☕️ Australia's first national autism strategy

Here is today’s riddle: A girl meets a lion and unicorn in the forest. The lion lies every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and the other days, he speaks the truth. The unicorn lies on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and the other days of the week, he speaks the truth. "Yesterday, I was lying," the lion told the girl. "So was I," said the unicorn. What day is it?

Answer is in today’s tidbit!

“I don’t always agree [with] what my husband is saying or doing… I give him my advice, and sometimes he listens, sometimes he doesn’t, and that’s OK.”
Melania Trump during an interview on the dynamic of her relationship with her husband, President-elect Donald Trump. Melania reflected on public perception of her now, compared to her husband’s previous election term.

10
The number of Australian tennis players through to the second round of the Aus Open in Melbourne.

1998
Australian 15-year-old Ian Thorpe became the youngest-ever male to become a world swimming champion.

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The Spanish Government has announced plans to tax people from outside the European Union up to 100% on homes they buy in Spain.

It’s part of a broader Government strategy to improve housing affordability.

Here’s what to know.

From 2015 to 2023, house prices across Europe increased by 48%, according to the European Parliament.

The rate was the same across the same time period in Spain, partly driven by tourism. While tourism has benefitted Spain’s economy by creating jobs, it’s strained the housing market by increasing the popularity of short-term rentals (e.g. AirBnBs).

In Barcelona, for example, the city council has banned short-term rentals after rents increased by 68% over 10 years.

In a speech on Monday (local time), Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said housing is one of the biggest challenges facing the country.

“The West faces a decisive challenge: not to become a society divided into two classes, that of rich owners and poor tenants,” he added.

Under the measure, the Government said “the tax burden that [non-residents] will have to pay in the case of purchase will be increased up to 100% of the value of the property”.

Sánchez said this policy was designed to stop the “exploitation of housing... as a source of profitability” by people who buy properties to rent them to tourists.

“Just in the year 2023, non-residents from outside the EU bought around 27,000 houses and apartments in Spain. They did it not to live in them, not for their families to live in them, but... to make money from them,” Sánchez said.

“In the context of the residential shortage we are experiencing, this is something we obviously cannot afford.”

The new tax still needs to pass Spain’s Parliament, where Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party has formed a minority government in coalition with several other parties.

Other plans announced by Sánchez on Monday included increasing the amount of public housing, and changing taxes on short-term rentals.

Tourist apartments will be “taxed as what they are: a business,” a Government release said.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

The Federal Government has announced a seven-year strategy and plan to improve the lives of Autistic Australians and foster social inclusion.

It’s the first national plan dedicated to the nearly 291,000 Autistic Australians.

The national plan aims to improve early diagnosis of autism, expand mental health support, and build more awareness of neurodiversity.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a condition diagnosed through developmental assessments and behavioural observations.

The strategy notes that some use the term ‘Autistic people’ while others use ‘people with autism’. The Government used the former, with a capital A, following feedback it received while developing the strategy.

The support that Autistic people need can vary widely because autism is a spectrum. It is often characterised by differences in communication styles and issues with sensory processing.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Autistic Australians are nearly six times more likely to be unemployed than Australians without a disability.

The majority of young Autistic Australians experience difficulty in school settings.

Autistic people are also two and half times more likely to experience depression than the broader population.

In 2022, a Senate Committee found life outcomes for Autistic Australians were “unacceptably poor”. It recommended a national autism strategy.

In response, in 2023 the Government set up the National Autism Strategy Oversight Council (NASOC), a body dedicated to developing a national strategy and an actionable plan.

NASOC is led by Autistic Australians, researchers, and government officials. It consulted with 2,000 people, including carers and advocates, to help identify barriers in work and society.

The strategy sets out four broad areas of improvement:

The plan sets out actions the Government will take to meet objectives in these areas.

For example, the Social Services Department will produce a guide to ensure public spaces are accessible to Autistic people, taking lighting, noise, and design into account.

The Government will also create a campaign to increase acceptance of Autistic people.

The Government says Autistic people “often ‘mask’ who they are while living in a neurotypical world”.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said a material plan to address challenges for Autistic Australians is “long overdue”.

More than $42 million has been earmarked for the plan, including around $915,000 for community awareness and education campaigns.

Community advocacy group Autism Awareness Australia welcomed the Government’s strategy.

However, it warned hundreds of children are currently missing out on key supports due to recent changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

CEO Nicole Rogerson is pushing for an immediate rollout of the national plan.

“These kids are missing out on the vital support they need. We need action now to fill the gaps.”

Shadow Social Services Minister Michael Sukkar said the Coalition will “closely examine” the national autism strategy. He criticised the Government for its “belated release” of the plan.

Sukkar added it “fails to shed any light on the status of Foundational Supports, and the supports in place to Autistic Australians who are coming off the National Insurance Disability Scheme”.

‘Foundational Supports’ is a new scheme to help people with disabilities who don’t meet the criteria for the NDIS.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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🍊 An Olympian lost his medals in the LA wildfires. More details here.
🍊 Nick Kyrgios may not play Aus Open singles again. He said this.
🍊 A man has been arrested for stalking Caitlin Clark.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: tennis, a random fact and more…

Populations of the fluorescent critter, which can grow longer than a human hand, have bounced back, with some 850 recent sightings in an area of northwest NSW. It comes after 2019 fires in the alpine area killed around 90% of all Kaputar slugs.

According to a report by Guardian Australia, its comeback was tracked by citizen scientists, thanks to the National Parks and Wildlife Service Slug Sleuth app.

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

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Sesame Street is back for its 55th season tomorrow!

Since 1969, the iconic children’s show has taught kids essential skills and values such as empathy, kindness, and inclusion.

This season will focus on emotional well-being, in response to what the show’s production company called “the growing mental health crisis affecting children globally”.

Beloved characters like Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch will help kids understand and manage big feelings through fun and play.

Expect some big names this season, with guest appearances from Michael B. Jordan, Renee Rapp, SZA, and Noah Kahan.

You can watch Sesame Street on ABC iView.

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

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Riddle answer: Thursday (the unicorn is lying).

At least 200 psychiatrists have resigned from NSW public hospitals. It comes amid an ongoing dispute with the State Government, as psychiatrists call for better pay and working conditions.

There are fears the sector could be reduced by two-thirds before the end of the month, triggering a "mental health crisis" for GPs. In today's deep dive, we’ll unpack the stalled negotiations between the NSW Government and the doctor’s union, and what it could mean for the state's health system.