Occasional snapshots from the news and current affairs … it helps if you keep up with the news
“One Nation are the billionaires’ party,” Labor national president Wayne Swan said on Friday. ON is polling as favourites with 31% of voters; I didn’t realise Australia was brimming with such a large number of billionaires. But the old (dated) class war seems the last refuge of today’s Labor. As if billionaires rorted the system … like certain unions. It was not billionaires who stumped up over $3 million in small donations to the ‘Fire the Liar’ campaign which shamed Labor’s ‘Stop One Nation’ hustle. Indeed, lifelong union members have started attending One Nation branch meetings, as the Labor Party’s traditional blue-collar base signals it feels abandoned. As Labor sources told The Telegraph there were “worrying signs” that some in the party’s traditional blue-collar base were moving to One Nation. