News update for Tue 25 March 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.
Please share with friends, family, colleagues - as good journalism is always worth supporting.
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 - Amy Remeikis for The Australia Institute here - and through 6 News here
BREAKING NEWS: Brisbane Olympics 2032: David Crisafulli breaks election promise and announces controversial new stadium - The Guardian
Federal budget 2025: here’s what we know so far - The Conversation
The federal budget will be handed down by Treasurer Jim Chalmers at 7:30PM AEDT on Tuesday March 25.
While the official budget papers are under lock and key until then, the government has been making spending announcements for weeks. Here’s what we know.
Also >
This week’s federal budget will focus on cost-of-living measures – and a more uncertain global economy - The Conversation
What do women want from the federal budget? Here’s what you should know - Women’s Agenda
Chalmers is handing down the federal budget – here’s what we know so far - The Guardian
Chalmers upbeat on eve of budget despite grim debt outlook and jitters over Australia’s ‘fiscal firepower’ - The Guardian
Liberal backbenchers urge Coalition not to raid foreign aid budget to pay for rumoured $15bn defence boost - The Guardian
The political firestorm over Tasmania’s salmon farming - Full Story Podcast
Fresh questions have been raised about the environmental impact of salmon farming in Tasmania with conservation groups funding attack ads aimed at Labor. Guardian Australia’s climate and environment editor, Adam Morton, speaks to Reged Ahmad about how the controversial salmon farming industry has risen to the top of the federal election agenda
Listen to the Full Story Podcast
Also read >
Labor’s bid to protect Tasmanian salmon industry met with unease from pro-environment MPs - The Guardian
As election approaches, environment still being shunned by both parties - Independent Australia
Alan Kohler: We're at a turning point in world history but our leaders are distracted - The ABC
Australia is heading towards minority government at a turning point in world history.
This is a time when clear political vision and decisive leadership is called for, when the stakes for tomorrow's federal budget and the coming election couldn't be higher. Not that you would know it from the grubby squabbles that pass for national debate these days.
America's democracy is under attack from an autocratic cabal of political extremists and billionaires; Europe and China are frantically trying to Trump-proof themselves; Russia and Israel are carrying out brutal assaults and refuse to stop; the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere last year was the largest in history, and the global temperature was the hottest; and an automation and robotics revolution is in the midst of a great leap forward towards … what? No one knows.
Read more from Alan Kohler for The ABC
Jack Waterford: We can’t unscramble the AUKUS and ANZUS eggs - Pearls and Irritations
Before this election is much older, Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are going to have to determine where they stand on all the important issues. There’s a substantial chance that both are wrongly positioned and that each might have to face the other way, or perish politically. It’s not for an argument about which vista is best for Australia, alas. It’s for which is best for which leader, and which party.
Dutton, for example, likes to project himself as the strong man. The decisive man. The man of instincts and straight talking.
Read more from Jack Waterford for Pearls and Irritations
Pharmaceutical warfare - Inside Story
How far will the Trump administration follow Big Pharma in targeting Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme?
Donald Trump has declared 2 April “a Liberation Day” for the United States because “we’re going to be getting back a lot of the wealth that we so foolishly gave up to other countries.” It’s the day when he will unveil his administration’s reciprocal tariffs regime, which will almost certainly affect a range of Australian products and quite possibly punish Australia for its Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans - The Atlantic
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen.
I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.
This is going to require some explaining.
Also read >
Donald Trump and the farcical government mishaps which aren’t at all concerning - Crikey (paywall)
Tesla is now the official car of MAGAworld. Good luck with that - Crikey (paywall)
Donald Trump is seeking to erase the United States as we know it - Laurence Tribe for The Guardian
Today’s cartoon by First Dog on the Moon for The Guardian
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - Amy Remeikis for The Australia Institute here - and through 6 News here
Join the new Boiling Point community - where we’re growing a group of politically informed Australians in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. See details and sign up here.
Victoria Fielding: Dutton’s Trump-mania is a dumb political move - Independent Australia
As Australians look on horrified at the chaos going on in America, the last thing they want is for the Australian Government to emulate it.
NEVER INTERRUPT YOUR ENEMY when they’re making a mistake. This is no doubt the thought of the Labor Government as they watch Dutton dig himself into a Trump-loving hole just in time for the election.
When Scott Morrison and wife Jenny spent New Year's Eve grinning like Cheshire cats with Donald and Melania Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in January, the Liberal Party clearly thought it was on a winner waving its MAGA supporting flags.
