John McDuling

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Trump has appointed a former Young Liberal as the US ambassador to Malaysia Self described 'alpha male' Nick Adams' rise in Trumpland has been described as '"deeply silly [and] extremely serious'".

US President Donald Trump has appointed a former Young Liberal to be the US ambassador to Malaysia, reports @finnmchugh.bsky.social

www.capitalbrief.com/article/trum... #auspol

Q+A was built for another era of media, and died with it Once a cornerstone of the national political conversation, Q+A ultimately couldn’t survive an increasingly fractured media landscape.

for my myriad sins, i wrote about Q+A www.capitalbrief.com/article/qa-w...

ABC boss Hugh Marks confirms 50 roles impacted by restructure The ABC will cut about 50 roles as part of a restructure that will bring an end to the late night current affairs show Q+A and introduce ABC Screen in place of its content division.

New: ABC boss Hugh Marks confirms 50 roles impacted by restructure via @capitalbrief.com www.capitalbrief.com/briefing/abc...

ABC to axe Q+A after nearly two decades on air The ABC is set to pull the plug on its late-night panel program, ending years of speculation over its future.

Scoop: ABC to axe Q+A after nearly two decades on air via @capitalbrief.com www.capitalbrief.com/article/abc-...

Freshwater retains offshore media partners despite Australian election backlash The polling firm has media partnerships with UK-based City AM, New Zealand's The Post, and the Australian Financial Review.

New: Polling firm Freshwater Strategy is poised to retain at least two of its three major media partners despite criticism of its work in the lead up to the Coalition’s historic 2025 federal election defeat www.capitalbrief.com/article/fres...

TACO Friday Donald Trump may have erupted when asked about the "TACO" trade this week, but it seems markets are just pleased it provides an element of predictability.

Top stories in today's Edition
- Behold the TACO trade
- Ley and Littleproud face dissent
- Biotech PolyActiva's $40m raise
- ABC job cut fears
- Startup lessons from the Labubu craze

What founders can learn from viral toy phenomenon Labubu Pop Mart's increasing global success shows how brand, community and clever distribution can drive growth — and why startups should take note.

IDEAS: Labubu is more than just a viral plush toy. It’s the mascot for a new playbook in brand building.

Unrealised gains, unleashed fury: Behind the war over Labor's $3m super tax A policy that hardly featured during the election campaign has dominated its aftermath. It follows a long battle for reform of the nation's retirement system.

Unrealised gains, unleashed fury: Behind the war over Labor's $3m super tax www.capitalbrief.com/article/unre...

'It was all bullsh**t': Liberals and Freshwater set to split after polling disaster The Liberal Party's pollster has faced intense scrutiny and a fierce backlash since the election loss. Now it's set to lose, or walk away, from one of its biggest contracts.

The Liberal Party's chief pollster has faced intense scrutiny and a fierce backlash since the election loss. Now it's set to lose, or walk away, from one of its biggest contracts www.capitalbrief.com/article/it-w...

'It was all bullsh**t': Liberals and Freshwater set to split after polling disaster The Liberal Party's pollster has faced intense scrutiny and a fierce backlash since the election loss. Now it's set to lose, or walk away, from one of its biggest contracts.

Great reporting - well worth your time

www.capitalbrief.com/article/it-w...

Inside the showdown meeting that split the Coalition David Littleproud and Sussan Ley’s Albury meeting marked a turning point, as deep policy rifts led the Nationals to walk away from the Coalition agreement.

A meeting last Thursday in Albury between Sussan Ley and David Littleproud marked the turning point in the fractious relationship between the Liberals and National, culminating in today’s split

www.capitalbrief.com/article/insi...

Former OpenAI board member Helen Toner downplays company restructure Many observers said OpenAI was backtracking when it decided to remain governed by a nonprofit. The Australian AI researcher who sat on its board isn't so sure.

Helen Toner, the Australian researcher at the centre of Sam Altman’s attempted ousting as CEO, says OpenAI’s recently announced restructure plans are not as dramatic as they may seem

Liberal leader Sussan Ley faces first test as Nationals threaten to go nuclear The new Liberal leader is trying to finish the tricky task of finalising her frontbench while also keeping the Coalition together.

New Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s frontbench is at least a week away from being unveiled as negotiations with the Nationals hold up the process

$350k grad salaries, 30% attrition: How HFT firms lure top talent — and weed out weaker performers They may fly under the radar, but high-frequency trading firms are home to some of the best paid jobs in the country. If you can hang onto one.

Graduates are commanding $350k salaries from secretive high frequency trading firms operating in Australia...if they can get through a rigorous selection process and then cling on to their jobs

www.capitalbrief.com/article/350k...

