☕️ Tasmania's vote of no confidence

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“If somebody is elected as one party and then jump ships later on, I do think the honourable thing is to resign from the Parliament.”
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young speaking to the ABC about Senator Dorinda Cox’s defection from Greens to Labor.

$1 million
The amount of money lost per hour to gambling on poker machines in NSW in the first 90 days of 2025. According to an analysis of state government data by Wesley Mission, total losses over the period amounted to $2.17 billion.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, went viral this week after sharing a video she recorded before the birth of her daughter Lilibet. Sussex is seen dancing in her birthing suite to a TikTok sound about being “pregnant for way too long” as she waited to give birth. We’re pretty impressed with her moves!

Australian health practitioners who administer cosmetic injectables will be required to follow new regulatory guidelines aimed at “putting patient welfare first.”

These new rules apply to non-surgical cosmetic procedures, which include things like Botox, and lip fillers.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency says these guidelines will be enforced from September.

Under the new rules, nurses will need to complete an additional year of full-time practice under supervision before becoming qualified to independently perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Health practitioners must also provide more comprehensive information to patients. The information must not “glamorise cosmetic procedures” or “minimise their complexity”.

The information must also not “overstate results or imply the person can achieve outcomes that are not realistic”.

Queensland is the only state that has legislated a ban on performing a cosmetic procedure on a child. Elsewhere in the country, there’s no minimum age for these procedures.

However, the National Boards (a group of boards for each health profession) explicitly say that Botox and fillers should not be prescribed for cosmetic purposes for those under 18.

For any minors who are considering it, the new rules mandate that there now be a seven-day ‘cooling-off period’ after a minor’s initial consultation.

There will now be a complete ban on social media influencer testimonials. This includes a ban on health practitioners providing free or discounted procedures for the promotion of cosmetic procedures.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Tasmania is set to head to its second election in less than two years, after a no-confidence motion was passed against Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff.

Labor introduced the motion over its concerns about growing debt in the state following last week’s budget.

The Liberal Government doesn’t have a majority, meaning it relies on the support of at least four independent and minor party MPs, who have now backed the no-confidence motion.

The Liberals have been in Government in Tasmania since 2014.

At the last election in March 2024, the Liberals won 14 of the 35 seats in the House of Assembly (lower house) — the most of any party.

Rockliff then struck a deal with five crossbenchers (minor parties and independents) to form a minority government, providing Rockliff with “confidence” and “supply”.

Confidence is an expression of support. In Australia’s parliaments, a government can only function with the confidence of more than half of the lower house’s members.

Supply is the formal term for spending, referring to legislation passed to fund government projects and departments.

Last week, the Tasmanian Government handed down its annual budget, showing net debt is predicted to climb above $10 billion by June 2029.

Earlier this year, Rockliff floated the possibility of selling off some state assets as a way of reducing debt.

However, a Government-commissioned review later advised against this.

Labor Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie questioned if the Government was factoring “asset sales” in to its budget, asking which assets are on the “chopping block”.

The Government has also promised to replace two Spirit of Tasmania ferries, which cross the Bass Strait, with two new ships built in Finland.

The ships were initially slated to arrive in 2024. However, the Devonport terminal (where the Spirit ferries dock) required reconstruction, because the new ships wouldn’t fit.

The Government now expects the ferries to be operational from October 2026. It has been accused of avoidable delays and cost overruns.

The increasing projected cost of the proposed Hobart stadium has also become an issue for the Government.

The stadium is a requirement of a deal the Government signed with the AFL to allow Tasmania to get its own team.

It’s projected to cost $945 million.

Rockliff has repeatedly said the Government would not spend “a red cent” more than $375 million, with the rest from private investors.

The Greens have opposed the stadium, describing it as a “dodgy project” set to cost more than $1 billion.

Earlier this week, Labor leader Dean Winter tabled a no-confidence motion against the Government due to the build-up of controversies, culminating in the budget that Winter claims “is sending Tasmania broke”.

Over two days, every lower house MP was granted the chance to speak in support or against the motion.

The motion passed with the support of Labor, the Greens, and three independents.

After the vote, Rockliff told Parliament it was a “sad day” for Tasmania.

Ahead of the no-confidence vote, Rockliff had confirmed he would ask for an election to be held.

“This will be an election that Tasmanians don’t want, and Tasmania cannot afford,” Rockliff told Parliament.

“But be that on Mr Winter’s and the Labor Party’s head,” he added, describing his opponent as a “wrecker”.

Rockliff will now ask the acting Governor to dissolve Parliament and call an election.

It’s not clear yet what date he will choose to hold a ballot.

Labor is currently ahead in opinion polls and performed strongly at the 3 May federal election in Tasmania, winning all but one of the state’s five seats.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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Ted the labrador and Penny the labradoodle wandered from their Trentham home in West Central Victoria on Tuesday. The pair’s adventure took a scary turn when Ted fell down an old mineshaft. Thankfully, Penny avoided the fall and was able to keep a safe eye on her mate from above ground. A CFA Victoria rescue team traversed the 8 metre mine shaft, with the support of Trentham Fire Brigade and Forest Fire Management Victoria. Ted was winched to safety and returned to his owners, uninjured. The CFA acknowledged the “incredible work from all involved in the search and rescue,” of Penny and Ted, who they said “might think twice before heading off on anymore adventures,” after a “ruff” situation.

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

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Wicked fans’ lives are about to be changed for good.

The trailer for the second Wicked film, Wicked: For Good, launched on Thursday.

The film will premiere in November this year.

In the meantime, we will refer to ourselves as The Daily Oz.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

More than one in three men report using intimate partner violence – any behaviour in an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm – according to a Government-backed study into men's mental health and wellbeing, paternal relationships, demographics, social support, and life satisfaction.

Launched in 2013, 'Ten to Men' is the largest longitudinal study on male health globally, with a total cohort of 24,000 men involved today. Its program lead, Dr Sean Martin from the Australian Institute of Family Studies joins us is today's deep dive to talk about the latest Ten to Men findings.