Read more from Dr Victoria Fielding for Independent Australia
How WFH has become an election issue - The Daily Aus
Earlier this month, the Coalition announced it wants public servants in the office five days a week if it wins the next election. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came out strongly against the proposal, saying that working from home is important for flexibility, women in the workforce and the economy. In today’s podcast, we explain what the Coalition is proposing, and some of the criticisms the Government has levelled since.
Listen to The Daily Aus Podcast
Also > The report urging Peter Dutton to go bigger on public sector attack and ‘war on woke’ - Angela Priestley for Women’s Agenda
4 key changes you may have missed in the new school funding agreement - The Conversation
Queensland and the federal government have reached an agreement on school funding. This means all Australian states and territories are now signed up to new arrangements, which officially began at the start of 2025.
The agreement follows more than a year of negotiations between the federal and state governments.
The agreements mean government schools will receive 25% of funding from the federal government, up from 20%. Cash-strapped state and territory governments now only have to find 75% (down from 80%).
Ketan Joshi: Election Factcheck: Angus Taylor’s mysteriously cheap nukes - Renew Economy
No, the election hasn’t been called yet – but it’s no stretch to predict that the prospect of nuclear power is going to be a tent-pole sparring point between the contenders in the upcoming vote.
On Sunday, on the ABC’s Insiders program, Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor reminded the show’s audience that “what ultimately matters is what Australians are going to pay.”
The debate now revolves around cost (unsurprising, given the cost of living pressures in Australia). Taylor largely cites discredited modelling, claiming that the Coalition’s plan is 44% cheaper by mixing up system costs and power bills. Taylor also claims to know the price of each new reactor.
Read more from Ketan Joshi for Renew Economy
Also read >
Australians deserve answers on climate before they vote. Here are five things we still don’t know - Adam Morton for The Guardian
The Coalition wants to fast-track gas approvals. But how quickly could it be done and would it lower prices? - The Guardian
Why voting in a fact-checking void should worry you - Crikey (paywall)
Marles, the fake defence minister with a real American agenda - Crikey
The government says there’ll be additional defence spending in tonight’s budget. Except, not a single cent is new. And it will degrade, not enhance, our independence.
For some time the pressure has been building on Labor to increase defence spending — and not just from the usual suspects in the national security commentariat. Labor insists it’s already taking spending to 2.33% of GDP by 2034 and that goes well beyond what the Coalition left it with. But the Coalition didn’t have Trump 2.0 to deal with when it left office. Labor does.
Australia no longer has a reliable security guarantor.
Read more from Bernard Keane for Crikey (paywall)
US cock-up adds more awk to AUKUS - The Politics
How many stuff-ups and insults have to emanate from Trump's White House before politicians and military brass decide it's time to cut and run?
When will Australia’s military brass say enough is enough?
The question is worth asking again after today’s revelations that Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was inadvertently included in a chat group discussing White House plans to attack Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The chat took place over a commercially available encrypted app, Signal. It included Vice-President J.D. Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Read more from David Hardaker 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!
See a list of the 38 community independents - who have (so far) announced their candidacy in the upcoming federal election. Subscribe, volunteer, donate to support their campaigns.
Join the new Boiling Point community - where we’re growing a group of politically informed Australians in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. See details and sign up here.
Quick Links…
What links the happiest countries on Earth? Gender Equality - Women’s Agenda
A tale of two stories: How rival outlets covered the leaked Ben Roberts-Smith tapes - Crikey (paywall)
Why isn’t there an opposition leader to unite Democrats in the US? - The Conversation
Ask Yacht What Your Country Can Do For You - Rick Morton
Voters starting to turn away from Dutton as the election nears - Pearls and Irritations
Q&A: How to deal with a conspiracy theory - Media Confidential
What the polls are and aren’t telling us - Pearls and Irritations
The end of the Gaza ceasefire - 7am Podcast
China's solar space station: A game-changer in renewable energy - Pearls and Irritations
Five Years Ago, Scott Morrison Doubled the JobSeeker Payment. It Changed Avery’s Life - Z Feed
Seven’s The Nightly enters top news site rankings while The Daily Telegraph falls off the map - Crikey (paywall)
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - Amy Remeikis for The Australia Institute 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 Tuesday the 25th of March. See you tomorrow!
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - Amy Remeikis for The Australia Institute here - and through 6 News here
Join the new Boiling Point community - where we’re growing a group of politically informed Australians in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. See details and sign up here.
Discover independent news media. See the clear difference.
A bleak day in politics 😕