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Good morning!
Here is today’s riddle: I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter, but you can't go inside. What am I?
Answer is in the tidbit!
I’ve got 10 seconds
Quote of the day
“America continues to be a film powerhouse, and California is all in to bring more production here… we’re eager to partner with the Trump administration to further strengthen domestic production and Make America Film Again.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, in a statement to Variety following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of tariffs on films produced in other countries.
Stat of the day
5,000
The amount of people on the waitlist for social housing in Tasmania, according to the Tasmanian Council of Social Service. It is the largest amount of people on the state’s waitlist ever. An estimated 3,871 people on the list are homeless or sleeping rough.
Word of the day
Taradiddle [ta-rah-did-el]
Definition: a petty lie
Used in a sentence: "Why would you make up such a taradiddle about your sister?"
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
More counting for the Federal Election has been completed, with new results emerging in some key seats. Liberal candidate Tim Wilson has won back his old seat of Goldstein, beating incumbent independent MP Zoe Daniel, who had delivered a victory speech on Saturday night. Meanwhile, fellow independent MP Monique Ryan, who also gave a victory speech on Saturday night, has maintained a small lead in front of Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer in the seat of Kooyong. Elsewhere, Labor is set to retain the electorate of Wills after a close battle with the Greens. The seat of Melbourne, which has been held by Greens leader Adam Bandt since 2010, is still too close to call.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wants to implement an Australian-style social media ban for under 16-year-olds. Luxon announced his support for a draft bill that would force social media companies to verify users’ age, or risk being fined up to $NZ2 million ($AU1.2m) for non-compliance. The proposal is modelled on an Australian law which passed Parliament in November. Luxon said the move was about protecting children, and “making sure social media companies are playing their role in keeping our kids safe.” New Zealand’s Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins told a local radio station: “This is a conversation we need to have as a country. The Australians have been courageous and tackled it. I think New Zealand needs to do the same.”
Recommendation of the day
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I’ve got 1 minute
A record number of women are set to head to Parliament
Women could outnumber men in the next Parliament, as a record number of female MPs and Senators are set to head to Canberra.
Parliament has two chambers: the House of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house).
As it stands, women will hold 60 of 134 confirmed seats in the lower house, representing 45% of elected MPs.
Female candidates are ahead in nine of the remaining 16 seats in doubt.
In the last Parliament, women occupied 38% of lower house seats.
Upper house
There are 76 Senators (but only 40 were up for grabs this election).
The results in six seats are still pending. Of the remaining 70, women will hold 42, and men will hold 28.
So far, the results across both houses show the Parliament are likely have at least 111 women and 109 men.
Reporting by Harry Sekulich.
I’ve got 2 minutes
The latest on Israel and Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the Israeli military plans to carry out an “intensified operation” against Hamas in Gaza.
The move was approved by his ‘security cabinet’, a committee of senior members of his coalition government.
Israeli officials have confirmed to international media that the security cabinet authorised the military “capture” of Gaza.
A Hamas official has told media the group will not negotiate a ceasefire while “hunger, thirst, and killings” continue in Gaza.
Context
Following 15 months of war, a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel came into effect on 19 January.
The U.S-led agreement was intended to have three phases. Phase one concluded on 1 March.
Negotiations to find a path forward for the remaining phases of the deal have been ongoing over the past few months.
Latest
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Netanyahu government announced a “wide attack, involving moving most of Gaza’s population”.
He said that Palestinians would be “moved” to southern Gaza for their “protection”. At least 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced since October 2023.
When a ceasefire temporarily took hold this year, thousands of Palestinians returned to northern Gaza after being forced to flee south earlier in the war.
Israeli officials said the plan will include "capturing of the [Gaza] Strip and the holding of territories".
In a post on X, Netanyahu claimed the operation would form part of the “concluding moves” in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Israel has previously stated its war aims are to destroy Hamas and return the remaining hostages.
Officials confirmed the plan will not begin until after U.S. President Donald Trump makes a visit to the Middle East later this month.
Aid
The UN says no supplies have entered Gaza for nine weeks, since the collapse of the ceasefire agreement. Israel blocked the entry of aid to Gaza to pressure Hamas to temporarily extend the ceasefire.
The UN has labelled it “cruel collective punishment of Palestinians” and says “aid... should never be a bargaining chip.”
Meanwhile, Trump said this week: “[Palestinians] are starving. Hamas is making it impossible because they are getting everything brought in.” He said the U.S. was going to “help” the people of Gaza.
Response
Families of hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 have raised concerns about expanded military action endangering their loved ones.
Approximately 59 hostages are estimated to still be held in Gaza.
A Hamas official told Agence France-Presse: “There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip.”
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Give me some good news
The population of an endangered bird species has risen to record-high numbers in NSW.
Little terns are tiny seabirds that travel thousands of kilometres to nest on Australian shores every spring. During their latest breeding season, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service counted more than 900 little tern nests, the second-highest number in 24 years.
Conservationists estimate at least 485 breeding pairs resulted in some 510 fledglings. It’s the highest count of little tern chicks ever recorded, “and a substantial jump from last year’s figure of around 370,” Parks and Wildlife said. The service’s Acting Deputy Secretary Trish Harrup called the popular growth “an incredible achievement”. “Continued efforts are vital to protect them along our coast, and every person can play a role in making a difference,” she said.
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
Elon Musk's company SpaceX’s headquarters will become a city.
The company bought land in the U.S. state of Texas over the course of several years, and has now voted to form an official ‘municipality’, called Starbase.
The area, previously mostly empty, now holds company housing, launch pads, and even a road called "Memes Street".
Starbase will even have its own mayor (a SpaceX executive).
Despite local environmentalists and residents’ concern about the effect of the company's activities on local land and wildlife, SpaceX plans to increase its number of space launches each year.
Reporting by Rosa Bowden.
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Riddle answer: A keyboard.
Want more from The Daily Aus? Listen to our podcast!
We're taking a break from our election coverage today to update you on another event you’ve probably been hearing a lot about in the headlines: the mushroom murder trial.
In case you missed it, the murder trial of a woman accused of killing three people by serving them poisonous mushrooms is underway in Victoria’s Supreme Court.
Erin Patterson was charged with murder after three people died following a meal at her home in July 2023.
She pleaded not guilty, and is now in the middle of a six-week trial. On today’s podcast, we’re getting you up to speed with the details of this case.
TDA asks
