☕️ UK Election betting scandal

You’ve likely seen that politicians are currently arguing about whether Australia should adopt nuclear energy or not.

On today’s podcast, we break down exactly what you need to know about nuclear energy.

Also, we’d love to know what you think about it. Are you for or against it? Let us know in our survey (it will take you less than a minute!)

“Lighten up, Michael, for goodness’ sake.”
PM Anthony Albanese’s response to ABC host Michael Rowland’s questions about the appropriateness of memes posted by Labor politicians over the Coalition’s nuclear power policy.

Over 500
How many fake COVID-19 temporary isolation payments one man allegedly submitted in Victoria, earning up to $60,000. Police arrested the 41-year-old man and seized several fake IDs from his house.

2010
Julia Gillard became the 27th Prime Minister of Australia, the country’s first female Prime Minister. She served until 26 June 2013.

Public school classrooms and government-funded universities in the U.S. state of Louisiana are now legally required to display the Ten Commandments.

Legislation approved in the state legislature has received final sign-off from Louisiana’s Republican Governor Jeff Landry.

It is the first law of its kind in the U.S.

Civil rights groups are now preparing a lawsuit to challenge the decision, which they argue is “blatantly unconstitutional”.

The Ten Commandments are moral orders central to Christianity and Judaism.

They include broad rules forbidding murder, theft, and lying as well as more specific religious directions.

Many of the Commandments are interpreted differently by various religious groups.

Louisiana public schools must now display a copy of the Ten Commandments in every classroom by next year.

Copies must be at least A4 in size.

The bill also requires a “context statement” be displayed alongside the Commandments, explaining their historical significance.

“I’m going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms... and I can’t wait to be sued.”
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry at a Republican fundraiser in the days before he approved the legislation.

Several civil rights organisations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have announced plans to challenge the legislation in court.

The groups argue the ruling violates the U.S. Constitution, which states that laws shouldn’t stop people from practicing their religion, or prioritise one religion over another.

In a statement, the ACLU said the law forced “religious doctrine“ on students, and told “students and families who do not follow the state’s preferred version of the Ten Commandments that they do not belong”.

Four people are being investigated over an alleged illegal betting incident within the UK Conservative Party (the Tories).

The group, which includes an MP and a police officer, has been accused of using insider knowledge to place bets on when the UK election would be held, in the weeks before it was announced.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “incredibly angry” about the allegations and vowed to remove anyone from his party who committed misconduct.

Last month, Sunak announced a general election would be held on 4 July, several months earlier than was required.

Polling shows the Tories have consistently trailed the Labour Opposition since December 2021.

One new opinion poll this week suggested Sunak could become the first UK prime minister to lose their seat at an election.

The UK’s National Gambling Commission is investigating two Tory candidates for making bets about the election date days before it was called, having potentially used insider information.

Last week, Tory MP Craig Williams posted on X to announce he was under investigation by the Commission.

In the post, Williams said: “I put a [small bet] on the General Election some weeks ago. This has resulted in some routine inquiries”.

British media has since named the second candidate under investigation as Laura Saunders.

Her husband, Tony Lee, who is the Tories’ official campaign director, is also under investigation.

London police confirmed one of its officers, who was one of the prime minister’s bodyguards, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct over the alleged betting scandal.

Earlier this week, Sunak and Starmer answered voters’ questions on the BBC.

Responding to a question about the alleged bets, Sunak said: “Not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure they are booted out of the Conservative Party.”

Starmer called for the candidates to be suspended and he said it was “very telling” that Sunak had not yet done that.

Smaller parties, including the centre-left Liberal Democrats and far-right Reform UK Party, have also weighed in on the scandal.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said the allegations amounted to “corruption”.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “It’s almost as though they’re stealing the lightbulbs out of the building as they leave the door.”

Almost every poll since December 2021 has shown Labour leading the Tories.

Last week, a major survey of more than 17,000 British adults conducted by the company Savanta UK showed Labour would win 516 out of 650 seats, reducing the Tories to just 53.

The poll showed Sunak would lose his seat of Richmond and Northallerton in northern England.

However, most other polls have shown Labour would win a smaller majority.

Act Now, Stay Secure

Why you shouldn’t wait

Have you noticed an increase in calls from unknown numbers lately? Or suspicious emails or texts? Well, you’re not alone. Although you might know not to answer, or not to click dodgy links, cyber attacks are getting more sophisticated and more frequent.

But you don’t need to throw in the towel. There are still things you can do to protect yourself online, from setting up multi-factor authentication to installing software updates and creating strong and unique passphrases. Rather than waiting for something to happen - take these three simple steps now to be secure online.

Act Now, Stay Secure. Learn simple steps to protect yourself online at actnowstaysecure.gov.au

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Iberian lynx lives mostly in parts of Portugal and Spain. The wild cat was on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species but has been reclassified from “endangered” to “vulnerable”.

Its population has increased from 62 mature cats in 2001 to 648 in 2022.

It’s always nice to be recognised for your work. Less so when that recognition is because someone thinks you’ve died — as happened to former Hawthorn player Michael Porter last week.

Porter was accidentally honoured at the AFL Hall of Fame ceremony when he was named in the ‘in memoriam’ section of the evening, causing friends to call him to make sure he was still alive.

The retired player told ABC Radio Melbourne: “I laughed a bit… I thought it was a little bit funny, my wife… she was more distressed than I was.”

“It was a pretty ordinary mistake, really,” he said.

Last week, the Coalition announced a new Nuclear energy policy. Should it win the next election, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says the coalition will plan to build seven nuclear power plants, reversing a ban on nuclear power that has been in place in Australia since 1998.

This announcement has caused a big stir in Canberra, particularly amongst the current government. In today's podcast, we take a closer look at the Coalition's policy, the science behind nuclear energy, and how the Government has reacted to the latest chapter of Canberra's 'Climate Wars'.