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Good morning!
PSA: If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in New York City sometime soon, you can now go to Central Perk - a permanent coffee shop inspired by the iconic cafe in Friends.
After a number of pop-ups around the U.S, Central Perk is now getting a permanent home right near Times Square, complete with the orange couch.
I’ve got 10 seconds
Quote of the day
“In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me. You know, your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I'm going to tell him about you. You set a very bad tone."
U.S. President Donald Trump, responding to ABC journalist John Lyons, who was asking about the cost of a ballroom at the White House and his business ventures while in office.
Stat of the day
$600
The cost of a brass gong for sale at beauty store Mecca. The gong has only one review rating it one out of five stars, which states: “Not super impressed with this one. Could have got one elsewhere unfortunately.”
TDA reader’s comment of the week
"If this is the end, I hope it happens before I go to work tomorrow"
A comment on our post about three separate earthquakes being felt in NSW on Monday night.
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has described debt as an “issue of intergenerational fairness”, and warned Australians have become too reliant on welfare. Speaking at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia in Melbourne, Ley outlined the principles that will guide Coalition policy into the next election, including a targeted approach to government subsidies and benefit payments. The Opposition Leader said the Government “should not be paying benefits to high-income households,” and that “support should be a safety net, not a hammock.” Ley did not cite specific cuts or policy proposals during her first major economic address as Opposition Leader. However, she claimed improvements can be made without “attacking” welfare, health or school funding to “ensure the next generation inherits opportunity, not debt.”
Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing Gaza City after Israel launched its ground offensive on Tuesday. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which says it is targeting Hamas, issued evacuation warnings telling Palestinians to go to a “humanitarian zone” in Al Mawasi in southern Gaza. The UN said Israel had “not taken effective steps to ensure the safety of those forced to move there,” and that it had not provided enough space or services for those already there. UN officials have previously accused the IDF of targeting displaced Palestinians’ tents in Al Mawasi, “killing entire families”. Israel’s latest military action has been met with widespread condemnation from international governments and families of hostages taken by Hamas. The offensive began shortly after a UN commission of inquiry announced it had found Israel was carrying out a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has called the finding “fake”.
Recommendation of the day
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I’ve got 1 minute
A major defence treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea has been delayed
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has failed to secure a military alliance with Papua New Guinea (PNG) during his visit to the Pacific Island nation this week.
The Pukpuk Treaty is aimed at expanding the PNG-Australia defence relationship.
Both countries have expressed their intention to sign a deal, but officials blamed logistical issues for a delay in finalising it.
It comes after Vanuatu postponed a deal with Australia last week, as the Federal Government seeks to counter China’s influence in the region.
Pukpuk Treaty
The Pukpuk Treaty is a defence deal aimed at “strengthening” the military relationship between Australia and PNG.
For example, it would recognise “an armed attack” on either country as a security threat.
The alliance would also open up “recruitment pathways” for PNG citizens to serve in the Australian Defence Force.
Both governments have described the pact as a commitment to a “peaceful, stable and prosperous” region, amid concerns around China’s growing presence in the Pacific.
Delays
The Federal Government was seeking to finalise the treaty during the PM’s visit to Port Moresby this week.
However, PNG has not yet approved the deal.
Albanese and his counterpart, Prime Minister James Marape, said celebrations to mark 50 years of PNG’s independence had caused some delays.
Speaking in the country’s capital on Wednesday, Marape insisted his government intends to sign the deal.
According to Albanese, the “wording” of the alliance has been agreed to.
The matter is in the hands of both countries’ parliaments for final review, he explained.
With the deal expected to be finalised in the “coming weeks,” Albanese and Marape have instead signed a joint communique.
“Australia and Papua New Guinea will work together to build our unique partnership and to progress our region for the betterment of our nations and our peoples... [the Treaty] will reflect and deepen the trust we share as the closest of neighbours,” it read.
Vanuatu
The announcement comes after Vanuatu walked back its commitment to finalise a $500 million infrastructure, climate, and security deal with Australia last week.
At the time, Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat flagged concerns that the contract could interfere with the nation’s relationship with other countries, including China.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he remained confident an agreement would be reached, and that he was “reassured” by his talks with Napat.
Reporting by Achol Arok.
I’ve got 2 minutes
An SA Police staffer is being investigated for allegedly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death online. It comes as more workers in the U.S. are fired over social media comments.
Last week, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah university.
22-year-old Utah man Tyler Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder over his death, and could face the death penalty.
Meanwhile, several people in the U.S. and at least one Australian have been suspended by their employer for online posts about Kirk’s death.
