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Good morning!
Ah, yes. You’re all wanting to know how the new office is going. Thank you for asking.
Unfortunately on the first day of everyone being in the office, we had to call the firefighters due to mysterious… smoke.
But we try again today! At least we have our snack drawer filled.
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “For years, Kyle Sandilands has made millions off misogynistic, racist, and plain vile content... History has shown he does not care about being sanctioned, or counselled, and will not change... He is unfit to have a public platform, and he should be sacked. Why is it always the woman that has to leave?”
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is calling for broadcaster ARN to terminate its contract with Kyle Sandilands. It comes after his co-host, Jackie Henderson, quit the Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday. The Sydney radio duo has worked together for more than 25 years.
The stat: 2.6%. Australia’s annual economic growth rate, which experts say is a stronger figure than expected. Economists warn it could push inflation up higher.
The big question:
Yesterday’s results: 49% of you said you mainly drive to work or uni. [2,304 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
A U.S. submarine has sunk an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, killing at least 80 people. Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister identified the warship as the frigate IRIS Dena and said it was heading back to Iran from an eastern Indian port. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: "An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters...Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo."
The Victorian Government has announced a timeline for working from home laws, with legislation set to be introduced to Parliament in July. Under the proposal, private and public sector workers who can “reasonably” do their job from home will be legally entitled to do so for at least two days a week. The state’s Labor Government is preparing for the law to take effect from 1 September, and said it will apply to all businesses, regardless of their size. However, a grace period will apply for businesses with fewer than 15 employees until July 2027, to “get their HR policies and procedures in order”. Labor has a majority in the Victorian Parliament’s lower house, but it will need the support of the Coalition or the Greens to pass its bill in the upper house.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
The political thriller that's had audiences gripped for 400 years
What? Bell Shakespeare's new production of Julius Caesar, directed by Peter Evans. Expect betrayal, chaos and the murder that changed history.
When? Sydney: March 7 – April 5, Canberra: April 10 – April 18, Melbourne: April 23 – May 10.
Where? Sydney Opera House, Canberra Theatre Centre, Arts Centre Melbourne.
I’ve got 1 minute
Tasmanian public school teachers have imposed an indefinite ban on NAPLAN assessments, as wage negotiations with the State Government continue to stall.
The Australian Education Union (AEU) announced the ban on Wednesday, which covers all NAPLAN testing and practice.
It comes after months of industrial action and recent strikes, as union members push for better pay and conditions for school staff.
NAPLAN is “the only full cohort national test undertaken by students” in schools around Australia.
NAPLAN
NAPLAN stands for: National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has held NAPLAN tests since 2008.
Each year, all Australian students in years 3, 5, 7, and 9 sit the NAPLAN. This year’s testing window is from 11 to 23 March.
According to the Department of Education, NAPLAN is “the only test that can provide nationally comparable data about literacy and numeracy achievement across the country.”
Good finds
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✈️ Fancy a getaway? AirAsia is launching direct Melbourne–Bali flights from 21 March, from just $189! But, you don’t have to be in Melbourne to get a slice of the fun, you can still fly Perth to Bali from $152, or Adelaide to Bali from $197. With fares this sweet - why wouldn’t you book a trip with the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline (16 years running, BTW!) Trips to Bali have never been more affordable.
*Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
An internal review into the Liberal Party’s 2025 record election loss has been made public, despite the party’s efforts to keep it private.
Much of the report centres around former leader Peter Dutton’s appeal leading into the election, and the party’s “extraordinary combination of internal issues”, leading to “the worst campaign... [it] ever fought.”
Dutton told The Sydney Morning Herald the review “was an unprofessional attempt at a hit job”.
Here’s what you need to know.
Review
Following the Liberal Party’s record election loss in May 2025, the party commissioned an internal review to understand the factors that contributed to the result.
The review was commissioned in June 2025 and undertaken by two former Liberal politicians.
A similar review was undertaken after the Liberal Party lost the 2022 election.
Privacy attempt
In a statement on 27 February, the Liberal Party announced it had “considered” and “decided not to publish the review.”
The Party conceded the result was a “decisive defeat.”
The statement did not specifically explain why it would not publish the report.
The Herald reported that Dutton “had threatened legal action if the report was released”.
Tabling
While the Liberals aimed to keep the report out of public view, this week the Labor Party tabled the document.
During Tuesday’s question time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held up a copy of the report, saying: “I'll table it for them so that they can read the report about the diabolical campaign that they ran”.
Albanese said the review included “why all their policies were wrong.”
Contents
The review begins with an analysis of the election outcome, stating it as “the worst in the Liberal Party's history.”
“The Coalition now holds 28.7% of lower house seats, the lowest since the two-party system emerged 120 years ago,” it says.
Internal factors: A key factor the review identifies is that Dutton’s leadership “lacked appeal”. It states: “Dutton’s previous ministerial image as a hard man needed considerable work with paid and unpaid media, but that did not eventuate”.
The report also unpacks “the breakdown in communication” between Dutton and the Liberal Party, with conflicting messaging and strategies between the leadership and broader party campaign teams.
The report found Dutton’s office ignored advice on a “regular basis” and this “crippled” the overall campaign.
It also notes the Liberals’ appeal to “the female vote” is “clearly a problem”. The authors recommended the party employ and preselect more women.
External factors: Dutton’s “perceived similarity” to Trump is cited as part of his lack of appeal, particularly when Trump announced tariff increases that were unpopular in Australia.
Other ‘external’ factors included the party’s response to widespread flooding across Australia’s east coast in the lead-up to the election.
The review claims Dutton’s absence when his electorate was under threat of floods invoked memories for voters of former PM Scott Morrison’s Hawaii trip during the 2019-20 bushfires.
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
A message from Audible
The tiny habit that changes more than you think
If you’ve been waiting for the “perfect time” to overhaul your life, Atomic Habits by James Clear gently suggests… don’t.
This audiobook breaks down big self-improvement ideas into small, actually-doable actions – the kind you can start today!
Think five-minute tweaks, desk resets, small routine shifts. Nothing dramatic, just consistent. It’s easy to slot into your day – on the commute or mid-walk – and even easier to put into practice straight away.
Give me some good news
Para snowboarder Amanda Reid is about to become Australia's first Indigenous Winter Paralympian.
Reid took home gold in Para cycling at the Tokyo 2020 Games, before switching to winter sports in 2023. The multi-disciplinary athlete won gold later that year at the World Para Snowboard Championships in Spain. Reid, a proud Wemba Wemba and Guring-gai woman, will compete in the banked slalom and snowboard cross events at the Milano Cortina Paralympics, which start this weekend. The 29-year-old said she’s “very excited” for what will be her fifth Paralympics but her first Winter appearance. “I'm just going to enjoy the moment,” Reid added.
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA titbit
Retiring Aussie women’s cricket captain Alyssa Healy has signed off from ODI cricket in style.
The 35-year-old smashed 158 in Hobart last Sunday, helping Australia beat India by 185 runs. Then she delivered the gentlest post-match fact-check you’ll ever see.
After @auswomenscricket posted a graphic of her achievements (including a World Cup win), Healy messaged the group chat: “Who’s in charge of insta? I won 2 world cups mate haha”. The account then posted the WhatsApp messages for everyone to see.
Maybe an editing job will be Healy’s next career move.
Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.
TDA asks
