☕️ The young Australians experiencing food insecurity

As this newsletter goes out, I am on my way to Texas for the U.S. midterms along with TDA’s Content Production Manager Orla.

They’re called the ‘midterms’ because they happen halfway through a U.S. President’s four-year term.

Why Texas first? Because despite being a Republican stronghold for decades, it’s shaping up to be one of the closest races in the nation.

Keep an eye on TDA’s socials to see what we get up to.

The quote: “The risk of coral reef collapse is escalating, but this must be a wake-up call rather than a cause for despair… Pockets of surviving, resilient coral reefs can still remain in the future, so we must do everything within our reach to set them up for success.”
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) biologist Mishal Gudka, speaking at the 2026 UN biodiversity conference. Some 96% of shallow-water reef systems could disappear by 2075, the IUCN warned.

The stat: $10. How much Rebel Wilson’s co-producers were awarded in damages after a NSW Supreme Court judge dismissed their case against the Australian actor over her directorial debut, The Deb. Wilson was also awarded $359,000 plus interest after countersuing for unpaid fees.

The big question:

Friday’s results: 53.6% of you track your sleep with a smartwatch or ring. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research.

Together with AAP.

You know what we don’t spend enough time talking about? Pineapples.

In case you missed it, Australian pineapple growers are concerned about the possibility of fresh pineapple imports from India and Indonesia.

It comes after a federal department draft report found imports from those countries could be allowed (though no agreements have been made).

National leader Matt Canavan has also raised concerns about a disease that could cause ‘exploding pineapples’.

Let us explain.

Almost all of the fresh pineapples we consume in Australia come from Queensland farms.

While Australia does allow some imports from places like Thailand and the Philippines, very few fresh pineapples sold here originate from overseas.

In 2023, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry began reviewing whether fresh, decrowned pineapples (with the leafy top removed) could be imported from India and Indonesia. Its draft report, released in July, found they could be permitted if biosecurity conditions are met.

It identified eight pests that need risk management. The bacteria linked to ‘exploding’ pineapples aren’t among them.

Nationals leader Matt Canavan says the Government “should be looking at these diseases”.

“Exploding pineapple disease” is a nickname for bacterial heart rot and fruit collapse, which are caused by bacteria called Dickeya.

It can make pineapples ferment and release gas, sometimes causing the fruit to explode. In Malaysia, for example, crop losses of up to 40% have been reported.

A mild strain of Dickeya was found in Australia in 2015. Canavan says the Government isn’t looking at “the more serious strains that do devastate pineapple industries in India and Indonesia”.

Separate to the disease concerns, Aussie growers say imports could hurt the local industry.

The National Party launched a petition against the proposal, which now has more than 14,000 signatures.

Rebecca Scurr, from family-run Pinata Farms, told TDA the cost of production in Australia is “so high that already farming is really, really challenging.”

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told TDA her department is running a “rigorous, science-based process”. She said it “does not mean that trade will occur, or that it is imminent”. However, Collins did not rule out potential deals with Indonesia and India.

The department will now work towards a final report. It’s expected in the second half of 2027.

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

Australia’s hunger problem is growing, according to a Foodbank report into food poverty released this week.

Australians aged between 18 and 34 reported experiencing food insecurity at a rate of 48% in the past year.

A separate report, also released on Monday, found that the majority of 18 to 24-year-olds identified the cost of living as their biggest concern.

Each year, Australia’s largest food relief charity, Foodbank, assesses Australians’ experiences of food insecurity through its Hunger Report.

The organisation surveys Australians about their ability to buy food comfortably. The latest results were released on Monday.

A separate report with data from the Gen Z Wellbeing Index was also released on Monday.

This looks at the challenges and triumphs of 18 to 24-year-olds.

Foodbank found that 3.6 million households are experiencing food insecurity. This is around one in three Australian households, and an increase of 100,000 households from last year.

Food security is when people can access enough food, of the right kind, to live an active and healthy life.

This trend is particularly evident in young people, with 48% of 18 to 34-year-olds reporting food insecurity.

On top of this, more than a quarter of this cohort have experienced severe food insecurity.

The cost of living is identified as the greatest challenge for food-insecure households, with around 92% of respondents experiencing food insecurity listing it as their biggest concern.

In households facing severe food insecurity, 96% of respondents said they skipped meals or cut meal sizes due to cost-of-living pressures.

Other measures, including driving less and cutting back on eating out, were also undertaken by respondents, including from food-secure households.

Foodbank Australia CEO Kylea Tink has raised initiatives like a national minimum standard for school breakfast programs by 2030 as “one of the best ways” to tackle food insecurity.

This program would mean “one less meal for food-insecure families to worry about,” she said.

Tink also called on “business, philanthropists and communities” to invest in “immediate relief”.

The Gen Z Wellbeing Index, by housing provider Scape and career coaching platform Anyway, looks at specific challenges faced by 18 to 24-year-olds.

Cost-of-living pressures were also flagged as the greatest societal concern by 60% of respondents. This is followed by housing and rental affordability at 40%.

The factor making the biggest negative impact on wellbeing specifically was identified as body image and insecurity at 39%, closely followed by “figuring out my future” at 38%.

The report identifies the key message from the results as “the continuing importance of human connection.”

“The findings point to a shared priority: maintaining access to trusted support and creating inclusive environments where young people can connect, feel understood and thrive while navigating uncertainty,” they said.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

A coffee made at 7am shouldn't be lukewarm by 9am.

It's lucky, then, that frank green's new Edition II collection uses four-wall insulation, so hot drinks stay hot and cold ones stay cold for longer.

It's the result of more than three years of design work from the brand leading the category for over a decade.

A world-first trial overseen by leading Australian scientist Professor Georgina Long could drastically change how cancer is treated.

The study shows a new personalised vaccine, used alongside an existing immunotherapy drug, can cut the risk of melanoma returning or causing death by 42%. The trial of more than 1,100 people also showed the combination cut the risk of the cancer spreading by 38%. The vaccine is made for each patient using mutations unique to their tumour, which trains their immune system to find and destroy those cancer cells. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the results marked a new chapter in cancer treatment, as developers seek regulatory approval to launch the vaccine next year.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

ABC reporter Will Murray found himself at the centre of the story after jumping into floodwaters north of Brisbane to help save a man trapped in a sinking four-wheel drive.

Alongside bystander Daniel Hainey, Murray helped pull the driver to safety just moments before the car disappeared underwater.

The dramatic rescue happened as heavy rain battered the area, with more than 170mm falling in some locations.

Safe to say it was definitely not your average day on the job.

Reporting by Adella Beaini.