An anonymous crowdsourced database has been established to track social media users who have been critical of Kirk, or who have publicly celebrated his death.
Context
Kirk was considered an influential figure in conservative politics and a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
He was a podcaster and the founder of Turning Point USA, an organisation aimed at promoting conservative politics to young people.
Kirk had previously supported the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which includes “the right to bear arms”.
In the moments before he was shot, Kirk was answering a question about gun violence.
In the days following Kirk’s death, U.S. political figures condemned the fatal shooting.
Many members of the public also took to social media to discuss and criticise Kirk’s past comments.
In particular, several posts referenced comments Kirk had made about gun violence while speaking at an event for Turning Point USA in 2023.
“I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” Kirk said at the time.
Database
An anonymous online group now says it has begun crowd-sourcing the personal details of social media users who have been critical of Kirk or celebrated his death.
Originally named ‘Expose Charlie’s Murderers,’ the database has rebranded as the ‘Charlie Kirk Data Foundation’.
The bio of the project’s X account says: “We lawfully collect publicly-available data to analyse the prominence of support for political violence in the interest of public education.“
It claims to have collected more than 63,000 such examples online.
The group behind the website said it is made up of “political operatives that have represented major parties,” and is creating an anonymised database that will be “searchable by general location, employer, and industry type.”
TDA could not verify these claims because the group’s website was down at the time of writing.
Govt response
The U.S. Government has not responded to the database project specifically, however the Trump administration has vowed to punish military members and immigrants for comments about Kirk’s death.
Trump said he would target “political violence, including the organisations that fund it and support it.”
While guest-hosting an episode of Kirk’s podcast this week, U.S. Vice President JD Vance encouraged listeners to call the employers of those seen to be celebrating Kirk’s death.
Dismissals
On Saturday, Reuters reported that at least 15 people had been fired or suspended from their jobs for online comments about Kirk’s death.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said United Airlines had stood down a pilot for his comments on Kirk’s death.
Duffy reposted images shared by far-right influencer Milo Yiannopoulos, in which the pilot appeared to call Kirk a “f*cking Nazi,” on messaging app Discord. “There is no reality in which anyone is better off with him being alive,” the post said.
MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd was stood down after a TV appearance following Kirk’s death, where he said: “Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah said she was fired after sharing a post to social media app Bluesky where she quoted Kirk’s previous comments that Black women lack the “brain processing power to be taken seriously.”
Cumberland University in Tennessee has also fired two employees for posting “inappropriate comments”.
Australia
South Australia Police confirmed it’s currently investigating an employee over a social media post allegedly celebrating Kirk’s death.
Multiple media outlets have reported the post said: “Amongst all Gaza, Ukraine, Trump news, sometimes something wonderful happens.”
The staffer behind the alleged comments is “now subject to an investigation under the Police Complaints Disciplinary Act,” a spokesperson for SA Police said.
Reporting by Elliot Lawry.
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🍊 Your preview of the 2025/26 NBL season.
🍊 Jess Hull has picked up a first medal for Australia in the 1500m.
🍊 Will Tasmania’s stadium go ahead?
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: cricket, soccer, and more…
Give me some good news
In an Australian first, pet owners can now book tickets to bring their small dogs and cats on Virgin Australia flights.
The airline’s Pets in Cabin service officially went on sale today (Wednesday) ahead of the first services departing on 16 October. Virgin said it’s launching the initiative across select flights between Melbourne, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, before expanding the service to all eligible domestic flights in 2026. Virgin CEO Dave Emerson said “with almost 70 percent of households owning a pet, we expect the service to be embraced by pet lovers all around the country.” A limit of four pets will be permitted on each flight, and will cost passengers an extra $149 per animal.
Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA titbit
Two teenagers who urinated into a hotpot broth in China have been ordered to pay a hefty fine to compensate the restaurant.
The 17-year-olds posted a video of their act online back in February, garnering nationwide criticism.
Per the BBC, the hotpot chain Haidilao sought damages from the pair, which a court ruled was appropriate.
They fined the boys and their parents ¥2 million ($AU421,000) for operational and reputational damage, ¥130,000 ($AU27,400) for tableware losses and cleaning expenses, and ¥70,000 ($AU14,700) in legal costs.
Reporting by Rosa Bowden.
Want more from The Daily Aus? Listen to our podcast!
Israel has launched a ground offensive into Gaza City, displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
The country’s leadership says the city is the last stronghold of Hamas, while international governments and the UN have condemned the attacks.
The offensive began shortly after a UN commission of inquiry announced it had found Israel was carrying out a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
In today’s episode, we’ll explain what to know about these two developments and the international reaction.
TDA asks
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