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What’s the next option for our Wednesday Tradition Trial™?
Trivia!
At TDA, we love a quiz. (If you’re not doing our weekly Saturday quiz over on our Instagram, you’re missing out!) So, here is some trivia for you:
What came first, YouTube or Facebook? Answer is in the titbit!
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “Bunnings claims its timber is legal and does not harm endangered species. Our research tells a different story.”
Wilderness Society NSW in a statement announcing it has filed a complaint about Bunnings with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, alleging greenwashing.
The stat: 1,340. The estimated number of people who died in the Central Mediterranean in 2025, which is “the deadliest migration corridor in the world,” according to a statement by the International Organisation for Migration.
The big question:
Yesterday’s results: 88% of you think free shipping is more important than fast shipping when shopping online [2,064 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
A Perth man has been charged after being accused of throwing a device “designed to explode” into a crowd of January 26 protesters. Demonstrators were evacuated after an object containing ball bearings, screws and liquid was found in central Perth on Monday. A 31-year-old man was arrested a short time later and spent the night in custody. He has since been charged with an unlawful act with intent to do harm, and with making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances. Forensic teams searched the man’s home on Monday and the device was examined by the bomb response unit. Police allege the device was designed to explode upon impact, and said it’s not yet clear why it didn’t detonate.
An independent inquiry will explore whether there was a “missed opportunity” to prevent six deaths after a landslide at a New Zealand holiday park. Record rainfall in Tauranga caused land above the park to give way last week, crushing campervans and a shower block. Six people are presumed dead, as authorities continue efforts to find their bodies. Locals claim emergency services were alerted to the potential threat of a landslip four hours before the incident. NZ Prime Minister Chris Luxon has called for an independent probe, saying: “There are many questions being asked, including whether there was a missed opportunity to evacuate people sooner”. Luxon suggested a potential conflict between the council and the council-owned campground. “The families deserve answers,” he said.
Recommendation of the day
Why should I invest? Let’s break it down simply.
→ Start early, grow your money. The sooner you plant it, the more time it has to grow. That’s compounding - your money can earn returns, and then those returns earn more returns. Give it time, and the growth potentially stacks up.
→ Outpace inflation and increase your purchasing power. Even if your money is in a bank account, rising prices quietly shrink what it can buy. Investing could help your money grow to stay ahead and grow faster than inflation.
→ Consistency beats guessing the “perfect moment.” Small, regular investments spread the risk and can help smooth out those inevitable ups and downs
Ready to keep learning about investing? The CommSec Invest podcast breaks it all down into easy steps - catch all the episodes here.
‘Information is general in nature. Consider the T&Cs and other fees and charges at commsec.com.au before making a decision. Investing carries risk.’
I’ve got 1 minute
The NSW Coalition Opposition has announced a new portfolio dedicated to men’s health.
MP Matt Cross has been appointed as the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Health.
Cross has been tasked with overseeing male suicide prevention strategies for the NSW Opposition.
NSW will next hold a state election in March 2027.
Proposal
The Liberal-National Coalition is currently in opposition in NSW, meaning its policies are proposals of what they would implement if they win government at the next state election.
It said it is developing a men’s health strategy focused on prevention and detection, “health information tailored to men,” and “practical support for fathers”.
The Coalition established a men’s health framework when it was in Government in 2018. It focused on addressing specific health challenges including mental health, cancer, and STIs.
The Federal Government launched a Men’s Health Strategy in 2020. It has similar goals and is scheduled to run until 2030.
In 2025, the Federal Government appointed MP Dan Repacholi as its Special Envoy for Men’s Health.
The NSW Opposition argues the state needs an updated, state-specific approach, building on the “important first step” of the 2018 policy.
Comments
Cross, who represents the northern Sydney seat of Davidson, said he would bring personal experience to the role.
“I know first-hand how critical prevention and early detection can be... My experience surviving bowel cancer reinforced the importance of men feeling comfortable talking openly about their health,” he said.
