News update for Thur 6 June 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.
Please share with friends, family, colleagues - as good journalism is always worth supporting.
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: Robodebt: national corruption watchdog won’t investigate officials referred by royal commission - The Guardian
It’s not anti-semitic to want this to stop - The Shot
Even though it does not matter, it is impossible to know where to begin. In the face of so much darkness and such an appalling absence of light, no combination of words perfectly placed, meticulously checked for truth, will make any of this okay. Or make any of it stop. This writer is as trapped as you, the reader, helplessly, vainly bearing witness in the hope that one day humanity will learn from its endless cycles of hatred, the monstrous ebb and flow of history’s tides of blood.
Read more by Dave Milner for The Shot - and listen to Dave read his article here
When Michele Bullock tells us she’s not for turning in fighting inflation we should believe her - The Guardian
The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, tells us she’s not for turning in the fight against inflation – but nor is she keen to pulverise what remains of growth in the Australian economy.
We should take her at her word.
Read more from Peter Hannam for The Guardian
Also read >
Australia is on the brink of recession. So why does the RBA think we are spending too much? - Greg Jericho for The Guardian
7 graphs that show economic growth near zero as Australia waits for a budget boost - The Conversation
The world of the pre-citizen - Democracy Sausage Podcast with Mark Kenny
Legal and youth justice expert Faith Gordon joins Mark Kenny to discuss young people, social media and democracy. What should the age of criminal responsibility be? With younger generations becoming more politically engaged, should the voting age be lowered? And how can we make social media safe for young people, without causing civic disengagement?
Listen to Mark Kenny for The Democracy Sausage Podcast
Also read > Elon Musk says he won a battle for free speech in court, but it won’t stop the war for social media regulation - The Conversation
Our News. Your Voice. From Monday June 3 to Friday June 7 LINA (Local and independent news association) is promoting a national movement of newsrooms calling on our communities to support local and independent news. Find out how you can support hyperlocal independent newsrooms around Australia. (TrueNorth is a member of LINA)
Niki Savva: The mood on immigration is tinder dry and Dutton has lit a match - The SMH/Age
The issue with the debate on immigration is not the numbers. Both major parties have committed to cutting the intake of temporary and permanent migrants.
The problem is the way the debate is conducted. In such a tinder dry environment, politicians conscious of community wellbeing take extra care with tone and content.
Unfortunately, Peter Dutton has not. Not on immigration and not on nuclear energy.
Politicians in strife, desperate to save their backsides, have often reached for dog whistles. These days it’s a loudhailer. It’s cheap and guaranteed to deliver the short-term reward of improved poll numbers. A sugar hit laced with acid.
Read more from Niki Savva for The SMH/Age (paywall)
Also read >
So Laura Tingle has been outed as ‘partisan’? What nonsense - Alan Sunderland from the Aust Press Council for The SMH/Age (paywall)
About that elusive ‘context’ - Pearls and Irritations
Laura Tingle and aliens at the ABC - Michelle Pini for Independent Australia
The Trump-Musk Thugocracy - Why do so many Americans support these super bullies? - Robert Reich
Elon Musk and convicted felon Donald Trump have been in contact several times a month since their private meeting in March at the home of billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, according to The Wall Street Journal. They’re discussing an advisory role for Musk if Trump wins back the White House in November — potentially giving Musk influence over economic policy.
Musk has already briefed Trump about his plans to invest in a data-driven project to prevent voter fraud (which, as I noted yesterday, is almost nonexistent).
And Musk has committed his social media platform, X, to host live video town halls with Trump ahead of the election.
Musk is also using X to spread conspiracy theories that Democrats are intentionally “importing” millions of undocumented immigrants to vote in elections.
