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ridicol 🍉🇵🇸 🏳️‍🌈💚Britain launches AUKUS parliamentary inquiry. Australia??????<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-03/britain-launches-aukus-parliamentary-inquiry/105130406" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-03/britain-launches-aukus-parliamentary-inquiry/105130406</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AUKUS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AUKUS</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AUKUSwillFUKUS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AUKUSwillFUKUS</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Australia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Australia</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/GovernmentandPolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GovernmentandPolitics</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/FederalGovernment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FederalGovernment</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/FederalElections2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FederalElections2025</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NotBlueNorRed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NotBlueNorRed</a>

Canvases By PeterLabor will provide $1bn in zero interest loans to help export-focused companies tap alternative markets as Australia seeks to loosen trade ties with the US in response to DT’s new tariffs.<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/03/donald-trump-tariffs-australia-labor-trade-measures-loans" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/03/donald-trump-tariffs-australia-labor-trade-measures-loans</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AustraliaShopsElsewhere" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AustraliaShopsElsewhere</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Tariffs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Tariffs</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/USPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USPol</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/News" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#News</a>

Chery (Great Australian Pods)<a href="https://infosec.space/@MsDropbear42" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@MsDropbear42</a> we went to a community forum for Bean in Canberra last weekend. David from Labor didn't attend due to an unavoidable family commitment. The Liberal David was arrogant and seemed angry. Sam from the Greens was pretty good after a bit of a rough start (too many I statements). Jessie the independent was overwhelming the better candidate there on the day. <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Bean" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Bean</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Canberra" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Canberra</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Australia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Australia</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Community" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Community</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a>

sortius"This is described as an emergency, not a negotiation. So individual countries will not be able to make a deal before the tariffs come in to effect"Imagine if we had reporting like that in Australia? Dutton would be stopped in his tracks<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZqseGx963I" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZqseGx963I</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auspol</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ausvotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ausvotes</a>

AMonkeyInSilk 🇺🇦🇵🇸<a href="https://independent-media.co.uk/@HazelWood" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@HazelWood</a> Poverty is a policy choice.<a href="https://theblower.au/tags/auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auspol</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/election" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#election</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/Election2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Election2025</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/senate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#senate</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/houseofrepresentatives" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#houseofrepresentatives</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/vote" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#vote</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/vote2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#vote2025</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/federalelection" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#federalelection</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/australia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#australia</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/australiavotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#australiavotes</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/AUKUS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AUKUS</a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/stopaukus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#stopaukus</a>

David WakehamRīx and Badger showing y’all how they share good 😻Please don't force me to separate our loving family. We need each other. And I need them all, most of all. Because they are all I have. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auspol</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/HousingInsecurity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HousingInsecurity</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/disabled" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#disabled</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/poverty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#poverty</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/cPTSD" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#cPTSD</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Cats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Cats</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Pets" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Pets</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TuxedoCat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TuxedoCat</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/HumanAnimalBond" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HumanAnimalBond</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/RaiseTheRate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RaiseTheRate</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/MentalHealth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MentalHealth</a>

