☕️ New paid parental leave bill

I thought I’d share some top-tier documentary recommendations from the TDA team in case you’re looking for something to watch over the weekend:

“We should not be receiving work that has glaring errors in footnotes and sources. My people should not be double checking a third party provider's footnotes.”
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Secretary Natalie James during Senate Estimates on Thursday, after Deloitte admitted it used AI for a report. The Government paid $440,000 for the report, before University of Sydney academic Chris Rudge noticed incorrect footnotes and references.

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The global ranking of the University of Melbourne, according to The Times Higher Education Report. It was the highest ranked Australian uni, with five others ranking in the top 100.

Taylor Swift’s 12th album ‘The Life of a Show Girl’ was released last Friday, sparking rumours the song ‘Actually Romantic’ is a diss track about Charli XCX. Following the album’s launch, Charli XCX posted a video of a recording studio across her social media platforms, leaving fans questioning whether she is responding in a new song.

The Federal Government has introduced a bill to make it illegal for companies to cancel paid parental leave if a baby is stillborn or dies in infancy.

It follows a push from a Sydney woman whose employer cancelled her paid parental leave after her six-week-old baby died.

The Opposition has expressed support for the bill, which needs to pass Parliament to go into effect.

Employees can get paid parental leave (PPL) payments from both their employer and the Government after a birth or adoption.

The Government gives parents 24 weeks of minimum wage payments. Parents need to have worked consistent hours and complete an income test to prove their eligibility for the payment.

Employers can also give their employees PPL, which can vary depending on companies’ policies and contracts.

The bill would make it illegal for companies to cancel PPL payments if a baby is stillborn or dies.

Currently, Government-funded PPL is not cancelled if a baby dies, while employer-funded PPL can be.

The bill came about after a Sydney woman – who has chosen to remain anonymous – initiated a Change.org petition to change the law.

Her workplace cancelled her PPL after her baby died aged six weeks.

In a post to Instagram, Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth said: “Parents should not have to deal with uncertainty about their employer-funded paid parental leave entitlements on top of their grief.”

Shadow Employment Minister Tim Wilson told TDA: “When families experience the devastating loss of an infant, clocking in to work should be the last thing on their mind”.

“This is an important step to ensure compassion and dignity are afforded to grieving parents.”

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Red Nose: 1300 308 307

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace deal.

This first phase will involve the release of remaining hostages, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza to an “agreed upon line”.

Hamas said this agreement will bring an end to the war.

However, the details of how or when this will happen remain unclear, with the actual details of the agreement not yet released.

Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. The UN says 48 hostages are still captive, about 20 of whom are still alive.

Israel responded by declaring war and bombarding Gaza, which Hamas runs. According to data cited by the UN, Israel has killed more than 66,000 people. Parts of Gaza were declared to be in a state of famine earlier this year.

Last month, a UN human rights committee found Israel is carrying out a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Israel denies the allegations.

Trump announced on Wednesday (local time) that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the “first phase” of a peace plan.

According to Trump, Israel has agreed to withdraw troops from Gaza to an “agreed upon line,” and Hamas has agreed to release all remaining hostages.

Both parties had been negotiating a U.S-led proposal in Egypt this week.

Here are some of the key points that were announced as part of the proposed deal last week:

It’s not clear if some of those details have changed during negotiations.

It’s also not clear which details will be implemented in the first phase, or in subsequent phases.

Hamas confirmed the agreement in a statement, which it said would bring “an end to the genocidal war against our Palestinian people”.

Hamas called on Trump and other international parties to compel Israel to “fully implement the obligations of the agreement”.

The statement added that the group “values the efforts” of Trump in the negotiations of this agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the agreement a “diplomatic success” and a “victory for the State of Israel”.

“From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved,” he said.

Netanyahu also thanked Trump for his “unwavering commitment to the safety of Israel”.

Netanyahu still needs to convene the Israeli cabinet to vote on the deal on Thursday (local time).

Once that is approved, Israel will need to withdraw its troops from Gaza to the agreed-upon line, and Hamas will need to begin releasing hostages.

There are few other details available.

Fast & Filling Brekky Made Easy.

A protein and fibre-rich breakfast helps you feel fuller for longer and steadies your blood sugar, says leading nutrition scientist, dietitian and Chobani Yogurt health spokesperson Dr Joanna McMillan.

One of the best ingredients naturally packed with protein is Chobani Natural Greek Yogurt with 13g per serve.

🍊 Ex-UFC fighter shot dead in Sydney. Read more here.
🍊 Former AFL player sentenced to 10 years in jail. Details here.
🍊 Football’s first billion-dollar player. Find out here.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cricket, soccer, and more…

De Minaur defeated Portugal’s Nuno Borges in straight sets to become only the third man in 2025, after Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz, to reach 50 victories. It is now the Australian player’s most successful season of professional tennis yet. The world No.7 now leads the ATP Tour in hard-court wins this season and is only the fourth Australian man in history to achieve the milestone. He said: "For me, it just shows consistency and that is what I am most proud of. Showing up every single week, and it is an amazing number.”

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Reporting by George Finlayson.

You’ve heard of toddlers in tiaras, but have you ever heard of buffalos in a beauty pageant?

This week, an annual water buffalo beauty pageant kicked off in eastern Thailand.

The pageant is part of the buffalo racing festival which celebrates the historic role of buffalos in Thailand’s agricultural production.

To celebrate, the Associated Press said some of the buffalos wore flower crowns, pulled traditional carriages and raced each other.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Across the country, protests are held every week. Sometimes, it’s to protest against government actions, other times, to bring attention to an overseas cause. A pro-Palestine protest organised for this weekend in Sydney has been banned by a NSW court, which ruled the public safety risk is “extreme”. In light of this decision, we wanted to ask the question: Is there a right to protest in Australia? We’ll unpack that and the latest decision in today’s podcast.