☕️ Youth uprising ousts Serbian government

Yesterday on the podcast, TDA journo Elliot and I debated the topic that nearly broke the TDA inbox over the weekend: Should Australia make national service compulsory?

We picked a “side” out of a hat and went old-school debating style for our listeners, making the case for and against national service.

No comment on who (allegedly) won the debate… You can make up your own mind 😉. Watch the full debate here!

The quote: “The shock from what happened last Monday is like a stone in our hearts... It is hard to think of anyone in this place with a more irrepressible twinkle in the eye, a twinkle that more than hints at a real inner strength.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paying tribute to independent MP Dr Helen Haines in Parliament yesterday. Haines is in a serious but stable condition after she had both legs amputated following an alleged attack outside her electorate office last week.

The stat: $150,000. The value of a 1.2kg gold nugget unearthed by an anonymous amateur Broken Hill prospector, the ABC has reported.

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: 65% of you said you’re interested in the U.S. midterms, while 35% of you aren’t. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research.

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We're doing a bit of research for our partnerships team and your take is important to us. It will only take two minutes. You can answer it here. Thank you!

A pharmacy trial for UTI treatment and contraception, starting early 2027, is being opened up to all Australian women rather than just concession cardholders.

From February 2027, a 12-month trial will cover initial or repeat hormonal contraceptive prescriptions and consultations for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) at participating pharmacies.

The Federal Government estimates around 900,000 women could benefit.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners warned while hormonal contraception is safe, “it should not be prescribed casually.”

The Federal Government first announced the trial in March for concession cardholders.

Concession cards give people such as pensioners and welfare recipients access to cheaper health care and other discounts.

The trial covers pharmacist-prescribed contraception and treatment for uncomplicated UTIs.

NSW made pharmacist-led UTI treatment permanent in 2024, while Victoria allows pharmacists to prescribe and resupply certain hormonal contraceptives.

On Monday, Health Minister Mark Butler announced the 12-month trial would be expanded to include all eligible women, not just concession cardholders.

Women will be able to access treatment for uncomplicated UTIs and initial or repeat hormonal contraception prescriptions at participating pharmacies, subject to state and territory rules.

Consultations will be free, but prescribed medicines will cost up to $25 per prescription for general patients and $7.70 for concession card holders.

“Community pharmacy is Australia’s most accessible frontline healthcare destination and are open earlier, later and longer than other healthcare providers, making it easier to receive care and treatment,” National President Pharmacy Guild of Australia Professor Trent Twomey said.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Vice President Dr Ramya Raman said: “Women’s health is not a pilot project.”

She said hormonal contraception was safe and commonly used, but “should not be prescribed casually”.

“It carries well established risks, including increased risk of stroke and blood clots, particularly during periods of hormonal change, the very times when women need comprehensive medical assessment, not fragmented care,” Dr Raman said.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

🗡️ After touring the country, Bell Shakespeare's Macbeth arrives in Sydney. Shakespeare's OG supernatural thriller is back at the Sydney Opera House this November, so book your tickets.

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A student-led group has won Serbia’s parliamentary election.

After 14 years in power, outgoing leader Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat to the Student List late on Sunday.

The grassroots, leaderless protest movement was formed following a deadly train station collapse in 2024, with members running for election for the first time this year.

In a post to X, the Student List said: “Serbia is free”.

Here’s what you need to know.

Serbia is a country of about 6.5 million people in the Balkans, a region of south-eastern Europe.

It was once part of Yugoslavia, which broke apart through a series of wars in the 1990s.

Serbia applied to join the European Union (EU) in 2009, but the process has stalled, and it remains close to Russia, refusing to join EU sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Until this week, Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party had governed since 2012, most recently with five smaller coalition partners.

In November 2024, a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-biggest city, killing 16 people.

Many blamed the deaths on allegedly corrupt deals between government officials and construction contractors.

Students walked out of universities and high schools in protest.

In 2025, demonstrations escalated to widespread student blockades and rallies.

At first, protesters demanded a transparent investigation into what happened at Novi Sad.

Over time, that turned into calls for an early election.

Vučić (who served as prime minister from 2014 until he was elected as president in 2017) called a snap election on 9 September, citing “major turbulence on the domestic political scene”.

Presidents in Serbia can only serve two terms.

At the time of calling the election, Vučić resigned as president to run for PM again.

Vučić campaigned on his record of economic growth and promised higher pensions, higher public sector wages and subsidies for young couples.

After the election was called, student demonstrators registered 250 candidates under the name Student List.

The group describes itself as a leaderless movement rather than a formal political party.

Candidates, including academics, doctors, actors and sports personalities, were chosen by students but are not students themselves.

They campaigned on fighting corruption, promising a free media, independent courts, and the removal of officials who broke rules while cracking down on protesters.

The Student List also urged opposition parties not to run and to back it instead.

Unlike in Australia, voting is not compulsory in Serbia.

However, a record-high number of voters turned out to vote in the country’s parliamentary election on Sunday.

Preliminary figures from Serbia’s electoral commission suggest nearly 70% of registered voters cast a ballot.

Serbia’s electoral commission ruled this year that overseas polling hours had to follow Serbian time.

This meant Australia’s large Serbian community had to vote at night.

Vučić’s opponents saw the rule change as an attempt to reduce turnout overseas.

A party needs 126 seats in Serbia’s 250-seat parliament to govern in its own right.

The Student List is expected to win between 135 and 140 seats, compared to around 105 for the Vučić-led coalition.

The long-time leader conceded late on Sunday, saying: “We still do not have final results... [But] it is clear that we have lost these elections”.

He blamed independent media, unnamed European countries and what he called an “American deep state” for the loss.

Preliminary results based on Centre for Free Elections and Democracy data:

*The coalition led by Vučić

Celebrations have broken out in the capital Belgrade and Novi Sad, with fireworks and crowds chanting “victory”.

Posts to the Student List’s X account said “Serbia is free!” and “the students won.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the Student List, saying the EU stands ready to support anti-corruption reforms, “and to work together to advance Serbia’s future in the European Union.”

Alain Berset, Head of Council of Europe, a human rights organisation welcomed Vučić’s acceptance of the result and his commitment to a peaceful transition.

The official results for the election will be finalised over the coming days.

The Student List will then be tasked with choosing a prime minister and forming government.

A separate election to decide Serbia’s next president will be held before the end of the year.

The group has not confirmed preferred candidates for either of the two leadership positions.

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.

In 1946, geologist Reg Sprigg discovered fossils of soft-bodied sea creatures that lived about 555 million years ago, making them the oldest known evidence of complex life on Earth. At the time, many scientists didn’t believe life that advanced could be so old. Similar fossils have since been found on every continent except Antarctica. More than 58,000 hectares of the Flinders Ranges area has now been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage listing, which would recognise it as a place of global importance. 

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

We come bearing bad news for gender reveal parties across NSW: releasing even a SINGLE balloon into the sky could now cost you $1,100.

The ban is part of a wave of plastic reforms passed by the NSW Government last week, aimed at cutting plastic pollution and protecting marine wildlife and birds.

Previously, fines only applied to releases of 20 balloons or more. Now, releasing even one balloon carries a maximum penalty of $1,100.

And if you go big and release 100 or more at once, the maximum fine jumps to $3,630 for an individual and $6,050 for a corporation.

The old guy from Disney’s Up better watch his back!

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.