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Good morning!
And a special good morning to the record-breaking five million birds that were counted in the annual Aussie Bird Count.
The top bird? The magpie. We see you magpies, just with our eyes down, our helmets on, and our pace suspiciously brisk.
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “There is no evidence that any intelligence agency or law enforcement agency had any actual knowledge or specific information to suggest that there might be an armed attack on the Chanukah celebration at Bondi on 14th December 2025. In that sense, it was a surprise attack.”
ASIO Chief Mike Burgess during the second batch of hearings for the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion on Monday. It comes after two gunmen killed 15 innocent people at a Jewish community event in Bondi in December.
The stat: 75%. The percentage of teachers surveyed in NSW who said students used AI to complete assessments, according to new research from education consultancy firm Learning First. Nearly 3,500 teachers were surveyed from a range of government, independent and Catholic schools for the study.
The big question:
Yesterday’s results: 35% of you said you rarely feel lonely while 17% of you said you never feel lonely. 32% of you said you sometimes feel lonely and 16% of you said you often feel lonely. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [2,574 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
A coronial hearing in Victoria has heard new details about the deaths of two police officers shot dead by Dezi Freeman at his Porepunkah property last year. The officers attended the rural property, more than 300 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, to execute a search warrant over alleged child sexual abuse offences in August. The coroner’s court was told five officers negotiated at length with Freeman before Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson was shot in the face and neck climbing through a window, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart was shot as colleagues fled for cover. Freeman then returned to the scene and wounded a third officer before fleeing and texting his wife to do the same. He was shot dead by police near the Victoria-New South Wales border on 30 March, ending one of Australia's largest manhunts.
Former Australian of the Year and AFL legend Neale Daniher has died after a long battle with motor neurone disease (MND). The former AFL player and coach co-founded FightMND after being diagnosed with the terminal condition in 2013. The charity has since invested more than $115 million into research for a cure. His family said in a statement that the 65-year-old died at home, surrounded by his family. They wrote: “From day one, Neale was a fighter. His determination was unmatched – choosing every day to find opportunity where others might see only challenge, and taking the fight to the Beast with everything he had. Even in the toughest times, he kept pushing forward, determined to land as many blows as he could against his toughest opponent, all with a cheeky grin and a sharp sense of humour that never left him.”
Together with AAP.
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I’ve got 1 minute
U.S. President Donald Trump says a peace deal with Iran is “proceeding,” but that he's told his representatives not to rush anything – a day after he said an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz had been “largely negotiated.”
The critical oil passageway has been closed to most vessels since the conflict began on 28 February.
A U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait would “remain in full force” until an agreement is “reached, certified, and signed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Background
The U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on 28 February, with Iran responding by shutting the Strait of Hormuz and issuing retaliatory strikes on the countries’ Middle Eastern allies.
A two-week ceasefire deal was brokered on 8 April, and talks were held in Pakistan in hopes of a more permanent arrangement.
However, both countries have accused the other of breaking the ceasefire. The U.S. imposed its own naval blockade on the Strait, which has effectively remained closed for 87 days.
Latest
Trump raised expectations of an imminent deal on Saturday, saying Washington and Tehran had negotiated a memorandum of understanding that would reopen the Strait.
He said details would be “announced shortly” but then on Sunday wrote “both sides must take their time and get it right.”
The U.S. and Iran remain at odds on several issues, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country is “not seeking nuclear weapons,” and “not seeking unrest in the region”.
On Monday, Trump confirmed negotiations were continuing but the blockade would remain until a deal is reached. Iranian state media said the U.S. was still obstructing parts of a potential agreement.
Australia
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met virtually with state and territory leaders for National Cabinet on Monday, as he confirmed Australia's fuel supply remains secure well into July.
He also warned the end of the conflict won’t mean an end to economic pressures, saying “there will be a period of time before ships are able to go through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Features Editor Emma and Editor-in-Chief Billi discuss the teals who want to form a new party.
💶 Want to know why NAB, ANZ and Westpac have been accused of ‘predatory’ regional play? You can sign up to TDA Finance here to make sure the explainer is in your inbox on Wednesday morning.
Good finds
🍿When movies meet music, things get raucous. Cult Swedish internet-rap sensation Yung Lean stars in GENER8ION: STORM, a ferocious music video directed by Romain Gavras – and it's streaming on MUBI right now. New members get 30 days free to watch this and everything else on the platform.
