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Good morning!
Sometimes I get to the end of a day and think: “Dammit, that would have made a good intro.”
Yesterday, I had that thought at about 6pm, when I realised the date was 2/6/26. So, I’ve decided to cheat and make it today’s intro.
To the babies born yesterday: congratulations on your aesthetically pleasing birthdate.
On a related note, here is today’s trivia question: What is the most common month to have a birthday in Australia? The answer is in the titbit!
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “AUKUS is by far the most expensive and complex undertaking ever entered into by any Australian government, and yet the opportunity to question, debate and decide has been taken out of the hands of the parliament and the people. A public inquiry into this massive spend of taxpayers’ money is long overdue.”
Former Labor Minister and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett in a statement to Instagram, announcing he will lead a non-government, independent inquiry into the AUKUS deal. Under AUKUS, Australia is set to buy submarines from the U.S.
The stat: $2.6 million. The funding that the Dementia Australia Research Foundation will provide to research projects dedicated to “prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.”
The big question:
Do you think AI is making it easier or harder to get an entry-level job in your field?
Yesterday’s results: 87% of you told us that you do own a car. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [1,797 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Australia has recorded its first trade deficit in almost nine years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. A trade deficit is when a country is paying more to import products than it is making on products it exports. The deficit was recorded in the first three months of this year, the first time it has happened since the end of 2017. The ABS said the fall was driven by a decrease in exports of iron and coal, and an increase in importing technology to run AI data centres. Iron and coal are typically two of Australia’s main exports, but their sale was disrupted by tropical cyclones in Queensland, the NT and Western Australia over the summer. Over the same period, there was an increase in imports of AI server racks to support data centres in NSW and Victoria.
Lebanon has announced a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. According to Lebanon's embassy in Washington, the agreement, which doesn’t end the conflict, calls for Israel to refrain from strikes on Beirut and its suburbs controlled by Hezbollah, while the Iran-aligned group would halt its attacks on Israel. U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon agreed to halt their attacks on each other for the time being. Trump also said Israel would not send troops into Beirut, despite earlier threats to do so. He also said he had had a “productive call with” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Trump said had agreed to pull back any troops preparing to attack Lebanon. U.S. outlet Axios reported that on the call, Trump called Netanyahu “f**king crazy,” adding: “everybody hates you now, everybody hates Israel because of this.” It comes as U.S. and Iranian officials continue negotiations to extend their ceasefire and open the Strait of Hormuz.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
The Aussie dollar is reading the room
The Iran war has added a lot of uncertainty but the Aussie dollar has held up better than many might expect.
CommBank economists say that resilience suggests investors may be treating the conflict less as a recession shock, and more as an inflation and interest rates story. In other words: markets are watching what it could mean for prices, central banks and the Aussie dollar.
Get the full picture at CommBank Newsroom
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I’ve got 1 minute
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has increased the minimum wage by 5.97%, and award wages by 4.75%. It means the hourly rate for the minimum wage and the lowest award wage will be $26.44 from 1 July.
Around 1% of workers receive the actual minimum wage, while more than 20% of Australians receive award wages.
Here’s what you need to know.
Wage review
Every year, the FWC – the national workplace watchdog – reviews minimum wages.
It’s also responsible for reviewing awards, which set out industry-based conditions and pay entitlements. Around one in five workers are covered by an award.
Industry bodies, unions, the government and opposition all put forward their suggestions for the minimum wage review in the lead-up to today’s decision.
Increase
On Tuesday, the FWC announced an increase of 4.75% to the minimum and award wages, or $26.44. In 2025, the wage increased by 3.5%.
The current rate of inflation is 4.2%.
The lowest wage a person over 21 can be paid under the award system is now $25.74, if they are in their first six months at an entry-level job. For those under 21, junior rates will apply, though the FWC has ordered they be phased out for workers in the fast food and retail industries over the coming years.
Australia’s new minimum wage rates (from 1 July):
Hourly: $26.44
Weekly: $1,004.90
Annual: $52,254.80
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, features editor Emma and journalist Elliot break down how mass murderers are allegedly using ChatGPT to plan their crimes. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.
