News update for Thur 16 Jan 2025

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

Jan 16, 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 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

BREAKING NEWS: Joe Biden warns ‘oligarchy is taking shape in America’ in farewell address - The Guardian

Gaza deal: what it means for peace in the Middle East – expert Q&A - The Conversation

After 15 months of bitter conflict on the Gaza Strip, a ceasefire deal has been agreed which promises an end to the fighting and will allow for the access of food and other desperately needed humanitarian aid to the civilian population. Since the Israel Defense Forces launched their ground operation in Gaza in October 2023 in response to the Hamas terror attack of October 7, more than 46,000 Palestinians are reported to have been killed, including 17,492 children. More than 1.9 million of the Gaza Strip’s 2.2 million inhabitants have been displaced and much of the infrastructure and housing has been destroyed or badly damaged.

We asked Scott Lucas, an expert in the Middle East conflict at University College Dublin, to explain the key issues that have led to the agreement and what it means for the future of the region.

Why children are being kicked off the NDIS - 7am Podcast

Outgoing Labor minister Bill Shorten has said he’s leaving politics at the end of the month confident with the state of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. As Minister for the NDIS, Shorten has been focused on making reforms to the scheme in an effort to reduce costs and ensure its sustainability. But despite claims the government’s reform of the NDIS is focused on fraud crackdowns, a third of the savings will come from pushing children off the scheme. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton, on the children targeted in the NDIS crackdown, and the real intent behind the cuts.

Listen to Rick Morton on the 7am Podcast

Laura Tingle: The Coalition is playing voters for mugs once again with its nuclear costings - The ABC

The [nuclear costing] modelling, and more importantly the Coalition's political message wrapped around it, doesn't answer the myriad of questions raised by the idea of nuclear energy. And this belated release of what we are led to believe is a signature policy for the election comes as the Coalition still hasn't released details of most of its other key policies — from tax to immigration.

The decision to release the costing on December 13 feels like the Coalition is once again playing voters for mugs at a time when it is up against a federal government that has spent the year apparently determined to prove it is not very good at politics, or persuading voters that it knows what it is doing.

Study finds major public knowledge gaps on renewables – and they’re being filled with misinformation - Renew Economy

Australians are more likely to have solar panels on their rooftop than a pool in their back yard, but many still don’t realise just how common renewable energy is, or how much of the power mix wind and solar already supply, thanks to persistent misinformation campaigns.

A Climate Council study has found that a rise in anti-renewables media reporting and political campaigning – a relatively recent phenomenon in the context of just how long renewable energy has been operating in Australia – is causing people to think the country is much further behind than it is.

This is Labor’s best chance at defeating Peter Dutton’s strategy - The New Daily

In an ideal world politics would focus on rational and intelligent debate between enlightened people.

It would be just like in Ancient Greece — without, of course, the exclusion of women and slaves – albeit there are some serious doubts about the Liberal Party’s commitment to advancing women.

Sadly, we don’t live in an ideal world. Instead, it is a battle between competing groups – both run by apparatchiks – focused on forgettable “announceables”.

Also read > Here there be dragons: The potential dangers of a Dutton-led government - Aust Independent Media Network

Why Greenland? And Canada, Mexico, Panama... - Timothy Snyder

Why is Trump (or people in his circle) talking about building an American empire that includes (depending on the day) Greenland, Canada, Panama, Mexico? The statements are of course different in each case, ranging from threats of invasion to control internal politics (Mexico and Panama), economic pressure or possible invasion to annex territory (Denmark over Greenland), and economic pressure to achieve political control (Canada, although with lots of side commentary from allies about absorbing the whole country).

Even if we cannot be certain about what Trump has in mind, we have to be serious about the consequences of his statements.

Why have hundreds of psychiatrists resigned in NSW? - The Daily Aus Podcast

At least 200 psychiatrists have resigned from NSW public hospitals. It comes amid an ongoing dispute with the State Government, as psychiatrists call for better pay and working conditions. There are fears the sector could be reduced by two-thirds before the end of the month, triggering a "mental health crisis" for GPs. In today's deep dive, we’ll unpack the stalled negotiations between the NSW Government and the doctor’s union, and what it could mean for the state's health system.

Listen to The Daily Aus Podcast

Also read > NSW’s mental health system is on its knees. Here is why psychiatrists like me have resigned - Prachi Brahmbhatt for The Guardian

Dutton’s contempt for migration law and policy detail - Pearls and Irritations

In his unofficial election policy launch this week, Peter Dutton re-announced his promise to cut the migration program and to cap overseas students at metropolitan universities. Without a hint of embarrassment, he also said he was a strong believer in the ‘rule of law’.

His record shows he has little belief in the rules embodied in the Migration Act nor would he have the legal powers to implement these promises if elected.

Angela Priestley: Liberals just keep pre-selecting far more men than women - Women’s Agenda

The Liberal Party struggled with votes from women at the last election and it’s on track to have the same problem at the next one, due within months.

This is not a “women problem” for the party. It’s failure to learn from past mistakes, despite putting money and effort into internal reviews regarding just what went wrong in 2022 when they lost seat after seat to women running as independents.

A lack of women represented in Parliament is (at least part) of the problem for the party, and one that can only be solved by pres-electing more women to winnable seats.

But that’s not happening.

Also read > Anthony Albanese promotes four female frontbenchers in cabinet reshuffle as Bill Shorten retires - The Guardian

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Greg Jericho: Australians should be angry about another year of climate inaction. But don’t let your anger turn into despair - The Guardian

2025 has not started well, and you should be bloody angry.

We are less than five months from the federal election and both major parties’ climate change policies are an amalgam of indolence and lies.

Not one politician in either major party is being honest with voters.

The Liberals claim there is no need to do anything – no need for a target, no need for more renewable energy, no need for less coal or gas. Labor claims we just need a few tweaks to fix things – middle-path targets dependent upon offsets, all the while approving coalmines (sorry, “extensions”), talking up gas and never, ever requiring mining companies to cease doing anything that causes climate change.

Rachel Withers: ‘Safe’ Labor seat Calwell the ultimate test case for the Muslim vote this election - Crikey

A Muslim independent is challenging Labor in Melbourne’s multicultural outer north. Will the government running a Palestinian candidate be enough to appease the community?

There are a few key things to know about Calwell, the safe Labor seat covering Melbourne’s outer north.

First, it is thoroughly working class, with education and income levels below the national average. Roughly a third of residents live within the lowest socioeconomic areas in Australia, while around 90% are in the lower half.

Second, it is multicultural, and often socially conservative, with a large religious migrant community. It has the highest Muslim population in Victoria (around 24%), putting it firmly in the sights of groups like The Muslim Vote.

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