⏱️This edition of the National Account’s newsletter is a six-minute read.
👋 G’day everyone, Archie here with the last newsletter for 2025.
What a year it’s been, launching the National Account and managing to cover some pretty insane stories in such a short amount of time.
We went live at the end of February and I immediately jumped into the federal election, which led me to deep dive into the Coalition’s nuclear plan, Labor’s lack of gambling reform and the National Party’s dodgy coal numbers.
A few months later, I even found myself at Australia’s largest pokie convention.
I interviewed the likes of Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, Liberal Senator Andrew McLachlan and Environment Minister Murray Watt. And none of this would be possible without the support I get from you following and sharing my work.
The more support we get, the harder it is for those in power to ignore the National Account.
It really is such a privilege to be able to do this work. All of the positive feedback we’ve been receiving has been so reassuring — so thank you very much.
Just briefly: If you’ve enjoyed the reporting I’ve done this year and want to help me do even bigger and better things next year, feel free to buy me a coffee (or chip in more than that) using the button below.
Now, for the last time in 2025, let’s crack on with the news 🗞️
Australians are rightly proud of our gun laws. And until five years ago, Australians were rightly proud that there had not been a repeat of Port Arthur.
🗣️ Why did he say that?
Today Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a national gun buyback scheme, the largest since 1996.
The PM said it was a way to get rid of some of the more than four million guns that are currently in Australia.
The scheme will be 50/50 funded by the State and Federal Governments, and states and territories are responsible for the collection, processing, and payment to those who surrender firearms.
The Australian Federal Police will be responsible for destroying the surrendered firearms.
Hundreds of thousands of firearms are expected to be collected and destroyed through this scheme.
It is now five days since the Bondi shooting. For the full rundown on the facts so far, read the article below:
In the meantime, there has been a lot of chat about Australia’s gun laws over the last couple of days. I had a few questions. Namely:
How many guns do we have in the country?
What restrictions are in place?
And is any of this information public?
For my full rundown check out this video below:
Around the Grounds 🦘
Across the country, things are happening at a local level that have an impact nationally. Here are the stories you might not hear about in the traditional media.
🩸 Interstate support
In the 72 hours after the Bondi Beach attack, more than 22,000 Victorians booked blood donation appointments, with close to 7,000 donations already made, including a surge in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
Mathew Sims from the Eastern Melburnian is one of those 22,000.
He reports that Australian Red Cross Lifeblood says demand for blood and plasma will stay high through to January 2, with pop-up centres like Lilydale stretched by donor numbers.
Read that story by clicking below 👇
🏖️ For those heading to the Mid North Coast
In case you’re one of the thousands of Australians who might be heading to New South Wales’ beautiful Mid North Coast over the holiday break, Ellie Chamblerlain has this rundown on how to swim at the safest beaches in this stunning part of the country.
Some beaches, including Park Beach in Coffs Harbour and Town Beach in Port Macquarie, are patrolled seven days a week. Others are covered during peak summer and school holiday periods.
Beachgoers are urged to swim between the red and yellow flags and check Beachsafe before heading out. Swim safe!
Read that story by clicking below 👇
🐴 Planning for fires
As fire danger rises across western Victoria, vets are urging horse owners to plan early, warning it’s often too late to make decisions once a fire is already burning.
Agriculture Victoria says owners should decide in advance whether they will stay and shelter horses in a low-fuel paddock with water access, or leave early and float horses to a safer location before high-risk days.
Removing rugs and gear, opening internal gates, and allowing extra time to travel are all key steps that can improve survival if a bushfire threatens.
Read that story by clicking below 👇
Helping you spot the BS 🤓
Over the last couple weeks, I’ve been reflecting on the year that’s been and about the kind of news I want to deliver to you.
Before publishing something on the National Account, I ask myself:
Should I share or talk about this at all?
Can I give better analysis or nuance?
And can I explain it better than other outlets have already tried to?
When talk of anti-immigration protests really started to circulate earlier in the year, working out how to cover such an event was a challenge, it’s important we covered it the right way, by not adding fuel to the fire.
For my full rundown, check out the video below 👇
Thanks for catching up with me. I hope you enjoyed this issue, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Just reply to this email and I’ll be on the other side 👋
I’ll be back on Monday January 5.
In the meantime, I’ve got a couple of goodies going up on our Instagram and TikTok over the break, so go check them out if you aren’t already following!
Cheers, Archie