☕️ The near-crash at Sydney Airport

The air is crisp, the coffee is brewing, and the data nerds are chirping. Yes, it’s Census Day!

Everyone in Australia tonight needs to be included in the Census. The once-every-five-years survey is Australia’s largest information-gathering exercise. If you want more info, listen to yesterday’s podcast on Spotify or Apple.

P.S. A fun fact: In 2001, about 70,000 Australians said their religion was Jedi (a Star Wars reference). The ABS has since cracked down on people knowingly give false information with financial penalties.

Anyhoo. May the forms be with you!

The quote: “Police confirmed the item located in the bag was a life like doll, wearing clothing, with hair and a nose piercing. The item also had markings that resembled bruises and grazes.”
NSW Police in a statement after members of the public reported possible human remains in a bag on the side of the road south of Goulburn.

The stat: 21.62°C. The average temperature across western Europe throughout June and July, making it the region’s hottest June–July period on record, according to the European climate service Copernicus. It’s 2.79°C warmer than the 1991–2020 average for those two months.

The big question:

Together with AAP.

The ultimate Canberra getaway: See Floriade and UC Open Day Fest on 12 Sept

University of Canberra's Open Day Fest is on 12 September. A non-traditional open day, the festival offers live music, food, family activities and other entertainment. On the same day as the start of Floriade, a free shuttle service will run between events.  

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.}

Two workers at Sydney Airport have been stood down after a near-collision between a Jetstar A320 and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 on Sunday morning.

The Jetstar pilots braked after spotting the Qatar jet, which was being towed across their path. One Jetstar crew member was injured in the incident.

A formal investigation has since been launched.

Jetstar flight JQ402 was taxiing out for a flight to the Gold Coast when its crew spotted a Qatar Airways 777 crossing the tarmac. The 777 was being towed by a tug at the time. Both aircraft stopped abruptly.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said a cabin crew member on the Jetstar plane was injured, and there was damage to the connection between the 777’s nose gear and the tug. No passengers were hurt.

Jetstar said its aircraft was following air traffic control instructions when pilots were “forced” to brake hard. It is now investigating the incident.

Federal Transport Minister Catherine King told the ABC a ground controller and the tug operator had been stood down and would undergo mandatory drug and alcohol testing. The two worked at third-party companies, not Sydney Airport directly.

King also said a new simulator had been installed to allow more air traffic controllers to be trained to work at Sydney Airport.

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, co-founder Zara explains the trial of Lindsay Clancy. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.

💶 The RBA hands down its latest decision this afternoon. Sign up to TDA Finance here for a full breakdown in your inbox on Wednesday.

💡 Aussies are transforming safety for construction workers using AI. Presien, a physical AI company for heavy industry, used Claude to develop an agentic platform that analyses worksites around the clock - cutting critical safety events by over 70% in three months.

✈️ There's always one friend who ends up planning the whole trip - and it's the least-thanked job in the group. Klook found 7 in 10 Aussie planners spend 10+ hours organising a single trip. Nominate the one who does it all for a hosted 7-day trip to Switzerland. Entries close 31 August. 

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.}

The Spanish Government has begun rolling out border checks on everyone arriving from Italy.

Normally, most citizens in the European Union (EU) are able to move freely between the two countries.
Now, visitors from Italy entering Spain will be required to show ID, so police can confirm their nationality before they’re allowed through.

The move comes in retaliation to similar checks implemented by the Italian Government earlier this month, following a large-scale border breach in the Spanish territory of Ceuta.

Here’s how we got here.

Ceuta is a small autonomous Spanish territory on the coast of North Africa.

Ceuta shares a land border with Morocco, but is legally part of the EU, meaning it has long been a place where people try to enter Europe without a visa.

In late July, tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta in the space of two days. Some estimates put it as high as 80,000 people.

The rush of migrants came after a Supreme Court ruling effectively made it easier to seek asylum in Spain. The ruling prevents authorities from immediately sending migrants stopped at sea back to Morocco.

Most of those who crossed were sent back to Morocco within days, but thousands remained, including at least 1,100 children, many unaccompanied.

Following the mass border breach in Ceuta, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Italy would suspend Schengen free movement with Spain, reintroducing border checks.

The Schengen area is a travel zone across 29 European countries where there are no passport and border controls, allowing people to move freely.

Italy and Spain are both members of this agreement.

From 1 August, Italy required non-EU nationals arriving from Spain to face border checks. Spanish and other EU citizens were exempt.

Meloni called it “an extraordinary measure adopted to protect national security and prevent possible repercussions for our country.”

The Spanish Government called Italy’s checks “unjust, contrary to the interests of the European Union, and discriminatory towards the Spanish population.”

It also noted that Ceuta operates under special Schengen rules, meaning none of the migrants who entered could travel freely into mainland Europe.

On 7 August, Spain gave Italy two days to remove its checks and “treat Spaniards like other European citizens,” warning of “proportionate measures” otherwise.

Italy refused, with the Government saying it “does not accept ultimatums or impositions” and would keep its checks in place, only lifting them once it was certain there was no ongoing security or migration risk.

After the deadline lapsed on Saturday night, local media began reporting that Spanish authorities had started checking ID from Italian visitors. On the first day, Spanish police checked around 200 people across the country’s six biggest airports.

Italy’s checks only applied to non-EU travellers from Spain. Spain’s checks are random and apply to everyone coming from Italy, including Italian and other EU citizens.

Italy says it will review its checks around 15 August. Spain’s checks are due to lift on 7 September, “unless circumstances change.”

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

Getting more from your internet might be easier than you think. 

Your favourite program buffering at the cliffhanger. Video calls freezing at the worst moment. While it can feel like that’s just part of life, it may be worth checking what’s available at your address.

With nbn full fibre rolling out to more homes, you might have more options than you realise.

Race walker Isaac Beacroft broke the record in the 5km walk, winning gold soon after his victory in the 10km at the Commonwealth Games. The 19-year-old is the first Australian to win gold in a walking event at the under-20 championships. In high jump, Izobelle Louison-Roe cleared 1.92 metres to win gold, bettering her jump at the previous under-20 championships by three centimetres. It’s the second time in history Australia has won two golds at this event, with the first time coming only two years ago.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell and George Finlayson.

There’s only one word to describe this story: nightmare.

A Canadian flight was forced to turn around before takeoff because a toddler would not sit down and buckle up, according to The Associated Press.

By the time the flight had returned to the terminal, and the kid and their parents had disembarked, it was too late at night for the flight to take off, so everyone had to come back the next day.

No points for guessing what the main anecdote in that kid’s 21st speeches will be.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.