News update for Thur 1 Aug 2024
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 today’s news and views…
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here
Empire of the son: With Rupert Murdoch trying to lock in his preferred heir, his family’s outsized voting power is coming under greater scrutiny - Inside Story
The Murdoch empire has never successfully completed the transition from feudalism to capitalism. And Rupert Murdoch, despite having ostensibly stepped back in recent years, obviously wants to keep it that way.
The elderly mogul’s dynastic ambitions were on spectacular display last week when the New York Times revealed he was seeking to alter the “irrevocable” voting rules of the Murdoch Family Trust. This move not only surprised media-watchers around the world but also shocked the three people most affected — his children Prudence, Elisabeth and James. It showed yet again that Rupert wants to control his business from beyond the grave, and points to much sharper faultlines inside the family than previously thought.
Read more from Rod Tiffen for Inside Story
Also read >
My flirtation with Murdoch only lasted two years before my moral compass became too dysfunctional - Eric Beecher for Crikey (paywall)
First Murdoch papers targeted me. Now there is evidence they falsely implicated me in a cover-up - Former UK PM Gordon Brown for The Guardian
Amy Remiekis: ‘Deeply troubling’ trends found in first Closing the Gap report since voice referendum defeat - The Guardian
The number of Indigenous Australians imprisoned, taking their own life and losing children to out-of-home care have all increased in the first Closing the Gap report since the voice referendum was defeated.
Not only were key measures to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians sliding backwards, prompting concern from leaders, but parties to the national agreement for closing the gap still cannot agree on an approach to measure priority areas.
Read more from Amy Remiekis for The Guardian
Also read > New Closing the Gap data shows more First Nations Australians are in prison. Why? - The Conversation
“PwC Indigenous” has just one Indigenous owner - The Klaxon
The multi-million dollar PwC’s Indigenous Consulting — the nation’s “largest Indigenous consulting business” — is now owned by just one Indigenous person, after the second owner exited his stake.
It can be revealed Selwyn Button — recently appointed a boss of the nation’s Productivity Commission — has exited his holding, leaving former Sydney financial advisor Gavin Brown the only owner of PwC Indigenous other than PwC itself.
As previously revealed, the only owners of the business other than PwC were Button and Brown, both Indigenous, who owned 51% between them.
Read more from Anthony Klan for The Klaxon
‘Lacklustre’ and ‘disappointing’ – experts react to the government’s disability royal commission response - The Conversation
Today the federal government released its response to 222 recommendations made in the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability final report.
The commissioners recommended an independent national disability commission and major reforms to break down barriers to inclusive education, employment and safe housing. They were split on the need for “special schools” and the report didn’t address health, transport or day programs.
The government has fully accepted 13 of 172 recommendations under its primary or shared responsibility. It has accepted another 117 in principle and says it plans to implement these in some form.
Also > Will anything change for Australians with disabilities? - The Daily Aus Podcast
The end of ‘Twiggy’ Forrest's hydrogen dream - 7am Podcast
It wasn’t so long ago that renewables pundits glowingly described hydrogen as the “Swiss Army knife” of renewable technologies, able to be turned to almost any purpose. But more recently, the gas has become an expensive and painful point of political debate, with many experts tempering their praise. Now, one of hydrogen’s biggest backers, mining magnate Andrew Forrest, has announced he is scaling back his green hydrogen projects. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how the green hydrogen dream evaporated.
Paul Keating: AUKUS servility just one facet of poor governance - Pearls and Irritations
Richard Marles has the Navy out in force firing torpedoes at AUKUS critics.
On Friday last, Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead claimed the critics need to produce evidence of any challenges to AUKUS being realised, then on Saturday, Vice Admiral Hammond, Chief of Navy, raised his periscope claiming the AUKUS debate was being ‘hijacked’ by people with ‘specific agendas’ without indicating what these agendas might be or who was likely making them.
The fact is, what clearly is being ‘hijacked’ is national accountability – accountability for the most wayward strategic and financial decision any government has taken since Federation.
Read more from Paul Keating for Pearls and Irritations
Today’s cartoon by Matt Golding
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here
Angela Priestley: The all-male board and leadership team of Rex Airlines is a problem - Women’s Agenda
Rex Airlines has entered voluntary administration, with up to 610 jobs to go and the administrators announcing the airline will no longer fly between capital cities and concerns about regional areas being left in limbo.
