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Good morning!
In case you missed it, the Socceroos have delivered an emphatic win against Indonesia last night, bringing them one step closer to qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The final score was 5-1.
Fun fact: it was the first time the Socceroos had played in Sydney since 2017.
I’ve got 10 seconds
Quote of the day
“Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.”
‘Harry Potter’ author JK Rowling in a post to X, responding to the question: “What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?” Rowling has publicly disagreed with the leads of the Potter films over her stance on the trans community.
Stat of the day
1.8%
How much Australia’s population grew in the year to September 2024, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Today in history
2006
Former Twitter-CEO Jack Dorsey posted the first tweet, which read: “just setting up my twttr”.
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1% in February, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The unemployment rate reflects the percentage of people who were looking for work but couldn’t find any. The ABS data shows there were 52,800 fewer employed people in February, compared to the previous month. The ABS attributed this to “fewer older workers returning to work in February”. The participation rate decreased to 66.8%, down from a record high of 67.3% in January. This figure measures the percentage of Australians who are either employed, or actively seeking employment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accepted the terms of a 30-day ceasefire with Russia. Following a call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy said “lasting peace can be achieved this year." According to the White House, the two leaders also discussed a proposal that would give the U.S. ownership of Ukrainian energy infrastructure. It comes after Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin on Monday, with the Russian President agreeing to halt strikes on power stations. However, Russia has not yet agreed to the U.S/Ukrainian backed plan for an immediate 30-day ceasefire on land, air and sea. Negotiations are expected to continue this weekend.
Recommendation of the day
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I’ve got 1 minute
The Govt and the Opposition have promised to cap PBS-listed medicines at $25
Both the Government and the Opposition have announced they will cap the cost of medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) at $25.
The policy, first announced by the Government and matched by the Coalition, will come into effect after the federal election — due by 17 May.
It comes a week after a group of American pharmaceutical giants accused Australia of “egregious and discriminatory… Government price controls“.
PBS
Under the PBS, the Government subsidises a range of prescription medicines for any Australian resident with a Medicare card.
The independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommends which drugs are listed — currently, there are more than 900.
According to analysis by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 335.8 million prescriptions were supplied under the PBS in 2022/23.
Price cap
Under the policy, the maximum cost of PBS-listed medicines would be reduced from $31.60 to $25.
The Government said that if it is re-elected, the cost cap will take effect from 1 January 2026.
The maximum price for pensioners and people with concession cards is set at $7.70 until 2030.
Health Minister Mark Butler said: “The last time Australians paid no more than $25 for a PBS medicine was over 20 years ago.”
Coalition
The Coalition has promised to match the Government’s $25 PBS policy if elected in May.
In a statement, Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston said: “It has never been more important to ensure Australians have affordable access to essential medicines and treatments.”
Ruston pointed to Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing nearly one in 10 people did not buy, or delayed buying, medication due to cost in 2023/24.
U.S.
The announcement comes a week after U.S. lobby group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) accused Australia of “unfair and non-reciprocal trade practices” that threaten the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.
PhRMA encouraged U.S. President Donald Trump’s “robust” policy in response to “unfair” trade practices.
Analysts have suggested this means PhRMA is encouraging tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals. Trump has already imposed tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium.
Reporting by Achol Arok.
I’ve got 2 minutes
Greenpeace has been ordered to pay $US660 million for defaming an oil company
Environmental campaigning network Greenpeace has been ordered to pay approximately $US660 million ($AU1.04 billion) in damages after a jury found it had defamed Texas-based oil company Energy Transfer.
Greenpeace, which said it would appeal the ruling, said the penalty could send it into “financial ruin, ending over 50 years of environmental activism."
Case
The case centred around protests of Energy Transfer’s Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), which gained global attention and became one of the largest anti-fossil fuel demonstrations in U.S. history.
Energy Transfer successfully argued Greenpeace had a substantial role in organising the protests, which attracted more than 10,000 demonstrators.
The pipeline
The DAPL is 1,172 miles (1,186km) long. It moves oil from fields in the U.S. state of North Dakota to a pipeline hub in Illinois. From there, it can be distributed as far as Texas.
The project started in 2016 and was completed by early 2017. It cost around $US3.8 billion.
Standing Rock Sioux
In 2016, Standing Rock Sioux, a First Nations community, said they had not been properly consulted about the pipeline.
The group argued its operation threatened to contaminate their reservation’s water supply, and destroy sacred lands.
Standing Rock Sioux were joined in their protests by thousands of people, who camped out on the DAPL site attempting to block and delay its construction.
After months of protest, police used non-lethal force to clear the encampments.
Allegations
Energy Transfer alleged Greenpeace had played a significant role in the protests, using their global reach to increase the protests' publicity.
It claimed the group caused damage in nine different ways, ranging from defaming their reputation, to trespassing and nuisance which caused delays to the construction of the project.
Energy Transfer claimed the delays cost them $US300 million.
Greenpeace denied these allegations, saying it played a minimal role.
Ultimately, the jury sided with Energy Transfer, finding Greenpeace liable for what the oil company called an “unlawful and violent scheme to cause financial harm to Energy Transfer”.
Reaction
Greenpeace said the lawsuit was an intimidation tactic designed to discourage other organisations from attempting to stop oil and gas projects. A spokesperson said: “This case is simple. Big Oil wants to silence its critics."
In 2017, Energy Transfer co-founder Kelcy Warren said: "Everybody is afraid of these environmental groups and the fear that it may look wrong if you fight back with these people… they're going to pay for it.”
Reporting by Joe Casey.
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Give me some good news
A village in India has launched Diwali-like celebrations following the safe return of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams.
Williams and her colleague Barry Wilmore spent more than nine months in space, after a journey that was supposed to last eight days. Williams’ father is from the Indian village of Jhulasan, in the country’s Gujarat state. Locals from Sunita’s ancestral home have organised “grand celebrations” featuring fireworks and a procession honouring her return. Villagers are hopeful the astronaut will visit in the future, saying it “would be an honour” to host her.
Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA tidbit
Gwyneth Paltrow doesn’t want an intimacy coordinator.
The ‘GOOP’ founder has become the latest in a string of Hollywood veterans to criticise the relatively new phenomenon, following fellow A-lister Jennifer Aniston.
An intimacy coordinator is a role on a film set to help actors safely and comfortably choreograph and perform sex scenes.
Several actors have spoken in support of the job, such as ‘Normal People’ star Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Sydney Sweeney from ‘Euphoria’.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Paltrow described working with an intimacy coordinator on the set of her upcoming film ‘Marty Supreme’ (co-starring Timothée Chalamet).
“There’s now something called an intimacy coordinator, which I did not know existed… I’m from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, the camera’s on… We said, ‘I think we’re good. You can step a little bit back… I don’t know how it is for kids who are starting out, but… if someone is like, ‘Okay, and then he’s going to put his hand here, I would feel, as an artist, very stifled by that,” Paltrow said.
Reporting by Lucy Tassell.
Want more from The Daily Aus? Listen to our podcast!
This week, over 64,000 pages of documents relating to the assassination of former U.S. President John F Kennedy were made publicly available. It comes after current President Donald Trump authorised their release in an executive order earlier this year. In today's podcast, we explain why an assassination that occurred in 1963 is still making headlines today, and what we've learned from the new documents.
TDA asks
