☕️ Gun buyback scheme begins

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up at any point today, may I humbly suggest reading or watching some of the stories from the New York Marathon.

Whether it’s videos of people donning ridiculous outfits for charity, strangers helping each other cross the finish line, or the thunderous applause for the final finishers, nothing quite reminds you of the best of humanity like a marathon.

And that is why I will forever remain a marathon fan from… afar. Like, really, really far away. It’s easier to observe good samaritans from a distance 😉

The quote: “I might not be successful. My political career may die, but I’m not going to die wondering. We need a change in this country.”
Nationals leader Matt Canavan speaking to media about his plans to run for the lower house seat of Capricornia at the next federal election. Canavan is currently a Senator for Queensland.

The stat: 2:06:34. How long it took Australia’s Haftu Strintzos to run the New York City Marathon, finishing fifth to produce the best performance by an Australian man at a marathon World Major in more than 30 years.

The big question:

Together with AAP.

NSW has become the first Australian jurisdiction to roll out the National Gun Buyback Scheme.

The ACT is the only other jurisdiction that has committed to the buyback, which requires state and territory governments to split the cost of the scheme with the Federal Government.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said almost every appointment to surrender guns is booked for the next month.

On 14 December 2025, 15 innocent people were killed in a terrorist attack at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach. Police shot one of the alleged attackers dead at the scene. The other, Naveed Akram, has been charged with 78 offences including 15 counts of murder.

The next day, National Cabinet (the PM plus state and territory leaders) discussed strengthening gun laws across the country.

NSW moved fastest, reducing the number of firearms a person can own and reclassifying some weapon types.

In December, some firearms were reclassified, and the limit on guns per person was reduced to four – except for farmers and sports shooters, who can have up to 10.

The change affected around 274,000 registered firearms (about 24% of all guns registered in NSW) and roughly 50,000 licence holders.

From Monday, NSW gun owners who have more guns than legally allowed, or own guns that are now banned, can hand them in for a payment.

NSW and the Federal Government are splitting the cost of running the scheme 50:50. The Federal Government is covering the full cost of destroying the guns once owners hand them in.

Minns told media on Monday that “nearly all the vacancies for the next month have been taken up,” with around 2,430 firearms expected to be surrendered in that time.

As of now, six police stations will accept surrenders: Dubbo, Grafton, Griffith, Narellan, Penrith, and Sutherland. That will expand to 40 stations on 1 December and 146 by February.

“These laws will save lives,” Minns said, adding that “less guns on our streets will mean less crime and less people dying as a result of those firearms.”

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, features editor Emma unpacks new research into eating disorders in Australia. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.

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Australian home prices are falling at their fastest rate in 40 years, with the median home losing about $63,400 in value since March.

According to a new report by property research firm Cotality, national home values fell by 1.2% in October alone, marking the seventh consecutive month of declines.

The downturn is being driven by higher interest rates, cost-of-living pressures and weaker buyer confidence.

The figures come ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) latest interest rate decision on Tuesday.

The Cotality Home Value Index estimates the value of residential properties across Australia, not just those that have recently sold.

It uses recent sales data to determine how much features like location, size and number of bedrooms contribute to a property’s value, then applies that across the broader market.

Cotality’s latest report found national home values fell 1.2% in October, marking the seventh consecutive monthly decline.

Values peaked in March and have since fallen 6.7%, wiping around $63,400 off the typical home’s value.

Brisbane recorded the biggest monthly fall (-2%), followed by Perth (-1.7%) and Sydney (-1.6%).

Hobart (+0.5%) and Darwin (+0.6%) were the only capitals to record an increase.

Across the combined capitals, home values have fallen 8.1% in seven months, which is the fastest decline in 40 years.

Cotality’s research director Tim Lawless said prices initially fell because homes had become too expensive, leaving buyers unable to borrow enough to afford them.

Since then, four interest rate rises, weaker economic confidence and the rising cost of living have added to the decline.

Lawless said changes to property investor tax breaks in the Federal Government’s May Budget had also put downward pressure on prices.

According to Cotality, sellers are finding it harder to attract buyers, with home sales over the past three months down 23% on the same period last year.

The number of homes for sale in the capital cities is now the highest for October since 2019.

“Buyers have a lot more stock to choose from, they have more leverage and there isn’t the same urgency to buy as there was a year ago,” Lawless said.

He said many buyers were still holding back because they lacked confidence or couldn’t borrow enough to afford a home.

For recent homeowners, falling prices mean their property could now be worth less than they paid for it.

Cotality said homeowners in Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide may be better protected, as values in those cities have risen sharply over the past six years.

For prospective buyers, lower prices don’t necessarily mean greater affordability.

Lawless said another RBA rate rise would mean the amount a typical buyer could borrow had fallen by more than $105,000 since the RBA began raising rates.

The RBA will announce its latest interest rate decision on Tuesday, and is expected to increase it to 4.85%.

Reporting by Adam Wan.

The room you spend the most time in probably deserves a bit more attention.

Ecosa makes that easy, with a range that goes well beyond mattresses. There's award-winning bamboo bedding, a Good Design Award-winning bed frame, sleepwear, storage and decor, plus curated bundles if you'd rather sort the lot at once.

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Consider it attention well spent.

It’s now one of 26 countries worldwide to stop the disease being spread this way, or to be on track to do so. If left untreated, HIV can develop into AIDS. With medical treatment, however, people with HIV can lower their viral load to the point that they cannot pass it on. Barbados Health Minister Lisa Cummins said: “This is incredible for us, and it allows us to be able to see our children living their full, best lives.”

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

Would a reasonable customer expect the McRib to actually contain ribs? That’s the key question being asked in a lawsuit against McDonald’s.

The plaintiffs argue that the meat in the McRib is “lower-grade” pork shaped to resemble ribs. McDonald’s tried to get the lawsuit dismissed, arguing its product names do not fool reasonable customers.

On Friday (U.S. time), Reuters reported that a judge largely rejected the fast food chain’s request to dismiss the lawsuit, meaning it will now move forward.

Reporting by Adam Wan.