Happy Thursday!

Don’t forget to drink water today.

(Admittedly, this is not my best intro. But you need to have some bad ones so the other ones can shine.)

Quote of the day
“No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Well, let me say this as clearly as I can: I never will. For God’s sake, it’s dumb, it’s shameful, it’s dangerous, it’s un-American.”
U.S. President Joe Biden has responded to comments from Donald Trump, who said if he was re-elected he would pull out of NATO and tell Russia to “do whatever the hell they want”.

Stat of the day
$US2.2 trillion ($AU3.4 trillion)
The estimated total of how much was spent on global defence in 2023, according to military analysis from the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Today in history
1950
The classic Disney animated film ‘Cinderella’ premiered in cinemas.

Some headlines from this morning:

• More than 2 million calls to Centrelink went unanswered over a six month period last year. Services Australia data for July to December shows 7 million callers received “congestion messages” and had to wait an average of more than 30 minutes to speak to a staff member. Federal Senators analysed the data from Services Australia during hearings this week, finding nearly a third of callers hung up after long wait times.

• Two opposing parties in Pakistan have made a deal to share power after an election last week resulted in a hung parliament –meaning neither party won enough seats to form government. Independent candidates backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently in jail, won the most seats, but can’t form government on their own. Another former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has agreed to lead a coalition with former Foreign Affairs Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League is politically conservative while Zardari’s People’s Party is described as centre-left.

Young Australians are more likely to experience loneliness and psychological distress than other age groups, new data shows.

The finding was included in the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) report, released this week.

The report gathered data between 2001 and 2021 by interviewing the same group of 17,000 Australians every year about their finances, family and social life, and physical and mental health.

The findings
Youth loneliness: The highest rates of loneliness were reported among Australians aged 15-24. While loneliness increased during the pandemic, researchers said they were concerned about a “longer-term trend” of loneliness that could be linked to “growth in smartphones and social media use”.

Relationships: Data suggests fewer Australians are choosing to get married, and the number of unmarried couples living together (de facto relationships) has increased.

Psychological distress: 42% of 15-24 year olds reported psychological distress (including depression or anxiety) in 2021. This was more than double 2011 rates. The report also found that psychological distress declined as Australians got older.

Vaping: The report found that teenagers were “far more likely” to vape than Australians over 30. Just over 14% of people 15 years and over had tried a vape or e-cigarette at least once.

Living at home: It’s become more common for adult children (aged 18-29) to live with their parents in the last 20 years.

Tasmanians will head to the polls next month – more than a year ahead of schedule.

It comes after Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he would ask the Tasmanian Governor to call an early election.

Rockliff has been leading a minority Liberal government after two politicians quit the party.

Tasmania is the only state or territory that isn’t governed by the Labor Party.

Minority government
To pass laws through the House of Representatives, governments need to guarantee the confidence of a majority of MPs (members of parliament).

This is achieved when one party wins more than half of the seats available.

However, it can also be achieved through negotiations with crossbench members. This is called a ‘minority government’. Crossbenchers don’t have to vote with the government on everything, but they agree to keep the government in power and pass spending bills.

Tasmanian Government
The Tasmanian Liberals, led by Jeremy Rockliff, secured 13 of the 25 seats in the lower house at the 2021 election.

However, they lost their slim majority after two former MPs, John Tucker and Lara Alexander, quit the party to become independent cross-benchers.

The Tasmanian Liberals currently hold 11 seats in the lower house.

The government had been in negotiations to secure the confidence of the former Liberal MPs.However, those negotiations failed this week.

Fallout
The failed deal essentially means the government cannot lead with any certainty that it will be able to pass laws.

Both Tucker and Alexander have criticised the government for its handling of negotiations.

Tucker has accused Rockliff of lying about discussions on a proposed deal, while Alexander has called the Liberal Party an “abusive partner”.

What happens next?
An election is now scheduled for 23 March. Voters will elect 35 MPs to the lower house, with the number of available seats increasing from the current 25.

Members will be elected for a four-year term.

The early election will only determine the seats in the lower house. Periodic elections for the Tasmanian upper house are scheduled for May.

Planning your upcoming holiday? Whether you’re gearing up for an overseas adventure, or a quick escape to somewhere local, before you take off it’s a good idea to start thinking about getting your travel insurance sorted. Trust us, it can be a real lifesaver when things don’t go to plan.

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Take the stress out of your next adventure. Get a quote today!

If you’re a regular listener to The Daily Aus’ podcast, we would love you to fill out this survey.

It will help us understand what you like (and maybe don’t like) about our podcast at the moment, and how we can improve.

Thank you in advance to anyone fills it out!

This month we've heard two updates on the 'Closing the Gap' initiative, a scheme aimed at improving the lives of First Nations people.

But it's not good news – the Government is at risk of not meeting the ‘Closing the Gap’ targets to improve outcomes for First Nations people. It’s even going backwards on some of its goals, meaning the gap between First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians is widening in some target areas.

Today on the podcast, we're explaining the failures and successes of the 'Closing the Gap' scheme, and what needs to change.

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Breakthrough satellite mapping technology has helped researchers from the University of Queensland find unknown coral reefs.

The newly mapped 350,000 square kilometres of reefs means there are more coral ecosystems in the world’s oceans than scientists previously thought.

The global reef mapping project, which is focused on conservation efforts, also found new areas of coral reefs up to 30 metres deep.

Do you remember the 2022 Netflix series ‘Hype House’?

It was a reality show about a bunch of TikTok influencers living together in a California mansion.

Well, that mansion – with its eight bedrooms, ten bathrooms and 20 acres of land – is now up for sale!

For $US5.5 million ($AU8.5 million) the Santa Rosa Valley home could be yours. 

All you need to become the next Hype House is seven friends and about $1,060,000 each! Season two, anyone?