A number of issues are behind the collapse, including a lack of competition in the domestic aviation sector, allegations that Qantas and Virgin have been intentionally blocking new entrants from accessing major airports, and the general challenges airlines face in operating in a market like Australia.
But governance watchers are also looking at other factors: including recent board skirmishes and poor financial and governance management.
And when it comes to governance and financial management, it’s difficult to miss the fact Rex Airlines boasts an all-male board.
Read more from Angela Priestley for Women’s Agenda
Also read >
Rex Airlines holds a special place in the heart of country Australia. What would we do without it? - The Guardian
‘Extraction-only service’: Accessing dental care in prison - Denham Sadler for The Justice Map
People in prisons around Australia are pulling out their own teeth due to being unable to access any form of dental care.
A number of recent reports and investigations have shone a spotlight on the poor dental care offered in Australian prisons, something which is plagued with long delays and a focus on the extraction of teeth rather than preventative measures.
Read more from Denham Sadler for The Justice Map
Latest inflation figures. How does the CPI reflect the cost-of-living crisis? - Michael West Media
Inflation figures are out, showing the CPI is 3.8% for the June quarter, up by 0.2% which does not bode well for interest rates, but is this really a good measure of the cost of living?
The post-lockdown resurgence of the Australian economy between 2021 and 2023 brought with it a confluence of inflation-inducing effects. But inflation cuts different ways for different groups of people. Wage-earners in particular, are much worse off than what the CPI suggests.
Read more from Michael West Media
Also read >
Australians are struggling to make ends meet. This is not an economy in need of more rate rises - Greg Jericho for The Guardian
Whatever his achievements as PM, another rate rise would just about bury Albanese - Niki Savva for The SMH/Age (paywall)
Rachel Withers: ‘Demonic and deranged’: Should we be worried about our MAGA-pilled Victorian senator? - Crikey
United Australia Party Senator and Parliament’s top shitposter Ralph Babet has been busy lately — not that much of it has had to do with representing the people of Victoria.
Between the attempted assassination of former US president Donald Trump, a Tenacious D joke, the likely replacement of 2024 Democratic nominee Joe Biden with Kamala Harris, and the Olympics’ “demonic and deranged” opening ceremony, there’s been a lot to post about.
But it doesn’t appear much of it is directed at an Australian audience.
I was unable to speak to Babet for this piece. Someone in his office told me the senator was “overseas”, promised to get back to me, and never did.
Read more from Rachel Withers for Crikey (paywall)
Graham Readfearn: Dutton praises Canada to sell nuclear plan. But does Ontario really have cheaper power? - The Guardian
There’s a community in Ontario called Dutton which, right now, seems appropriate given the number of times Peter Dutton has name-checked the Canadian province over the last 12 months.
In dozens of media interviews and speeches, Dutton (the opposition leader, not the township) has said Ontarians are getting cheap electricity because of their 20 nuclear reactors.
The Coalition has announced it wants to lift Australia’s ban on nuclear electricity and put at least one reactor at seven sites around the country.
Read more from Graham Readfearn for The Guardian
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Neither Dutton nor Pezzullo convinced me to set up Home Affairs - Malcolm Turnbull for The SMH/Age (paywall)
An emerging new world order - Pearls and Irritations
About half the Asian migrants we surveyed said they didn’t fully understand how our voting systems work. It’s bad for our democracy - The Conversation
How the pursuit of profit is devaluing Australian degrees - The Guardian’s Full Story Podcast
Albanese’s cabinet reshuffle is a chance to reset the rhetoric on immigration and multiculturalism - Giridharan Sivaraman for The Guardian
Future Perfect: The Cruelty of Australia’s Offshore Detention Health Crisis - 3RRR replay
Did O’Neil and Giles fail to fix our immigration system? - Abul Rizvi for Pearls and Irritations
Guide to Victorian councils launched - The Tally Room
The government is struggling to fill its Islamophobia envoy vacancy - Capital Brief
Australia needs to immerse itself in the Pacific region - The Mandarin
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: 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 Thursday the 1st of August. See you tomorrow!
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here