☕️ Albanese defends coastal property purchase

Overnight, it was reported that a record-breaking number of people cast their ballots in the U.S. state of Georgia — a key battleground state — on the first day of early voting, more than doubling the previous Day 1 record. (Reminder that voting in the U.S. is not compulsory, so this is big!)

With the U.S. election just under three weeks away, today’s podcast examines the strategies Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are using to attract young voters and whether those strategies are effective.

You can listen here.

“China is willing to be a partner and friend with the United States.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping in a statement reported by state media.

$188 million
The amount the Federal Government will spend to construct a new wharf in Hobart, allowing for continuing travel between Tasmania and Antarctica.

1814
A fermentation tank at a London brewery ruptured, flooding the nearby streets with over a million litres of hot beer. Eight people fatally drowned in the flood.

A Queensland girl has unsuccessfully sued her school, after claiming its uniform policy discriminates against female students.

The unnamed school, which requires female students to wear skirts to formal occasions, dismissed the allegations as “offensive and baseless.”

The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) ruled there was insufficient evidence to support the student’s claims of sex discrimination.

The school’s uniform policy allows female students to wear culottes, shorts, or trousers on regular school days. However, skirts are mandatory for formal events — excursions, ceremonies, class photographs, or awards nights.

Male students are allowed to wear shorts or long pants.

A student at the school went to the Queensland Human Rights Commission arguing the policy discriminated against her on the basis of sex. The case was then referred to the tribunal.

The student argued that the school’s uniform policy placed an unfair financial burden on her by requiring her to buy both skirts and trousers, and said gender stereotypes and power dynamics were reinforced by the “clear visual divide between male and female students”.

The student also argued wearing a skirt risked sexualising female students due to the possibility of exposing underwear.

She said: “When wearing a skirt, there is an extra level of thinking required about the way I move and sit, as to not expose myself.”

The school argued its uniform policy aligns with “community standards” and noted that most female students choose to wear skirts every day, even though they have the option of wearing pants.

QCAT Member Jeremy Gordon noted “different treatment between the sexes” in the school’s uniform policy. However, he said there was insufficient evidence to prove that the policy directly discriminated against female students.

He suggested that bike shorts or stockings could be worn to improve the student’s comfort in a skirt.

He also dismissed concerns about modesty, because the school requires that students’ skirts be long enough to touch the ground when kneeling.

Reporting by Chloe Christie.

Hidden fees, deceptive online pricing, and hard-to-cancel subscriptions will be targeted in a Government crackdown on “unfair trading practices”.

When buying concert tickets, flights, and clothes online, additional costs often won’t pop up until the check-out.

The Government has said it wants to stamp out these “tricky tactics”.

When you want to buy something online, such as concert tickets, often there will be extra fees that aren’t advertised.

Online shopping can also require people to pay ‘service’ charges or a ‘booking’ fee.

The practice is called ‘drip pricing’ — adding fees until the final total is higher than the advertised price.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says this often happens when buying tickets, accommodation, and rental cars online.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said businesses engaging in “unfair trading practices” are “on notice”.

“Hidden fees and traps are putting even more pressure on the cost of living and it needs to stop.”

The Government will look at updates to consumer law, which it expects to introduce to Parliament next year.

Proposed changes include strengthening consumer protections, giving more power to the ACCC to crack down on “dodgy” practices, and fining companies that don’t comply with new rules.

Shadow Treasurer, Angus Taylor, told TDA: “This is the third plan for a plan from Labor in as many weeks dressed up as a policy.”

“To end Labor’s homegrown inflation, we need strong economic management and reduce Labor’s wasteful spending. Not commission more reviews.“

Taylor did not confirm whether the Coalition would support the Government’s reforms.

The announcement comes after ABC program, Four Corners, alleged ticketing and touring company Live Nation conceals several different fees from customers.

The ABC found examples of tickets being up to $40 more expensive than the advertised price.

The U.S-based company told the ABC it complies with the law.

It made around $US23 billion ($AU34 billion) in revenue in 2023.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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Game 2 of the Finals between New York and Minnesota drew in roughly 1.3 million viewers. The previous record was set in 2001 when more than one-and-a-half million people tuned in.

According to the online tracker ‘Sports Media Watch’, it was also the most viewed game this year that did not feature WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark. Viewership was also 115% higher than the audience for last year’s Game 2 final.

Want more sport news like this? Sign up to our sport newsletter here! You’ll love it.

Reporting by Chloe Christie.

Hundreds of “mysterious black, ball-shaped debris” have washed up along Sydney’s Coogee Beach and Gordon’s Bay Beach.

Randwick City Council environmental officers have collected samples for testing, looking to uncover where they all came from.

The council says that at this stage, it’s unclear what the material actually is, but they might be ‘tar balls’ which are formed when oil, debris, and water interact. This is typically the result of an oil spill far out at sea.

Beach goers are advised to stay away, and to avoid touching the balls.

Reporting by Chloe Christie.

With less than three weeks until polling day, the upcoming U.S. election has become one of the most complex and anticipated political races in modern history.

For many young Americans, Trump and Harris' campaigns have played out away from traditional media. Instead, they're being reached through short-form video content, their favourite podcasts, celebrity endorsements, memes and social media algorithms.

In today's deep dive we'll explore how Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have attempted to engage young voters, and if it's working.