⏱️This edition of the National Account’s newsletter is a six-minute read.

👋 G’day everyone, Archie here.

I’ve got three quite different stories for you today:

First, what happened when a fake bomb was strapped to the neck of a Sydney schoolgirl for 10 hours?

Then, have you ever considered panning for gold?

I recently found a guy online who's been trying to fossick enough gold to buy a new 4WD. I thought, if I wanted to do that, would I have to pay any tax?

Finally, more solar for Australia. I unpack the new changes to the solar panel discount scheme and what it means for cheap energy powering the land down under.

Let’s crack into it 🗞️

❝

Ten hours

The amount of time Madeleine Pulver had a fake bomb around her neck in August 2011

💣 This really happened: The Mosman Bomb Hoax

Fifteen years ago, in Mosman, on Sydney's north shore, a man broke into an 18-year-old woman's family home and strapped what was believed to be a bomb to her neck in a suspected extortion plot.

I wanted to know more, so I started researching.

Checkout my rundown below:

This bloke has panned $60,000 worth of gold to buy a 4WD. Does he have to pay tax on it? ⛏️

Rob Parsons has has been documenting his gold prospecting journey online, creek by creek, working to save enough to buy a new 4WD.

He's at over $60,000 of his $80,000 goal.

It got us wondering: what does the ATO make of all this?

A Curtin University taxation law professor said the difference between hobby and business is intention.

So announcing on camera that you're panning for gold to buy something might be giving the taxman all the ammo it needs.

☀️ Let the sun shine

Australia has more rooftop solar per person than anywhere else in the world, but big warehouses, factories and farm sheds have largely missed out.

Today, Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced an expansion to the discount scheme that covers residential solar to include larger commercial systems, potentially unlocking enough power to replace 10 coal plants.

Watch my rundown below:

Thanks for catching up with me. I hope you enjoyed this issue, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Just reply to this email and I’ll be on the other side 👋

I’ll be back on Friday.

Cheers, Archie

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