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Good morning!
Aaaaaaaand it’s another Friday the 13th. Which means I get to remind you that the official term for fear of Friday the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia - a step further than triskaidekaphobia, which is merely fear of the number 13.
On another note, we are currently running a survey to better understand our audience, in order to improve our partnerships. It takes about 2 minutes – and we’d love to hear from you! Click here to complete it.
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “We just don’t know… We don’t know who that was, whether the person who, you know, asked for the ransom was the same person who was the hacker”. Gail Kelly, member of the board of Singtel, which owns Optus, on why a hacker did not publish data when the company didn’t pay them a ransom in 2022. The cyberattack involved data from 10 million people.
The stat: 1,600. The number of jobs Atlassian will cut worldwide as the Australian software company restructures to “self‑fund further investment” in AI and business sales.
The big question:
What do you use most to message people?
Yesterday’s results: 45% of you said you can confidently cook without a recipe. [2,300 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Queensland Police have made the first arrests under a new law banning the phrase “from the river to the sea” if it could make “a reasonable member of the public feel menaced, harassed or offended.” One of the two people arrested was a 33-year-old man who spoke at a public rally on Wednesday, saying: “The slogan is about saying [Palestinians] deserve freedom… When we say 'from the river to the sea' we are calling for freedom and liberation for the people of Palestine.” The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy says the phrase “effectively calls for ethnic cleansing of Jews," while the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee says it is “a demand for democratic coexistence between Jews and Arabs”.
Former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson has quit his job with the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion because he said he was overpaid for the work he was doing. Richardson was originally recruited to run an independent investigation into possible intelligence failures leading up to the Bondi Beach terror attack, but his report became part of the broader Royal Commission. Richardson stressed his departure would not impact the commission's investigation into intelligence services. He was earning $5,500 a day for the work he was doing.
Recommendation of the day
Canberra’s calling!
The Canberra Times Marathon Festival is back 11–12 April 2026, and it's now a proper two-day celebration. Saturday's got the 5K, 10K and Kids Dash. Sunday brings the big ones – half and full marathon. You’ll get the full tour as you wind past Parliament House and Lake Burley Griffin, then finish up at the buzzing festival village with Canberra's best food and culture. Runner, supporter or somewhere in between – this one's worth the road trip.
I’ve got 1 minute
A 23-year-old woman and 26-year-old man have died in flood waters near Gympie in Queensland.
The pair was reported missing on Tuesday, with their car located on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday morning, Queensland Police discovered the bodies of the missing Chinese nationals, who were here on working visas and en route to a fruit picking job.
Flooding has impacted the region since Monday, with 2,500 people losing power and many sheltering in evacuation centres.
Details
Since Monday, Queensland’s Wide Bay-Burnett region has experienced flooding due to heavy rainfall inundating the Burnett River.
Queensland Police said a 23-year-old woman and 26-year-old man left Brisbane on Sunday, heading north to Mundubbera, a small town between Chinchilla and Bundaberg.
On Tuesday, a friend reported the pair as missing after they did not arrive as expected.
Their car was located, submerged, on Wednesday night near Kilkivan, just over halfway between Brisbane and Mundubbera.
On Thursday morning, police divers and the Forensic Crash Unit located two bodies in the car.
Police confirmed the bodies were those of the missing pair.
They were both Chinese tourists with Working Holiday visas, headed to work as fruit pickers in the region.
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Lucy explains what to know about campaigning for an Oscar.
🌞 Need some good news? You can sign up to TDA’s dedicated Good News newsletter here, and wake up to silver linings in your inbox on Sunday morning.
Drops of wisdom
👀 Hose on full blast? That adds up. Adding a trigger nozzle gives you control – and can use up to 50% less water.
*Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
An international body has agreed to release 400 million barrels of emergency oil. It will be the world’s largest-ever emergency stockpile release.
Since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, which is the world's busiest oil shipping channel.
In response, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said its 32 member states, including Australia, have agreed to the unprecedented oil release.
The Australian Government says it is “finalising its response,” but that Australian oil will stay in the country.
Strait of Hormuz
Amid the escalating conflict in the region, Iran closed access to the Strait of Hormuz, a 33-kilometre-wide shipping lane off its southern border.
Each day, an average of 20 million barrels of oil and liquefied natural gas (used to heat homes and generate electricity) are shipped through the Strait – around 20-25% of global supply.
Last week, major shipping companies announced they will stop using the Strait of Hormuz and reroute ships around the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point of Africa.
