☕️ Why is there talk about an early election?

It appears everyone is very passionate in believing it is too early for Christmas decorations. The comments were very funny.

To the 10% who don't think it's too early, I stand with you. We need all the good vibes we can get.

P.S. On another note, we are currently running a survey to better understand our audience, in order to improve our partnerships. It takes about 2 minutes – and we’d love to hear from you! Click here to complete it.

"The initial impact of Rachel and Matt being murdered at Wieambilla in December 2022 was absolutely devastating. Every aspect of our lives imploded. Nearly two years on, our pain is still very raw. The heartache is unbearable".
Judy McCrow, the mother of Queensland Constable Rachel McCrow, speaking about her daughter's murder. Constable Mathew Arnold and a neighbour, Alan Dare, were also shot dead during the religiously motivated terror attack in Wieambilla on 12 December, 2022.

210
How many lithium-ion battery fires in NSW have led to injury and severe property damage, according to Fire and Rescue NSW.

1846
Neptune was discovered using a telescope. It’s the eighth planet orbiting the sun, and therefore too distant to view with the naked eye.

A defamation case between two Victorian Liberal politicians is underway in the Federal Court.

Moira Deeming was expelled from the Victorian Liberal Party after revelations she was associated with the organisers of a 2023 anti-trans rally.

The Melbourne rally was attended by several neo-Nazis, who made Nazi salutes in the direction of LGBTIQA+ community members protesting the rally.

Following her expulsion, Deeming launched legal action against State Opposition leader John Pesutto. She accused him of falsely portraying her as a Nazi sympathiser.

Deeming appeared at an anti-trans rally attended by neo-Nazis last year.

She later said she was “horrified” neo-Nazis were at the rally, and criticised Victoria Police for letting “a bunch of masked men” attend the event.

Rally organisers Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull and Angie Jones claimed they did not invite neo-Nazis.

However, Keen-Minshull has publicly associated with neo-Nazis before and some of Jones’ social media commentary has been interpreted as welcoming their support.

Following the rally, Deeming was suspended from the Victorian Liberal Party for nine months over her association with Keen-Minshull and Jones.

Weeks later, the state’s Liberal Party Leader John Pesutto moved to expel her.

Deeming was eventually expelled from the Victorian Liberal Party in a vote by her parliamentary colleagues in May 2023.

Following her expulsion from the Liberal Party, Deeming launched legal action against Pesutto, accusing him of defamation.

Her lawyers claimed several of Pesutto’s media releases and media interviews “have or were likely to cause serious harm to Deeming’s reputation” by implying “she supports white supremacists and Neo-Nazis.”

Deeming called for Pesutto to make a public comment, clearing her of any wrongdoing. Pesutto denies “ever” accusing Deeming “of being a Nazi or herself having Nazi sympathies.“

The defamation case between Deeming and Pesutto began in the Federal Court last week.

Deeming told the court Pesutto was made aware of the rally, its organisers and that she would attend.

The Federal Court has published several documents filed as evidence by Deeming’s lawyers.

This includes twelve character references from her associates and ex-colleagues. For example, Federal Senator Sarah Henderson, who tried to convince Pesutto not to expel Deeming.

A secret audio recording of a 70-minute meeting between Deeming and her former party members, including Pesutto, was also published.

It revealed the conversation in which Deeming was told she would be expelled, which left her feeling “sick and very uneasy”.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hinted he could call a ‘double dissolution’ election after the Government failed to pass housing legislation last week.

The PM has accused the Greens and Coalition of teaming up to block the passage of key legislation in the Senate, where the Government does not have a majority.

If a bill fails to pass the Senate twice in the space of three months, Albanese has the power to force the entire Parliament to run for re-election.

Labor has a majority in the Lower House of the Federal Parliament.

In order for a bill to become law, it needs to pass both houses.

It’s rare for a Government to also control the Upper House (the Senate). Labor has 25 out of 76 seats, and relies on the support of either the Opposition, or the Greens and a handful of crossbenchers, to pass bills.

