☕️ New national consent campaign

Last week, you may remember that I told you I was on my way to interview the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher.

That interview is now live! You can either watch it on TDA’s Instagram, or listen to the podcast. We covered a whole range of issues, including men’s violence against women, the gender pay gap, and Australia’s declining birth rate.

It was a fascinating chat. And thank you to everyone who sent in question suggestions – they were very helpful!

“Victoria Police [must] accept responsibility for the widespread harm caused to Aboriginal people by… forcibly removing children from their families, and… severing their connection to family and friends, community, country, language, culture, and identity.”
Victorian Chief of Police Shane Patton’s formal apology to the Stolen Generations in the state.

9kg
How much heroin was allegedly smuggled into the country inside paint brushes, according to the Federal Police. A man faced court on Friday over the alleged importation.

1967
A Federal referendum was held to vote on the removal of discriminatory phrases against First Nations people in the Constitution. It passed with a record of 90% of people voting ‘YES’.

The Federal Government has launched a new consent campaign, aimed at curbing sexual violence in Australia.

It comes after new government research found nearly half of Australian adults didn’t clearly understand consent.

Over the next 12 months, TV and social media ads will be targeted at educating adults about consent, so that they can better help their children understand the issue.

The goal of the consent campaign is to reduce sexual violence rates.

About one-fifth of Australian women are estimated to have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.

A 10-year national plan to end violence against women was launched in 2022, after the first 10-year plan (launched in 2010) failed.

The plan sets out an objective for a 25% annual reduction in female victims of intimate partner homicide.

Consent education was made mandatory in all Australian schools last year.

The campaign follows a framework released by the Government in January that defines consent as:

“A free, voluntary and informed agreement between people to participate in a sexual act. This agreement is only present when these people mutually and genuinely want to engage in that sexual act, and actively ensure their partner does too.“

Guides to help adults have conversations with children about consent will also be rolled out.

This will include examples of how consent can be asked for in an informal or casual manner, and ways to withdraw consent.

Parents will also have access to advice on the best ways to discuss consent with children of different ages.

The highest court of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has ordered Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah”, in southern Gaza.

More than 800,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee parts of Rafah in recent weeks, as Israel conducts military strikes in the area. The ICJ said the humanitarian situation in Rafah should now be categorised as “disastrous”.

In response, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “has not and will not conduct military actions in the Rafah area which may inflict on the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction.”

On 7 October, Hamas launched an attack on Israel. According to data cited by the UN, roughly 1,200 people were killed.

Hamas, which Australia lists as a terrorist organisation, captured about 240 hostages. 125 remain captive.

Israel responded by declaring war and bombarding Gaza. According to data cited by the UN, more than 35,800 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October. Israel’s war in Gaza has caused a humanitarian crisis.

At the start of Israel’s war in Gaza, the military’s focus was on the north of the territory, causing civilians to flee to southern areas of Gaza, including Rafah.

Israel’s military has since moved south and started launching strikes on the area. An estimated 1.5 million people were sheltering in Rafah.

The UN’s humanitarian coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has said 800,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee the area since Israel’s military started attacking parts of Rafah, causing “a tragedy beyond words”.

In December, South Africa brought a case under the UN’s Genocide Convention, accusing Israel of committing and failing to prevent genocide in its war in Gaza.

Within a month, the court handed down a “provisional ruling”, where it asked for Israel to take steps to prevent “genocidal acts”.

South Africa has since asked the court to make an emergency ruling to order Israel to stop its military offensive in Rafah after Israeli forces entered the city.

It said: “The level of destruction that Israel has caused across Gaza and is now wreaking on Rafah threatens the very survival of future Palestinian generations in Gaza.”

South Africa argued Israel now controls two key border crossings into Rafah and cut off humanitarian aid into the area, which Israel denies.

The ICJ said it made the judgment because the situation in Rafah had materially changed since its initial ruling in January, and it was not convinced Israel was taking “sufficient” measures to prevent unnecessary harm to civilians in Rafah.

In a 13-2 ruling, the judges ordered Israel to “halt its military offensive” in Rafah and open up the border crossing between Egypt and Rafah for humanitarian aid to flow into the city.

The ICJ has asked Israel to provide an update on how it is enacting these measures within a month.

In response to the ruling, Israel’s foreign ministry said: “Israel is acting based on its right to defend its territory and its citizens, consistent with its moral values and in compliance with international law, including international humanitarian law.”

It added Israel will “enable the Rafah crossing to remain open for the entry of humanitarian assistance”, but vowed to keep it out of the control of “terror groups”. Overnight, the IDF recovered the bodies of three hostages. An IDF spokesperson said they were killed by Hamas during the 7 October attack.

The ICJ has called on Israel to comply with its ruling. The Palestinian ambassador to the UN said it “expects that resolutions of the ICJ be implemented without hesitation”.

However, the ICJ does not have powers of enforcement. It can ask the UN Security Council to take further action.

Of the 15 members of the Security Council, the five permanent members – the UK, France, Russia, China, and the U.S. – have the power to veto (strike down) a motion.

Act Now, Stay Secure

What you need to know

The number of cyber attacks is on the rise and these attacks are getting smarter, which is why it’s more important than ever for Aussies to be savvy about their cyber security.

What you can do to be more secure online

Act Now, Stay Secure. Learn simple steps to protect yourself online at actnowstaysecure.gov.au

The Euclid telescope captured what it called a “treasure trove” of “unprecedented” discoveries. It’s part of a mission that will work towards mapping billions of galaxies and researching the formation of the universe.

Everyone in Australia knows how to dance The Nutbush. But where did it come from?

Well, researchers from the University of South Australia and Edith Cowan University have recently found that the dance – performed to Nutbush City Limits by Ike and Tina Turner – probably originated in the NSW Department of Education.

Professors Jon Stratton and Panizza Allmark say it was likely developed “as a teaching aid in creative arts classes and physical education.”

What’s more, they found that Turner never performed the dance and that there is no record that she ever made a public comment about it!

News Corp and OpenAI, the tech company that created ChatGPT, have signed a multi-year content deal. Under the new partnership, News Corp’s content will be used to respond to ChatGPT user questions.

News Corp CEO Robert Thomson said the deal will “set new standards for veracity, for virtue and for value in the digital age”. In today's deep dive, we'll explore why the deal matters, how the rest of the industry is handling the rise of AI and what comes next.