Droppie [infosec] 🐨:archlinux: :kde: :firefox_nightly: :thunderbird: :vegan:<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/wakey-wakey-dutton-looks-shaky-as-his-aptitude-is-put-to-the-ultimate-test-20250401-p5lobz.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/wakey-wakey-dutton-looks-shaky-as-his-aptitude-is-put-to-the-ultimate-test-20250401-p5lobz.html</a>QUOTE BEGINSLast year, some people felt comfortable predicting the winner of the 2025 election campaign was more likely to be Peter Dutton.Not because he had shown himself to be a formidable campaigner outside his electorate (he hasn’t) or because of his reputation as a policy wonk (he isn’t), but because he had resuscitated the Coalition, mainly by capitalising on Anthony Albanese’s many bloopers and strategic errors.This year has a very different vibe. Dutton has had a shaky start. He has sounded flat, looked flat-footed and seemed woefully unprepared for a fight he knew was coming on territory he should have already staked out. Meanwhile, Albanese has performed better and Labor has prepared better for the contest.This is Dutton’s first federal election campaign, possibly the first time in his political life that he will face sustained national scrutiny for weeks. It will be a supreme test of his stamina and reflexes.That could be a problem for someone who avoids getting bogged down in details of costings or numbers and has habitually disappeared from the media cycle for days, usually when there were adverse stories around. Do that in a campaign and you are done for.Dutton has made a lot of mistakes – both of commission and omission – since the campaign unofficially began in early January, and the mistakes are beginning to catch up with him. He should have released policies sooner to address the cost of living. He needs to stop jumping into culture wars or parading on obsessions, the latest being the “indoctrination” of schoolkids, but refusing to say how or where that is happening. Feel free to make a wild stab.His budget reply speech was dull. He sounded nervous. He had a few word slips. Nothing life-threatening (Albanese still does it) unless his confidence takes a hit, and he spirals, or he is panicked by the polls into other missteps.Dutton boasts of his wide experience, particularly that he helped clean up Labor’s economic mess as assistant treasurer to Peter Costello.Yes, he was. For 12 months in the final year of the Howard government – when all the heavy lifting on tax reform and budget repair had been done. It was also the year that Costello pushed John Howard to go for a massive $34 billion tax cut package – quickly matched by Kevin Rudd. Costello would rather jump off a tall building than promise to repeal income tax cuts as Dutton did after Jim Chalmers ambushed him, threaten insurance companies with divestiture, or contemplate building, owning and operating nuclear power plants.Labor’s unpretentious tax cuts were designed weeks ago by Albanese and his economics team in preparation for an expected April 12 election. They were meant as a tool to remind voters of other measures Labor had implemented or announced to ease cost-of-living pressures – last year’s stage 3 tax cuts, billions for bulk-billing incentives, energy subsidies, cheaper medicines, HECS relief and so on.The bonus was that they turned into a wedge. After adopting all of Labor’s health measures – much safer than devising his own – Dutton was clearly overcome by too much “me too-ism”. It was a bad call.Then, there was the half-baked gas reservation idea. It provided a good headline – Australian gas for Australians – however, it was missing content, and it now threatens to crumble under expert examination. Just like the unaffordable, undeliverable nuclear policy was meant to mask continuing Coalition conflict on net zero emissions, gas reservation smelled as if it was devised to divert attention from nuclear.Dutton says details on gas and almost everything else will come “later”. Responding to muttering from colleagues about his poor campaign, which some senior Liberal MPs say is partly factional and partly post-election leadership positioning, Dutton was dismissive. “Well, I don’t think you’ve seen anything yet.” (Exactly!)“I think wait until we get into this campaign, and you see more of what we’ve got to offer.”As if the election is months rather than days away. Wakey, wakey. Voting begins in 19 days.Dutton has also whinged that Albanese has waged a sledge-a-thon against him. He sounds like the school bully complaining to the teacher that one of the kids he picked on has punched him in the nose. Anyway, he better toughen up because Labor will not stop. Its mission, especially in Victoria, where Labor stinks, is to make him unacceptable. Labor could maintain the status quo in every other state, then lose the election in a state once seen as a stronghold.There is still time for Dutton to come good, and certainly Labor is not underestimating that possibility. Nor is there absolute confidence inside Labor’s ranks the prime minister will not stumble or succumb to hubris.The winner this year was always going to be decided by the campaign. It will be the one whose policies best address the key concerns of Australians, the one who makes the least mistakes, who shows the best character and temperament to be prime minister, who reacts faster and smarter, or better anticipates the forces outside his control that can derail or undermine messages.Say, like Donald Trump. Or Kyle and Jackie O.Albanese and Dutton especially – who has gushed over Trump and continues to ape his policies – have nothing to lose if they go in hard against him. How will Trump punish us? By scrapping AUKUS? Please. Make our day.Malcolm Turnbull is right. No slumping to our knees, no sucking up. Allowing Trump to think it’s OK to treat Australia as an enemy rather than as a friend is not on.Nor is it OK for a prime ministerial aspirant from Queensland to spit on the capital of the nation he wants to lead while expressing his preference to live in a harbourside mansion in Sydney.<ul><li>Niki Savva is a regular columnist and author of The Road to Ruin, Plots and Prayers and Bulldozed, the trilogy chronicling nine years of Coalition rule.</li></ul>QUOTE ENDS<a href="https://infosec.space/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ClimateCrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ClimateCrisis</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/WomensRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WomensRights</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ShitParty1" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ShitParty1</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ShitParty2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ShitParty2</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/FsckOffDutton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FsckOffDutton</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/WhyIsLabor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WhyIsLabor</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/NoNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NoNukes</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/VoteGreens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#VoteGreens</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ProgIndies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ProgIndies</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/OzElection2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OzElection2025</a>