Tim Wilson's win seen as blueprint for recovery after Liberal lashing in election One Liberal moderate says returned MP Tim Wilson should play a senior role in the opposition, possibly as leader, after he reclaimed the seat of Goldstein from teal Zoe Daniel.

One Liberal moderate says Tim Wilson should play a senior role in the opposition, possibly as leader, after he reclaimed the seat of Goldstein

Urban decay With the election now over, debate has begun over what swung the result so heavily in Labor's favour and what the Coalition can do to recover, especially in Australia's biggest cities.

The ‘win it in the exurbs / regions’ strategy the Coalition pursued seems like it was crafted for the United States, not one of the most urbanised, advanced economies.

My take on the election. Sign up for our free Edition newsletter if you haven’t already

www.capitalbrief.com/newsletter/u...

Albanese’s Left faction poised to secure more ministers While the Left could claim 16 ministers, sources on both sides expect the prime minister to opt for an even split of positions to avoid a factional brawl.

Another good scoop from Anthony Galloway

www.capitalbrief.com/article/alba...

Sussan Ley, Dan Tehan, Angus Taylor, Andrew Hastie in four way race to replace Dutton The bloodletting following the Liberal Party's worst ever election defeat has begun, with four leadership candidates emerging and an offical gender target for MPs being discussed.

Liberal moderates appear to be lining up behind Sussan Ley, but Dan Tehan could be the dark horse as the early manoeuvring to replace Peter Dutton begins.

An offical target for female representation also being discussed

www.capitalbrief.com/article/libe...

Inside the Coalition's work-from-home policy debacle Peter Dutton’s work-from-home policy never went to shadow cabinet, which left it riddled with risk. Now the Liberal Party is working out how to pick up the pieces.

Inside the Coalition's work-from-home policy debacle via @capitalbrief.com #auspol www.capitalbrief.com/article/insi...

Wrote this a month ago about the coming clash on the tech right over tariffs. some might say eerily prescient. disturbing evidence of precognition? www.capitalbrief.com/article/from...

How Trump's tariffs could backfire and embolden China Trump’s sweeping new tariffs aim to protect US industry. But experts warn they could accelerate China’s economic rise and reshape global trade dynamics.

How Trump's tariffs could backfire and embolden China via @capitalbrief.com www.capitalbrief.com/article/how-...

Coalition proposes four TV leaders debates ahead of election day The Coalition has written to Labor to finalise arrangements for four official leaders’ debates in the lead up to polling day, following negotiations kicked off with the networks earlier this year.

News: The Coalition has written to Labor to finalise arrangements for four official leaders’ debates in the lead up to polling day, following negotiations kicked off with the networks earlier this year via @capitalbrief.com #auspol www.capitalbrief.com/briefing/coa...

CoStar takes another key step forward in $2.8b Domain pursuit The two companies could have an exclusivity and process deed signed and released to the market as early as Monday morning, after CoStar lobbed a revised takeover bid last week.

My story from last night, since confirmed by Domain in a release to the ASX: CoStar takes another key step forward in $2.8b Domain pursuit via @capitalbrief.com www.capitalbrief.com/article/cost...

News Corp rolls out NewsGPT AI tool for staff in Australia The announcement positions News Corp among the leading adopters of artificial intelligence in the global media sector, as publishers continue to navigate its rise.

News: News Corp Australia has announced the launch of NewsGPT, a generative artificial intelligence tool designed for internal use, positioning the Murdoch-controlled media giant among the most advanced adopters of the tech in the sector via @capitalbrief.com www.capitalbrief.com/article/news...

News: CoStar's well timed, $2.6b bid catches Domain, Nine off guard via @capitalbrief.com www.capitalbrief.com/article/cost...

Coalition urges ‘safeguards’ on $1.58b Saudi stake in Foxtel owner DAZN News Corp’s $3.4 billion sale of Foxtel is already under regulatory review, and Saudi Arabia’s stake in DAZN is expected to draw even greater scrutiny to the deal.

New: Coalition urges ‘safeguards’ on $1.58b Saudi stake in Foxtel owner DAZN via @capitalbrief.com www.capitalbrief.com/article/coal...

Well worth reading

Muzzle velocity Donald Trump's rapid-fire announcement of one extraordinary policy after another in the first days of his second presidency has caught the media, the markets and allies like Australia off guard.

Tariffs announced then paused. Radical foreign policy plans unveiled and then walked back.

The modus operandi behind Trump 2.0 is becoming increasingly clear - and it’s not just the media that is struggling to come to grips with it

www.capitalbrief.com/newsletter/m...

New: Bureaucrats working on the Australian government's $600 million deal to fund the NRL's expansion into Papua New Guinea questioned the policy rationale for the move and whether a lack of transparency would put taxpayer funds at risk #auspol www.capitalbrief.com/article/dfat...