☕ NSW legalises human composting

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The quote: “I decided I wouldn’t do media, I wouldn’t talk, I wouldn’t say anything about it. I’d let the process take place the way that it’s supposed to. And that was to my detriment.”
Alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has spoken publicly for the first time since being charged with five counts of the war crime of murder over alleged killings during his service in Afghanistan. He is currently on bail and gave an interview with 2GB on Thursday.

The stat: 2,100. The record-breaking number of junior doctors who will be offered a Commonwealth-funded GP training place in 2028, Health Minister Mark Butler has announced.

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Yesterday’s results: 49% of you say you would support a mandatory year of national service for young Australians, in areas like healthcare, emergency services, agriculture or the military. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [2,940 votes].

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A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $US25 billion ($AU35.6 billion) for misleading Facebook users about their data privacy.

The penalty is the largest in Meta’s history, but the company has said it will appeal the ruling.

The ruling came just hours before Meta reported $US64.6 billion in revenue for the three months to September. The company has a market valuation of $US1.78 trillion.

Here’s what you need to know.

The U.S. state of New Mexico sued Meta in 2021, alleging the company had violated a law prohibiting businesses from misleading consumers.

The lawsuit followed revelations in 2018 that the personal data of up to 87 million Facebook users had been improperly shared with political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

The state argued Meta had misled users about how much control they had over their personal data and the company’s efforts to tackle hate speech and misinformation.

In September, a jury found Meta had violated the law nearly 44 million times.

Each violation carries a potential penalty of up to $US5,000, meaning the maximum penalty could have reached $US219.5 billion.

According to Reuters, New Mexico sought a penalty of between $US35 billion and $US40 billion, while Meta argued it should pay no more than $US3.45 billion.

The judge has now ordered Meta to pay $US25 billion, plus 15% annual interest until the amount is paid.

In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $US17 billion to settle claims from 47 U.S. states that its platforms harm teenagers, which the company denied.

The deal also included $US459 million to settle Cambridge Analytica-related claims.

In Australia, Meta agreed to pay $AU50 million in 2024 over claims involving users affected by the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

In a separate New Mexico child-safety case, Meta was ordered to pay $US942 million across two rulings in March and August.

Meta has said it will appeal.

If the penalty stands, the money will go to New Mexico’s education fund, according to the state’s Attorney General.

The judge has yet to decide whether to order changes to how Meta operates in the state.

Meta also faces thousands of other lawsuits in the U.S, with the next trial over social media’s alleged harm to young people expected to begin on 28 October.

Reporting by Adam Wan.

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NSW has become the first state to legalise ‘terramation’, a process also called human composting, as an alternative to burying or cremating remains.

The practice involves the decomposition of a body to turn into soil, which can be used for planting or land regeneration.

Independent Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich introduced the bill, which unanimously passed NSW Parliament.

Terramation is a process where human remains are placed into a vessel with organic matter.

Over a period of up to three months, the body will decompose into around one cubic metre of soil. 

This soil can then be returned to loved ones of the deceased, or can be used for land maintenance and regeneration in approved public spaces.

It is legal in parts of the U.S. and Germany. The practice has never been legally authorised in Australia.

In June, Greenwich introduced a private member’s bill after advocate Teresa Russell reached out to him.

A private member’s bill is one that is introduced by an MP who does not have a role in Government. This can make it difficult for legislation to pass.

In the last week, the bill passed both houses of NSW Parliament unanimously.

Greenwich noted that NSW has a burial site shortage, particularly in Sydney.

In 2023, the NSW Government commissioned an audit into cemeteries on Crown land (owned by the government), finding that multiple religious groups will soon run out of graves.

The Member for Sydney also raised that cremation produces significant carbon dioxide emissions.

The bill passed unanimously, which Greenwich said “surprised” him, adding that he was “actually expecting a bit more of a fight”.

Liberal upper house Member Susan Carter “urge[s] the Government... to think carefully about how the terramation remains are treated.”

“Terramation should not simply become a human compost bin,” she said.

Greenwich also noted that stakeholders, like religious groups and the Australasian Cemeteries and Crematoria Association, did not oppose the legislation.

The NSW Government will begin consulting on regulations around the process of terramation. This includes licensing schemes for future providers, and rules around where terramated remains can and cannot be placed.

Greenwich said this process could take up to two years. 

At this stage, NSW is the only state or territory that has legalised the practice. Greenwich said he would “love to see other jurisdictions mirror the legislation”.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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The Aussies made it all the way to the final before falling just short of gold against France, losing 3-2. The team of Callum Borck, Liam Cochrane, Jackson Buckingham and Seth Gray booked their spot in the final with a five-game semi-final win over Malaysia, reeling off nine consecutive strikes to take the deciding game 275-194. The women’s team also had a strong campaign, reaching the last 16.

Reporting by George Finlayson.

Australia’s collection of “big things” has a new addition: a giant yabby.

Standing 4.6 metres tall, the sculpture has been unveiled in Windorah, a western Queensland town of about 100 people, roughly 1,200km northwest of Brisbane.

Toowoomba artist Jobella Bennett spent three months building it out of bird wire and sheet metal. The commission celebrates the town’s yabbying culture and annual yabby races.

Reporting by Adella Beaini.