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The most common lottery myths revealed

Lottery insiders have revealed the six most common myths fooling everyday Australians, from theories on how to improve your chances of winning to tax confusion.

The Lott spokesperson Eliza Wregg has debunked some of these misconceptions, urging Australians not be fooled, particularly in the lead-up to April Fools' Day.

"Calling our major prize winners every day and breaking the winning news, I've certainly heard all sorts of theories," Wregg said.

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Lottery insiders have revealed the six most common myths fooling everyday Australians

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"Of course, trying to break the news to someone who's won big on April Fools' Day comes with its own challenges.

"A Hobart couple enjoyed the ultimate April Fools' Day surprise when they received a phone call from us revealing they'd won $775,000 in TattsLotto.

"April Fools' Day is a timely reminder that lotteries are games of chance.

"There are no shortcuts to winning big."

Myth one – Major lottery prizes are taxed

Major lottery prizes in Australia are tax free, which means winners receive the full prize amount.

According to the Australian Taxation Office, Australians must declare certain prizes and awards in their tax return.

This includes the value of any prizes or benefits you receive from a prize draw or lottery run by your bank, building society, credit union and investment body.

However you don't need to declare prizes won in "ordinary lotteries" such as lotto draws and raffles.

Myth two – You're more likely to be struck by lightning

The odds of winning an Australian lotto jackpot are slightly better than people expect.

About 500 Australians won a major jackpot last year, while only a handful were struck by lightning.

Myth three – Lottery winners have to go public

If you win the lottery, you'll be able to keep it a secret.

Personal information about winners is never disclosed without their consent and photos of the winners are rarely shared.

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Lottery balls are regularly weighed at the National Measurement Institute.

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Myth four – Some lottery numbers are luckier than others

Lotteries are games of chance and each number has an equal chance of being drawn.

Lottery balls are regularly weighed at the Australian government's National Measurement Institute to prevent any number bias.

Myth five – Jackpots are always won by one person

While some people do win the entire prize, many of Australia's biggest jackpots have been shared wins.

Last year 15 Queensland residents shared a $70 million Oz Lotto jackpot, while four Australians split a $60 million Powerball prize.

Myth six – Buying your tickets online gives you a higher chance

Buying your ticket online or in store has no impact on your chance of winning.

According to the Lott, 40 per cent of people buy a ticket online, while 60 per cent purchase a ticket in store, with major prize winners coming from both.

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Mecca hit with $600k fine for failing to lodge financial reports on time

Australian cosmetics giant Mecca has been handed an almost $600,000 fine for failing to lodge audited financial reports on time.

Mecca's associated companies, Mecca Brands Pty Ltd, Mecca Brands NZ Pty Ltd, and parent company RTH Pty Ltd, have each paid $198,000 in infringement notices after being accused of late lodgements by the corporate watchdog.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said Mecca did not lodge audited financial reports for the year ended 28 December 2024, which were due on April 25, 2025.

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AFR GEN23 Generics Retail shopping and shoppers, Sale signs Wednesday 10th September 2025 Melbourne Photo by Eamon Gallagher

"Three large proprietary companies associated with the Mecca group have paid $594,000 in infringement notices after allegedly failing to lodge audited financial reports on time," the regulator said in a statement.

"ASIC began inquiries with Mecca in July 2025, and the companies lodged their financial statements shortly after being contacted by ASIC."

ASIC noted that payment of an infringement notice is "not an admission of guilt or liability, and the companies are not regarded as having been convicted of the alleged offence".

In a statement, a spokesperson for Mecca said it acknowledged the infringement notice handed down by ASIC.

"We have never disputed that some of our filings were submitted later than required and we take our reporting obligations seriously," the spokesperson said.

"We have worked constructively with ASIC and our auditors to address these delays and have strengthened our internal processes to ensure timely lodgement going forward.

"This matter is now resolved.

"As a private company, we remain committed to meeting our regulatory obligations with the same discipline we apply across all areas of our business."

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AFR  AFR  Mecca A story about how some building work hoardings have gone up around part of the facade of the new Mecca super store in Melbourne's Bourke Street mall. But these have gone up only a few months after the grand opening and lengthy delays in refurbishing the building. Monday 9th February 2026 Melbourne Photo by Eamon Gallagher

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Large proprietary companies like Mecca are legally obliged to lodge financial reports to ensure creditors and other stakeholders can remain informed about business operations.

A total of 12 large proprietary companies received fines for allegedly failing to lodge their FY24 audited financial reports on time, ASIC said.

"ASIC reminds the directors of large proprietary companies and other entities with financial reporting obligations that they need to proactively review their reporting obligations and ensure financial reports are lodged in a timely manner," ASIC Commissioner Kate O'Rourke said.

"We also remind auditors of these entities to notify ASIC if they are aware or suspect that a company is not complying with its lodgement obligations."

Mecca was founded in Melbourne in 1997 by Jo Horgan.

Its parent company, RTCH, is run by Horgan and her husband Peter Wetenhall.

Mecca has 110 locations around Australia and New Zealand and opened its flagship store on Melbourne's Bourke Street last year.