Droppie [infosec] 🐨:archlinux: :kde: :firefox_nightly: :thunderbird: :vegan:Ugh, Marles now, Poodle imminent. 😱Gahhh. Droppie out. <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ABC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ABC</a> #730 <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/Greens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Greens</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/VoteGreens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#VoteGreens</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ProgIndies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ProgIndies</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/WeAreTotallyFscked" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeAreTotallyFscked</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/WeAreSelfishCruelBastards" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeAreSelfishCruelBastards</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/Misanthropy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Misanthropy</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/FsckOffDutton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FsckOffDutton</a>! <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ShitParty1" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ShitParty1</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ShitParty2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ShitParty2</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ComeOnTanya" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ComeOnTanya</a>! <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/WhyIsLabor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WhyIsLabor</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/NatsAreNuts" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NatsAreNuts</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/NoNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NoNukes</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/racism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#racism</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/FuckRacists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FuckRacists</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/OzElection2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OzElection2025</a>

Dr Micha CampbellIf you replace 'woke' with 'empathetic' it's pretty clear that the conservatives are looking to craft a less-empathetic world, where they and their mates are at the top of the pile. Australia better do the right thing next month. <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/what-does-woke-mean/lxh4u1859" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/what-does-woke-mean/lxh4u1859</a><a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a>

Alpha1Nine :funkwhale: :sofia:<a href="https://aus.social/tags/TheConversation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TheConversation</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Energy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Energy</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Environment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Environment</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auspol</a> Good news, beach lovers: our research found 39% less plastic waste around Australian coastal cities than a decade ago Read more…<a href="https://theconversation.com/good-news-beach-lovers-our-research-found-39-less-plastic-waste-around-australian-coastal-cities-than-a-decade-ago-253221" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://theconversation.com/good-news-beach-lovers-our-research-found-39-less-plastic-waste-around-australian-coastal-cities-than-a-decade-ago-253221</a>

𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝙵𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚠𝚛𝚊𝚙"Bridgett McKenzie brought out her A game this week... hinting at draconian measures. Like pretty much everyone else on the <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/LNP" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LNP</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Coalition" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Coalition</a> team, it seems she spent the summer break at Mar-a-Lago taking <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Project2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Project2025</a> lessons."<a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/MAGA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MAGA</a> <a href="https://thepolitics.com.au/a-bridget-too-far-all-grit-but-no-good-solid-dirt/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://thepolitics.com.au/a-bridget-too-far-all-grit-but-no-good-solid-dirt/</a>

DevorppaFollowing the man-baby’s Tariff announcement, I think the rest of the world should immediately: * start a consumer boycott of anything American; * move their exports from America to other nations (with Government assistance); * start making new trade agreements in Euro rather than $US; * uninvite the man-baby and his various toadies from all future international meetings; and * stop passing all forms of intelligence to the USA.This is the moment to cross our arms and turn our backs on the USA - show them there is a real cost to voting a man-baby into office and sit back and watch them tear themselves apart.<a href="https://aus.social/tags/auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auspol</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/uspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#uspol</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/worldpol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#worldpol</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/CallToAction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CallToAction</a>

Melbourne BitterThe USA is a little over 5% of our total export value. Are they really that important?<a href="https://aus.social/tags/auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auspol</a><a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/australia/exports-by-country" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://tradingeconomics.com/australia/exports-by-country</a>

lucie digitálníIt'd be a real shame if lots of people sent blank forms back to the major parties in response to their data harvesting postal vote scam, given that they're paying for the postage<a href="https://aus.social/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a>

