☕️ Why your power bill could increase

We are T-minus 1 hour away from sending out our very first Finance Newsletter. I won’t reveal too much here, but let’s just say, if you’re interested in Bitcoin, how much interest you’re getting from your savings or OnlyFans (what a combination of topics!) then you need to sign up here. It’s good, I promise.

P.S. Here’s today’s riddle: You see a boat filled with people. It hasn’t sunk, but when you look again, you don’t see a single person on board. Why?

Answer is below in today’s titbit!

"Today, we take small steps towards righting a historic wrong… These payments acknowledge an injustice. It does not correct what has happened… There’s no doubt that it’s overdue. We want to make sure that we take deliberate steps in righting the wrongs of the path and providing a pathway of healing into the future."
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook announcing his Government's redress scheme for living survivors of the Stolen Generations in the state. Individuals will receive a one-off payment of $85,000.

$945 million
The estimated cost of the planned new stadium in Hobart, Tasmania, which will allow the state to have its own AFL team. The draft plan for the stadium originally estimated that the stadium would cost $775 million.

Snollygoster [sno-lee-gos-tur]
Definition: An immoral and clever person.
Used in a sentence: “That politician is a snollygoster.”

Three men have been arrested for looting in the flood-affected NSW town of Taree, in unrelated incidents.

On Sunday night, police stopped a 20-year-old man in Taree for allegedly searching through property. Police allege he had two hunting knives.

Later the same night, a 29-year-old man was also stopped in Taree and charged with stealing, and possession of a knife.

Then, early on Tuesday morning, a third man was arrested after police allegedly saw him putting stolen items in the trunk of his car.

Police have encouraged the public to report any suspicious behaviour.

Recovery efforts continue following flooding on NSW’s Mid North coast.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has completed more than 5,000 damage assessments and responded to nearly 800 flood rescues. At the time of writing, there are 51 warnings in place.

The SES said it was “proud to be working collaboratively” with around 150 community volunteers in the area.

On Monday, the Prime Minister deployed 70 ADF personnel to assist with recovery efforts.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Taree on Tuesday, meeting with locals and SES volunteers.

In a press conference, he said the recovery “will take some time… but Australians are resilient. They’re tough and we will come through this and we’ll come through it together.”

Local Facebook groups have become hubs for NSW residents to share meals, services, and clothes with each other in the wake of the flooding.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a hazard warning for almost the entire Victorian coastline.

The BOM has confirmed today that “abnormally high tides may lead to sea water flooding of low lying areas of all Victorian coasts on Tuesday.”

Authorities have advised individuals to keep away from affected areas and stay informed.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

Energy bills could rise by nearly 10% on the east coast over the coming year.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has handed down its final decision on the maximum power price hikes that can be passed on to households and businesses.

In response, both the Government and Opposition underlined concerns about rising cost of living pressures.

The Government previously announced it will discount every household’s power bills by a total of $150 from July until the end of the year.

The regulator handed down its official decision on the DMO yesterday.

The figures vary based on location, which are set to be larger in NSW compared to SE Qld and SA.

The average NSW household’s electricity bills will increase by around $190 over the financial year.

SE Queensland’s average increase will be $17 and SA’s will be $38.

AER Chair Clare Savage acknowledged “this is not welcome news for consumers”.

In its report, the AER said its DMO is to “ensure consumers pay no more than necessary for a safe and reliable power supply.”

Savage said “sustained pressures” in the electricity grid are to blame for the increases.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said “it’s clear energy bills for Australians remain too high,” while noting the DMO is slightly lower in some areas compared to the draft decision delivered in March.

Bowen pointed the extension of an energy bill discount, which will reduce bills for all households and one million small businesses by $150 over the second half of the year.

The pre-election budget announcement, backed by the Coalition, will see $75 automatically deducted from the next two quarterly power bills.

Deputy Opposition Leader Ted O’Brien said: “These steady increases in power prices are not sustainable for families, businesses and industry.”

In the run-up to election day, the Coalition proposed building seven nuclear reactors around Australia. Labor defeated the Coalition, and increased its majority.

As part of his response to the DMO, O’Brien noted the Coalition “did not meet expectations” in the election. The Liberal Party has vowed to review all its election policies.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Let’s talk about sex (and all the stuff we should’ve learned in school)

Ever feel like you skipped the class on how to actually do dating, relationships, and consent? Yep, same. That’s why the team at Teach Us Consent made a podcast that finally has the convos we all needed earlier.

It covers everything from how to flirt without the ick, to dealing with mixed signals, handling rejection, and navigating the messy stuff like porn, power and party culture - all in a way that’s honest, respectful, and actually helpful.

No shame. No judgement. Just real chats with athletes, comedians, creators and more about what it means to lead with empathy, confidence and care - in bed, on dates, and everywhere else.

🍊 State of Origin is tonight. Here’s a preview.
🍊 The Thunder beat the Timberwolves to take a 3-1 series lead. More details here.
🍊 Should the track in Monaco be widened? Horner thinks so.
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: a random fact, tennis, and more…

According to findings published in the journal Biological Conservation, the frog is considered a global threat to freshwater ecosystems, including the northwestern pond turtle that inhabits the freshwaters around California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. The seven-year study discovered that, as bullfrog numbers decreased in Yosemite, the native turtle species began to recover. A comparison of sites with and without American bullfrogs found northwestern pond turtles were up to 100 times more abundant in the frog-free areas.

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

Competitors from around the world have raced in an annual cheese rolling event in England.

Participants charged/tumbled/rolled down a Gloucestershire hill in pursuit of a wheel of the town’s famous cheese.

Local authorities say the event is dangerous, but that does not deter the thousands of spectators.

This year, German man Tom Kopke won for the second time in a row. According to the BBC, Kopke “risked his life” for the cheese, saying: “It’s my cheese - back to back.”

Cheddar luck to his opponents next year.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

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Riddle answer: All the people are married!

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Israel’s blockade of food and aid supplies into Gaza "outrageous". His comments came as Australia joined 22 other nations in demanding Israel allow the full resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza's 2.1 million residents.

Today, we're breaking down what's happening with aid delivery to Gaza, how the international community has responded and Australia’s position on the issue.