☕️ Meet the new Greens leader

Imagine yesterday afternoon, TDA’s sport journalist George Finlayson turns to me and announces: “The Pope has met Sinner, the tennis player.”

“That’s cool,” I reply.

“But he didn’t forgive him for being a Sinner.”

This is the kind of A+ commentary you can expect over on TDA’s sport newsletter. Sign up here.

“Yes, my appointment does send a signal about the fact that I am the first woman to lead the Liberal Party, but it’s about much more than that.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s response to being asked if she is facing a ‘glass cliff’ as the first female leader of the Liberal Party. The term ‘glass cliff’ refers to the appointment of a woman to a leadership position when a group or organisation is facing a crisis.

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The number of years UK man Peter Sullivan spent in jail for murder before he was exonerated. New DNA evidence has revealed no forensic evidence linking Sullivan to the crime, allowing him to walk free. It is thought to be the longest miscarriage of justice the country has ever had.

An Instagram Reel promoting an episode of the podcast The Pocket with Chris Griffin sparked a lot of commentary online about the role of women in straight relationships. The Reel features Griffin talking about not wanting his female partner to work unless she wants to, saying he will earn money for them, in exchange for her helping him wind down after a day of “chasing [his] dreams”.

The Greens have chosen Larissa Waters to lead the party after outgoing leader Adam Bandt lost his seat in Parliament at last weekend’s federal election.

Waters has been a Queensland Senator since 2011 and was the party’s spokesperson on women and democracy in the last parliamentary term.

She’s the second female leader of the federal Greens.

Here’s what you need to know.

The Greens lost three seats in the lower house in Parliament, including the leader Adam Bandt.

Bandt blamed his electoral loss on his seat of Melbourne’s boundary changes and preference flows that favoured Labor.

The Greens now hold one lower house seat, down from four.

All 11 Greens Senators will return to Parliament.

Larissa Waters has been a Greens Senator for Queensland since 2011.

She briefly stepped down due to her Canadian-Australian citizenship in 2017, along with multiple other Senators and MPs who were found to be ineligible to sit in Parliament with dual citizenship.

Waters returned to the Senate in 2018.

She became the first woman to breastfeed on the floor of the Senate.

Waters was elected as the Greens leader during a party meeting in Melbourne.

In her 13 years in Parliament, Waters has held numerous party positions, including as Greens spokesperson on women, environment, and climate change.

Senators Sarah Hanson-Young and Mehreen Faruqi were also in the running for the role.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Some areas of South Australia and Victoria have reported their “driest start to a year on record,” according to Weatherzone.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reports rainfall has been below average in southern regions of Australia since early 2023.

This has created significant problems for farmers, as low rainfall and water levels disrupt agricultural production.

Here’s what you need to know.

The BoM defines drought as a “prolonged, abnormally dry period when the amount of available water is insufficient to meet our normal use.”

Australia’s climate is subject to drought due to its location on Earth, in an area with “sinking, dry, stable air and usually clear skies,” the BoM says. This limits rainfall and makes regions vulnerable to water shortages.

Australia has experienced many significant droughts in recent history, such as the Millennium Drought, which lasted from 1997 to 2010.

South Australia is experiencing severe drought conditions, with 2024 rainfall levels 53% below the average recorded from 1961 to 1990.

This has contributed to a decline in water storage, with the city’s ten reservoirs now at 37% capacity, down from 46% this time last year. The CSIRO said this is the lowest level in over 20 years.

In response to the ongoing drought, in April the South Australian Government announced $55 million in funding to support drought-affected farmers across the state.

Victoria is also experiencing severe drought conditions, with parts of the state recording their driest 24-month period on record. Rainfall has also been recorded below average.

The state’s water storage levels have also fallen, with almost every reservoir less full than it was a year ago.

Last year, the Victorian Government announced $13.53 million in drought support for farmers.

Ahead of the state’s Budget on Tuesday, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is calling for more “urgent drought support”.

“Without further support from the state government, we risk long-term damage not just to farming families, but to entire rural communities.”

The National Farmers Federation (NFF) has called on federal leaders to “show up on drought” and “keep a focus on drought conditions being felt across many areas of the country.”

After Labor’s federal election victory, NFF President David Jochinke urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Agriculture Minister Julie Collins “to visit drought-hit regions within the Government’s first 30 days.”

Collins told TDA the government “understands that some farmers are doing it tough with the ongoing dry conditions,” and that it “has a range of national measures available to allow farmers and rural communities to be better prepared for and manage through drought.”

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley told reporters on Tuesday that “many Australians” are currently undergoing “tough” experiences in the drought, “particularly in northern Victoria and western Victoria.”

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Modibodi are changing the game (again) - launching period-proof swimwear just in time for those of us planning a warmer escape this Aussie winter.

With built-in protection for light to heavy flow and recycled materials crafted in partnership with SEAQUAL®, it’s made for comfort, confidence, and those moments when your period doesn’t take a break.

🍊 F1 drivers’ penalties for swearing have been reduced.
🍊 The Pope met a Sinner — Jannik, that is.
🍊 The Golden State Warriors are out of the playoffs.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cycling, golf, and more…

The rate of deaths declined across every category of deaths, including opioids. It was also the lowest number of recorded drug overdose deaths since the early months of the pandemic. In a statement, the CDC called the results “remarkable,” and said they show “public health interventions are making a difference and having a meaningful impact.” It also said the drop in deaths could be interpreted as 81 lives being saved every day in 2024, compared to 2023.

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A man in Western Australia spent the night in jail after emergency services spelt his name wrong.

The arrest came after police were called following reports a boat was being stolen, with the phone operator saying the incident involved a man named Mark Smith.

Unfortunately, the man at the scene of the alleged boat theft is actually called Marc Smith.

(We can’t legally use his actual name, so this is an example that will show the confusion).

Despite MarC saying he didn’t know anything about a warrant, and confirming his details for police, he was taken back to the station.

His fingerprints were taken, but police didn’t wait to see if they were a match for MarK before taking him into custody for the night. He was released after the boat’s owner declined to give a statement.

Three months later, MarC went to the police station for help, and was again arrested because police thought he was MarK. This time, the confusion was cleared up.

The Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission has criticised “deficiencies in the WA Police management of these incidents."

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

This week, there have been a number of new party leaders.

Sussan Ley was elected the first female leader of the Liberal Party, and just yesterday, Larissa Waters was elected the leader of the Greens.

It all comes as we now have more women in parliament than ever before.

In this episode, we’re going to look at what the representation of women in politics looks like today.