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Good morning!
Get your waffles out, because a new Shrek movie is coming!
Yesterday, DreamWorks Animation announced Shrek 5 is officially in development and will be released on 1 July 2026. It will include the franchise’s core cast, including Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz.
Also this week it was announced that ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ is coming.
This got the office discussing what classic movie should be made into a sequel next. The office concluded we need an ‘Inception 2’. Thoughts?
I’ve got 10 seconds
Quote of the day
“I’m… officially challenging crooked Joe [Biden] to an 18-hole golf match… it will be among the most-watched sporting events in history”.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump at a rally in Florida yesterday.
Stat of the day
23 of 25
How many members of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet went to public school, the highest-ever percentage. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh went to private school, as did Starmer, who attended on a scholarship.
Today in history
1960
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee was published. It went on to sell more than 40 million copies.
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
The Federal Government has announced a new scorecard system to rate employment providers for people with disabilities. Under the measure, services will be given a public rating out of three based on their quality, efficiency, and effectiveness. Performance will be reviewed every three months. Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said she wants to see “continual improvement” from employers. The measure is aimed at boosting employment opportunities.
Tropical Storm Beryl has killed at least eight people, and caused major damage in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. The hurricane battered parts of the Caribbean last week, before moving north, bringing gale-force winds, heavy rain, and severe flooding to America’s southern states, where millions remain without power. It’s been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone as it moves north-east, with intense rainfall expected.
Recommendation of the day
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Why we love it: Because it lets us channel our inner Nara Smith!
I’ve got 1 minute
Uber rides will become cheaper next month. Drivers say they’ll be unfairly impacted.
Uber has announced it will cut fares from 7 August. Prices are expected to decrease by less than 5% across Australia.
The cheaper fares are in response to current economic conditions including inflation.
However, the change will affect driver earnings, impacting what the Transport Workers Union called “some of the most vulnerable and underpaid workers in our economy”.
It comes ahead of new minimum standards for gig workers, which come into effect at the end of August.
Workplace laws
The changes to Uber fares coincide with new national protections for gig economy workers (e.g. ride-share and food delivery drivers).
The Government passed legislation in February to ensure gig workers have the same job security afforded to other workers.
Under the legislation, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) will have new powers to set out minimum standards for gig workers’ pay and insurance. Standards are expected to vary depending on the type of work.
Workers will be able make applications to the FWC from 26 August. Fair Work will then develop standards based on these submissions.
This could include changes to how drivers are paid by Uber.
When the legislation was tabled last year, Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke said: “At the moment if you’re classed as an employee you have a whole lot of rights such as sick leave, annual leave and minimum rates of pay. If not, all those rights fall off a cliff. What we want to do is turn the cliff into a ramp.”
Union response
The TWU said rideshare drivers “facing cuts to their earnings” continue to work in an industry with no “safety net of enforceable standards.”
The Union hopes that minimum standards will lead to improved pay and conditions for Uber drivers, and mitigate some of the impacts of next month’s fare cuts.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said “binding standards that can be built up over time [are] critically urgent for gig workers and companies alike.”
Uber response
Current economic conditions, including persistent inflation numbers, are behind the changes to Uber fares.
Uber said that it reviews its prices “on an ongoing basis”, and is committed to “creating compelling earnings opportunities for drivers”. The expected introduction of worker standards by the FWC isn’t believed to have played a role in the changes to fares.
Uber supported the workplace reforms passed earlier this year.
Reporting by Daniel Lo Surdo.
I’ve got 2 minutes
More than one in five Australian adults has perpetrated some form of sexual violence, according to new national data.
The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) surveyed over 5,000 18 to 45-year-olds.
It found rates of sexual violence were higher among male perpetrators, with one in four men admitting to acts including harassment and coercion, sexual assault, and image-based sexual abuse.
Report
To examine the “prevalence of sexual violence perpetration in Australia,” the AIC used self-reported data.
While many respondents admitted to being sexually violent, this doesn’t mean perpetrators have been reported to police or charged with any criminal acts.
AIC Deputy Director Dr Rick Brown said the data was important to help understand “the drivers of perpetration and for concentrating prevention efforts on perpetrators rather than victims.”
Methodology
The survey was conducted by Roy Morgan Research in 2022, and involved 5,076 Australians from the age of 18 to 45.
Respondents were relatively evenly split between men and women. The study included 55 gender-diverse participants.
The AIC report said it weighed the data by “gender, age and area of residence” to ensure findings reflected the “proportional spread” of Australians.
Other findings
Around one in six respondents admitted to perpetrating a form of sexual harassment or coercion as an adult.
Sexual harassment and coercion can include pressuring a person into:
a date or sexual activity
drug or alcohol consumption with the intent of asking for sexual activity
unprotected sexual activity.
More than one in 10 said they’d sexually assaulted someone since turning 18. This includes non-consensual kissing, touching, and sex.
Response
Full Stop Australia is a sexual, domestic and family violence support organisation.
CEO Karen Bevan told TDA that “communities are yet to come to terms with the fact that people, some we know, knowingly perpetrate sexual violence.”
Bevan said that “victim-survivors experiences tell us” perpetrators must be kept accountable “for their intentional and purposive use of rape and abuse.”
1800 RESPECT
Call: 1800 737 732
Text: 0458 737 732
Video: 1800RESPECT.org.au
Reporting by Nandini Dhir.
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Give me some good news
A man in the U.S. has received a new voice box, after one of the first successful transplants of its kind.
After being diagnosed with larynx cancer, treatment meant the Massachusetts man lost his voice, and could only breathe through a hole in his neck.
Four months after an experimental larynx transplant led by the Mayo Clinic, he is now able to speak, swallow, and breathe. The patient signed up for the trial in the hopes of being able to read bedtime stories to his granddaughter.
Reporting by Harry Sekulich.
TDA tidbit
Would you work for a Formula 1 driver?
A new job listing has been posted for a personal assistant and estate manager role with an unnamed F1 driver who has a “‘work hard, play hard’ mentality”.
The listing mentions travel between London, Monaco, and Sydney, and says the job is “NOT for the faint of heart”.
Some of the perks include travelling across the globe and staying in “well-furnished (and private) accommodations.”
The ad was posted on The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network.
Reporting by Nandini Dhir.
Want more from The Daily Aus? Listen to our podcast!
Should NDIS funds be allowed to be used on sexual services? That’s the question being debated this week, after NDIS Minister Bill Shorten said access to those services would be removed if draft legislation is passed in the Senate.
In today’s deep dive, we explain why the Government is making changes to the NDIS, the arguments for removing access to these services and why some disability advocates are against the move.
TDA asks