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said: “We should not accept the status quo... Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men aged 15 to 44.”
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Reporting by Elliot Lawry.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Zara and Billi explain if Pauline Hanson could become the next Prime Minister.
💶 The RBA has its first meeting of the year next week, and experts are predicting they will increase the cash rate. We’re working on an explainer on what that means for you over on our finance newsletter. You can sign up to TDA Finance here to make sure the explainer is in your inbox today!
I’ve got 2 minutes
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has accused Services Australia of failing to act on an error stopping parents from accessing child support, even if they were legally eligible.
The Ombudsman said it was possible staff at Services Australia had known about the error for several years, calling it “extremely concerning.”
Services Australia was one of the subjects of the 2023 Royal Commission investigation into the illegal Robodebt scheme.
The Department of Social Services said it would fix the legal “anomaly”.
Details
Services Australia falls under the Department of Social Services (DSS).
It operates programs and services like Medicare, Centrelink, and child support.
Services Australia told the Ombudsman it is its “longstanding policy” that “parents with little or no care should not be entitled to child support”.
In 2008, legislation determined parents with more than 65% care of a child have no obligation to pay child support to the other parent.
However, the Ombudsman found this legislation also had a loophole overruling this determination in some cases.
“A parent providing less than 35% care may be entitled to receive child support if the other parent is providing 65% of the care or less,” the Ombudsman said.
In an investigation report published this week, the Commonwealth Ombudsman said Services Australia and the DSS were aware of this loophole for six years.
The Ombudsman “found that the action taken by Services Australia and DSS to remediate this issue has not been proportionate or reasonable,” calling the time period “extremely concerning.”
“At the time of finalising this report, Services Australia remains knowingly non-compliant with the law,” it said.
The Ombudsman made six recommendations to the organisations, including providing compensation to those impacted by the error.
Robodebt
From 2015 to 2019, the Government used a welfare debt collection system called Robodebt, carried out by DSS and Services Australia.
The system checked welfare recipients’ reported fortnightly income against annual income declared on tax returns.
If this comparison suggested they had been overpaid, a debt notice was issued without human oversight.
Multiple errors with the system led to over $1.7 billion in debt notices being incorrectly issued. The scheme was determined to be unlawful.
A Royal Commission into Robodebt was launched in 2022.
A final report handed down in 2023 linked the scheme to at least three deaths by suicide. It criticised officials for giving “little thought” to the impact of the scheme on welfare recipients.
A $1.8 billion compensation package was distributed to victims between 2020 and 2022.
The Government also agreed to provide an additional $475 million in compensation to settle the Robodebt class action appeal.
Comments
In a statement to TDA, Services Australia General Manager Hank Jorgan said the agency has “made progress... in our handling of issues such as this”.
Jorgan noted that of 1.1 million child support customers, “approximately 16,000 parents may have been affected” over six years.
A DSS spokesperson told TDA the Government is “drafting legislation to address this technical legal anomaly” that “will be introduced at the next parliamentary session.”
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
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Give me some good news
The first cancer lab in space will focus on experiments that can’t be performed on Earth.
German space-biotech company SPARK Microgravity unveiled its planned space-lab at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The facility will operate in low Earth orbit, a zero gravity environment where it’s hoped researchers will be able to unlock biological insights and develop new therapies.
Systems for future cancer experiments will be trialled during an early flight demonstration in May, but it's not yet clear when the lab could be up and running.
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA titbit
Independent MP Monique Ryan wants to name heatwaves after fossil fuel companies.
Currently, tropical cyclones are the only severe weather events that receive formal names in Australia.
But Ryan wants that to change.
On Tuesday, she launched a campaign to “name killer heatwaves after the companies responsible for fuelling dangerous heat.”
Dr Ryan said: “Declaring a Category 4 ‘Heatwave Santos’ or ‘Heatwave Woodside’ would be more salient than communicating a ‘temperature spike’”.
Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.
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Trivia answer: Facebook came first. It was launched in 2004. YouTube was launched in 2005.
TDA asks
