This morning’s podcast is TDA’s interview with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

From the cost of living, to youth crime, to the Premier’s leadership and treaties, we cover a whole range of issues in this exclusive interview.

You can listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

And thanks to everyone who sent in question suggestions!

The quote
"Sometimes you have to eat s**t for others to eat caviar further down the track.” – Wallabies coach Eddie Jones speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald on how he feels after the announcement that he is leaving the role in the wake of the team's poor performance at the Rugby World Cup.

The stat
$US1.1bn
The estimated net worth of Taylor Swift, according to a new report by Bloomberg.

Today in history
1938: Orson Welles broadcast a radio performance of H.G. Wells’s War of the Worlds, causing many American listeners to panic thinking it was a legitimate broadcast detailing an alien invasion.

Some headlines from this morning:

The public agency responsible for work health and safety has recommended a nationwide ban on crystalline silica.

Silica dust is a dangerous substance that can cause irreversible and deadly lung damage for construction workers who come into contact with it.

Safe Work Australia was tasked with investigating new steps to limit silica exposure in February. Its report, released on Friday, called for a total ban of engineered stone products.

What is silica?
Silica is a mineral found in sand, stone, concrete, and mortar. It's been used by construction workers and labourers to make man-made slabs of engineered stone. Engineered stone has become a popular and more affordable alternative to natural stone (like marble or granite) in the construction of bathrooms and kitchens.

When engineered stone is cut, drilled and polished, the dust particles it generates contain crystalline silica, which is dangerous to inhale.

What is silicosis?
When lodged deep in the lungs, silica dust can cause silicosis - a disease characterised by the scarring of the lungs. Silicosis can develop within weeks of exposure to silica dust. The dust can also result in lung cancer, kidney damage and autoimmune disease.

A 2022 study by Curtin University estimated there were over 580,000 Australian workers being exposed to silica dust. Worldwide, silicosis has been estimated to contribute to 10,400 deaths.

Silica products like stone benches don't pose a safety risk once they have been installed.

What is the response from Safe Work?
In a report handed down on Friday, Safe Work recommended a total ban on engineered stone. It said this was the only way to ensure the safety and health of Australian workers.

The ban was one of three options presented to address the risk of crystalline silica in Australia.

Protective regulations and a partial ban on engineered stone with silica content were also discussed.

What will happen next?
The recommendation by Safe Work won't automatically result in a ban on engineered stone - that will be up to individual governments. Federal, state and territory governments will meet again this year to determine next steps.

The Australian Government is calling for "humanitarian pauses" to allow more aid to reach civilians in Gaza as Israeli bombardment continues following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October.

The Government has evacuated some Australians from Israel and is seeking the exit of Australians in Gaza. It has also asked Australians in neighbouring Lebanon to return home.

Here's how Australian federal politicians from across the spectrum have responded.

Background
On 7 October, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing over 1,400 people according to Israeli authorities. Australia considers Hamas a terrorist organisation. More than 200 hostages were captured and taken to Gaza. Four have been released.

Israel responded by declaring war and seeking to "eliminate" Hamas. It has shut off access to basic necessities including food and fuel. Over 7,000 people have now been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. At least 74 aid trucks have reached Gaza via its border with Egypt, but the UN, the U.S. and Australia are among those who have called for significantly more aid access.

Govt response
The Australian Government has "unequivocally" condemned "heinous attacks on Israel by brutal terrorist group Hamas." The Government recognises Israel's right to self-defence, with Prime Minister Albanese saying last week "we pick a side against Hamas". Australia has consistently warned all parties to abide by rules of war.

In recent days, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said "the way Israel exercises its right to defend itself matters... Innocent Palestinian civilians should not suffer because of the outrages perpetrated by Hamas." Wong says the amount of aid so far provided to Gaza is "nowhere near enough".

Labor MP comments
Several Government MPs have varied from the Government's official language.

Cabinet Minister Ed Husic recently said he felt "very strongly that Palestinians are being collectively punished here for Hamas's barbarism." Collective punishment is a war crime under international law. Another Cabinet Minister, Anne Aly, agreed Israel should be investigated for possible collective punishment.

Labor MP Josh Burns disagreed, saying the phrase collective punishment was "not one I would use... [Hamas] is a terrorist organisation... this is not a good faith actor nor one that you can make peace with."

The Government has not accused Israel of committing war crimes.

Cabinet Minister Tony Burke last week said he was "proud" the Canterbury Bankstown Council in his electorate had decided to fly the Palestinian flag. "It is not the Hamas flag... It's a flag that gives people the chance to know that there is recognition," Burke said.

Coalition response
The Coalition has expressed "unequivocal" support for Israel. Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham said he supported "Israel's right to exist and right to self-defence, and the ambition to remove Hamas from any position of power or influence".

He said Israel had "shown restraint" and not committed war crimes.

"It’s important that we do not allow moral equivalence to be drawn... [Hamas] were targeting [Israelis] because they are Jews," Birmingham said. He added the Coalition supported humanitarian aid "so long as it does not aid or abet Hamas."

Birmingham also criticised the inconsistent language used by government ministers. "Consistency of language matters, particularly from a government," he said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has also criticised Labor's language, accusing Wong and Albanese of "hesitancy" in support for Israel and said there was "understandable anger" in the Jewish community at the Government.

He noted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu had not answered Albanese's requests for a phone call, saying it "says as much as anything about the Israelis' view on where Anthony Albanese is on these matters."

The Greens
The Greens have opposed Israel's actions in Gaza. Greens leader Adam Bandt said: "The indiscriminate bombing and siege of civilian populations is not self defence and to support it as such undermines international law and Australia's global position."

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi has accused Israel of "committing war crimes and collective punishment in plain sight... Gaza is being bombed to dust... World leaders are silently watching this catastrophe unfold. They should hang their heads in shame forever."

Defence Minister Richard Marles has accused the Greens of "getting this very wrong," and Dutton has accused them of "encouraging hatred".

Get all the news you need to know today in your ears on The Daily Aus podcast!

The first WHO-approved malaria vaccine has reduced deaths among young children by 13% in the last four years.

It's believed deaths from malaria could continue to decline as the vaccine is made more widely available.

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A 75-year-old woman in Italy has won a court case against her two sons - her ‘bamboccioni’ - to evict them from her home. Translating directly to ‘big babies’, the term ‘bamboccioni’ is used in Italy to refer to older children still living at home.

Her two sons are aged 40 and 42, and despite being employed, they have refused to move out of their mother’s home. The woman decided to take her sons to court as they did not pay for any living expenses or help maintain the household.

According to The Guardian, the judge sided with the 75-year-old woman stating that: “After a certain age there is no longer any obligation on the part of the parents.”

Under the judge’s orders, the two men must move out of home by 18 December. Sounds like there’ll be some fun dinner table conversations before then.

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