☕️ How much do groceries cost?

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“A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban.”
Meryl Streep speaking about women’s lives under the Taliban in her address to the UN General Assembly.

59.2 cents/L
The largest gap price between the cheapest and most expensive petrol in Sydney on 31 August, according to NRMA.

1998
Google Incorporated was founded.

New national research has found that essential groceries are almost $20 cheaper at Aldi than at Coles or Woolworths.

Consumer group CHOICE compared the prices of the same 14 everyday items at supermarkets around the country.

The Government commissioned CHOICE to investigate and monitor grocery prices amid several ongoing supermarket inquiries.

This report’s findings come from data collected in June this year. Here’s what its second report shows.

In January, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans for “clear and regular information” to be made public on “prices across a basket of goods.”

Albanese noted “it can be hard for people to find the best deal” across “thousands of products” on supermarket shelves.

“The Government will fund consumer organisation CHOICE to provide shoppers with a clear understanding of how supermarkets are performing,” he said.

In June, Choice sent ‘mystery shoppers’ to 104 supermarkets across both capital cities and regional centres.

27 Woolworths, 27 Coles, 23 Aldi, and 27 IGA stores.

Shoppers were tasked with purchasing 14 everyday grocery items, 12 of which were name-brand packaged products, and two fresh fruit and vegetable items.

Here’s what the same basket of groceries cost at different supermarkets:

This report follows an announcement earlier this week by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that it is suing Coles and Woolworths for allegedly misleading customers.

In separate lawsuits, the consumer watchdog alleges the two supermarket chains breached consumer law by using “discount pricing claims” to mislead customers.

Woolworths has said it will “engage with the ACCC” on the issue, and Coles said it “intends to defend” the action.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Anti-abortion activists have gathered outside SA Parliament, in support of a new proposal to ban late-term abortion.

Liberal MP Ben Hood has introduced a bill that would require anyone seeking an abortion from 28 weeks to give birth instead.

Hood said after “a healthy baby is delivered alive,” a mother “has the right to relinquish the child for adoption.”

The state currently allows for abortion up to 23 weeks of pregnancy. Late-term abortions are permitted in some circumstances.

The bill is not expected to pass.

Abortion was decriminalised in SA in 2021, allowing terminations up to 22 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy.

Abortions past this period can be approved in some circumstances, such as if the pregnancy poses a risk to life or mental health.

Late-term abortions require sign-off from two medical professionals before they can be permitted.

This week, SA MP Ben Hood introduced a Private Members Bill — a bill that can be introduced independently, without the support of a party.

Hood claims there have been 45 late-term abortions in SA since 2021, which he described as “healthy, viable babies”.

The bill would ban the approval of late-term abortions in SA, but is not expected to pass.

According to Hood’s proposal, “a medical practitioner may only intervene to end the pregnancy of a person who is more than 27 weeks and six days pregnant if the intention is to deliver the foetus alive.”

Hood said a mother would not be required “to form a maternal relationship with the child,” because they could put the baby up for adoption.

Women’s Forum Australia described the proposal as a “positive step”.

It said a woman can “terminate her pregnancy up until full term through abortion. Whereas under the Bill, if the pregnancy has advanced past 27 weeks and 6 days, she can only terminate it by prematurely delivering the baby alive.”

SA Greens Senator Barbara Pocock said “Late-term abortions are rare” and “often come about because of compounding medical, social and emotional circumstances.”

Anti-abortion groups rallied in support of Hood’s bill outside SA Parliament on Wednesday.

University of Adelaide professor and activist Dr Joanna Howe spoke at demonstrations yesterday, where she claimed, “overwhelmingly,” women have said “they want this bill to pass.”

Howe told supporters: “We need more Ben Hoods in the Parliament.”

Demonstrators have planned “community action” outside the office of Deputy SA Premier Susan Close on Friday.

SHINE SA, a reproductive health clinic, condemned the proposed bill.

CEO Holley Skene defended the state’s current abortion laws, which she said are based on “scientific evidence, expert opinion, and extensive community input”.

Skene said the bill is “out of touch” with abortion laws in Australia and internationally.

SA Abortion Action Coalition described the bill as “extreme” and said it “negates the right to choose what happens to your body.”

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

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! 

Closely relate to sharks and rays, ghost sharks are an extremely rare type of fish found deep in the ocean. While all ghost sharks around the world were thought to be the same species, the newly-discovered Australiasian Narrow-nosed Spookfish is genetetically different to its cousins. Dr Brit Finucci from New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research led the team who made the discovery. Finucci gave the fish a scientific name: Harriota avia. ‘Avia’ means ‘grandmother’ in Latin. The name was given in honour of the researcher’s late grandmother, who she said “proudly supported me through my career as a scientist”.

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

Reporting by Chloe Christie.

The 2024 ARIA award nominations are out, with Royel Otis leading the charge. The Sydney duo have picked up eight nominations for their debut album PRATTS & PAIN.

Nominees at the annual Australian Recording Industry Association awards also include industry heavyweights The Kid LAROI, Troye Sivan, and Tones And I.

Fellow superstars Dom Dolla and Kylie Minogue follow Royel Otis with six and five nominations respectively.

Minogue picked up her first Grammy in 20 years earlier this year — the best dance pop recording award for her viral track ‘Padam Padam’.

The winners will be announced at the ARIA awards ceremony on 20 November.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

From tomorrow, if you’re a NSW resident aged 18-49 who’s been taking the contraceptive pill for two years, you’ll be able to get it from a trained pharmacist without booking in to see your GP more than once a year. NSW is not alone — most of the country is now trialling similar approaches. In today’s deep dive, we’ll explain what’s driven this push to give pharmacists more power over everyday medications, and what it means for you.