📍I'm pleased to announce the Murdoch Referendum Accountability Project final report is now available to download here📍

Here is a short thread summarising the key findings 👇🏻 murdochroyalcommission.org.au/final-report/
The title of the report gives quite the insight:
👉🏻Under the Facade of Journalism: How News Corp used fear, manipulation and division to campaign against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament👈🏻

I’ve been monitoring News Corp’s Voice coverage so I am sadly well versed in the ‘No’ camp’s contradictions, misrepresentations and scaremongering - by both ‘No’ voices and News Corp voices. I’ll try to summarise it into one thread to give you a sense of how bad faith they are👇🏻 First is the idea that the Voice, an advisory body, can override decisions made by parliament. Bolt regularly refers to the Voice as an Aboriginal only parliament. They constantly imply the Voice has more power and can do more than give advice which is a total bald faced lie.

I’m surprised at how few people who are watching Harry and Meghan on Netflix, or reading Spare, are discussing the big picture. Royal gossip and relationships don’t matter. What’s important is their story is about British/Commonwealth establishment fighting progress. A thread👇🏻 When Harry happened to fall in love with Meghan Markle, the royals were given an opportunity to modernise, to be progressive, to reflect a new-British culture. Meghan is self-made, successful, articulate, describes herself as an activist, is an outspoken feminist, and is biracial

Since we can now talk about the Bruce Lehrmann trial, can I just check if anyone in their entire lives have ever heard of someone having a big night out, and then pissed, deciding to go back to the office to do some work his boss said wasn’t needed? Impossible. Also, if he was such a gentlemen offering Brittany to share an Uber home to make sure he got her home safely, why didn’t he do that? If he seriously wants us to believe he decided to go back to work, why did he take Brittany there and not drop her home first? Beggars belief.

I need to share a story about a really worrying thing I heard a journalist say, and will explain the issue. I'm going to leave names and some details out, as it's not about the specific journalists involved, it's about a wider problem in political journalism. A thread👇🏻 So in this forum, two journalists were discussing representation of women in politics. They got onto the subject of widespread public misogyny about Julia Gillard when she was PM. They discussed the fact the media didn't call it out at the time it was happening.

This piece ignores fact that if Greens forced Labor to adopt policies Labor did not take to election, Labor would be wiped out next election. Is that what Greens want? I don't recall Greens selling their massive super-profits tax during election either!
themonthly.com.au/the-politics/r… Labor does not have a mandate to introduce the Greens’ policy platform. If you would like to argue otherwise fine, but please stick to this topic. The electorate would crucify Labor if they sprung Greens’ policies on them - how is that good for long term reform?

I am sick to death of powerful people like Dutton and many journalists calling Twitter a ‘sewer’. You might not agree with us, but show some respect! Isn’t it funny how they seem to think they can denigrate us through name calling, but we’re not allowed to call them names! A man who says this of his political opposition is not fit to serve as leader of a party. He’s not fit to represent the people who he calls names! Why is this behaviour excused by journalists? Why is Dutton allowed to be as rude as he likes to us, but we can’t complain? Power.

Too much election analysis is shallow in it’s assumed motives for voter behaviour, over-emphasising personality and even policy preferences, and underestimating the complex influence on class-identity. I’ll explain using the example of seat of Macnamara. A thread👇🏻 Let’s imagine a voter in Macnamara called Josie. Josie is a young inner-city professional, middle-to-upper class woman, double income, children at private schools. She has voted Liberal her whole life. She held her nose and voted for Abbott, but liked Malcolm Turnbull much more.

There was a good vibe between the volunteers handing out HTVs. Across the day I particularly had great chats with Jo Dyer, Rex Patrick and Greens vols - there was a sense of comradery which felt like an excited apprehension of a mood for change in the air. We could sense it. There were two aggressive volunteers handing out ‘want to vote the majors out’ material which had hidden UAP materials in it. They got right in people’s faces and shoved them into people’s hands. They didn’t like being asked what they stood for - they just said ‘freedom’.

I just got this text from my daughter. She’s in her bedroom and I’m in the living room. She’s six 🤦🏼‍♀️ To be fair, up until now she’s yelled ‘I’m hungry!’ down the hallway, so this is an improvement.

