News update for Wed 16 July 2025

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

Jul 16, 2025

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Federal Court rules Australian government doesn’t have a duty of care to protect Torres Strait Islanders from climate change - The Conversation

The Federal Court has handed down its long-awaited judgement in a four-year climate case brought by Torres Strait Islanders.

Elders Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai took the Australian government to court on behalf of their community, arguing the government has a duty of care to protect them from climate change. They also asked the court to legally recognise the cultural loss and harm they are experiencing from sea-level rise and climate-induced flooding.

But the court declined to recognise either duty or to legally recognise cultural harm.

When Albanese met Xi - Full Story Podcast

Anthony Albanese met Xi Jinping for the second time in Beijing on Tuesday. Prior to the meeting, in remarks open to the media, both leaders talked about the need for cooperation, and the Chinese president even reflected on the improved relationship between the two countries. So what do we know about what was discussed behind closed doors? Chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy speaks to Nour Haydar about a diplomatic visit crucial to Australian trade and security – and what Donald Trump might think of it all

Listen to the Full Story Podcast

Also >

President Xi Jinping tells Albanese China ready to ‘push the bilateral relationship further’ - The Conversation
Is Australia finally coming to terms with East Asia? - Pearls and Irritations
Sweet and sour in Beijing: PM's China trip bears fruit - AAP

Right-wing political group Advance is in the headlines. What is it and what does it stand for? - The Conversation

Political lobby group Advance has been back in the headlines this week. It was revealed an organisation headed by the husband of the Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, donated A$50,000 to the group.

The news prompted outcry, though Segal denied any personal involvement.

So what is Advance and what does it do?

‘Neoliberalism lite’ is no solution to Australia’s cost-of-living and productivity crises. We must curb wealth concentration - The Guardian

With a national productivity roundtable on the horizon, Anthony Albanese is seeking answers to flagging economic performance, cost-of-living pressures and growing economic anxiety. But productivity debates rarely confront the elephant in the room: four decades of rising wealth concentration has coincided with Australia’s worst productivity performance in living memory.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, signalled his intent to “grasp the nettle” on tax reform – a bold invitation to reckon with a structural driver of slowing productivity.

The scale of the task is significant. The top 10% of households now control 44% of all wealth in Australia.

MAGA Turns on Trump - And that was just part of his very bad week - Dan Rather

It would be the irony to end all ironies if Donald Trump’s ultimate undoing came not from a criminal conviction or impeachment but a revolt of the voters who elected him: the MAGA faithful. It seems impossible, but we’ve learned that head-spinning happenings in Trump-world are the norm, not the exception. Pull up a chair, because we’ve never seen a week like the last one.

To be sure, all Trump time periods — weeks, days, and months — are riddled with disinformation, flip-flopping, and face-palming decision-making, but even so, his base has never deserted him.

Teenage vaping has ‘turned a corner’ in Australia, says Mark Butler, as data shows falling rates - The Guardian

The federal government believes dangerous vaping rates among younger Australians may have turned a corner after years of rapid growth, with new research showing take-up could have peaked among teenagers and high school-age children.

Data released by the health minister, Mark Butler, on Wednesday showed that vaping rates fell from 17.5% at the start of 2023 to 14.6% in April this year among children aged 14-17 years.

Overall, rates for people aged over 15 reduced by more than a third, while vaping rates among the 30-59-year age group also dropped by about half.

Why the Envoy’s plan to tackle antisemitism could backfire - 7am Podcast

It’s been a year since the Albanese government appointed Jillian Segal to the role of Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia.Last week, alongside the Prime Minister, Ms Segal released her plan. It recommends media organisations should be monitored and funding should be withheld from universities and cultural institutions if they don’t stop antisemitism.But critics say what she’s proposing could backfire. Today, human rights lawyer and executive officer at the Jewish Council of Australia, Sarah Schwartz, on the rise in antisemitism and what should be done to stop it.

Listen to the 7am Podcast

Compromised Authority: How the Antisemitism Envoy's Far-Right Connections Undermine Her Mission - Georgia Cooper for Thought Bubble
Envoys in glass houses - Jillian Segal’s position as antisemitism spokesperson is untenable - Nick Feik
The Israel lobby stands loudly condemned for its silence - Pearls and Irritations
Australia's antisemitism envoy has a plan to monitor the media - We Used to be Journos Podcast
Authoritarian Overreach - Truth, Lies and Media Podcast

Japanese firms are reselling Australian gas to third countries — and making massive profits - DeepCut

A new report reveals that Japan and Korea are using their public purses to finance Australia's gas expansion, for little public gain.

Nearly a third of Australian gas exported to Japan is being resold to other countries in Asia, earning Japanese companies more than A$1bn in profit in 2024 – all while using public funds to bankroll Australia's gas expansion.

The Jubilee Australia Research Centre, in partnership with the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Fossil Free Japan Coalition, released a report today examining the extent of Asia's 'Gas Empire' that is financing Australia's gas expansion.

Fighting for a Whistleblower Authority. Will we ever get one? - Michael West Media

A bill to establish a Whistleblower Protection Authority is before a Senate Committee, and submissions are in. But will the Labor Government finally act?

The Whistleblower Protection Authority Bill 2025 (WPA) has been tabled in the Senate by Senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie. Its purpose is to serve as a one-stop shop for the giving of advice to both whistleblowers and investigators, and step in when a whistleblower protection issue arises.

The then Labor opposition promised to establish a WPA during the 2019 federal election campaign. Once in Government, though, not much has been done by Labor to make it happen.

Ol’ Taylor, the upward failer, commits to China war. When will the Coalition give him the flick? - Crikey

Angus Taylor has committed the Coalition to Taiwan’s security, and pledged the AUKUS submarines to that task. It’s another spectacular example of his poor judgment.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley might have thought that by burying Angus Taylor in the defence portfolio, she could keep him from inflicting too much damage on the Coalition. Taylor’s record, after all, is an abysmal one: he damaged Scott Morrison’s government with his bizarre, enraged performance as energy minister — remember Coalkeeper? — and then proved wholly inadequate as Peter Dutton’s shadow treasurer. His performance in that role was sufficiently awful for most of his colleagues to decide he wasn’t worth the risk as leader after the May 3 election disaster.

Ley dispatched her vanquished foe from the politically important domestic portfolios, despite the absolute dearth of talent in her ranks.

Also read > Desperately seeking Sussan - The Politics

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