News update for Mon 26 May 2025
Your trusted guide to the top independent news and views of the day...
Welcome to your TrueNorth news update where every weekday afternoon we share curated articles from Australia’s independent news media sector.
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Scroll down for the news and views you need to know today…
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here
Ed Husic: Australia has a proud history of standing up against human catastrophe. Gaza should be no exception - The Guardian
We can and should be doing more to help the 2 million Palestinians struggling to survive.
Last Monday the UK, Canada and France deliberately issued the strongest joint statement to date about what they said was the “intolerable” level of human suffering in Gaza.
It is a further sign that many of our good friends in the international community remain aghast at the treatment of innocent civilians in Gaza. It was an important stand by them. Australia could have proudly joined them. We didn’t.
Read more from Ed Husic for The Guardian
Also read >
Labor read the room on Gaza. What does that say about our indifference to Palestinians? - Crikey (paywall)
Most Australians find Israel’s denial of aid to Palestinians in Gaza unjustifiable - AIMN
Nine children of Gaza doctor killed in airstrike - ABC listen
‘Horrific crime’: Nine children of Gaza doctor killed in Israeli strike - Women’s Agenda
Albanese ramps up Gaza rhetoric as Zionist narrative erodes - Michael West Media
Can they put Humpty together again? - May 25 - Frank Bongiorno, Judith Brett and Julianne Schultz, Tony Windsor - The Sunday Shot Podcast
Chaos in the Coalition! The fallout of Labor's thumping win continues with the Nationals and the Liberals on again-off again alliance. We get historical context from a top notch panel.
Listen to The Sunday Shot replay - and watch The Sunday Shot here
David Littleproud’s own goal - Karen Middleton for Inside Story
Is David Littleproud toast as Nationals leader? - Crikey (paywall)
Laura Tingle: Our political ruts have shaken loose. Will parliament adapt to the new normal? - The ABC
A most obvious political rut is that the "two" party system is an inevitable feature of our politics, and that those "two" parties are the Australian Labor Party on one side of the fence and the federal Coalition of the Liberal Party and Nationals sits on the other side.
There are other ideas whose echo you can still feel in the dynamics of politics, even if they aren't said out loud all that often.
These include the idea of the "natural party of government" (the Coalition); and that Labor is a bad economic manager.
Read more from Laura Tingle for The ABC
Nuclear power may have cost the Coalition 11 seats in the federal election - Renew Economy
On the day after the Coalition’s disastrous performance at the May 5 federal election, Nationals leader David Littleproud said nuclear power was not responsible for the Coalition’s historic loss.
Ted O’Brien, head salesman for the nuclear policy and now deputy leader of the Liberal Party, refuses to concede that the nuclear policy cost the Coalition votes, saying it would be “premature” to judge.
In fact, a vast amount of evidence clearly shows that the nuclear policy cost the Coalition many votes. It may have cost the Coalition around 11 seats, as discussed below.
Read more from Jim Green for Renew Economy
Measuring the independents - The Tally Room
One of the big stories of 2025 has been the rise of independents. There was a notable increase in the number of independents who stood at this election, but that in itself is not the most important factor. There is a tremendous range in how well an independent might poll, and how serious their campaign might be.
So for this post I wanted to track how high the independent vote has reached, how that vote breaks between a number of categories of different types of independents, and how that has translated into victories or close calls.
Read more from Ben Raue for The Tally Room
Today’s cartoon by Megan Herbert
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here
“Attack” on superannuation just fat-cat crocodile tears - Michael West Media
The furore over the superannuation changes in the fossil media is grossly overcooked. The changes only affect the wealthiest. Michael West with the fact-check.
Unless they want Australia to become a total plutocracy, and we are headed that way, Jim Chalmers and the Treasury have to address some of the inequities in the superannuation system.
Ergo the proposal to reverse a generous tax concession for wealthy investors exploiting their SMFSs as a big tax shelter to pass on wealth to their kids.
Read more from Michael West Media
Also read >
‘Hysterical’ criticism of Labor’s super tax plan could thwart needed reform, experts say - The Guardian
Not climate or housing – no, our moral outrage is saved for taxing the rich - Amy Remeikis for The New Daily
Labor’s tweak to super affects only the wealthiest Australians. To argue against it is misguided - The Guardian
The fight for fairness: Reforming superannuation in Australia - New Politics
Labor's super tax proposal misrepresented as tax on all paper profits - AAP Fact Check
The ‘carbon bomb’ awaiting Australia‘s new environment minister - 7am Podcast
Australia has a new environment minister – and he has a big job ahead of him: fixing the country’s broken environment laws. Murray Watt has replaced Tanya Plibersek, whose efforts at reform were famously thwarted by the prime minister. But before Watt can begin that task, he faces another critical decision: whether to let Woodside Energy extend its North West Shelf gas project to 2070 – opening new gas fields and unleashing a “carbon bomb” worth roughly 10 times Australia’s current annual emissions. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe, on Murray Watt, his plans for the environment and the decision that could define his tenure.
The floods and droughts devastating Australia are fingerprints of a warming planet - The Guardian
It is undoubtedly clear that continuing to burn or export fossil fuels will increase climate change and the risk of extreme weather.
As New South Wales once again faces heavy rainfall and flooding, the Victorian towns of Euroa and Violet Town will enter stage 2 water restrictions next Wednesday. How is the climate crisis affecting these contrasting extremes?
