Good morning.

1. Tens of thousands of people marched at the March 4 Justice rallies around the country yesterday, protesting against the sexual assault, discrimination and harassment of women. “We are here because it is unfathomable that we are still having to fight this same stale, tired fight,” said former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, whose allegation that she was raped by a colleague in Parliament House was one of the events that triggered the mass protests.

2. Scott Morrison invited ire over his response to the marches by making an odd reference to protesters being “shot at by police” in Myanmar. “Not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets, but not here in this country, Mr Speaker,” he said during Question Time. It comes as the Coalition government records its worst Newspoll since the bushfires, amid the sexual assault allegation and ensuing scandal concerning Attorney-General Christian Porter.

3. Nearly one in three Australians say they’re experiencing financial distress, according to the University of Melbourne. The figures “suggest that not everyone is seeing the benefits of the economic upturn,” said report author Professor Guay Lim. Nearly a quarter of respondents said they feel anxious or depressed most of the time.

4. Openpay has signed a new partnership with St John’s of God Health Care to allow customers to split the cost of private medical procedures. Claiming to be the first of its kind to make such a deal, Openpay said it would give Australians without private health insurance more treatment options. “It provides these patients with more options to access private health care when they want it, allows them to choose their doctor and hospital, and to avoid long delays in accessing specialist care,” said Bryan Pyne, St John’s chief operating officer of hospitals.

5. The number of plant-based meat products on Australian supermarket shelves doubled in 2020, according to a new report. Food Frontier and Deloitte Access Economics say the sector also doubled its local job count. However, retail sales only grew 32% to $185 million, with the report authors suggesting that high prices could deter Australians from tucking in.

6. Food delivery app DoorDash wants to expand further into grocery delivery and small business locally, according to its new Australian general manager Rebecca Burrows. “My vision for what DoorDash can be in Australia is bringing the best of your city to your door,” Burrows told Business Insider Australia. On the food delivery front, DoorDash battles Uber Eats and Deliveroo in an increasingly crowded space – so it’s perhaps no wonder they feel the need to diversify.

7. ‘Social marketplace’ Poshmark has launched in Australia, offering local shoppers another alternative to established platforms like eBay. Social marketplaces like Poshmark and Depop have accumulated millions of users over the past decade, promising a new approach to online secondhand shopping. The company’s arrival comes as online retail spending remains high, but adverse financial conditions could meet shoppers later in 2021.

8. 39% of Australians used digital platforms to exercise during the national lockdown last year, according to a new study by Deakin University. Experts believe digital platforms will continue to grow more popular, as Australians invest further in wearable fitness tech, at-home fitness equipment and apps. “It’s likely that these sorts of platforms are going to be utilised more and more as time goes on,” said the study’s co-author Dr Kate Parker.

9. Over in the US, President Biden has pledged to hit 100 million shots in arms and 100 million stimulus cheque in pockets in the next 10 days. As of Friday, the US had already administered 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Meanwhile, the Australian Medical Association predicts we won’t have everyone in Australia vaccinated until December.

10. The Oscar nominations are out, and Netflix landed 35 nominations, including 10 for “Mank” – the most of any studio. The streaming platform has been adding to its total Oscar nominations every year since 2016 and led last year, too. But a Best Picture win has eluded the company, and it’s looking unlikely that it will score one this year either.

BONUS ITEM

Some more from the March 4 Justice – this from Australian of the Year, Grace Tame.

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