☕️ How does counting the votes work?

Yesterday I told you about how two TDA journalists have been on the campaign trails for both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader this week and so many of you were fascinated by how it works.

The top question: Who pays for this? Is it taxpayers?

The answer: no! It's the media companies who pay! For our two journos, TDA foots the bill for all the travelling. Another fun fact: we have no control over where they stay. And let us tell you, those in charge of the campaign trails have expensive taste! The Hilton? The Ritz? There's no cost cutting here!

The cost means that for smaller companies like TDA, it's harder to commit to being on the campaign trail for too long. But hopefully by the next election (hello 2028!) we'll be in a position to do just that. If you want to help us get there, you can consider making a voluntary financial contribution to TDA here.

Happy voting tomorrow!

"When the ‘online’ world tries to make me a human piñata, I take it with grace and send them love."
A comment pop star Katy Perry left on a fan page on Instagram. She went on to compare the internet to “a dumping ground for unhinged and unhealed”. Perry has faced criticism in recent weeks over going to the edge of space on an all-female flight.

32-12
The final score after the first game of Women’s State of Origin last night, with NSW delivering a decisive victory over the Maroons. The Blues won in front of a record crowd for the Women’s State of Origin matches, with 25,782 people at the stadium.

We’ve had quite a few laughs over the TikTok trend where users say 'I'm so hungry I could eat [insert random person the other person knows]'. I tried this prank on our co-founder Sam when we were travelling to our Melbourne ‘Politics in the Pub’ event this week. It’s safe to say he was… not impressed. Mostly because he didn’t understand why my hunger was his issue, or how I knew Saul (I don’t, that’s the point). Unfortunately the audio of the video didn’t quite work so we can’t show you, but we hope Sam’s friend Saul who he went travelling with in 2013 is doing well!

Women with endometriosis face a higher risk of early menopause, according to a new study from the University of Queensland (UQ).

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects more than one million Australians.

UQ researchers analysed data from nearly 300,000 women globally.

They found those with endometriosis were seven times more likely to enter menopause early than those without.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body.

It can cause debilitating pain in the pelvic region, and can be associated with infertility.

The condition is primarily diagnosed through surgical intervention.

The study analysed data from nearly 280,000 women across four countries between 1996 and 2022, to investigate the link between endometriosis and menopause timing.

It found women with endometriosis were more likely to experience early menopause (before the age of 40) or premature menopause (aged 40 to 45) than women without the condition.

Overall, women with endometriosis started natural menopause five months earlier than their counterparts.

Women with endometriosis were seven times more likely than others to undergo surgical menopause (the removal of both ovaries).

Among all women who had undergone surgical menopause, those with endometriosis had the procedure 19 months earlier than those without.

These women were also twice as likely as those without endometriosis to undergo surgical menopause before the age of 40.

UQ senior researcher Professor Gita Mishra warned that early and surgical menopause has been linked to heart disease and premature death.

“Preventing or managing early or medically induced menopause requires a comprehensive understanding of its underlying causes and proactive measures to address the long-term health risks associated with it,” Professor Mishra said.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

On Saturday, millions of Australians will go to the polls to elect the next Parliament.

But voting at an Australian election is not as simple as saying ‘I pick the Pink Party.’ (For those playing along at home, that party doesn’t actually exist.)

That’s because in Australia we use a system called ‘preferential voting’ to elect our Government.

So how does it work? Here’s your explanation.

Let’s start with the House of Representatives.

For this one, you’ll be given a green ballot that lists every candidate running in your electorate.

To vote, you need to rank all of the candidates in your local electorate from favourite to least favourite.

You need to put the number one next to your top pick, number two next to your next top pick and so on.

This is why it’s not just your number one choice that matters - the order matters too.

And remember you need to fill out every single box!

When all the votes get counted, the first step is counting up everyone’s #1 vote, or their first ‘preference’.

If someone reaches a majority from the first preference votes, then that person wins their seat.

But if no-one reaches a majority, the preferences become important.

If no-one reaches a majority after the first round, then whichever candidate received the fewest first preference votes is eliminated, and a second round of counting begins.

This means anybody who voted #1 for that candidate, has their vote transferred to the person they put in the #2 spot.

That process is repeated until all candidates except the winner and the runner up have been excluded.

Voting for your local MP is just one of your jobs on election day.

The second is to vote for Senators to represent your state or territory.

Similarly to the ballot for the House of Representatives, you will need to order multiple candidates in the order you want to vote for them.

Senate ballots are divided in half. You either vote in the top half, which features parties, or the bottom half, which features individual candidates.

You will need to number at least six boxes if you vote in the top half, and at least 12 if you vote in the bottom half.

Senators are chosen based on proportional representation. It's a system of quotas - essentially you need to reach a certain percentage of votes (about 14.3%) in order to guarantee a spot in the Senate.

If a candidate reaches that quota, then any surplus votes are transferred to the second preference. As well as this, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is excluded from the process. That’s when the second preference for those votes also become important.

This process is repeated until all positions are filled.

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🍊 Your guide to the women’s State of Origin.
🍊 Our interview with Fran Hurndall ahead of her cross-country run.
🍊 An Aussie has been named the NBA’s Most Improved player.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: tennis, soccer, and more…

Hurndall is setting out to run the 3,800km from Cottesloe Beach in Perth to Bondi Beach in Sydney in just 34 days. For Hurndall, it’s not only an attempt to set a new world record, but an opportunity to start a conversation about domestic violence. Hurndall’s run coincides with Domestic Violence Prevention Month, and she is aiming to raise $1 million for RizeUp Australia, a charity supporting families fleeing domestic violence.

In an interview with TDA, Hurndall said: “The most important thing for me is getting help and making a change and impact for those who are suffering in a domestic violence-like relationship.”

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by George Finlayson.

You’ve heard of Snakes on a Plane, now get ready for snakes near a train!

A bullet train travelling between Tokyo and Osaka was forced to stop on Wednesday when a snake got tangled in power lines.

This caused a significant power outage and led to the suspension of operations, according to the rail company in central Japan.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

The election is finally tomorrow.

To wrap up the week, we want to arm you with all the information you need to make sense of election night itself.

In this episode, we’re doing things a little bit differently and we’re going to take you through the number, the words, the moment and the time for you to look out for come tomorrow night.