☕️ The Aussies in climate danger

We’re all familiar with a photo finish in the 100m and 200m sprints. But a photo finish at the end of a marathon that just feels especially cruel.

That’s exactly what happened yesterday at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, with the closest marathon finish in Championship history.

How close, you ask, after 42.195km? 0.003 seconds. Three thousandths of a second. That’s all Tanzania's Alphonce Felix Simbu had over Germany’s Amanal Petros after more than two hours of world-class running. Doesn’t get closer than that (please don’t reply telling me it could have been two or one thousandths of a second).

Aussie teenage sensation Gout Gout runs in his 200m heat in Tokyo on Wednesday night. For all the latest on the tournament, sign up to TDA Sport here.

“AI is here whether we like it or not and the true test of any education system is how it prepares kids for the world that they enter. I want South Australian kids to have an edge.”
South Australia Education Minister Blair Boyer announcing the State Government is introducing its own AI chatbot into high schools for educational purposes.

99,763
The number of Japanese people who are aged over 100-years-old, as of Friday 12 September. Of these centenarians, 88% are women.

When your front lawn is neatly mowed, and your backyard is messy, it’s called a ‘lawn mullet’. Business in the front, party in the back 🌿 .

The Australian financial watchdog has proposed ANZ be fined $240 million for engaging in “widespread misconduct” involving services used by the Federal Government and customers.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said ANZ submitted inaccurate data to the Government and engaged in “unconscionable conduct” that affected almost 65,000 customers.

ANZ chair Paul O’Sullivan admitted the bank had “made mistakes”.

The fine needs to be approved by the Federal Court.

ASIC has requested the Federal Court impose the fine on ANZ for:

Acting “unconscionably in its dealings” in relation to a $14 billion bond deal with the Government. A bond is a loan to the Government or a business by individual investors. It gets paid back over time with interest. Bonds let the Government borrow money to fund projects (e.g. schools and roads).

Incorrectly reporting bond trading data to the Government “by tens of billions of dollars”.

Not responding to customer hardship notices – when people tell banks they are having difficulty repaying a loan – for up to two years. ASIC says banks need to respond to these notices within 21 days.

Not paying bonus interest to customers as advertised, and displaying “inaccurate” interest rates.

Not refunding fees charged to people who had died, and then not responding to the people managing the deceased’s estates in a timely manner.

It is the eleventh time ASIC has brought legal action against ANZ since 2016.

ANZ Chairman Paul O’Sullivan said: “We made mistakes that have had a significant impact on customers… I apologise and assure our customers we have taken the necessary action, including holding relevant executives accountable.”

ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court said: “If these penalties are imposed by the court, it will be a clear message to ANZ and all other banks that the cost of breaking the law is not an acceptable cost of doing business.”

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Australians will face increasingly catastrophic impacts from climate change in the coming decades, according to a new government-funded report.

The Australian Climate Service has released the first National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA), commissioned to evaluate current and future climate risks across the country.

It warns of rising sea levels, more heatwave-related deaths, and worsening impacts on the environment.

The report shows modelling by Australia’s leading climate scientists on the risks of global heating at 1.5ºC, 2ºC, and 3ºC above pre-industrial temperatures, measured across the coming century.

Each level of heat carries threats to Australians’ health, the economy, natural environments, infrastructure, and essential services.

The report notes warming across Australia has already reached 1.5 degrees.

The average number of annual heatwave days could increase by 50%.

More than half a million Australians living in coastal regions would be at risk from rising sea levels by 2030.

The number of heat-related deaths could increase by more than 100% in Sydney and Darwin.

The economy could lose more than $19 billion by 2030.

The average number of annual heatwave days could increase by 125%.

More than 1.5 million Australians living in coastal regions will be at risk from rising sea levels by 2050.

The number of heat-related deaths could increase by up to 190% in major cities.

The economy could lose more than $211 billion by 2050.

The average number of annual heatwave days could increase by two weeks.

Rising sea levels would leave 3 million Aussies exposed to flood risk by 2090.

The number of heat-related deaths could increase by up to 400% in major cities.

The economy could lose more than $4.2 trillion by 2100.

In response to the report, the Federal Government has released a National Adaptation Plan, outlining how Australia will address the growing risks of climate change.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said the plan would require a whole-of-society effort to manage “the unavoidable impacts.”

“It’s clear that every degree of warming we prevent now will help future generations avoid the worst impacts in years to come,” Bowen said.

The report comes ahead of the Government’s announcement of its 2035 climate target later this week.

The Coalition Opposition said climate change was a global problem, and that Australia “cannot make a difference on its own, but we must play our part.”

Greens leader Larissa Waters, who described the report’s findings as “chilling,” reiterated the party’s call for the Government to set a net zero emissions target by 2035.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

If your feed’s been full of cobblestoned streets, spritzes on the beach and golden sunsets in Europe, you’re not alone.

The good news? Aussie summer is just around the corner, which means now’s the perfect time to start planning your own getaway - you deserve it!

Whether it’s Bali, Japan, South East Asia or even a Euro winter escape, TID has been helping Aussies focus on the fun for over 20 years. With four plans, they make travel insurance easy - with cover available for 100+ destinations, overseas medical costs, cancellations and luggage drama.

Plus, if you love a discount code, TDA readers can get 15%* off TID travel insurance with the code TDA15 - valid until 30 October 2025. *T&Cs apply.

🍊 Sam Kerr scored on return from injury. Here’s what she said.
🍊 Torrie Lewis set a sprint record in Tokyo. More details.
🍊 Week one of the NRL Finals is over. Here’s who is playing in week two.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cricket, AFL, and more…

Owen was named best supporting actor in a drama series, making him the youngest performer to ever win in the category. The British teenager is also the youngest male actor to win an Emmy across any category. During his acceptance speech, Cooper said the award “proves if you listen, and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.” ‘Adolescence’ won four Emmys overall, with prizes for directing, writing, and best limited series. ‘The Studio’ and ‘The Pitt’ were the other big winners on the night.

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

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Three Austrian nuns have fled their care home to return to their abandoned convent.

The BBC reports that Sister Bernadette (88), Sister Regina (86), and Sister Rita (82) had all lived at Kloster Goldenstein convent just outside Salzburg, Austria since the 1940s.

In 2022, with diminishing numbers of nuns, the convent was taken over and the community was dissolved.

The remaining nuns had a “lifelong right of residence” if they remained healthy, but were eventually transferred to a Catholic care home.

The nuns devised a plan and with the help of people who had attended the school attached to the convent, the three sisters broke into and now remain in their home.

Of their escapade Sister Bernadette said: "I have been obedient all my life, but it was too much.”

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

The Government has released its first assessment of the risks posed by climate change across Australia. The report paints a concerning picture, with predictions about what the future could look like if rising temperatures are not curbed – including a 450% increase in heat-related deaths in some parts of the country.

Overall, the risk assessment warns that no Australian community will be immune. But the Government says it has a plan.

Today, we're breaking down what this assessment found, what these findings mean for Australia's future, and how experts say we need to move forward, in what is shaping up to be a very big climate week for the government – with its 2035 emissions reduction target expected by Friday.