Independent Media Australia.The West and inconvenient memory: The destruction of history <a href="https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/04/the-west-and-inconvenient-memory-the-destruction-of-history" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/04/the-west-and-inconvenient-memory-the-destruction-of-history</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Auspol</a>

Droppie [infosec] 🐨:archlinux: :kde: :firefox_nightly: :thunderbird: :vegan:<a href="https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/04/03/federal-election-independent-candidates-labor-seats-mps/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/04/03/federal-election-independent-candidates-labor-seats-mps/</a>QUOTE BEGINSAnthony Albanese reckons the independents movement is an anti-Coalition phenomenon. These candidates say otherwise.When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked what he’d learnt from the last election on the podcast Big Small Talk (6:55), he made a telling remark about his view of the independents movement. “I think the rise of many of the independents, particularly, of course, characterised by being progressive women [sic], has been in part because of the Coalition’s shift to the right,” he said. “It’s left a void, so that if people are serious about climate change, they can’t vote for Peter Dutton. If they’re serious about gender equity, they can’t vote for Peter Dutton. And on integrity, we promised a National Anti-Corruption Commission, which we’ve delivered in this term.”It was a neat distillation of what are often considered the “teal” movement’s three core values — though ironically his last point was about a corruption body Labor weakened to secure Coalition support.But it also implied Albanese considers the community independents — through which disgruntled communities are fielding their own candidates — an anti-Coalition phenomenon. To be fair, all of the Indi-inspired campaigns that have succeeded thus far have been against Liberal MPs. Yet his comment overlooks the “Voices of” groups in Labor-held seats, formed by communities frustrated with his government.Of the 38 “community independents” running in this election, seven are challenging Labor: anti-salmon farming campaigner Peter George in Franklin, Tasmania; Chris Kearney in Jagajaga and Kath Davies in Chisholm, Victoria; Kate Dezarnaulds in Gilmore, NSW; Jessie Price in Bean, ACT; Phil Scott in Solomon, NT; and Kate Hulett in Fremantle, WA, fresh off a close run for the state seat of the same name.Most of these are considered safe seats — in other words, those primed for an upset, with indies usually winning safe seats. Five are supported by Climate 200 (George, Dezarnaulds, Price, Scott and Hulett), contradicting claims that the fundraiser is purely anti-Coalition. Though no doubt that’s where much of its climate focus lies.For midwife-turned-candidate Jessie Price, backed by orange-branded “Voices of Bean” in the ACT, this Labor government has been a huge disappointment. She refrains from directly criticising her opponent, little-known backbencher David Smith, who has a margin of 12.9%. But she believes the “groundswell of support” she’s received points to a deep frustration.“Canberra is progressive and there was a lot of relief when the Albanese government succeeded the Morrison government,” she says. “And then in the event, there’s just been so much disappointment, especially in the climate change, climate action and environmental protection space.”Price points to Labor’s failure to act on housing affordability and gambling ads, suggesting both major parties are captured by vested interests.