Unpopular opinion incoming. Can you pls be supportive and generally enthusiastic about your favourite “independent” candidate without smearing Labor as ‘just as bad as Liberals’. Please stop saying ‘all political parties are corrupt’ because it’s totally untrue and unfair. Thanks In fact political party candidates/politicians are more accountable than independents because they have party values and membership to answer to. Labor, Liberals, Greens have policy platforms so you’ll know in most cases how they’ll vote. At least you know what you’re getting 🤷🏼‍♀️

Lots of people are discussing Labor’s victory in SA and analysing what went right for Labor and what went wrong for Liberals. Here are my thoughts as someone ‘on the ground’. A thread👇🏻 Labor’s campaign started almost immediately after they lost government. Peter Malinauskas and all Labor MPs did a ‘Labor listening’ tour, visiting each electorate to meet voters and find out what they want from government.

It’s Election Day #savotes! Full moon overnight and turned the radio on to find ‘living on a prayer’ playing - good sign. Already hearing reports of aggressive security guards guarding booths covered early in Liberal signage overnight. It’s going to be a long day. Follow here👇🏻 On my way to my booth, helping mum @KayRollison and @catrollison set up a booth in Dunstan. The booth is St Peters - where I grew up. A supposably safe Lib seat held by Premier Marshall. My friend @CressidaOHanlon has had a huge crack at it - watch this seat! Got a good feeling.

I’m live tweeting @TamePunk and @BrittHiggins_ #NPC address. This is going to be a historically important speech, even if Morrison thinks it’s not significant enough to attend. Follow along here👇🏻 Laura Tingle introduces Grace and Brittany to huge cheers from audience 🙌🏻. Brittany starts by saying she was raped on a couch in what she thought was the most secure, safe building in Australia - Parliament House. If she can be raped there, it can happen to women anywhere.

The South Australian border opening in November has caused more heartbreak, health and economic devastation, than Western Australian border remaining closed. I am so sick of trying to convince people to stop opposing health restrictions which SAVE LIVES! It’s called priorities. Ask South Australians which they’d prefer. To be watching community suffer covid in their thousands, hospital system imploding, their lives completely upended by constant worry and anxiety, businesses suffering and people dying, or not being able to host visitors? Choose one.

Labor is tasked with addressing 8 years of Lib climate inaction to reach net zero by 2050. 43% by 2030 is extensively modelled. It’s achievable, not fantasy. Libs say it’s too much, Greens say it’s not enough. But we knew they’d say that. Reality is, we need ACTION, not wedging. RIP my mentions. Say what you like, you’re not going to convince me that making Labor unelectable is a good idea for the climate catastrophe. If you didn’t learn anything from the 2010 CPRS debate, you’ll never learn 🤷🏼‍♀️

The reporting of covid restrictions throughout pandemic - border closures, lockdowns, face masks - every covid health policy, has shown journalists are incapable of describing the ideological context behind decisions, while also ignoring their own ideological bias . A thread👇🏻 Firstly, there’s a reason journalists ignore ideological context when reporting political decision making. They’ve been taught/believe any mention of ideology is akin to taking an ideological position themselves. So they never go deep in their analysis, but instead are shallow.

If you think Gladys Berejiklian did a ‘good job’ of managing covid but are at the same time calling on Daniel Andrews to resign because he has done a ‘bad job’, you are a partisan hack. And further to this, if you think Gladys Berejiklian slowly and reluctantly bringing in health restrictions kicking and screaming, often too late, is good management, and yet you call those same restrictions evidence of ‘Dictator Dan’ in Victoria, you are also a partisan hack.

Has anyone got a copy of the NSW govt's covid restrictions roadmap they can send me? I’m not being silly with this, I’d really like a copy? Does a plan exist?

High profile person says something offensive on social media (some kids might die), gets angry reaction. They ignore legitimate criticism of offensive ideas and write op ed about social media bullying. Rinse, repeat. No one condones sexist abuse. All criticism is delegitimised. I have NEVER bullied Leigh Sales or abused her personally. I have never directed misogynistic abuse at her. I have criticised her ideas and have engaged in a debate about the legitimacy of her views on health restrictions. But apparently this all gets written off as ‘trolling’.

Watching #StrongFemaleLead and it’s EXCRUCIATING. I just shake my head at all the dinosaurs who couldn’t cope with a woman in the top job. I’m so sorry JG that you had to go through that ☹️ and you went through it with such grace. Watched Penny Wong being cat called by Liberal senator and I’m about done. The Libs haven’t changed. They’re same misogynistic bullies they always were. Thank you to Senator Wong and this excellent death-staring woman behind her for showing how angry women are about this crap.