News update for Mon 30 June 2025

Your trusted guide to the top independent news and views of the day...

Jun 30, 2025

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

PUBLISHER’S DAYS OFF: This Thursday 3/7 and Friday 4/7 TrueNorth is taking some time out. We’ll be back in your inbox at 5pm on Monday 7/7. TrueNorth is a solo run initiative supporting independent news media and commentary.

The Lattouf case and the ongoing chilling effects - Nick Feik

The Lattouf decision is an indictment of ABC management. The court case exposed the arbitrary, incoherent nature of the ABC’s social media and editorial policies, senior management’s susceptibility to outside pressure, the complete failure of HR processes in response to board pressure, serious editorial over-reach by the chair, and most importantly a sorry lack of support for its own employees.

The ABC board spent millions defending this case, when it could have settled for $80,000 last year.

There are lessons to be learnt by ABC management, but they should be heeded by every cultural organisation, government authority and news outlet around the country, especially those that responded the same way to pro-Israel pressure.

Truth to Power - The Sunday Shot Podcast

Doug Cameron and Josh Bornstein don't hold back with their incisive commentary on the way Labor, the ABC and other institutions are failing us at this critical moment. And a special interview with Peter Cronau regarding the US attack on Iran, the Government’s response and what this means for us. A cracker conversation.

Listen to The Sunday Shot Podcast - or Watch The Sunday Shot on YouTube

Also > The great Australian silence - New Politics

Amy Remeikis: What our politicians do is as important as what they say, or don’t say - The New Daily

Sussan Ley addressed the National Press Club this week, noteworthy because it was the first set piece speech since she took over the Liberal Party leadership and because her predecessor, Peter Dutton, never made one.

Ley spent most of her speech retreading her favoured origin story, and outlining her commitment to winning back voters.

She’s a “zealot” about lifting the number of women in the party. She believes the path back to government is through the teal seats. She supports the international rule of law that has underpinned Australia’s prosperity. She wants Australians, no matter where they are or what their background is, to believe the Liberal Party speaks for them.

How is she going to do this? Well, that’s what was missing.

Also > Could Albanese be the next Hawke or Howard? - Back to Back Barries Podcast

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Murdoch’s News Corp has moved into the mortgage business. Where are the regulators? - The Conversation

If you want to advertise a house online in Australia, you don’t have many options. Just two companies dominate the market.

Australia’s largest property listings platform, realestate.com.au, belongs to digital media company REA Group, which is majority-owned by Rupert Murdoch’s US-based media conglomerate News Corporation (News Corp).

REA claims average traffic of 11.9 million viewers per month, substantially more than that of its nearest rival, Domain.

That’s led to widespread concern about REA’s dominant market power and the potential for price-gouging, which are currently subject to an ongoing probe by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

"Accumulation of defects". A-G report scathing on Navy shipbuilding - Michael West Media

As the Navy embarks on the ambitious AUKUS program, the Auditor-General has handed Defence a ‘C minus’ on the Canberra Class ship-building program.

Ever since the Navy took possession of the two Canberra-class landing Ships at a cost of $1.5B each, they’ve been mired in controversy about reliability.

In a scathing report from the Auditor-General released on Friday, their audit found that the ships’ sustainment has not been effective, or achieved value-for-money, with the ships being hobbled with defects throughout their young lives.

Today’s cartoon by David Rowe

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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Zoe Daniel: Australia’s had two more years of gambling ad harm since the Murphy report. It’s time for Labor to show some courage - The Guardian

Two years ago this week the Murphy report was delivered to the government, recommending the banning of gambling ads. And for two years the Albanese government has failed to act in the face of pressure from vested interests. Over those two years Australians have gambled away another $60bn.

In June 2023 the Labor MP Peta Murphy said: “Australians are the biggest losers in the world when it comes to gambling. We have a culture where sport and gambling are intrinsically linked. These behaviours are causing increasingly widespread and serious harm to individuals, families and communities.”

Australians know we’re the biggest losers by a large stretch over any other nation in the world.

The Story of Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson (with Kriv Stenders) - Betoota Talks Podcast

Before Trump there was Joh. A laconic right-wing Premier who ruled Queensland with an iron first for 20 years. A cowboy politician who was surrounded by corruption at every level - but always managed to avoid going down. At his disposal was a hippy-bashing police force that is alleged to have murdered numerous political opponents and whistleblowers. It’s a chapter of Australian history that everyone wants to forget. Especially Queenslanders. ESPECIALLY the National Party. This week’s guest has done the opposite, one of Queensland’s great filmmakers, Kriv Stenders, joins the Betoota Talks to discuss this era of Australian politics, and his new documentary that’s available now on Stan. It’s tilted JOH - THE LAST KING OF QUEENSLAND

Listen to the Betoota Talks Podcast

A distracted world marches steadily towards catastrophe - Pearls and Irritations

As the nations bicker, squabble and fight among themselves, their ultimate disintegration becomes more certain and more imminent with each passing day.

Enthralled by the spectacle of leaders of paralysing stupidity disgorging lies, bombs and bombast ad lib, many people seem to have forgotten or chosen to overlook the real monster that is creeping up behind them, sharpening its claws to bring down the entire civilisation.

In a new paper “Indicators of Global Climate Change 2024”, 50 of the world’s leading climate scientists warn that human climate emissions are achieving records, dumping 56 billion tonnes (+/-5bt) of greenhouse gases (CO2 equivalent) into the atmosphere in 2024.

Penny Wong to go head-to-head with US on defence spending at the Quad - Crikey

The foreign affairs minister will meet with Marco Rubio amid relentless calls for Australia to increase its defence spending, and Angus Taylor might just be planning another tilt at the Liberal leadership.

Penny Wong is heading to the United States today ahead of the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Washington, where she will meet her American counterpart amid the never-ending commentary over defence spending.

The AAP says Wong and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold a one-on-one meeting as the Albanese government also continues its attempts to secure an exemption from Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Speaking ahead of her departure, Wong said: “This will be the second Quad foreign ministers’ meeting within six months, reflecting the importance of our partnership and the strategic circumstances confronting our region and the world.

1 July changes: minimum wage, Centrelink payments, parental leave, road fines and everything else coming for 2025-26 - The Guardian

New financial year means improved benefits for the less well off, and cameras that can see drivers using their phones.

A wage increase for low-paid workers, changes to superannuation and significant reforms to the pension are part of sweeping changes being made on 1 July.

The end of the financial year is typically when state and federal governments change a range of legislation, implementing new policies. This year there is a lot happening so let’s take a look at the big-ticket items.

‘Draconian protest laws’: Hannah Thomas severely injured at a pro-Palestinian protest in Sydney - Women’s Agenda

Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas has been severely injured in her right eye while being arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest in Sydney’s south-west on Friday.

Thomas, 35, posted a video from her hospital bed on Sunday night, saying she may lose vision in her eye and blames “draconian protest laws” for her injury.

“I’m five one. I weigh about 45 kilos. I was engaged in peaceful protest, and my interactions with NSW police have left me potentially without vision in my right eye, permanently,” Thomas said.

“I look like this now because of Chris Minns and Yasmin Catley and their draconian anti-protest laws and their attempts to demonise protesters, especially protesters for Palestine. They’ve emboldened the police to crack down with extreme violence and brutality, and they were warned that those laws would lead to this outcome.”