☕️ New childcare reforms in NSW

Oh, you’re wondering what the password to the Louvre’s video security system was? Well that would be “Louvre” of course!

(Yes. Out of all the things that have come to light in the wake of the most-recent heist, this might just take the cake baguette! A French newspaper has published confidential documents that show the password to access the surveillance system back in 2014 was actually just its name. Even worse, a museum employee told U.S. publication ABC News that the password had remained unchanged up until the recent heist.)

Rumour has it they have now changed the password to "Louvre123!”

“I am shooketh.”
Nationals Senator Ross Cadell, during Question Time, in response to Labor Senator Tim Ayres describing moderate Liberals as the country's “largest invertebrate species”. An invertebrate is an animal lacking a backbone.

1 in 10
The proportion of homes sold in October that were purchased using the Government’s 5% deposit scheme, according to new government data. Around 5,700 homes were purchased under the scheme, which came into effect on 1 October. This is about 10% of the average monthly rate of dwellings sold (57,000).

Celebrity Halloween costumes are often extravagant, but the most viral one this week was a nod to a decade old meme by none other than Demi Lovato. Lovato dressed as her “fictional twin sister”, Poot. Poot was born when a fan took an overexposed photo of Lovato. The photo was then edited to change her appearance slightly, and distributed on image platform Tumblr with the caption: “Demi’s twin sister. She was locked in a basement her whole life. This picture was taken the first time she went outside.” For Halloween this year, Lovato dressed up as Poot!

An Australian energy company sent family violence victim-survivors’ new addresses to their abusers.

Following an investigation into the incident by Victoria’s Essential Services Commission (ESC), Momentum Energy has been fined $764,380.

The company said it was the result of a “system error”.

The ESC found Momentum sent automated letters about financial hardship assistance to people impacted by family violence.

However, these people could not access the letters because they were sent to addresses where their abuser lived.

Separately, three customers’ information was disclosed across 19 individual incidents between 2022 and 2025.

In 15 of those incidents, letters were sent to family violence perpetrators with victim-survivors’ new addresses.

The regulator also found Momentum failed to establish “a safe method of communication” for customers it knew had experienced family violence.

It’s alleged Momentum was notified about the privacy breach by a customer in 2023, but failed to address or investigate the matter until it was reported to the regulator by a customer two years later.

The regulator accused Momentum of failing vulnerable customers who were “placing their trust” in the company.

Momentum Energy is owned by Hydro Tasmania, a Government-owned clean energy provider.

In a statement, a spokesperson attributed the breaches to a “system error” that has since been fixed.

The spokesperson said it has since introduced system changes and additional staff training to “prevent future occurrences”.

1800 RESPECT

Call: 1800 737 732

Text: 0458 737 732

Video: 1800RESPECT.org.au

Reporting by Achol Arok.

CW: Child abuse

The NSW Government has passed legislation requiring early learning services to display a quality rating.

Staff will now face new penalties for using their personal phones or devices on the job.

The reforms are part of increased national and state legislation in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, following child sexual abuse allegations in NSW and Victoria.

In July, Victoria Police charged a Melbourne man with more than 70 offences including child rape, attempted child rape and producing child abuse material.

The Victorian Health Department recommended around 2,000 children get tested for sexually transmitted infections. All were negative.

These allegations sparked national outrage, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese telling ABC “every Australian... was completely horrified.”

Also in July, the AFP charged a Sydney man with 13 offences relating to the production and possession of child abuse material while working at out-of-school hours (OOSH) care centres.

The Government passed a law on 31 July enabling it to cut federal funding to centres that don’t meet safety standards or put children at risk.

In September, the Victorian Government passed a law to automatically refuse Working with Children Checks to people who had also been refused by other states or territories.

Last week, the NSW Government amended the law governing ECEC services.

All services will be required to disclose their current and previous quality ratings, any compliance breaches in the past two years, and any prosecutions with guilty pleas or findings, or convictions.

Fines for non-compliance have increased, with large providers facing a 900% increase.

The law also expands a ban on personal devices, such as phones, tablets, cameras, smartwatches, and camera glasses, to include family day care services.

Penalties for breaching this ban have increased from a blanket $1,100 fine to $3,420 for individuals, $17,200 for services, and $51,600 for large providers.

The legislation will also allow the Early Learning Minister to direct a service to complete child protection training, install CCTV, or even close down.

NSW Acting Early Learning Minister Courtney Houssos said the law delivers “stronger protections and more transparency in childcare”.

Houssos also praised the “hard work and dedication... of educators who do the right thing”.

In a joint statement last week, five NSW not-for-profit ECEC providers called the nation-wide reforms “significant action,” but said a “system that knits together” is needed.

The providers also called for a national childhood education commission.

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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🍊 Aussie basketballer emulates Michael Jordan. Read more here.
🍊 Former NRL player charged with alleged crypto theft. More details here.
🍊 An MMA coach has denied links to suspicious betting. Check out what he said.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cricket, soccer, and more…

A triple-double is when a player records 10 or more in three major stat categories (for example, points, rebounds, and assists) in a single game. Giddey's second straight triple-double came in the Bulls’ comeback win over the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this week. He is only the second player this season to do it, alongside Denver Nuggets star and three-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Nikola Jokić.

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Reporting by George Finlayson.

Former NFL player Tom Brady has revealed his current dog, Junie, is a clone of his late dog, Lua.

Lua died in 2023. Shortly after, Brady introduced a strikingly similar-looking dog as his new companion.

Nearly two years later, this week, Brady told People that Colossal Biosciences — a company he invests in — cloned the pit bull mix using a blood sample collected before Lua’s death.

The announcement has drawn widespread criticism.

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

You might have seen a man named Zohran Mamdani all over your social media feeds recently. As of this week, he is the new mayor-elect of New York City.

As an Australian publication and podcast, it’s rare that we would cover such a local election in a country on the other side of the world. But the campaign run by Zohran Mamdani has captured the world’s attention.

On today’s podcast, we’ll explain everything you need to know about why everyone is talking about the new NYC mayor.