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Happy Monday!
Today I’m interviewing Nedd Brockmann – the 24-year-old who ran across Australia last year in 46 days – for a new series called ‘TDA Rewind’.
It’s where we'll ask people who were at the centre of a media storm about what it was like, and what happens after the dust settles.
I’d love to know if you have any suggestions for who else you think we should interview?
Just hit reply to this email to let me know!
I've got 10 seconds
The quote
"I’m very energised and when I was at the NATO summit recently I was certainly not one of the older leaders who was there.” - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese when he was asked by Sky News about his future in the role.
The stat
35,000
The number of Canadians who have been forced to evacuate due to forest fires. British Columbia Premier David Eby said the current situation is “grim”.
Today in history
1911: The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by handymen. It was recovered in 1913.
I've got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Spain won its first Women’s World Cup in a 1-0 victory over England last night in Sydney. Midfielder Aitana Bonmatí was awarded the Golden Ball for being the tournament’s best player. She told Channel 7: "To all the women who have been pushing and fighting over the years, this is for them and from them.”
Up to 40 new species of the wishbone spider have been discovered in Queensland. The QLD Museum says researchers collected 136 spider specimens across eastern Australia over the last six months. Wishbone spiders are burrowing spiders found in dry and tropical regions of Australia. It’s hoped the discoveries will help protect the spiders into the future.
I've got 1 minute
The Federal Government will fund $200 million in grants to fund community facilities and programs for women and girls to play sport.
The Government says the funding will continue the "momentum" generated by the success of the Matildas, the Netball World Cup-winning Diamonds and other female athletes.
The funding will be available for all sports, but the Government says it expects a significant portion of the funding will go towards soccer.
Broadcasting:
The Government has also announced it will move to ensure more sport is broadcast on free-to-air television.
Australia already has a list of major sporting events that must be broadcast for free. However, the Government says this list "needs to be reconsidered" to include more women's sports and Para-sports.
The Government says it is still considering the specific sports it plans to add, but that it is likely to include any match played by the men's and women's national soccer, cricket and rugby union teams.
Opposition:
Last week, the Opposition announced it would provide $250 million to upgrade community sports facilities if it won the next election.
The funding would not be specific to women and girls, but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Shadow Sports Minister Anne Ruston highlighted the lack of female toilets and change rooms at sports facilities across the country.
Dutton and Ruston said this would leave a "legacy" for the success of the Matildas.
What’s actually in the book?
We’ve received a couple of messages asking us what exactly is in the book, so we thought we’d provide you with a short snippet from the politics chapter.
"We’re kicking off with politics. There are lots of good reasons to care about politics. The decisions made by politicians have enormous implications for our quality of life today. They also shape the world of tomorrow. And just as it’s your quality of life on the line, it’s also your money. If you earn money in Australia and therefore pay tax, your tax dollars pay for the policies announced in Canberra – not to mention the salary of the politicians announcing them. But, for us, the biggest reason you should care about politics can be summed up in one word: privilege."
I've got 2 minutes
Hundreds of thousands of Australians struggle to afford insurance for their houses because they live in flood-prone areas, according to a new report by the Actuaries Institute.
The 2022 floods were the most expensive natural disaster in Australian history, leading to $6 billion in insurance claims.
So what can be done to better protect at-risk households as natural disasters become more frequent?
How insurance works:
Insurance can cover the cost of replacing or repairing your home and belongings if they are unexpectedly damaged.
Here's how it works: you typically pay an amount each year (a premium) and in return, you are covered in certain circumstances for a certain amount, as set out in your insurance policy.
Policies vary in what they cover and what conditions they put in place. As a general rule, the riskier your house, the more you will have to pay.
Disaster insurance:
Most insurance policies include protection from disasters like storm damage and bushfire damage.
However, flood insurance is usually optional, and very expensive for people who live in flood-prone areas.
The Actuaries Institute estimates 171,000 households with flood insurance are under 'insurance stress'. This means their annual insurance fee costs more than a month of their household income.
Avoiding risk:
The Actuaries Institute warns that the high cost of insurance will continue to place a significant financial burden on households in flood-prone areas and that some households will choose to be uninsured.
It suggests governments should spend more money on mitigation in flood-prone areas (e.g. building levees and improved drainage).
It also recommends development be banned in some "extreme" high-risk areas, and that governments consider buying people out of high-risk homes.
Sharing risk:
The report also recommends the development of a risk 'pool' to share the cost of disaster risk.
Risk pools put high-risk and low-risk people together into a 'pool' where all pay the same premiums. Essentially, this means low-risk people pay a little extra so that high-risk people don't have to pay so much.
A risk pool could include all Australians, or could be supplemented by government funding to lower premiums. Australia already has a similar arrangement for cyclone damage.
Govt subsidies:
Governments have also often paid for the rebuilding costs of flood-affected households without insurance.
For example, in 2022 the NSW Government provided $15,000 for uninsured homeowners and landlords to repair homes, and up to $5,000 for uninsured homeowners and renters to replace household items.
Govt position:
The Federal Government has recently provided extra funding for natural disaster mitigation. In February, it met with insurance companies to discuss publishing better information about natural disaster risk, to help customers understand what insurance they need.
The Government has also set up an independent review into its disaster relief funding arrangements, which is expected to make recommendations early next year.
Give me some good news
The A-League Women’s competition has announced a special standalone celebration to mark its opening round. The competition will start a week before the men’s. For the first time in its history, the women’s season will last for 22 games. The move is aimed at attracting more fans to a-league games following the Matildas’ success at the World Cup.
A message from our sponsor
Now that the dust has settled on Dry July, Australians are pausing to think about their alcohol consumption - and the alternatives are more popular (and delicious) than ever. New data from Finder shows 42% of Aussies are drinking less alcohol than they were a year ago, and a whopping 400,000 of us are cutting or planning to cut back on alcohol by the end of this year.
So, what are the options? Well, we've gone out searching for the best alcohol-free cocktails - and we've landed at the range from Yes You Can. This home-grown brand has five flavours (Spritz, Yuzu Sake, G&T, Dark & Stormy and Peach Bellini) in some gorgeous cans that you'll feel proud to rock at the bar.
They've given TDA readers a 20% off code to give their drinks a go - just put the code TDA20 in here!
A TDA tidbit
A man has been arrested in Paris after parachuting off the top of the Eiffel Tower last week.
At 5am on Thursday, he climbed to the top of the monument before jumping off the top and landing in a nearby stadium.
The site’s operator, Sete, said in a statement: “This kind of irresponsible action puts people working at or below the tower in danger.”
According to the police, the man was arrested for endangering the lives of others.
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The Daily Aus acknowledges the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nation who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work. We acknowledge and pay respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.