Also read > How Hitler got to power - Ruth Ben-Ghiat for Lucid
Today’s cartoon by First Dog on the Moon for The Guardian
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here
Serious concerns about the AUKUS submarine deal are not going away - Pearls and Irritations
Despite continuing optimism from Prime Minister Albanese and Defence Minister Marles and the defence commentariat about the AUKUS submarine deal it continues to attract significant uncertainty and doubt in the wider community. This centres around issues such as sovereignty , our industrial capability to manage the construction and longer term maintenance and the massive donation ( over $A4 billion) to the US’s own worrying ailing defence industry.
Read more in Pearls and Irritations
Also read > War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing - Pearls and Irritations
Australia’s response to the ICC’s case against Netanyahu - The Guardian’s Full Story Podcast
The international criminal court’s pursuit of senior Israeli and Hamas leaders over war crimes has ignited a fiery political debate in Canberra. Foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst tells Nour Haydar why the government’s response has been cautious, and criticised by the Coalition and Greens.
Listen to The Guardian’s Full Story Podcast
Also read > Labor would prefer silence on Gaza amid confected outrage at the Greens - Bernard Keane for Crikey (paywall)
A nuclear coastline and AI-generated mutant fish: Dutton labels Labor ‘childish’ as social media campaign ramps up - The Guardian
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has complained the government’s scrutiny of his yet-to-be-announced nuclear power plan is “childish”, as Labor seeks to emulate a successful anti-nuclear push from Kevin Rudd’s 2007 campaign.
A social media spat is emerging over the Coalition’s nuclear policy, with Labor raising fears about mutated fish with AI-generated images and one minister posting daily reminders that the opposition is yet to outline its plan – despite first raising it two years ago.
Read more from Josh Butler for The Guardian
Rachel Withers: As Frydenberg’s kite-flying flames out, Monique Ryan stays locked on TikTok - Crikey
There were several misguided elements to this week’s Josh Frydenberg-Kooyong kite-flying foray.
For one, the optics. The former treasurer was contemplating pushing aside a 31-year-old woman, Amelia Hamer, because the draft boundaries seemed more winnable — hardly a sign the Liberal Party had heeded the message of the 2022 federal election.
For another, the Libs jumped the gun. Early analysis suggested parts of Higgins joining Kooyong were royal blue, but this overlooked the fact Higgins hadn’t previously had a teal candidate, with no clear way to project how the newest Kooyongites would vote.
Read more from Rachel Withers for Crikey (paywall)
Murdoch v Big Tech: Clash of the hypocrites - The Politics
So what represents the biggest threat to Australian democracy?
Is it Big Tech? Or the Murdoch media group?
The question is relevant today because the Murdoch media’s most senior executive in Australia, Michael Miller, has painted a dire picture of social media companies as out-of-control, bad-faith actors who ignore Australian values in a vile and untrammelled drive for profits without accountability.
News Corporation is on the shakiest of ground when it picks a fight with Big Tech on the question of democracy. The evidence is that the Murdoch group consistently acts in a way which corrodes the very basis of Australian democracy.
Read more from David Hardaker for The Politics
Also read >
‘Wasn’t intended to bully’: News Corp chair Michael Miller defends coverage of prominent women - Crikey (paywall)
Meta hits back at News Corp after calls for tougher tech regulation - Capital Brief
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 BUY!
Quick Links…
Lockheed Martin deletes Australian F-35 ties - The Klaxon
Peter Dutton to be referred to national security watchdog over Benbrika case, judge says - The Guardian
Mexico elects its first female president: What does it mean? - Missing Perspectives
Mortgage Prisoners and Construction Woes - The Money Café with Alan Kohler
TPA on the UK: An Uninformed Australian’s Guide To The UK Election - Talking Sh!t by Toilet Paper Australia
Why the toxic culture at Parliament still isn’t fixed - 7am Podcast
‘Godfathers of climate chaos’: UN chief urges global fossil-fuel advertising ban - The Guardian
Ego men, yes men, convicted men and why we need more women leading - Women’s Agenda
The things that you’re liable to read in the IPCC bible ain’t necessarily so, Chris Uhlmann says. It’s a bold claim - Graham Readfearn for The Guardian
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 6th of June. See you tomorrow!
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here