“We just want a government with guts and vision,” she says. “People are crying out for that adult conversation about the complex things. We expect our national government to tackle the complex things. That’s their job.”Independent candidate for Solomon Phil Scott, backed by Indi-inspired “Voices of the Top End”, makes similar arguments — though with an NT twist.For Scott, it’s “inconsequential as to who’s incumbent”; neither side is listening to his Darwin and Palmerston community, with major party decision-making focused on southerners. “The Northern Territory has never really had a proper seat at the table on those negotiations, because backbenchers with little to no voice aren’t advocating strongly enough, or aren’t heard when they do.”Scott doesn’t name sitting Labor MP Luke Gosling, who has an 8.4% margin. Instead, he reels off several issues facing the NT, including community safety, gendered and family violence, poverty and underfunded healthcare, which he puts down to the tyranny of distance. The community worker also calls out gas expansion, noting that Darwin is on “the very edge of the climate crisis” — likely unlivable at two degrees of warming. Labor and the Coalition, he argues, take money from the same corporate donors, “the same banks, the same airlines, the same gas companies and fossil fuel companies and gambling industries”.Scott likes his chances, partly due to the success of community indies in last year’s Territory election, partly due to recent polling showing the duopoly vote sitting at 54% in Solomon. Both Price and Scott reckon their incumbents are concerned, claiming independent enthusiasm is growing by the week. It will nevertheless be a tall ask to defeat a safe Labor MP, arguably harder than removing a Liberal, with Labor closer to where these communities are on climate and integrity.For Gilmore candidate Kate Dezarnaulds, chosen by the local group “South Coast Independents”, things look a little different. Hers is the most marginal seat in the country, with Labor’s Fiona Phillips and Liberal Andrew Constance locked in a 2022 rematch.As Dezarnaulds argues, the independents movement is neither anti-Labor nor anti-Coalition; it’s pro-community.“At the end of the day, I don’t think it matters whether you’re challenging a Liberal or Labor incumbent,” she says. “Voters are frustrated with the system itself. What I’m offering is a breath of fresh air — someone 100% focused on the steady, persistent work of representing this community.”So can independents knock off Labor MPs in next month’s federal election? Based on the success of “Voices for Fremantle” candidate Kate Hulett in the WA state election, coming within 500 votes of winning a formerly safe Labor seat, in a Labor state, one would have to say yes.Hulett has already pivoted to run for the federal seat, where Labor has a smaller margin, retaining her existing campaign infrastructure, including headquarters, corflutes and volunteers. Someone should probably inform the prime minister.<ul><li>Rachel Withers is a freelance writer with an unfortunate penchant for Australian politics. She is the former editor of The Politics and currently co-hosts Spin Cycle on Triple R radio.</li></ul>QUOTE ENDS<a href="https://infosec.space/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ClimateCrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ClimateCrisis</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/WomensRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WomensRights</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ShitParty1" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ShitParty1</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ShitParty2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ShitParty2</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/FsckOffDutton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FsckOffDutton</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/WhyIsLabor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WhyIsLabor</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/NoNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NoNukes</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/VoteGreens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#VoteGreens</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ProgIndies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ProgIndies</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/OzElection2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OzElection2025</a>

