☕️ Gambling reforms pass parliament

It’s been a big week of news with the alleged sexual assault investigation involving Sydney Swans players. Police investigations are ongoing and no charges have been laid.

TDA was at yesterday’s press conference with the club, when our sport journalist George Finlayson asked the Swans CEO Matthew Pavlich if he regretted saying that the players had “found themselves” in this situation when he made his initial statement on Monday morning. You can watch Pavlich’s response here.

We also explain the latest in the 1 minute section below.

The quote: “Teens should be able to use AI to learn, create, and explore. But that access should come with protections that reflect their developmental stage, reinforce real-world relationships, and support healthy use over time.”
OpenAI on the release of a version of its chatbot ChatGPT designed for teenagers. The company faces multiple lawsuits from parents whose children died by suicide after conversations with the bot. Lifeline: 13 11 14.

The stat: 3.2%. The increase in wages over the past year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Prices increased by 3.8% in the year to June.

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: 89% of you think there shouldn’t be gambling ads on TV, 9% think they should be allowed with restrictions (e.g. not during live sport or only late at night), and 2% think they should be allowed all the time. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [3,518 votes].

Together with AAP.

How Deakin graduate Emma Kornitschuk landed her role at the Geelong Cats.

Since finishing her studies, Emma has moved from coordinator to manager across brands like Cotton On and Archies Footwear, and is now Senior Digital Marketer at Geelong Cats, where her role brings together content, fan engagement and strategic thinking.

Her advice if you’re wanting to get into the industry? “Always ask yourself how you can stand out from the crowd. Use your strategic thinking to approach things differently; you never know when it'll work in your favour.”

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The Sydney Swans have announced five players will not be considered for selection for the remainder of the season. The players are Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon, and Riley Bice.

On Monday, Victoria Police confirmed its Sexual Crimes Squad is investigating an allegation of sexual assault on 17 August at a hotel in East Melbourne, following the Swans’ game against Essendon on Sunday afternoon.

TDA does not suggest that any of the players are being accused of sexual assault, only that they have been connected to the police investigation.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Swans said the five players will not be considered for the remainder of the season. The decision comes after club officials interviewed the players on Tuesday.

The club said: “We respect there is an ongoing investigation by Victoria Police and the actions we have taken today are independent of this.” According to the AFL, Sydney “has not ruled out further sanctions once the outcome of the police investigation is clear”.

Club chairman Andrew Pridham and CEO Matthew Pavlich held a press conference at midday on Wednesday. Pridham and Pavlich said the bans relate to the players continuing to drink late and bringing women back to the team hotel.

TDA asked Pavlich if he regretted his phrasing at a press conference earlier in the week that the players had ‘found’ themselves in the situation.

He replied: “We were trying to take ownership of this process and this incident. We are deeply disappointed with the players’ behaviour.
But at the same time, yeah, we are expressing our concerns deeply for the women involved.”

The players issued a statement on Wednesday night, saying: “We are deeply sorry to everyone involved. We know that our behaviour has fallen well short of the standards expected of us and the values of our club... We accept the club sanction and apologise for the impact this has had on those involved.”

For more on what we know about the alleged sexual assault, listen to our podcast deep dive on Spotify here, Apple here, or watch it on YouTube here.

Reporting by George Finlayson.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, features editor Emma explains why Erin Patterson is back in court. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.

🍿 It’s Book Week, and the TDA team has recommended reads. Sign up to TDA Culture here for the list in your inbox at 5pm.

🚰 Your sink only wants three things: water, detergent and soap. Fats, oils, grease, food scraps, milk and coffee grinds all belong in the bin. More handy facts here!

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The Government’s changes to gambling ads have passed the Senate, with amendments.

The bill now goes back to the House of Representatives for a final sign-off on the Senate’s changes.

It comes more than three years after a Labor-led inquiry recommended a complete ban on ads for online gambling.

In June 2023, a Parliamentary committee released the final report from its inquiry into the impacts of online gambling. The committee was chaired by Labor MP Peta Murphy.

It recommended the Government completely ban ads for online gambling, create a new gambling warning label, and introduce identity verification for online gambling.

Murphy died in December 2023. The Government responded to the inquiry in May 2026, noting its recommendations and deferring some responsibility to the states and territories.

During an address to the National Press Club in April, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans to limit gambling ads to three per hour from 6am-8.30pm, none during live sport events from 6am-8.30pm, and none on the radio during school pick-up and drop-off.

He also pitched a ban on celeb or player endorsements of gambling platforms, and ads on players’ and officials’ uniforms and venues, and limits online.

The Government’s plans were met with concerns from the Coalition, the Greens, the crossbench, and anti-gambling advocates. Broadly, the response was that its changes didn’t go far enough.

Alliance for Gambling Reform Lived Experience Advocate Mark Kempster told TDA the reforms are a “real slap in the face... to anyone who gave evidence at that inquiry.” He called the legislation “insipid [and] weak,” and “disguised to support the gambling industry.”

In July, the bill went to the Senate, where senators agreed to send it to an inquiry led by their Communications Legislation Committee.

It heard evidence from gambling companies, reform advocates and industry parties.

Former NRL player Luke Bateman told the committee that gambling companies unofficially offered him illicit drugs while courting him as a “VIP” punter. He said his gambling addiction cost him tens of thousands of dollars a month.

The committee ultimately recommended the bill pass, though the Greens and independent David Pocock disagreed. Without the Greens or the crossbench, the Government needed to work with the Coalition to pass the bill.

To secure the Coalition’s support and pass the bill, the Government agreed to a series of additional amendments. These included:

In the House of Reps, the Coalition mostly voted in line with the Government to pass the bill on Tuesday. Liberal backbencher Andrew Wallace joined Pat Conaghan to cross the floor and vote against it, arguing the amendments didn’t go far enough.

Wallace said gambling companies should not be in charge of identifying high-risk gamblers, comparing it to “putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank.”

The bill was approved by the Senate on Wednesday. It will need final approval in the lower house before becoming law.

Gambling Helpline: 1800 858 858

Reporting by Elliot Lawry and Lucy Tassell.

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Using sonar mapping, underwater drones and stationary video cameras, researchers discovered a thriving coral garden about 54 metres below the surface in waters off Benin. It marks the first confirmed evidence of a living coral ecosystem on the Gulf of Guinea’s continental shelf, according to findings published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. It’s hoped the breakthrough will inspire greater ocean exploration and marine conservation efforts along the West African coastline.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Add this to your Eurosummer plans for next year - the city of Vilnius in Lithuania has just hosted its fifth annual corgi race.

The tiny dogs converged on the European capital to race, show off costumes, and compete to find out who has the loudest bark.

Brb booking flights to Vilnius.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.