☕️ Pauline Hanson's growing influence

If you’re in need of some Monday inspo, look no further than 21-year-old Lachlan Kennedy. Over the weekend, Kennedy became the first Australian in 22 years to legally break the 10-second barrier in the men's 100 metres. On this, he said: “It’s so good. I can finally say I run nine.”

Given that I can run nine-minute splits, I think we’re basically even.

“As my very wise mother would say: ‘Stop your nonsense, chin up, chest out, straighten your tiara and let’s get on with the job.’”
Liberal senator Jane Hume on Sunrise, after being demoted from the shadow cabinet to the backbench. Hume served as the Shadow Finance Minister under Opposition leader Peter Dutton.

$667.8 billion
The collective wealth of Australia's 200 richest people, according to the Australian Financial Review (AFR) ‘rich list’ released on Friday. Mining tycoon Gina Rinehart has retained the top position for her sixth year in a row, with an estimated net worth of $38.11 billion.

1953
Following the death of her father, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom at 27-years-old. She ruled for 70 years, making her the longest-serving monarch in British and world history.

France is set to ban smoking in public places.

The ban will apply to areas including beaches, public parks, gardens, sports facilities, bus shelters, and around schools.

It will come into effect nationwide on 1 July.

The ban does not apply to vapes or outdoor cafes and bars.

In an exclusive interview with French newspaper Ouest France, Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said: “Where there are children, tobacco must disappear”.

The BBC reports breaking the rules will result in a €135 ($AU238) fine.

In 2023, 27% of French adults were smokers. For comparison, between 2022-2023, 8.3% of Australians aged 14 and above smoked daily.

Vautrin also plans to lower the nicotine level in vaping products and reduce the number of flavours available.

She added she isn’t ruling out a ban on smoking for people under 18, potentially following the UK, which has proposed making it illegal for those born after 2008 to ever buy cigarettes.

It comes as a national study by the Cancer Council revealed that fewer than 1 in 5 (18%) young adults regularly smoked and/or vaped from October to December 2024.

Cancer Council Tobacco Issues Chair Alecia Brooks said Australia has been “world-leading in tobacco control”.

It is currently illegal to buy a vape outside a pharmacy, and the Government plans to print health warnings on individual cigarettes.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

The Senate results have been finalised for all states and territories, nearly four weeks after the 3 May election.

Labor has increased its presence in the upper house, including 21-year-old Charlotte Walker, the youngest Senator in Australian history.

The Government will have a simpler path to passing legislation in the next term of Parliament.

Meanwhile, One Nation’s representation has doubled from two to four seats.

Here’s the final breakdown of the Senate.

Australia’s Senate is also known as the upper house. Typically, a bill is introduced in the House of Representatives (the lower house), then reviewed in the upper house before it can become a law.

Senators represent a state or territory. Each state has 12 senators, while the territories have two.

At the election, we elected half of the state senators, whose terms are six years, and all of the territory senators (three year terms).

Counting for the Senate is complex.

A candidate or party needs a certain number of votes – a “quota” – to elect a Senator, based on a state’s population.

For instance, 712,405 votes are needed for a Senate quota in NSW, while Tasmania’s quota is 53,113.

The number of candidates a party can elect is based on how many quotas they fill.

The AEC has now finalised the distribution of preferences, concluding this process.

Labor has increased its representation in the Upper House by three seats, the Coalition lost three, and the Greens have held steady at 11.

South Australian Labor candidate Charlotte Walker will become the youngest Senator in Australia’s history, having celebrated her 21st birthday on election night.

Billionaire businessman Clive Palmer’s new party, Trumpet of Patriots, did not gain any seats.

There will be double the number of One Nation Senators in the next Parliament compared to the last.

Previously, Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts were the party’s only Senators, both from Queensland.

However, the party secured swings in NSW and Western Australia, electing one Senator in each of these states.

This has only been announced in recent days, as the flow of preferences meant it wasn’t clear who would win the sixth spot in WA and NSW.

Labor has been re-elected with a larger majority in the lower house, meaning it doesn’t need extra support there.

However, it doesn’t have a majority in the upper house. The Senate composition means Labor needs support from either the Greens or the Coalition to pass legislation.

This is a simpler path than the last term of Parliament, when Labor needed additional crossbenchers – like Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock – to get legislation over the line.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Are you aged 18-35? Become a life-saving donor today

Every 27 minutes, someone in Australia is diagnosed with blood cancer. For many, a stem cell transplant is their only hope – and 70% will rely on a stranger to save them. That stranger could be you. 

By joining the stem cell donor registry, you could be the match that gives someone a second chance at life. It’s easy to register with a simple cheek swab. If you’re a match, donating is a bit like a longer blood donation – safe, straightforward, and life-saving.

One small act. One big difference. You could save a life.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham, England say the test can cut diagnosis time from six weeks to under two hours in some cases. Faster diagnosis means patients can begin treatment sooner. Neurosurgeon Dr Stuart Smith said: “With this new technology, we can do more for patients because we can get answers so much more quickly, which will have a much bigger influence on clinical decision making.” He also noted the rapid testing would relieve some of the anxiety patients experience whilst “waiting many weeks for results”.

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

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

A Haribo product in the Netherlands has been recalled after it was found to contain trace amounts of cannabis.

Local authorities were alerted after several Dutch people unknowingly ate weed gummies.

The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) said only three bags of ‘Happy Cola Fizz’ gummies were affected, and the recall was done as a precaution.

It confirmed it’s investigating the gummies, and that other Haribo products are still safe to consume.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

We're starting the week with a good news story about a community organisation working to dismantle barriers to inclusion in the workplace. Bianca Stern is the General Manager and a founding member of All Things Equal — a Melbourne-based social enterprise empowering people with disability through award-wage employment, purposeful training, and pathways to rewarding careers in hospitality.

The organisation recently put out an Equal Opportunity White Paper, which it calls a ‘Blueprint for Disability Employment in Hospitality.’ The report is a call to action for the hospitality sector, which it says is at a turning point.

To talk us through inclusive employment and how All Things Equal is paving the way for the industry, Bianca joins us for today's deep dive.