The weather pattern bringing heavy rainfall to NSW is a common wet-weather scenario for the coast. A high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea has stalled, and the anticlockwise air flow around the high is pushing moist air from the ocean over land. At the same time, about three kilometres above the surface, a low-pressure system is lifting the moist ocean air up. As moist air rises, it forms clouds, storms, and finally rain.
While this weather pattern itself isn’t unusual, the duration of the weather pattern is.
Also read > Floods on one end, drought on the other. Is this Australia's climate future? - ABC News
Trump’s toxic stupidity can be exploited — if Australia stops assuming migration is bad - Crikey
Our policymakers have bought into the idea that migration is fundamentally a problem. But as the US declares war on foreign students, Australia needs to change its mindset.
For a country notionally obsessed with how to lift productivity and growth, Australia seems oddly uninterested in the easiest way of all to improve both: import them. Donald Trump’s systematic destruction of the US economy and its global appeal is presenting enormous opportunities for policymakers to exploit Australia’s growing comparative attraction compared to the United States.
While tariffs, policy uncertainty, blatant corruption and reputational damage have all been scrutinised as significant parts of the damage inflicted by Trump and the MAGA cult on the United States, migration has received less attention.
Read more from Bernard Keane for Crikey (paywall)
Life isn’t meant to be easy — but death is -The Politics
For those eligible, voluntary assisted dying is an option that should be made simple, easy and as painless as possible — and neither church nor state should put up roadblocks.
As the Liberals-Nationals train wreck soaked up attention last week, West Australian independent MP for Curtin Kate Chaney prepared for a far more important battle with a new attorney-general over voluntary assisted dying.
And in Victoria, the family of Robert Walls farewelled their beloved father, grandfather and legendary AFL triple-premiership player. Old foes, past players and friends remembered him as tough, principled and deeply loved. Surrounded by his family, the Carlton great had decided to end the brutal slog of treatment for a rare and aggressive blood cancer by accessing Victoria’s VAD laws.
Read more from Nicole Chvastek for The Politics
Inspired by a local group of people in Sydney's north who were looking for t-shirts to wear on their regular walks, Democracy Walks champions, supports and actively engages in our democracy.
CLICK here to see Democracy Walks’ t-shirt designs - and join the democracy walkers today!
Quick Links…
The Bradfield recount is on - The Tally Room
Reliable energy or ‘carbon bomb’? What’s at stake in the battle over Australia’s North West Shelf - The Guardian
Roberts-Smith is a murderer. Why do the uber-wealthy defend him? - Chris Masters for The SMH/Age
The Greenlight ft. Larissa Waters - Serious Danger Podcast
A First Nations writer’s fellowship was withdrawn by Queensland’s government. What’s going on? - The Conversation
Decimated and divided Liberal Party insiders at odds over what went wrong and what they stand for - The ABC’s 4 Corners
‘Culture of disrespect’: Australian teachers say students’ behaviour is driving them from profession - The Guardian
Labor women make history by overtaking men in cabinet. So is the job done? - The Conversation
'It was all bullsh**t': Liberals and Freshwater set to split after polling disaster - Capital Brief
Affordability up, but access to housing market to worsen as interest rates fall - Alan Kohler for The ABC
A Short Violent Evening (Ben Roberts-Smith) - Rick Morton for Nervous Laughter
Open letter from First Nations storytellers to the Queensland State Library and the Queensland Education and Arts Minister - Overland literary journal
Seen and heard - The antidote to news avoidance is careful curation, sayeth the Prophet - Tim Dunlop for The Future of Everything
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here
Share your views on Australia’s media landscape through TrueNorth’s short survey
You’re up to date for Monday the 26th of May. See you tomorrow.
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here
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I read about the first nation's author being blacklisted from a grant. While I am in the USA I want to express my support for the author.
As an anti war male dissident who didn't register the the USA military draft I was blacklisted from being able to attend college or university by what is called The Solomon Amendment.
Even more relevant about 20 years ago I applied for a $10,000 Iowa Arts Council Grant. Lots of hoops to jump through....description....examples....letters of recommendation....a lot for a poverty wage worker with adults with developmental and physical disabilities. And aspiring writer photographer artist....
I would later be told by the professional arts council staff that I had been selected to receive a $10,000 Iowa arts council grant.
However this person told me that I. A router meeting of the Iowa arts council board of dirt.....the wife of st ambrose in Ed Rogalski .....personally intervened to get me blacklisted. The professional arts council staff said that they had never seen a staff recommendation overturned.....I forgot her 1st name but the wife of the $50,000 a month university president ....blacklisted me .....I won't try to explain why here.....but she was friendly to my face.....on many occasions I brought people with development and physical disabilities to concerts at st ambrose she and her husband attended....
While I don't identify as Native American. After a murder in the family they relocated and did not live as Native American. Just passing....
I'm happy to identify as part European and part Native American....the oldest relative I knew described to me how his father....was Murdered By a white man and the judge let the murderer go because the man he had shot in the back was a Native Americans in Muncie Indiana in 1907....
So the wife of university president Ed rogalski got me blogging about 20 years ago when I was younger and energetic and doing multiple creative arts and literary projects including a beginners guide to sign language....after she got me blacklisted I would fail at my attempt to make a living creatively and go homeless for the 1st time.....
No article was ever written about the university president wife blacklisted a mixed race ethnicity artist photographer writer......
Soon I need to write a long article...
He is retired now with a building and a street named after him and the story how he and his wife blacklisted a poverty wage worker....mixed race ethnicity with no college degree.....from getting an Iowa arts council grant....
Dodo B Bird
American Dissident Artist.
Dodobbird.pixels.com