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Good morning!
We hit an exciting milestone yesterday, with TDA’s YouTube channel ticking over 30,000 subscribers!
Everyone consumes news differently, and for those who love to watch something a bit longer, this channel is for you. Happy watching!
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “War is getting deadlier for women and girls and the world is allowing it to happen… For them, war is not something they can scroll past. War is outside their door.”
UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda presenting the annual report on women, peace and security in New York. Last year, the UN verified 9,788 cases of sexual violence related to global conflict.
The stat: $1.2 million. The bonus Australia Post gave its CEO Paul Graham last financial year, on top of his $1.6m base salary.
The big question:
Yesterday’s results: 53% of you wear sunscreen every day, while 47% of you don’t. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [3,021 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
At least 64 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after two trains collided in central Spain. A train operated by state-owned Renfe struck the rear of another train operated by a private company, Iryo, which had stopped on the tracks. Spanish Health Minister Monica García said emergency workers were focusing on rescuing survivors and bodies from the two most damaged train cars. Trains from those two companies were also involved in a deadly crash in January.
Australia’s annual inflation rate rose to 4.3% in September, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). That’s up from the 4% inflation rate recorded in August, and is the second month in a row where it has increased. The main drivers of inflation were transport and housing. It comes a week before the next RBA meeting, when the board of Australia’s central bank will decide whether to raise the cash rate.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
Are interest rates going up again?
The latest figures on how fast prices are rising came out yesterday, and they landed right where CommBank economists expected. They now think the Reserve Bank will lift interest rates from 4.60% to 4.85% when it meets on Melbourne Cup Day. That would be the fifth rise this year.
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I’ve got 1 minute
Defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has fled Brazil and arrived in the U.S, according to international media reports.
The son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro disputes the results of Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday, which he lost to incumbent President Lula da Silva (Lula).
After posting to social media earlier in the week that authorities had told him to hand over his passport, Flávio is now believed to have left the country.
Recent election
On Sunday, Lula defeated Flávio, his second consecutive presidential election win and fourth overall.
Lula called the result a “victory of a Brazil that chose hope, unity, and the future.”
Flávio refused to accept the outcome, disputing a Supreme Court decision to extend voting hours after public transport issues. The decision was made by a judge appointed by Lula, who used to be Lula’s personal lawyer.
Flávio’s party has accepted the result.
Exit to U.S.
In an Instagram post after the election, Flávio said he had been ordered to hand over his passport to authorities after visiting his father Jair.
Brazilian media reports he secretly left the country through Argentina after failing to hand over his passport on Tuesday.
The U.S. State Department confirmed to the BBC that Flávio and his family will be granted visas. The BBC has since reported that Flávio has met up with his brother Eduardo in the U.S. state of Florida.
Response
Lula commented on Flávio’s reported exit at a celebration for his 81st birthday.
“I regret that he left... the act of leaving Brazil is shameful,” Lula said.
The President added: “When I was asked to surrender my passport, I did so. He should have done the same.”
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, journo Em D is talking about the drama about year 12 drama. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.
🍿 The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have officially unionised after years of pay disputes. Sign up to TDA Culture here for a breakdown in your inbox at 5pm.
Good Finds
What's the deal with ETFs? New ASX research found 26% of investors under 30 began with shares, 22% with property, and 22% with an exchange-traded fund (ETF) - that's a bundle of shares or other assets. Learn more about how young Aussies are investing at CommBank Newsroom.
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I’ve got 2 minutes
Uber is facing a potential class action in Australia over allegations of sexual assault, sexual misconduct and sexual harassment by drivers.
Law firm Slater and Gordon is investigating whether the rideshare giant did enough to protect women passengers and respond to complaints about alleged misconduct.
The investigation comes after The New York Times reported that more than 400,000 Uber trips in the U.S. resulted in reports of sexual assault or misconduct between 2017 and 2022.
Context
Uber has faced legal action in the U.S. from thousands of complainants over alleged sexual assault and misconduct involving its drivers.
In February, a U.S. jury ordered Uber to pay $US8.5 million ($AU12m) to a woman who was sexually assaulted by a driver in Arizona. The jury found Uber liable for the driver’s actions, but rejected claims it was negligent or that its safety systems don’t work. Uber said at the time it would appeal.
More than 3,000 similar lawsuits have been grouped together in the U.S. federal court.
Separately, a New York Times investigation last year found that 400,181 Uber trips in the U.S. between 2017 and 2022 resulted in reports of sexual assault or misconduct.
Uber didn’t publicly provide the full number of reports across all categories of sexual assault and misconduct during that period, only announcing 12,522 reports of serious sexual assault. The figures refer to reports, not necessarily proven incidents.
Investigation
In Australia, Slater and Gordon is currently investigating whether Uber’s driver screening, safety training, complaint handling and other safety measures adequately protected women passengers.
It is also looking into how Uber responded when passengers alleged driver sexual assault, harassment or other misconduct.
The investigation focuses on Uber’s responsibility for passenger safety, rather than claims against individual drivers.
Cindy Bors, a practice group leader at Slater and Gordon, said the firm wanted to establish whether women’s experiences pointed to broader problems with the company’s systems.
“When a woman passenger reports or alleges sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or sexual assault involving an Uber driver, the systems receiving, investigating and responding to that report matter,” she said.
Uber has previously argued that its drivers are independent contractors rather than employees, raising questions about the company’s responsibility for their conduct.
Callout
Slater and Gordon is calling for women in Australia who may have experienced sexual assault, sexual misconduct or sexual harassment involving an Uber driver to register their interest.
They do not need to have previously reported an incident to Uber or police. The law firm will use the information gathered to assess whether the experiences point to “common or systemic issues” that could support a class action.
“It’s important for me to share my experience so that Uber acts and makes changes so that no one has to go through what I did when I took a rideshare trip,” said Aisha, an alleged victim using a pseudonym.
Response
Uber said safety was a “core value” and that it had invested billions of dollars in measures to protect users.
“One sexual assault is one too many, and we take every report seriously,” a spokesperson said.
The company also called for changes to rules governing when gig-work platforms can remove drivers from their apps, arguing the rules should make it easier to deactivate drivers who threaten passenger safety while maintaining fairness.
What next
No legal action has commenced, and registering interest does not guarantee a case will go ahead.
“Some people may have felt that their experience was not serious enough to report, or that reporting would not make a difference,” Bors said.
“We want to hear from women about what happened and how Uber responded.”
If a class action proceeds, those affected may be able to seek compensation.
1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732.
Reporting by Adella Beaini.
A message from Frank Green
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Give me some good news
A world-first mission is aiming to clean up space junk from earth’s orbit.
The UK Space Agency has been tracking hundreds of thousands of debris objects travelling at speeds exceeding 27,000 kilometres per hour. It warns the objects are “large enough to damage vital space infrastructure,” threatening “the GPS, weather forecasts and communications we rely on every day.” In response, the British Government will develop giant robotic claws to retrieve this space junk. This specialised spacecraft, scheduled to launch by 2032, will be able to fling dead satellites into earth’s atmosphere, where they will burn up.
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA titbit
Two cows have been found roaming a tiny island off Queensland’s Daintree coast, and they seem pretty happy with their new home.
The pair were spotted on Snapper Island last Friday, and a local has since been taking them water and molasses by boat. While the cows look healthy, rangers are trying to work out who they belong to and how to bring them back to the mainland.
They might be enjoying island life, but their holiday could soon be over.
Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.
TDA asks
