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A couple of weeks ago, after TDA’s interview with the Opposition Leader Sussan Ley went live, I got a text from David Littleproud’s team. Littleproud is the leader of the National Party, which forms the Coalition with the Liberals.

His team asked if he could come on to the podcast to further explain why the Coalition has decided to abandon Australia’s net zero by 2050 target, and instead prioritise affordable energy.

Today, that interview has gone live. You can listen here.

“Together, we’ll define the next century of storytelling, creating an extraordinary entertainment offering for audiences everywhere.”
Netflix in its announcement that it will acquire Warner Bros, which includes HBO and HBO Max, in a deal worth $US82.7 billion. It means Netflix will own franchises like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and White Lotus. There will be no immediate change to the platforms, with Netflix saying the transaction will take up to 18 months to close.

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The age of the youngest player to earn an official chess rating from the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha gained the title at the age of three years, seven months and 20 days, beating the previous record, held by fellow Indian toddler Anish Sarkar at three years, eight months and 19 days. A rating is a score, and not the same as a ranking.

1980
The Beatles member John Lennon was assassinated.

Applications for the Federal Government’s co-home ownership scheme have opened today.

The “Help to Buy” scheme will split ownership of a property between the Government and a first-home buyer.

It will allow buyers to put down a smaller up-front deposit and make lower repayments than an ordinary home purchase.

The first 10,000 places are now open to applicants.

Anyone who wants to buy a home in Australia needs to pay a “deposit” up-front — normally around 20% of the property’s value.

The rest of the purchase can be made with a bank loan that you pay off over time with interest, called a “mortgage”.

According to property data analyst Cotality, the national median house price has risen by almost 47.3% since 2020.

In October 2025, the national median house price was $888,941.

Under the Government’s new scheme, a first home buyer will pay a minimum 5% deposit (or 2% for single parents). The Government will provide ‘equity’ worth up to 30% of the property’s value, or 40% for new builds.

Equity means the Government will be a part-owner of the property. It’ll also be entitled to up to 40% of a property’s value when it’s sold.

The Government says the smaller deposit is a more realistic target for many Australians, while the equity would allow owners to apply for smaller mortgages.

Applications for the Help-to-Buy program opened last Friday. 40,000 people will be able to access the scheme over four years.

To be eligible, a person must be a first-home buyer, and must not earn more than $100,000 per year, or $160,000 for couples. If a homeowner’s income increases above these caps, they may have to repay the Government’s equity.

Area-dependent property price caps (e.g. $1.3m in Sydney, $500k in regional South Australia) will limit which homes can be purchased under the scheme.

Initially, the scheme will only be available through two lenders, Bank Australia and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, with more added in 2026.

Shadow Housing Minister Andrew Bragg called the scheme a “reckless approach with taxpayer funds,” saying that similar schemes have had low uptake because “Australians don’t want to co-own their home with the government.”

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

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An online safety code restricting inappropriate content, and redirecting at-risk users to mental health services, begins on 27 December.

Search engines, websites, social media sites, app stores, and generative AI services will need to limit content like pornography and violence to over 18s.

The tool will operate similarly to ‘safe search’ options on Google and Bing, but it is obligatory to follow for the first time.

A survey undertaken by the eSafety Commission found that one in three young people have encountered pornography unintentionally before the age of 13.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said their research found that “a high proportion of... accidental exposure happens through search engines”.

The survey also found that young people are becoming desensitised to explicit content.

These changes are part of a phased approach introduced under the Online Safety Act.

The act was passed in Parliament in 2021 and the first phase began in December 2023.

The legislation allows the eSafety Commission to work with the digital industry to protect Australians from online harm.

The next phase begins on 27 December, and is focused on drug use, pornography, and violence.

Search engines and servers will be the first platforms to be required to restrict this content to over 18s.

Social media, app stores, websites, and AI services will need to adopt the code from March next year.

Inman Grant said search engines must blur extremely violent and pornographic image results, similar to ‘safe search’ mode.

She clarified that “adults who wish to view that content can still click through to see it if they choose”.

Another change is the redirection of users to support services if they are searching for content around suicide, self-harm or disordered eating.

Inman Grant said redirecting users to support services is not limited to children, but for all Australians “who don’t wish to see ‘lawful but awful’ content.”

“If this change saves even one life... I believe it’s worth the minor inconvenience this might cause some Australian adults,” Inman Grant said.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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The gift will cover the tuition of senior-year students enrolled in the University of Washington’s medical lab science program. The Uni said the donation is big enough to support students over the next 50 years. Professor and department chair Dr. Geoffrey S. Baird, said: “It has been a long-standing dream to provide more financial support to students... We are deeply grateful to the donor whose transformative generosity is making this and our program’s growth possible”.

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Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

A former Western Sydney University student has been charged with additional offences over a series of cyber attacks against the university dating back to 2021.

The 27-year-old woman was initially arrested in June. At the time, police claimed she hacked the uni to gain discounted parking, before “progressing over time” to more serious breaches like changing academic results and fraud. She is also accused of threatening to sell student information on the dark web.

In the months since, NSW Police allege she sent more than 100,000 fraudulent emails to students, “designed to tarnish the reputation of the university and cause distress to students.” 

Hundreds of staff and students are estimated to have been impacted by the hacks. 

She was arrested on Thursday and refused bail. 

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Last month, they announced they would be dropping Australia’s legislated goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. We had Liberal Party Leader Sussan Ley on to explain that decision, and the day that interview went live, the Leader of the National Party, David Littleproud, asked if he could come on to share his perspective. We agreed, and today you’ll hear that conversation.