🎾 Need a way to stay across the French Open as it reaches its pointy end? Sign up to the TDA Sport newsletter for an update in your inbox at 4:30pm.
Good finds
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I’ve got 2 minutes
Military sexual violence survivors previously bound by non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) will now be allowed to tell their stories at a landmark inquiry.
Following a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, an inquiry into sexual violence in the Defence Force will begin later this year.
Advocates and survivors had called on the Government to ensure NDAs would not prevent people from sharing their experiences.
Background
In September 2024, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide handed down its final report to the Government, containing 122 recommendations for reform across Defence and veterans' services.
The Commission delivered serious findings about Defence culture, leadership and the handling of abuse complaints. It found many personnel experienced significant trauma during their service, including bullying, harassment and sexual violence.
The Royal Commission also found that military personnel are more likely to be traumatised by their experiences within the ADF than from combat, and that sexual violence is linked to suicide, particularly among women. Former serving women are 107% more likely to die by suicide than women in the general population.
Why were NDAs an issue?
Many survivors of military sexual violence have agreed to out-of-court settlements with Defence over the years, including compensation and signing an NDA.
These agreements typically prevented them from publicly discussing their experiences, sharing documents, identifying those involved, or revealing settlement details. Advocates argued the NDAs effectively silenced survivors and could have prevented them from giving evidence to the new inquiry.
Last month, the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) wrote to Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh and Defence and Veterans' Services Commissioner Gwen Cherne, urging them to ensure survivors bound by NDAs could participate in the inquiry.
Following the request, Keogh confirmed people bound by Defence-related NDAs would be able to provide evidence to the inquiry. Confidentiality rules will still apply to some information, including settlement amounts, and the Government said it cannot override obligations involving other parties.
“The era of cover-up and silencing women must end,” Regina Featherstone, a senior lawyer at the HRLC, said.
What do survivors say?
Former soldier and whistleblower Julia Delaforce is among the survivors who have campaigned for people bound by NDAs to be allowed to speak to the inquiry.
Delaforce went public last year about being sexually harassed at knifepoint by a drunken, machete-wielding corporal while serving at an Australian military base. She later made complaints through Defence and the Australian Human Rights Commission before settling the matter out of court.
As part of that settlement, she signed an NDA that restricted what she could publicly say about her experience.
“Veterans who served this country should not have to ask permission to speak about their lived experiences of military sexual violence,” she said. “The public has a right to know how silence has been bought, enforced and normalised in Defence through the misuse of non-disclosure agreements.”
What will the inquiry examine?
The inquiry will investigate the prevalence, prevention and reporting of military sexual violence, as well as how Defence responds when allegations are raised.
It will also examine the military justice system, including allegations it has been misused, and the barriers civilian police can face when investigating sexual violence matters involving Defence personnel. The inquiry is expected to look at whether current systems adequately support survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732.
Reporting by Adella Beaini.
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Give me some good news
Serena Williams is making her return to professional tennis, almost four years after “evolving away” from the sport.
Williams will make her first appearance at the Queen’s Club tournament next Monday after accepting a doubles wildcard for the event.
Back in December, Williams re-entered the sport’s drug testing pool, a required step for any athlete planning to compete again. Chatter is now growing that the 23-time Grand Slam winner could appear at Wimbledon, which begins later this month and, like the Queen’s Club, is a grass-court tournament. Wimbledon officials have hinted she could be offered a wildcard for the grand slam tournament.
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA titbit
Ahead of the New York Knicks’ first NBA Finals series since 1999, the city’s mayor Zohran Mamdani has scrapped bedtimes so kids can stay up to watch the games.
Mamdani signed a pretend ‘Executive Order’ and posted videos of himself handing out permission slips to children across the city.
He said: "As Mayor, you're forced to make many difficult decisions. This was not one of them."
The series begins at 8:30pm on Wednesday (Thursday morning AEST).
Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.
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Trivia answer: September is the most common month for a birthday in Australia, according to ABS data.
TDA asks