The Government has multiple bills currently stuck in the Senate because it doesn’t have enough support to pass them.

Help to Buy — a scheme where the Government would contribute to the purchase of a home in exchange for part ownership of the property.

Build to Rent — a tax concession for developers who agree to build multi-unit buildings where the units are rented out, instead of being sold.

Nature Positive — setting up a national environmental regulator, Environment Protection Australia.

None of these bills have enough support to pass the Senate.

Albanese accused the Greens and Coalition of teaming up as “blockers” of Government legislation.

He said the parties are “playing politics rather than looking for the solutions”.

The Greens are calling for more ambitious housing and climate reforms, including scrapping tax discounts for owners of multiple properties.

Meanwhile, the Coalition are urging the Government to rein in spending, and are opposed to extra bureaucracy for environmental approvals.

The current makeup of the Senate is:

Labor — 25
Coalition — 30
Greens — 11
One Nation — 2
Jacqui Lambie Network — 1
United Australia Party — 1
Independents — 6

If the Senate rejects the same bill twice in the space of three months, the Prime Minister has the power to call a double dissolution election.

That is where every seat in both houses of Parliament are open for re-election.

In a regular election, Australians vote for the whole House of Representatives and half of the Senate.

The double dissolution is seen as a way of breaking the deadlock in the Senate.

Last week, Albanese said the Government would “wait and see” whether it would call a double dissolution.

Albanese threatened a double dissolution last year when his keynote housing policy, the Housing Australia Future Fund, was voted down in the Senate. The legislation eventually passed with support from the Greens.

Constitutional requirements mean Albanese has until 26 January to call a double dissolution election.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Have you heard the big news?! MERIT Beauty (TDA’s fave make-up brand) has just landed on Aussie shores, and we couldn’t be more excited about it, genuinely. 

If figuring out which beauty products to buy feels overwhelming, MERIT is here to cut through the noise. Their minimalist, dermatologist-tested products have stripped beauty back to the essentials - so you can do more with less.

To celebrate their Australian debut, MERIT has released The Australian Set - a limited edition collection perfect for your beach-to-bar glow this summer. The Minimalist complexion stick and the Flush Balm are our absolute favourites.

And here's the best part: The set is currently 10% off, and if you spend over $150, you'll get a free compact mirror. Not only that, first-time purchasers also get a free Signature Makeup Bag with their order!

“The Stars We Do Not See” exhibition includes more than 200 artworks from over 130 First Nations artists. It will feature at the Washington DC National Gallery of Art in October 2025. Then, the artworks will be displayed in museums across Colorado, Massachusetts, as well as in parts of Canada.

The collection of works from the National Gallery of Victoria includes modern and contemporary art and design, ranging from paintings, photographs, video works, and weavings.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

The world’s most popular YouTuber, MrBeast, is the subject of a new lawsuit over the conditions on a recent TV shoot.

MrBeast – legal name Jimmy Donaldson – is known for his challenge videos, where as many as 100 people at a time compete for prizes including Tesla cars and huge sums of money.

Donaldson’s production company recently teamed up with Amazon to produce a reality competition show called “Beast Games”.

According to Amazon, Beast Games will be the world’s biggest competition show, with 1,000 participants competing for $US5 million ($AU7.3 million) in cash.

But now, some of the contestants have banded together to lodge a lawsuit against MrBeast and Amazon, alleging dangerous conditions on set.

Participants claimed they hadn’t been paid properly, they weren’t given enough food, or access to medical needs, according to The New York Times. Competitors also reported facing around 2,000 people on set, instead of the expected 1,000, impacting their chances of winning the cash prize.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

When starting a family becomes challenging, can Australians truly depend on the sector designed to support them?

That’s the question that the peak body for the fertility sector in Australia recently sought to answer. And their findings? Not quite. They found that the current system discriminates against “non-traditional” families, is legislated inconsistently across Australia, and may not be “well placed” to address future demand for reproductive technologies.

So, they’ve proposed a new plan to overhaul how reproductive technologies, things like IVF, are accessed and regulated in Australia.