☕️ Coalition leadership whispers

We’re having some very interesting chats at TDA HQ, and I want to hear what you think. If (and it’s still a big if, don’t get too excited) TDA were to make its own cocktail (and collaborate with people who know what they’re doing), what flavour feels most TDA to you?

“Russia has never had and does not have such intentions [to attack NATO member states], but any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Sunday. Lavrov claimed threats to Russia from Western countries were becoming “increasingly common”.

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The Brisbane Lions’ winning margin in the 2025 AFL Grand Final, after they beat the Geelong Cats 122-75 in front of 100,022 at the MCG. 21-year-old Will Ashcroft was awarded the Norm Smith Medal, given to the player of the match. He becomes only the third player in history to win back-to-back medals, after claiming the prize in the Lions’ 2024 win as well.

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The first three of seven victims died after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol (paracetamol) in the U.S. city of Chicago. Tylenol was recalled nationwide, but the tainted containers were only found in the Chicago area. No one has ever been held criminally responsible.

Speculation has been mounting that Sussan Ley’s leadership of the Liberal Party could be challenged by a colleague.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie has denied he will launch a leadership challenge. However, he has also questioned the party's future viability under its current direction. Here’s what you need to know.

Ley became the leader of the Liberal Party after the Coalition’s loss at the federal election in May, taking over from Peter Dutton. She is the first woman to hold the position in the party’s history.

Ley is also part of the moderate faction of the party, meaning her appointment was seen as a decision by the party to move more to the centre.

However, since Ley became leader, there have been reports of internal disagreements about the party’s ideological direction.

Hastie, the current Shadow Home Affairs Minister, is from the conservative wing of the Liberal Party. Over the past month, he has started sharing opinions that diverge from the party’s positions and fall outside his portfolio.

For example, he has suggested that the Liberal Party should reconsider its pre-election policy of achieving net zero by 2050. The Coalition is currently reviewing its policies.

Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions refer to balancing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and removed from the atmosphere. In an interview with the ABC earlier this month, Hastie said net zero is a “straitjacket for our economy and our country“.

Hastie said if Ley continues to support net zero by 2050, then he would leave his job as Shadow Home Affairs Minister.

He then doubled down on this position in an interview with Sky News, when he said: “I wouldn’t be much use to the Coalition if I’m out the front trying to sell a policy I don’t believe in.”

Hastie has also been posting about reducing the number of people migrating to Australia, and his belief that we need to manufacture more products in Australia.

Like energy, the party is yet to reveal its official post-election policies in these areas.

Hastie’s remarks have sparked media speculation that he is preparing for a leadership challenge.

When asked about this, Hastie has said he still supports Ley, but also questioned the Liberal Party’s direction.

In an interview with Sydney radio station 2GB on Thursday, he said: “I support Sussan. Anyone who’s speculating otherwise is being mischievous.”

When asked about the future of the party, Hastie said he fears it will disappear.

“I think, unless we get our act together, we’re going to be potentially in further decline and perhaps one day extinct,” he said.

Reporting by Billi FitzSimons.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a 100% tariff on pharmaceutical imports. In a post to social media, Trump said the tariff would have an exemption for foreign companies that operate manufacturing facilities in the U.S, taking effect on 1 October.

Australia’s pharmaceutical and medicine exports to the U.S. were worth $2 billion in 2024.

A tariff is a tax on imports. It’s applied to foreign-made goods brought into another country and paid for by the importer.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has implemented a suite of tariffs. In April, he imposed a “baseline” 10% tariff on all countries, including Australia, and levied higher rates on certain countries. Trump also imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

In a post to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump announced a 100% tariff on “any branded or patented pharmaceutical product” imported into the U.S.

The levy will not apply to companies that already operate manufacturing plants in the U.S, or have facilities “under construction”.

The move is part of a broader package of tariffs, set to take effect on the same day, which Trump says are aimed at protecting America’s manufacturing industries.

Medicines and pharmaceuticals rank among Australia’s top exports to the U.S.

In 2024, these exports were valued at $2.05 billion, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, representing approximately 40% of Australia’s total medicinal exports.

The tariffs could effectively act as a trade embargo, as the cost of doing business in the U.S. would increase significantly.

The announcement of the tariffs follows a complaint filed with the U.S’ top trade official by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a lobby group.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is a list of Government-subsidised medicines. The maximum cost of medicines on the PBS is currently capped at $31.60 and will decrease to $25 next year.

The lobbyists said the PBS “undermines American competitiveness, jobs and exports,” saying it has “egregious and discriminatory pricing policies”.

The Australian Government said it is seeking further details on the tariffs.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said he is “determined to do everything to protect the PBS”.

“None of these latest announcements for the U.S. administration make a jot of difference to our determination to protect the PBS,” Butler said.

In a statement, the Coalition said the tariff would put one of Australia’s most “critical” trade sectors at risk.

Senior Coalition MPs said they were prepared to “help the Government in any way” to protect the pharmaceutical industry.

The Opposition also criticised the Prime Minister, saying he had failed to establish a “strong direct relationship” with Trump.

Albanese is expected to formally meet with Trump for the first time next month. The two met briefly on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week.

CSL is one of Australia’s largest pharmaceutical companies, and a major exporter of plasma products to the U.S.

It said it does not expect any “material impact” from the new tariffs.

The manufacturer said it anticipates meeting the criteria for an exemption, noting it has “a very significant United States manufacturing footprint.”

Reporting by Achol Arok.

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The fossil of a seven-metre-long predator, which died with the leg of an ancient crocodile in its mouth, was uncovered by researchers with the Patagonian Institute of Geology and Paleontology. The dinosaur lived approximately 70 million years ago in what is now central Patagonia and belonged to the Megaraptoridae family, a type of carnivorous dinosaur that roamed South America, Asia, and Australia. It’s been named, ‘Joaquinraptor,’ after the son of Dr. Lucio Ibiricu, the paleontologist who led the discovery team. Joaquinraptor is the most complete megaraptor fossil ever discovered, providing researchers with a clearer picture of “the least understood dinosaurs of all”.

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Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

The official mascots for the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup were unveiled last week.

The colourful trio include Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar, and Clutch the Bald Eagle, who represent the three host countries, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S, respectively.

The tournament will take place from 11 June to 19 July. It will feature 48 teams for the first time, and see the mascots “win hearts and spark celebrations”.

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

You may have seen headlines suggesting a possible challenger to the Liberal Party leadership. It’s only been a few months since Sussan Ley took over from Peter Dutton, becoming the first ever woman to lead the party.

But Andrew Hastie, who is the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, has started expressing some frustration with the party’s position on different issues like climate change and immigration. So, why exactly is this happening and could there actually be a new leadership challenge already?