☕️ TGA turns up the heat on SPF

…To everyone except Queenslanders. You’re just too good.

“We love monarchy… when it’s not at home.”
French President Emmanuel Macron speaking to the UK Parliament as part of an official visit. France’s last king was overthrown during the Revolution in the late 1700s.

15.6 million
How many people born between 2008 and 2017 will be diagnosed with gastric cancer in their lifetime, according to new research from scientists at the World Health Organisation.

“Not the notes app break up template 😂😂😂”. A comment left on our RBA interest rates post, created in the Notes app because Canva was down.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has recommended sunscreen brands avoid using high amounts of two ingredients following a review of their risks.

The medicine regulator’s review focused on “prolonged and frequent” use of some products that could impact hormones, although the link isn’t yet confirmed.

It follows laboratory testing by consumer advice brand Choice, which found some sunscreens fell short of their labelled SPF claims.

The TGA maintains that “all sunscreens available in Australia are safe.”

The TGA undertook a review of seven active ingredients used to filter UV radiation in sunscreen. It concluded five of those ingredients were safe.

The two outstanding chemicals – homosalate and oxybenzone – showed signs of risk in higher concentrations.

Homosalate could be a hormone disruptor, although data isn’t conclusive. Oxybenzone has been linked to skin irritation in larger quantities, according to the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information.

In Australia, both of these chemicals are approved at higher rates than other parts of the world.

The maximum for homosalate is 15%, the same as the U.S. and Canada, while in the EU it’s 7.34%.

Meanwhile, oxybenzone is approved at 10% in Australia compared to 6% in Europe for face and hand products.

The TGA said it will now conduct public consultation to “determine the level in sunscreens at which these ingredients remain suitable for use”.

The TGA has now recommended sunscreen brands that use both homosalate and oxybenzone are “reformulated” for extra safety over long-term use.

This would involve reducing the concentration of these chemicals in their products. The recommendation also applies to another chemical called benzophenone.

The TGA said: “All sunscreens available in Australia are safe. The TGA is not recommending a change in the use of sunscreens”.

The TGA’s recommendations follow a recent study from consumer group Choice, which measured the effectiveness of some sunscreens.

It tested various sunscreen brands labelled as SPF50 (sun protection factor) in a laboratory.

The results suggested some brands had over-stated their SPF rating, finding an SPF50-labelled product from the brand Ultra Violette only returned an SPF rating of 4. The company disputes the results.

The TGA has since said it would review Choice’s findings.

It said there were concerns around testing SPF on human volunteers, while noting it is “the universally accepted method”.

The TGA said the process could be “highly subjective”.

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer diagnoses in the world, with about 2,000 people dying of the disease annually.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is “urgently” seeking clarity about a proposed 200% U.S. tariff on pharmaceutical products.

Official data shows Australia’s exports of medicines to the U.S. were valued at $AU2.05 billion last year.

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated he could raise taxes on imports of certain products, including medicines, on top of his current tranche of tariffs. Here’s the latest.

A tariff is a tax on imports. It’s applied to foreign-made goods brought into another country and paid by the importer.

For example: Country A and Country B make the same product. Country A wants its citizens to buy its own version of the product, not Country B’s, so it applies a tariff.

Importers in Country A now pay the tax when they bring in B’s product, and pass on the cost to consumers, making this version of the product more expensive to buy.

Since returning to office earlier this year, Trump has implemented new tariffs on countries.

In April, he imposed a “baseline” 10% tariff on all countries, including Australia, and levied higher rates on certain countries.

Trump also imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

Trump has hinted at placing a tariff on other industries – such as films produced outside the U.S. – but hasn’t followed through yet.

Medicines and pharmaceuticals rank among Australia’s top exports to the U.S.

In 2024, these exports were worth $2.05 billion, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and represented about 40% of Australia’s total medicinal exports.

Ahead of a meeting with his top officials, Trump told reporters he was considering a 200% tariff on imports of pharmaceuticals. He flagged an announcement was coming “very soon”.

Trump said there would be a buffer of between 12 to 18 months for pharmaceutical companies to move to the U.S. before tariffs would be imposed.

“We’ll give [drug companies] a certain period of time to get their act together,” he said.

If the tariffs are imposed on Australian companies, it would effectively act as a trade embargo, as the cost of doing business in the U.S. would increase significantly.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told American outlet CNBC that a study on medicine tariffs is due to be handed down at the end of July.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a lobby group, filed a complaint with the U.S’ top trade official earlier this year about what it called Australia’s “egregious and discriminatory pricing policies”.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is a list of Government-subsidised medicines. The maximum cost of medicines on the PBS is currently capped at $31.60, and will come down to $25 next year.

The lobbyists said the PBS “undermines American competitiveness, jobs and exports”.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers described Trump’s latest remarks on pharmaceuticals as “very concerning developments”.

“Our pharmaceutical industry is much more exposed to the US market. And that’s why we’re urgently seeking some more detail on what’s been announced,” Chalmers told the ABC.

He said the PBS will not be impacted by any tariff measures, despite U.S. pressure.

Shadow Trade Minister Kevin Hogan called the proposed tariffs a “serious escalation”.

Hogan criticised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to lock in a meeting with Trump, after the President cancelled their scheduled meeting on the sidelines of last month’s G7 summit during Israel’s war with Iran.

“Australian exporters are facing uncertainty with no resolution since tariffs were imposed earlier this year and no voice at the table fighting for them,” Hogan said in a statement.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Have you heard of habit stacking? 

This technique forms new habits by pairing them with existing ones. 

So, by linking your daily vitamin intake to an existing routine - like brushing your teeth or brewing your morning coffee - you build healthy habits that stick.  

Blackmores make habit stacking even easier with their new range of Rapi-Melts that rapidly dissolve in your mouth - yep, no water needed! 

Rapi-Melts are available in four delicious flavours each formulated to support a specific area of wellness:

Keen to start habit stacking? Add Blackmores Rapi-Melts to part of your daily routine and experience the difference today.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. 

🍊 Don’t understand Le Tour de France? Let us explain.
🍊 Sabalenka scraped through her quarter-final. Here’s what she said.
🍊 The Matildas scraped by Panama. More details here.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: AFL, rugby union, and more…

The doll includes an insulin pump and glucose monitor, “to enable more children to see themselves” reflected. Toy manufacturer Mattel also said it hopes the doll will encourage more children to understand others with experiences different from their own. The Barbie was designed in partnership with a research and advocacy organisation called Breakthrough T1D to ensure accurate representation. Breakthrough T1D said the doll “helps raise awareness and normalises [type 1 diabetes] in everyday culture,” showing young diabetics they’re “seen, supported and never alone.”

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

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

Don’t kiss and fence.

French Olympic medallist fencer Ysaora Thibus has been completely cleared of doping charges, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport found her former partner transferred a substance to her through kissing.

Thibus failed a doping test in 2024, which detected the presence of Ostarine, a banned drug.

Thibus’s then-partner (also an Olympic fencer!) was taking Ostarine, and transmitted it to Thibus through kissing.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport found he could have “left sufficient amounts of ostarine in the saliva through kissing,” ruling the presence of ostarine was not intentional.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

A former radio host is taking legal action against his former employer over a 2012 prank call controversy that made global headlines. Michael Christian is suing Southern Cross Austereo, claiming he wasn't supported through the fallout from an on-air segment that led to tragic consequences.

Today we're explaining what happened in 2012, the legal action that's now underway, and what Christian is alleging about his treatment by the radio network.

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