Between 2001 and 2018 there were eight recorded fire ant infestations in Australia. The current outbreak is linked to an arrival in southeast QLD in 2001 which has since spread over 600,000 hectares.
Fire ant spread
New warnings about a fire ant spread were issued by the Invasive Species Council on Tuesday. Anyone near the NSW-Queensland border is urged to stay alert for fire ants, amid wet weather in the area.
Fire ants can form floating rafts after a storm to spread to different areas.
The ISC shared footage of fire ant rafts near the Gold Coast this month, which it believes could spread to other areas.
Further details
Fire ants are easier to spot after wet weather and as rafts. They're often found in backyards, beaches and bushland.
The ISC has asked any person who spots a fire ant to take a picture and report it.
Fire ants seen in QLD can be reported on 13 25 13, and on 1800 680 244 in NSW.
I've got 2 minutes
The ABC has appeared at a Fair Work Commission hearing yesterday over an unfair dismissal claim brought by journalist Antoinette Lattouf.
Lattouf claims she was "terminated unlawfully" during a short-term contract after she shared a social media post about the war in Gaza. Lattouf’s lawyers say "she was sacked by the ABC because she expressed a political opinion and also because of her race".
The ABC said Lattouf was dismissed "because she failed or refused to comply with directions that she not post on social media about matters of controversy".
Background:
Lattouf, who is Lebanese, was hired to host ABC Sydney radio from 18-22 December. However, she was dismissed on 20 December.
Her contract was terminated after ABC management raised concern over a Human Rights Watch post that she shared on social media.
The specific post accused Israel of using starvation as a "weapon of war in Gaza".
Lattouf’s case:
Lattouf has filed a complaint to the national workplace tribunal, the Fair Work Commission.
A statement from Lattouf's lawyers alleges she was "sacked because of her ethnicity and [because] the public broadcaster systemically discriminates against people with Arab or Muslim backgrounds as well as other people of colour".
She is seeking "a detailed apology, compensation for harm to reputation, and distress and humiliation". She is also hoping to secure a role at the ABC, similar to the job she was dismissed from.
ABC response
In its submission to the Fair Work Commission, the ABC said Lattouf's allegation is "fundamentally and entirely misconceived".
"The Applicant's race and national extraction/social origin were entirely irrelevant to (and played no part in) the decision not to continue her casual engagement," it stated.
The ABC claims Lattouf was asked not to post online about "matters of controversy," but she "failed" to do this.
Leaked messages
It comes as Nine newspapers this week reported on leaked messages between members of a WhatsApp group named "Lawyers for Israel".
The messages say individuals in the group wrote letters to senior ABC management and the ABC's Board calling for Lattouf's dismissal. According to one of the messages, ABC Chair Ita Buttrose "replied to 7 of [their] letters".
ABC Managing Director David Anderson released a statement following the story, saying the ABC "rejects any claim that it has been influenced by any external pressure, whether it be an advocacy or lobby group, a political party, or commercial entity".
ABC staff
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), the industry union, called Lattouf's dismissal "disturbing".
It said: "The ABC should be backing its own employees when they come under attack."
Yesterday, MEAA held a meeting with more than 200 staff who demanded a meeting with Anderson to "address growing concerns about outside interference" and "culturally unsafe management practices".
A message from our sponsor
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Give me some good news
Four new deep-sea octopus species have been discovered near Costa Rica.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute discovered the deep sea specimens, including “thriving” nurseries of octopus eggs, during two expeditions last year.
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A TDA tidbit
We’re all used to seeing cigarette butts littered across our streets, but did you know there’s actually something useful that can come of them?
It turns out that in Slovakia they’ve found an interesting way to repurpose cigarette butts… to build roads.
In Bratislava, the council is working with different recycling companies to break down discarded cigarette butts and process them into a mixture to produce asphalt for roads. Talk about putting the ash in asphalt!
Cigarettes that end up being littered on the streets can contaminate soil and water. So, the council collects cigarette butts at events in specific containers where people can dispose of them.
Hugo Repáň, the manager of EcoButt (a company that works with the council on this project) hopes to “continue the trend of building roads from waste” and thanks residents for cooperating and using the “special containers for collecting cigarette butts”.
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