The new route adds thousands of kilometres to each shipment’s journey.
Meanwhile, multiple ships remaining in the Strait have been attacked by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including a Thai-registered cargo ship.
On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck 16 Iranian vessels in the Strait, which it said had the ability to deploy explosive mines in the water.
That day, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he thinks oil companies should pass through the Strait anyway.
Price impact
Oil is bought and sold all over the world, which means prices are set globally. A disruption in one part of the world can affect prices everywhere.
An example of a previous disruption is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Much of Europe had relied on Russian oil and gas up to that point. In protest of the invasion, European countries sought to buy less Russian oil and gas, while Russia reduced its supply.
The same amount of demand met lower supply to drive up prices.
Before the current U.S-Iran conflict, oil was sitting at around $US67 ($AU94) a barrel (159 litres).
On Wednesday (U.S. time), the price of a barrel was around $US90.
Last week, some oil-producing nations, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, agreed to increase oil supply by 206,000 barrels a day to help ease global supply.
This week, the IEA said oil export volume through the Strait is “currently at less than 10% of pre-conflict levels.“
Announcement
On Wednesday, the IEA announced its 32 member nations had unanimously agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from its emergency stockpile. It is the sixth release in IEA’s history, and reduces the 1.2 billion-barrel stockpile by a third.
Members include Australia, the U.S, South Korea, Canada, the UK, Türkiye, and Japan.
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol called the market challenges “unprecedented”.
“Oil markets are global so the response to major disruptions needs to be global too,” he said.
Australian impact
A spokesperson for Energy Minister Chris Bowen told TDA “Australia is finalising its response.”
The spokesperson noted the agreement is “voluntary” to allow countries to work out how best to respond.
If Australia joins the action “it will not be required to send fuel overseas” but would “use its existing domestic reserves to take pressure out of the global market,” the spokesperson said.
Resources Minister Madeleine King told ABC Radio National on Thursday morning that Australia’s supply “doesn’t go anywhere because of this request” and will remain in the country.
Bowen confirmed on Thursday that Australia has a supply of 36 days of petrol, 32 for diesel, and 29 of jet fuel.
Shadow Climate Minister Dan Tehan’s spokesperson told TDA “the Coalition supports the unanimous decision of the IEA”.
Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson told Sky News the decision was “welcome” but will have a “modest and temporary impact” on prices.
Fuel changes
Bowen also announced on Thursday that he will “temporarily amend” the country’s standards for fuel quality.
For two months, fuel will have more sulfur, keeping 100 million litres of petrol per month in the domestic supply rather than being exported for blending.
Bowen said Ampol Australia will prioritise sending fuel to “regions of shortage” in return, to support regional communities, and the farming and fishing industries.
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
A message from Leukaemia Foundation
Thinking about changing your hair? Do it for a good cause
Around 170,000 Australians are currently living with blood cancer, and the support around them makes a real difference.
The Leukaemia Foundation's World’s Greatest Shave is a simple way to show up. Shave, cut or colour your hair, and every dollar you raise supports families navigating cancer.
Last year, that support helped fund 39,000 nights of accommodation near treatment, financial relief for 866 people, transport to 1,800 appointments, and more than $600,000 for new research.
So if you’ve been thinking about a bold hair change, this might be the perfect reason.
Give me some good news
Credit: Truwana Rangers
Indigenous rangers have captured two rarely seen animals in the first camera survey on Cape Barren Island, off the coast of Tasmania.
The survey caught a glimpse of blonde echidnas, and mouse-like marsupials called white-footed dunnarts. The small mammals have been historically hard to capture, but this survey photographed the mammals at six of the seven camera locations. Truwana Rangers have helped what the elders call “small secretive animals” thrive despite risks like feral cats. He added that “seeing them surviving on the Country we live on and manage as rangers, makes us proud”.
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
TDA titbit
Hollywood is readying itself for the film industry’s biggest night, with the Oscars taking place in LA on Monday (AEDT).
Behind every great awards ceremony is a great goodie bag, and the Academy Awards 2026 ‘swag bags’ are no exception, valued at an estimated $AU490,000 each.
The goodie bags, which are gifted to all Oscar nominees, are curated by LA-based company Distinctive Assets. The entertainment and marketing firm said its 2026 swag bag includes everything from “a waitlisted facial” to skincare products, designer luggage, “a private luxury villa in Costa Rica,” an interior design package worth $150,000, and more.
We’ve got everything you actually need to know about this year’s ceremony covered in today’s podcast.
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA asks
