☕️ The war crime charges laid against Ben Roberts-Smith

Today’s trivia question: What is the biggest (and only) daily news video podcast in Australia (on Apple)?

It’s The Daily Aus! And in case you missed the bold, underline and italics above, “video” is the operative word there.

Yes. You can now watch TDA’s podcast as a video on Apple Podcasts! I know, I know, the future is here.

If you have an iPhone, you will need to update the software (not just the app). To do this, go to:

We’ll see you over there. And please press follow on Apple Podcasts whilst you’re there!

The quote: “We are pleased to see the High Seas Treaty ratification received widespread support across parliament, establishing a shared political legacy for protecting high seas... The Australian Government must now work with other ratifying nations to protect marine life in the high seas.”
Australian Marine Conservation Society CEO Paul Gamblin on Australia enacting the UN’s High Seas Treaty. It sets out how marine parks and sanctuaries can be created and includes guidelines to assess the environmental impacts of harmful activities.

The stat: 620,900. The number of offences recorded in Queensland in the 2024-25 financial year, according to new data from the Queensland Government. This means reported crime rose slightly overall, but the rate fell once population growth was considered. The LNP Government said the figures show progress on youth crime.

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: If you could go back, 38% of you said you would make the same education choices with one or two changes. [1,580 votes].

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The Government has said Australia’s fuel supply is “locked in... well into May”.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said fuel companies had told him over the weekend that they have secured “contractual obligations” to deliver fuel to Australia.

Currently, Australia is at the second level of a four-stage fuel ‘security’ plan. The next stage could see Aussies being asked to limit their use.

After the U.S. and Israel struck Iran, it closed the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait normally sees as much as a quarter of the world’s oil and gas supply every day, travelling from the Middle East to refineries around the world.

Without access to the Strait, ships must travel further to bring oil to the rest of the world, including the Asian countries which refine most of the oil Australia buys.

The disruption to the supply chain has driven up prices and sparked panic-buying. In response to the disruptions, the Government announced a four-level plan last month.

Level 1: ‘Plan and Prepare’ - Normal operations. Fuel is coming to Australia as usual, and there are no major issues in buying petrol and diesel.

Australia moved out of this stage when prices spiked. Servos began struggling to maintain supply, especially in regional and remote areas. Right now, 3% of stations across the country have run dry.

Level 2: ‘Keeping Australia Moving’ - International fuel deliveries are still arriving as expected, but domestic supply disruptions are beginning to show.

In this phase, the Government is taking steps to build up supply. There are no mandatory rules yet, but Australians are being urged to be mindful of fuel usage, with advice like: “Only buy the fuel you need”.

Level 3: ‘Take Targeted Action’ - At this stage, supply disruptions will have lasted long enough that more measures are needed to ensure fuel goes “where it’s needed most.”

Australians would be strongly encouraged to take further voluntary steps to reduce fuel use, though the plan doesn’t include any specifics. The Government would also consider releasing additional fuel from its reserves.

Level 4: ‘Protecting Critical Services For All Australians’ - This stage would see the Government “making sure” fuel is available for emergency services, healthcare, public transport, and essential utilities.

All levels of government would coordinate on how fuel is “allocated fairly and effectively” across the country.

The Government would be in talks with other countries on how to secure further supply.

In terms of escalating the plan, the Government says Level 3 and Level 4 remain under consideration, and could be changed depending on how conditions develop.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, we unpack the war crime charges laid against Ben Roberts-Smith.

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Former ADF soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has been charged with war crimes.

The allegations relate to the murder of multiple civilians in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2012.

It is the second time a current or former ADF member has been arrested for war crimes over alleged actions in Afghanistan.

Roberts-Smith has not been directly named by the AFP, however his identity has been reported widely.

In 2018, The Age, The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald published a series of articles about Roberts-Smith.

They alleged Roberts-Smith either ordered or personally carried out killings of prisoners in Afghanistan, in a manner constituting war crimes.

He was also alleged to have punched a woman in a Canberra hotel room.

Roberts-Smith sued the newspapers for defamation. A judge found the allegations were substantially true, and the High Court declined to hear Roberts-Smith’s appeal last year.

On Tuesday morning, the AFP arrested a 47-year-old man at Sydney airport.

He has now been charged with the intentional murder and assistance to murder of civilians over incidents in 2009, 2010, and 2012, all in Afghanistan. The maximum sentence is life in prison.

While the AFP will not name the former soldier, multiple media outlets have confirmed Roberts-Smith’s identity. The man’s description and time served also matches with Roberts-Smith.

There is no single document that contains a definitive list of war crimes. Instead, they are defined through a range of international laws, treaties, and conventions.

These include the Geneva Conventions, which set rules for how wars are fought and aim to protect people not taking part in combat, such as civilians and prisoners of war.

In 2016, the Government commissioned an inquiry into allegations of war crimes by soldiers in Afghanistan. The four-year inquiry found 23 incidents of alleged unlawful conduct.’

Following the report, the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) was set up in 2021 to look into these incidents and pursue potential criminal charges.,

The OSI has initiated 53 investigations, 10 of which are still active.

In the 2025-26 Budget, the Government gave the OSI $57.5 million in funding.

Other than Roberts-Smith, only one investigation has led to a criminal charge, with a former SAS soldier due to face trial on a war crimes murder charge next year.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe, Adella Beaini, and Lucy Tassell.

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The four astronauts on board the Orion spacecraft flew deeper into space than humans have ever gone before. Their 407,000km journey surpassed the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970 by about 6,600km.

During a flyby of the far side of the moon, the mission explored new views of the hidden lunar surface and observed a total solar eclipse. The astronauts described the eclipse as “spectacular” and “surreal,” adding, “there's absolutely no words to describe what we are looking at out this window.” Artemis II is expected to splash down off the coast of California on Saturday morning AEST. For more on the mission, scroll down!

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

We can’t stop talking about Artemis II…

The crew on board the spacecraft have given a newly visible crater on the moon’s surface a touching name. 

While flying by, the crew asked mission control to name a bright lunar crater after Carroll Wiseman, the late wife of one of the astronauts, Reid Wiseman.

Carroll died of cancer aged 46 in 2020. Reid told The Sunday Times he wanted to give up his astronaut dream when she was diagnosed, but she insisted he continued. 

As the crew approached its lunar flyby, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen made the official request. He said: “It’s a bright spot on the moon… And we would like to call it Carroll.”

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.