☕️ Qantas' record-breaking fine

I hope you’ve had a better morning than me, who woke up at 5am, realised I forgot to put the bins out, then went outside just to watch the truck drive off. Which tells me it’s probably time for a holiday!

I’ll be taking a month off from tomorrow, and handing the newsletter reins to Sam, TDA’s co-founder. He’s a big fan of coffee (hence TDA’s logo), long sentences (too much coffee), and words of affirmation (we love the long sentences, Sam).

See you on the other side!

"Great example of why I fear open ocean swimming so much. Surfboards have saved quite a few surfers with that tiny barrier."
U.S. surfing great Kelly Slater in a comment posted to social media, after a NSW surfer had a close call with a shark off Cabarita Beach. Tweed Shire Council closed the beach on Monday "due to a shark bite incident". The rider was unharmed but images on social media show a large chunk missing from his surfboard.

$2 million
The new salary of 22-year-old AFL player Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera under a two-year contract extension with St Kilda, according to AFL.com.au. Wanganeen-Milera is the first player to earn this much per season.

Redheads may require higher doses of anaesthesia compared to people with other natural hair colours. This is due to genetic variations in the MC1R gene, which affects pain sensitivity and how the body processes anaesthetics.

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Hundreds of thousands of protesters have gathered across Israel to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages.

The strike was led by hostages’ families, and saw major roads shut down across the country.

It comes as the Israeli Government is expanding its military operations in an attempt to seize complete control of Gaza.

The World Health Organisation has said the “worst-case scenario of famine is now unfolding in the Gaza Strip”. Israeli forces have killed more than 1,700 Palestinians trying to access food supplies since the end of May.

The protest was one of the largest the country has seen since 7 October 2023. At least 38 people were arrested.

Of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive.

Qantas has been ordered to pay a $90 million fine for unlawfully sacking workers during the pandemic.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) launched legal action against the airline after it fired 1,820 baggage handlers in 2020.

The TWU successfully argued that the move was a breach of workers’ legal rights. Qantas failed to appeal the decision twice, in 2021 and 2023.

In December, the airline agreed to pay $120 million to compensate staff.

On Monday, it was handed an additional penalty in the Federal Court.

Qantas sacked 1,800 airport staff and outsourced their work to contractors in late 2020. The airline said it was “bleeding cash” at the time due to the pandemic.

The TWU, which represents many of the staff, argued the decision breached workers’ legal rights.

Workers have a right to approved forms of industrial action, such as strikes.

The TWU argued Qantas deliberately and illegally sacked the workers at a time when they could not take action. In 2021, a Federal Court judge agreed.

Qantas appealed to the full Federal Court, where three judges also sided in the TWU’s favour.

The airline then appealed to the High Court, Australia’s highest legal authority and final place of appeal.

In 2023, the Court unanimously agreed Qantas’ appeal should be dismissed.

In October 2024, the Federal Court ordered Qantas to compensate three former employees a total of $170,000.

The court found Qantas should compensate the workers for lost wages and “non-economic losses,” including the “distress, hurt, humiliation or other emotional harm” they experienced after being fired.

It was the first compensation decision in the long-running unfair dismissal case, and was considered a “test case” for the other affected former employees.

Following the Federal Court decision, the airline negotiated a settlement with the TWU.

In December 2024, Qantas agreed to pay $120 million to compensate the workers impacted by its 2020 dismissal decision.

The carrier confirmed it would begin paying compensation “directly to the former employees” from early 2025.

“Final compensation amounts will cover both economic and non-economic loss, [and] compensation to the TWU,” Qantas said.

Federal Court Justice Michael Lee has now ordered Qantas to pay a $90 million penalty for illegally sacking its workers.

It comes eight months after Qantas agreed to a $120 million settlement. This new penalty is in addition to the compensation payments.

Justice Lee accused Qantas of being “the wrong kind of sorry,” and suggested the remorse it has shown “more likely reflects the damage this case has done... rather than unique remorse for the damage done to the affected workers”.

Justice Lee noted the TWU “has alone borne the burden of prosecuting this litigation”.

He has ordered $50 million of Qantas’ $90 million fine be paid to the union, to go towards its legal costs.

The TWU called the fine “a historic win,” and “a vindication of the fight we picked up on behalf of unfairly treated workers those years ago.”

A statement from Qantas said: “Today’s judgment holds us accountable for our actions that caused real harm to our employees.”

Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said the airline apologises to “each and every one” of the 1,820 sacked workers and their families.

“Over the past 18 months, we’ve worked hard to change the way we operate... to rebuild trust with our people and our customers. This remains our highest priority as we work to earn back the trust we lost,” Hudson said.

Qantas said it accepts the Federal Court’s decision.

“The $90 million penalty will be paid in accordance with the orders of the Court.”

The airline noted it has made a $120 million payment into a compensation fund for “all affected former employees”.

This fund is being managed and administered by Maurice Blackburn, the law firm representing the workers.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Two looks, one doona

You spend a third of your life in bed – might as well make it worth it.

Hommey’s sell-out Versa Collection is finally back, and it’s basically the ultimate bedroom hack. Every quilt cover is reversible, so you get two completely different looks for the price of one.

Flip it for an instant refresh, mix and match the six colour pairings (Aster & Mulberry, Cloud & Mahogany… you get the idea) and layer them to suit your style. Made from super-soft, planet-friendly organic cotton, Versa nails comfort, style and value.

🍊 The AFL’s first $2 million player.
🍊 Boomers win a third straight Asia Cup. More details.
🍊 The Wallabies’ great escape. Plus more Rugby Championship news.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cricket, athletics, and more…

According to the BBC, Grace Chambers began participating in ParkRuns in 2016, when she was in her late 80s, while recovering from heart surgery. Chambers continued her Parkruns over the following years despite breaking her leg during the pandemic, and another recent heart surgery just four weeks ago. She celebrated her milestone run with the doctor who performed her surgery last month, and has now had a plaque installed on a bench in her local park to commemorate her achievement. Speaking to the BBC, Chambers said: "Many people do much more remarkable things than this, but if it inspires some people to start running then that's great.”

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

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

It’s often said that language is always evolving. Proof can be found in a recent list of some of the more than 6,000 words that have been added to the Cambridge Dictionary in the last year.

New additions include ‘skibidi’, ‘tradwife’, and ‘broligarchy.’

Language expert Colin McIntosh told the BBC the new words reflect how “internet culture is changing the English language.”

McIntosh also said the dictionary included words that have “staying power.”

We’ll have to wait and see if ‘skibidi’ is still being said in 10 years.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

A landmark Federal Court decision has hit Qantas with Australia's largest workplace penalty in corporate history. The airline has been ordered to pay $90 million for illegally sacking more than 1,800 workers during the pandemic, money that comes on top of a $120 million compensation deal the airline has already agreed to.

It’s been nearly five years since we first began hearing about this case, and there have been plenty of twists and turns in the years since.

Today, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about this case, including this week’s court ruling.