| | | 12/03/2024 Online vaping scripts under scrutiny; Gareth Evans backs Unrwa funding; princess apologises for editing photo |
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| | | Good morning. Australia’s drugs regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, is investigating four telehealth websites which prescribe nicotine vaping products. Since 1 March, nicotine vapes are available only with a prescription – but one of these sites provides a script in just a few minutes. Labor’s longest serving foreign minister, Gareth Evans, has told the government to “get off the fence” and restart funding for the aid agency Unrwa as starvation looms in Gaza. And the Princess of Wales has apologised for editing a royal family photograph issued to the media but later withdrawn by picture agencies. |
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 | Full Story | | The hunt for ClothOff: the deepfake porn app Deepfakes are causing havoc around the world, with police and lawmakers baffled about how to deal with them. For the past six months, Guardian journalist Michael Safi has been trying to find out who is behind an AI company that creates deepfakes. But in trying to answer one question, he has been left with a bigger one: is AI going to make it impossible to sort fact from fiction? | |
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| In-depth | | For those outside the UN negotiating rooms, Cops – the various UN climate change conferences – have become the de facto global trade show for climate solutions. Anthony Albanese promised to put his hand up for the world’s largest climate tradeshow – but the bid’s not locked in yet and the clock is ticking. Richie Merzian from the Smart Energy Council argues that hosting Cop26 could be exactly what Australia needs to help turbocharge climate action. |
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| Not the news | | Ghostwriting is an intense, intimate, emotionally charged process that recalls both the awkwardness of a blind date and the oversharing of the therapy room. At the end of that relationship, your task as a ghost is to disappear without a trace and never mention it again. But there’s nothing quite like finding six new releases on display in a bookstore – all of which you’ve written, and none of which have your name on it. |
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| Media roundup | Billionaires will have their influence on politics dramatically curtailed as Labor moves to remove big money donations in the biggest shake-up to Australian election rules in a generation, reports the Age. Analysis has found that the Coalition’s plan to let first-time buyers use their superannuation for a home deposit would drive property prices up by $75,000 across the nation’s capital cities, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The Trans-Australian Railway line and the Eyre Highway – the main rail and road links into Western Australia – are expected to remain closed for several days due to flood waters, reports ABC News. |
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| What’s happening today | NSW | A public hearing for the Senate committee investigating supermarket pricing is due to be held in Orange. | ABS | The latest building approval figures are set to be released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. | ACT | A public hearing for the Senate committee investigating choice and outcomes in Australia’s retirement system is due to be held in Canberra. |
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| Brain teaser | And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. | |
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| Contact us | If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email customer.help@guardian.co.uk |
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| | | Lenore Taylor | | Editor, Guardian Australia |
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| | I hope you appreciated this newsletter. Before you move on, I wonder if you would consider supporting Guardian Australia. As we look ahead to the challenges of 2024, we’re aiming to power more rigorous, independent reporting.
In 2023, our journalism held the powerful to account and gave a voice to the marginalised. It cut through misinformation to arm Australians with facts about the referendum and exposed corporate greed amid the cost-of-living crunch. It sparked government inquiries and investigations, and continued to treat the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves.
This vital work is made possible because of our unique reader-supported model. With no billionaire owner or shareholders to consider, we are empowered to produce truly independent journalism that serves the public interest, not profit motives.
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If you can, please support us on a monthly basis from just $2. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you. | | |
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