Droppie [infosec] 🐨:archlinux: :kde: :firefox_nightly: :thunderbird: :vegan:<a href="https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/04/03/coalition-labor-faux-post-vote-forms-scam-2025-election/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/04/03/coalition-labor-faux-post-vote-forms-scam-2025-election/</a>QUOTE BEGINSIs it a surprise that Australians don’t trust politicians when the first piece of party communication they receive is a data harvesting form meant to deceive them? The battle over who voters trust is a major contest in every election. So why do both major parties kick off each campaign by intentionally misleading as many voters as possible?I’m specifically talking about both the Coalition and Labor creating forms that appear to be postal vote registration forms but are, in reality, data harvesting operations for themselves.Both major parties do it. Since I asked for tips about election shenanigans, I’ve been inundated by people sharing text messages and physical letters that they’re surprised to find out come from local members or party HQs and not the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).These messages are designed to look like they could be an official, non-partisan request. Yes, they include the requisite authorisations, but it’s done in a way that draws as little attention as possible. The fact that you are being asked to hand over your details to a political party and not a trusted institute is intentionally obscured. I imagine that culturally and linguistically diverse voters may be especially likely to be fooled by this.If the Coalition or Labor were honest, they would admit that one of their main electoral strategies is hoodwinking the people who they hope will vote for them. It actually boggles the mind that campaigns do this. During a crucial moment of the political cycle, both major parties send texts, pay for postage and create political advertisements to distribute something that will almost certainly leave a bad taste in a voter’s mouth. Not only that, but these messages may be the first and sometimes only interaction that a voter will have with these parties.Don’t take my word for it. Search any social media website for the Liberal and Nationals’ “postal.vote” or Labor’s “howtovote.org.au”. Most of the posts are from people disgusted that someone has tried to pull one over on them. These text messages and mail-outs have become symbols of voters’ distrust in the major parties — and people are broadcasting that message to the rest of the world.Parties have used postal voting as a campaigning opportunity for quite a while. For decades, they’ve sent out postal vote applications along with campaign material — giving them an opportunity to reach voters at the exact moment they’re deciding who to vote for. Sure, it’s a bit sneaky, but there was at leas a public benefit to ensuring that people were given an opportunity to have a postal vote.More recently, this has changed to something worse. Rather than helping voters sign up for a postal vote, the parties inserted themselves as intermediaries. If you fill out their digital forms, you’re redirected to the AEC to fill out the actual postal vote registration. If you return their physical letter, the form with all your details first goes to party HQ which then passes it on to the AEC.The major parties inserting themselves as a middleman in this process creates risk. Given how closely these online forms mimic the AEC, it’s not unimaginable that someone would assume they had signed up for a postal vote form without actually continuing through to fill out the AEC form. It’s an even bigger issue when it comes to physical forms. Receiving, harvesting and redirecting postal vote applications takes time in an already compressed election campaign period. This has cost some the chance to vote in the past, according to the AEC: “Many complaints were received from voters who experienced lengthy waits between applying via party PVA [postal vote application] and receiving their postal vote. In some cases, the timing meant that voters were then unable to vote,” reads the AEC’s submission to the 2022 federal election parliamentary review. The AEC has raised the alarm about the “eligibility confusion and privacy concerns” created by these party postal vote applications. The commission has even written to major parties, politely asking that they don’t send out these forms.Election integrity issues aside, what about the integrity of politics itself? Politicians of all stripes complain about the falling trust in government. And then every three or so years, their most direct contact with a lot of voters is in the form of a scam.Speaking of scams: one of the biggest achievements of the Albanese government has been the establishment of the National Anti-Scam Centre. In fact, it’s invested $180 million fighting cons and ruses that hurt Australians. Which makes it all the more craven that when push comes to shove, Labor’s more than happy — along with the Coalition — to do exactly what its centre calls an “impersonation scam”. As the centre’s ScamWatch website warns, “scammers impersonate trusted businesses, friends or family, to steal your money or personal information.” (In one recent case, messages sent by the Nationals for this purpose were literally flagged as spam).I get it. There’s clearly a benefit to parties having up-to-date contact details for a portion of the electorate that actually answers its mail. Obviously, neither party wants to give it up and leave the other one with a major advantage. And trust in institutions is only important if you’re the one who’s controlling the institution, which you need to win an election to do.But in a moment where it’s so hard to break through to voters, you know what would get a lot of attention? Saying “Hey, we’re sorry we did this in the past but we don’t want to rely on deception to campaign.” You could publicly challenge your opponent to do the same thing and trap them: are they going to commit to being scammy or be forced to follow your lead when everyone’s paying attention.There’s a lot of things that the major parties could do to win back voters’ trust, and stopping this kind of activity is the lowest hanging fruit. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even win more elections when voters don’t think that you’re treating them like rubes.QUOTE ENDS<a href="https://infosec.space/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AusPol</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ClimateCrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ClimateCrisis</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/WomensRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WomensRights</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ShitParty1" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ShitParty1</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ShitParty2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ShitParty2</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/FsckOffDutton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FsckOffDutton</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/WhyIsLabor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WhyIsLabor</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/NoNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NoNukes</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/VoteGreens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#VoteGreens</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/ProgIndies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ProgIndies</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/OzElection2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OzElection2025</a>

Ego Placebo 🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺Konrad and the Punts strike again! "They are not going to like what we punters just did"<a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/vW_aBdDhwkw?si=LwpHT-95QuJo0xf3" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/shorts/vW_aBdDhwkw?si=LwpHT-95QuJo0xf3</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auspol</a>

Matthew RimmerHey Hey it’s court day! Former Australian TV star’s latest legal fight <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/360639466/hey-hey-its-court-day-former-australian-tv-stars-latest-legal-fight" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/360639466/hey-hey-its-court-day-former-australian-tv-stars-latest-legal-fight</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/trademark" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#trademark</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/auslaw" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auslaw</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auspol</a>

Pat Hudson CartoonsFair play<a href="https://aus.social/tags/auspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#auspol</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/USPolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USPolitics</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/TrumpTariffs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TrumpTariffs</a>

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