☕️ Who's the National Party's new leader?

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Good morning!

You know those times you’ve needed to text someone about Bigfoot and you’ve wanted to use an emoji but it just hasn’t been there? Well Apple has you sorted.

It’s just announced eight new emojis, including one that resembles Bigfoot (thank goodness). They will be available in the next update, iOS 26.4.

I’ve got 10 seconds

The quote: “One of the two who had made the decision to stay… changed her mind. In Australia, people are able to change their mind, people are able to travel. And so we respect the context in which she has made that decision.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke speaking in Question Time on Wednesday about one of the Iranian football players who was offered a humanitarian visa to stay in Australia.

The stat: 667,000. The number of people in Lebanon who have registered as being displaced amid Israeli strikes in the last week, according to the United Nations. The Iran-backed, Lebanon-based group Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel last week, and Israel has responded with airstrikes across the country.

The big question:

Can you cook without a recipe?

Yesterday’s results: 59% of you check your super balance regularly. [2,100 votes].

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has cleared former Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his involvement in the illegal robodebt scheme, while two others have been found to be corrupt. Robodebt was a debt collection system used by the Government from 2015 to 2019. It resulted in over $1.7 billion of unlawful debt notices. A 2023 Royal Commission found several code of conduct breaches by six senior officials involved in Robodebt, who were referred to the NACC for further investigation. Four of them have now been cleared, including Morrison, who initiated the scheme when he was social services minister. The watchdog found the Department of Human Services’ former business integrity boss, Mark Withnell, intentionally misled staff as they prepared a cabinet submission in 2015. The commission also found department deputy secretary Serena Wilson engaged in corruption by misleading the Commonwealth Ombudsman during a 2017 investigation.
Hundreds of people have fled their homes as floodwaters threaten regional communities in central Queensland. Authorities said floodwaters had peaked at 7.4 metres near Bundaberg. About 200 people were forced to seek shelter at evacuation centres on Tuesday night, while about 2,500 residents lost power. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said State Government assistance would be on offer as the region looked to rebuild. “Proud communities like this find a way to keep bouncing back. But just because they're resilient doesn't mean they should be left to their own devices,” he said. Local farmers will also receive help after floodwaters claimed about 1,200 livestock, damaged 1,000km of fencing and caused “immense” crop losses, according to Crisafulli.

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I’ve got 1 minute

A server crash disrupted NAPLAN testing in schools around the country on Wednesday.

Students in years 3, 5, 7, and 9 were scheduled to sit the annual exams yesterday morning.

However, tests were delayed after the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) said “a widespread issue” affected students’ ability to “log on to the online platform to complete their NAPLAN assessments.”

In an update on Wednesday afternoon, ACARA confirmed the issue has been resolved, and schools can resume testing.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN stands for: National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy. ACARA has held NAPLAN tests since 2008.

Each year, all Australian students in years 3, 5, 7, and 9 sit the NAPLAN. This year’s testing window is from 11 to 23 March.

According to the Department of Education, NAPLAN is “the only test that can provide nationally comparable data about literacy and numeracy achievement across the country.”

Outage

On Tuesday morning, ACARA advised schools to pause testing due to a server crash.

It said the matter was being “urgently investigated” by Education Services Australia, the tech provider which runs NAPLAN’s online testing platform.

In an update this afternoon, ACARA confirmed the issue had been resolved, and testing can resume.

“We continue to monitor the platform to ensure students are able to complete their assessments without further issues,” ACARA said in a statement.

Tasmania

Public school students in Tasmania will not sit any NAPLAN assessments this year, after teachers announced an indefinite ban last week.

It comes amid stalled negotiations between the Australian Education Union (AEU) and the Tasmanian Government.

Union members are calling for better pay and conditions for school staff.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Quick hits

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, we unpack if Australia has just entered the war.

🎥 Awards season ends on Monday with The Oscars. Sign up to TDA Culture here for your cheat sheet to Hollywood’s biggest night.

Drops of wisdom

💧Half flush > full flush (when you can). Choosing the half flush could save around 6,507 litres of water a year – that’s the same volume as more than 26,000 takeaway coffees.

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Good finds

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*Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Matt Canavan is the new leader of the National Party.

It comes after David Littleproud announced his resignation on Tuesday afternoon, saying he was “buggered”.

On Wednesday morning, the Nationals chose Canavan over other candidates Bridget McKenzie and Kevin Hogan.

Who is Matt Canavan?

Vote

Littleproud was Nationals leader from May 2022 until Tuesday, when he announced his resignation, saying: “I think someone better can do it because I don’t have the energy.”

The ABC reported NSW MP Kevin Hogan, and Victorian Senator Bridget McKenzie put themselves forward for the role of leader, alongside Canavan.

Hogan served as Nationals Deputy Leader and McKenzie as Senate Leader for the party.

Canavan

Canavan has been a Queensland Senator since he was elected in 2013. Before running for office, he worked as Barnaby Joyce’s chief of staff, while Joyce was a Nationals Senator.

Under the Turnbull and Morrison Governments, Canavan was Resources Minister. He did not have a position in the current Shadow Ministry.

Canavan lost a leadership challenge against Littleproud in May 2025.

He is the first Senator to lead the Party in the Nationals’ 105-year history.

Production

Canavan wants more “Australian made” goods and services, particularly in the regions.

In 2021, he presented the Nationals’ plan to prioritise Australian-made goods in government contracts, and provide tax concessions for Australian manufacturers and producers.

“We must take radical action to reverse the trend in fewer things being made in Australia,” he said at the time.

Canavan echoed this push in his first speech as Nationals leader on Wednesday, calling for more “Australian everything”.

Climate change

Canavan has repeatedly questioned climate change’s existence, often in reference to the use of fossil fuels.

In May 2025, he told ABC Radio National that “there’s just not credible evidence that droughts or floods are getting worse” in Australia.

Canavan shared a photo of snow in regional NSW in June 2021 with the caption “climate change”.

He is strongly in favour of the use of coal for energy.

Family loan

In May 2025, Canavan spoke to TDA about his proposed policy to offer couples a low-interest loan of $100,000 once they have a child.

This loan would apply to families buying their first home, and would decrease by 30% after a second child, and be wiped altogether after a third. Canavan and his wife have five children.

He believes it would help reverse Australia’s declining birth rate and increase home ownership for younger people.

Other views

Canavan openly describes himself as “pro-life”.

In Parliament in 2022, he said “abortion is an evil” that “results in the death of a child and often ongoing mental harm for a parent.” Canavan introduced a bill to require doctors to provide care to infants “born alive as a result of a termination,” which did not pass.

In 2025, Canavan said he has a “strong record fighting on free speech matters”.

He did not support the under-16s social media ban, telling Sky News it would “override the will of parents”.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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Give me some good news

Photo: Arman Muharmansyah via The Australian Museum

Two small marsupials thought to have gone extinct over 6,000 years ago have been found alive by Aussie researchers.

The pygmy long-fingered possum and the ring-tailed glider were discovered living in the remote rainforests of Papua, Indonesia. Experts with the Australian Museum used evidence including fossil fragments gathered across the globe, and worked with local Elders to gain insight into the marsupials. Research lead Professor Tim Flannery called the discovery of one species an “exceptional discovery,” but said finding “two species, thought to have been extinct for thousands of years, is remarkable”. The findings underscore “the critical importance of preserving these unique bioregions and the value of collaborative research,” Flannery added.