☕️ Why cigarettes get more expensive today

Welcome to September, where the psychological end-of-year countdown begins.

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World #5 Novak Djokovic on losing his first-round match at the U.S. Open, the first time in 20 years he had exited a Grand Slam that early.

The stat: 52.8%. The percentage of people in Iceland who voted against re-starting talks to join the European Union, amid heightened concerns about security following U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to take control of nearby Greenland.

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If your eyes feel wrecked by midday, you're not alone.

Sore or tired eyes, headaches, blurry vision and trouble focusing are all common signs of computer eye strain if you spend most of your day on screens. Specsavers recommends the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds, look at something 20 feet (6 metres) away. It gives your eyes a chance to relax and genuinely takes the edge off screen fatigue.

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A new report shows young Australians are less engaged with the news than they were in 2023.

It also shows more than a third of young people are asking AI tools about the news.

The report is a collaboration between Western Sydney University, the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Canberra.

The researchers surveyed 1,027 young people aged 10-17 in February and March 2026. Results were weighted to reflect the Australian population in this age group.

Researchers also found most young people are not confident they can spot misinformation online.

Less than half of young people agreed that they know how to tell if a news story is fake.

Even among those who were confident they can spot misinformation, more than half could not identify how to check if an image was real.

Reporting by Adam Wan.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, features editor Emma explains the rise of smart glasses. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.

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Cigarettes go up in price again today, as the automatic increase in the tax on tobacco kicked in.

Critics say the regular increase in the tax has pushed smokers towards the illegal market. Illegal tobacco now makes up 80% of all nicotine consumed in Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

One solution now being floated in Canberra is to significantly cut the excise. Here’s what each party is proposing.

The Federal Government has taxed tobacco since 1901, making it one of the longest-standing sources of its revenue.

In 2023, the Government introduced twice-yearly indexation of the price of tobacco products, on top of a 5% annual increase. Indexation is when the cost of a good or service is changed to reflect the value of money.

According to a Treasury report published in 2019, there is “a clear relationship” between higher tobacco prices driven by the excise and lower smoking rates.

Australia’s tobacco excise has risen consistently since 2016, making legal cigarettes among the most expensive in the world. A legal pack of 20 cigarettes now costs between $40 and $50, most of which is the excise.

Tobacco excise revenue peaked at $16.3 billion in 2020, but the Government estimates it will bring in just $4.1 billion this financial year.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission says illicit trade cost Australia $3.3 billion dollars in lost revenue in 2024.

The Government’s plan to limit illegal tobacco is focused on enforcement.

This month, its bill to increase penalties for illicit tobacco offences to up to 15 years in prison passed Parliament.

It’s also put $188.5 million into the Border Force to crack down on illegal tobacco shipments. The Government says the Border Force has seized more than one thousand tonnes of illegal tobacco.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has confirmed a Coalition policy on illegal tobacco is in the works, after a taskforce he set up handed down its findings last week.

The taskforce recommended cutting the tobacco excise by up to 80%, which would significantly lower the cost of legal cigarettes.

The Coalition also wants a licensed, regulated framework for legal vape sales, and for the Government to aim for a 5% smoking rate.

One Nation wants the tobacco excise cut by 75%, alongside a three-year freeze on indexation.

Under the plan, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says the price of legal cigarettes would be competitive with illicit packs.

Hanson says the cut would be paired with tougher border enforcement, “faster shop closures” and harsher penalties for traffickers.

The Greens oppose cutting the tobacco excise.

Party leader Larissa Waters told the Today Show earlier this month that One Nation is trying to “dress up fighting crime” as a way of “boost[ing] the profits of big tobacco”.

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

Bright office lights and sun streaming through the window might feel cheery, but your eyes disagree.

Glare and poor lighting are common contributors to eye strain. The fix Specsavers suggests is surprisingly easy. To help reduce discomfort, adjust the room lighting, and avoid sitting under harsh fluorescent lights so your screen is comfortable to view.

If sore, tired or watery eyes are still part of your daily routine, an optometrist can work out what's behind it. Book an eye test at your local Specsavers.

Toby Fuller ran the Sydney Marathon on Sunday in three hours, 18 minutes and one second, five years after he first started showing symptoms. Multiple myeloma is a form of blood cancer which is currently incurable, only treatable. Fuller told the ABC he had moved to Australia from his home in New Zealand for treatment for his illness, and that “everybody’s welcomed me like I’m an Australian.” Guinness World Record staff met him after the finish line to give him his official record certificate.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

Are your shoes the right size?

A new study at RMIT suggests more than half of Australian women are wearing a larger size than they need, based on interviews with 107 women.

Co-author Associate Professor Saniyat Islam said: “Australian women aren’t bad at buying shoes – the sizing system [based on length] is bad at describing their feet.” He explained that “offering more width options would give consumers a better chance” of finding a comfortable fit.

Confusion extends to international sizing too: 72% of women wore a different size under U.S. sizing and 65% under EU sizing, and more than half didn’t know their UK shoe size.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.