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
In recent days, some federal independent MPs have said they would consider forming a new party.
It comes after a recent opinion poll predicted One Nation could win up to 59 seats at the next federal election if they remain on their current trajectory of support.
While a handful of independents have indicated support for setting up a party, others have distanced themselves from the talks.
Here’s what you need to know.
Background
Since late 2025, support for One Nation, led by Pauline Hanson, has been on the rise.
The party won four seats at the South Australian state election in March, and secured its first federal House of Representatives seat at the Farrer by-election earlier this month. (The party has four seats in the federal Senate.)
A Demos survey of 1,500 people this month showed more than a quarter of respondents (27%) named Hanson as their preferred Prime Minister. Hanson was second only to current PM Anthony Albanese (34%).
A Redbridge Group opinion poll, published in the Australian Financial Review (AFR), suggested one scenario where One Nation could secure between 46 and 59 lower house seats at the 2028 Federal Election.
Independents
The rise of One Nation follows more than a decade of independents becoming increasingly influential.
2013: Independent Cathy McGowan wins the regional Victorian seat of Indi, held by Liberals since 1977. When McGowan stepped down, independent Helen Haines won the seat.
2018: Kerryn Phelps wins the historically Liberal seat of Wentworth at a by-election after former PM Malcolm Turnbull resigns.
2019: Zali Steggall defeats former PM Tony Abbott in Warringah, while the Liberals win back Wentworth.
2022: ‘Teal’ independents win several formerly safe Liberal seats. While not an official party, teals are a group of climate-focused independents, backed by the advocacy and fundraising organisation Climate 200.
Steggall holds on to Warringah, while Allegra Spender wins Wentworth. David Pocock, who received Climate 200 funding but distanced himself from the ‘teals’, wins one of the two Senate seats for the ACT.
2025: All but one sitting independent wins their seat again, and ‘teal’ Nicolette Boele wins the safe Liberal seat of Bradfield.
Party talks
On Sunday, Pocock told the ABC he is open to potentially forming a party with other independents.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Sunday evening that Steggall and Spender are “leading the push.”
Addressing this on Monday on ABC Radio National Breakfast, Steggall said she is “always open,” and that she “can see how there are many things we could do politically better and differently.”
Spender told ABC Radio Sydney on Monday she’s “had lots of conversations.”
Speaking to TDA on Monday, Pocock clarified that “there have been conversations” but he hasn’t “been leading any of [them].”
“I don’t think that I’m that likely to join something like that,” he said.
“Every independent is going to make their own mind up... that is the power of independence.”
Pocock said the talks were more to do with a “dissatisfaction with the solutions that are being put in place by the major parties” than One Nation specifically.
“People want and need something different,” he said.
Pushback
In a statement, teal independent Melbourne-based MP Monique Ryan said: “I will continue... in the capacity in which I was elected: as a community independent, voted for and answerable to the people of Kooyong.”
Similarly, teal Perth MP Kate Chaney released a statement noting she “intend[s] to continue representing the people of Curtin as a Community Independent.”
Boele told the ABC she is “open for discussion” on a formal alliance, but will contest the next election as an independent.
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
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Give me some good news
The population of platypuses reintroduced to native parklands in Sydney's south has grown to 20 known individuals.
It comes three years after scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) launched an initiative to reintroduce the species to the Royal National Park, where they had been absent for more than 50 years. The Platypus Conservation Initiative began with 10 platypuses in 2023, and has since grown through further relocation and natural breeding efforts. Lead researcher Associate Professor Gilad Bino described reaching 20 known platypuses as a "defining moment for the program," adding that the four newest arrivals “will strengthen both the numbers and the genetic diversity underpinning the population's long-term resilience.”
Reporting by Achol Arok.
TDA titbit
When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go - even if you're mid-match at Roland-Garros.
During his debut at the French Open, 21-year-old French tennis player Arthur Géa ran off the court and told the umpire: “I need to go to the bathroom. I can’t move anymore. I’m going to [go to the toilet] on the court”.
Normally, during large tennis tournaments, players are only allowed to take bathroom breaks between sets.
Gea’s bladder: 1. His backhand: 0.
TDA asks