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Delay for teen accused of Universal founder Greg Josephson’s fatal stabbing

A teenager accused of murdering the co-founder of a national clothing store chain at a house party is still waiting for a psychiatric report to be completed, a magistrate has heard.

The boy was aged 15 when he was accused of fatally stabbing Greg Josephson, who established Australian fashion retailer Universal Store, at the man's Clayfield home in Brisbane's south last year.

He is the first juvenile to be charged with murder after the passage of Queensland's controversial "adult crime, adult time" laws, mandating he will face a life sentence if found guilty.

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Police were called to the house about 8.15pm on June 26, 2025 after Mr Josephson was found dead during a party involving about 30 young people.

The charge against the teen, now aged 16, was briefly mentioned in Brisbane Children's Court on Tuesday.

A psychiatrist had yet to complete his medical opinion on the teen, defence solicitor Kris Jahnke told magistrate Anne Thacker.

"I'm told that he should be in a position to provide an opinion by the end of April," Jahnke said.

The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was not required to appear.

Thacker said she had been told the psychiatric report would be provided this month.

"This is a complex matter. (The psychiatrist) has been meeting with my client on numerous occasions but he has also experienced some delay in respect of being able to get into the youth detention centre," Jahnke said.

Records of the teen's current treatment while in custody on remand were also being sought, Thacker heard.

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Jahnke sought to adjourn the matter to May 26 and prosecutors did not object.

Thacker granted the adjournment and remanded the teen in custody.

Police said they were confronted with a "confusing" scene when they arrived at Josephson's home in the upmarket inner-city Brisbane suburb of Clayfield in June 2025.

A majority of the teenagers at the party were unaware of what had occurred before officers discovered Josephson's body inside the home, investigators said.

"It was a confusing situation because it was a party," acting Detective Superintendent Craig Williams told reporters in July 2025.

Josephson founded Universal Store with his brother Michael in 1999.

The national apparel retailer was acquired by a group of private equity investors in 2018 for a reported $100 million and two years later the business went public on the ASX.

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Hegseth sought to buy defence stocks before Iran war began: report

The Pentagon has vociferously denied reports that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth sought to make multi-million dollar investments in defence stocks in the weeks before the Iran war began.

The Financial Times reported Hegseth's broker contacted investment firm BlackRock about investing in their Defense Industrials Active ETF.

Because the fund was not yet ready to take on investors, the purchase did not take place, the newspaper reported.

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Pete Hegseth has denied seeking to make defence investments before the war with Iran began.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell has denied the reports.

"This allegation is entirely false and fabricated," Parnell said.

"Neither Secretary Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment. 

"This is yet another baseless, dishonest smear designed to mislead the public."

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Pete Hegseth was a Fox News anchor before being appointed to lead the Pentagon.

Parnell demanded an immediate retraction.

"Secretary Hegseth and the Department of War remain unwavering in their commitment to the highest standards of ethics and strict adherence to all applicable laws and regulations," he said.

The Financial Times cited "three people familiar with the matter" in making their reporting, all anonymous.

The Trump administration has been attracting scrutiny after a series of well-timed trades before major actions.

An entity or several entities traded heavily on S&P 500 and oil futures minutes before a Truth Social post from Donald Trump sent markets swinging earlier this month.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth

In the space of a minute, more than $800 million in trades was made on oil futures.

And whoever made those trades made an incredible amount of money.

Betting app Kalshi has refused to pay out $77 million in winnings to punters who bet Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be out of office by March 1.

Khamenei was killed by a US and Israeli bombing strike hours before the deadline was reached.

Meanwhile on Polymarket, 150 accounts bet more than a million dollars that the US would strike Iran the next day.

And in January, a Polymarket user made about $570,000 betting that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would be out of office before the end of the month.

They had doubled down on their bet hours before the US seized the leader in a military strike.

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Not all Aussies get the same public holidays this Easter long weekend

The Easter long weekend is almost here and millions of Australians are looking forward to some time off across the public holidays.

But not all states and territories observe the same Easter long weekend public holidays.

Here's how the long weekend will be observed in your part of the country.

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buying chocolate for Easter

What days do I have off?

Every state and territory across Australia recognises Good Friday and Easter Monday as public holidays.

It means most Aussies get an extra-long four day weekend over the Easter period.

We say "most" because some jurisdictions have differing approaches when it comes to Easter Saturday and Sunday.

Is Easter Saturday a public holiday?

Not all states and territories observe the Easter Saturday public holiday, which is bad news for retail and hospitality staff who miss out on public holiday rates.

The jurisdictions that don't consider it a public holiday are Tasmania and Western Australia.

New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory do honour the Saturday public holiday.

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What about Easter Sunday?

All but one Australian jurisdiction recognises the Easter Sunday public holiday.

Tasmania is the unlucky state that ignores the Sunday holiday and instead observes "Easter Tuesday" on the day after Easter Monday.

Unfortunately for Tassie locals, it pretty much exclusively applies to public servants.

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Is there anything else different this year?

Yes! This year Easter Sunday falls on the the first Sunday in April, which is when daylight saving ends.

Clocks will go back by one hour from 3am to 2am this Sunday, April 5 at 3am Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) in all but three states and territories.

NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT will get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning.

Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory don't observe daylight saving time, so there's no change in those areas.

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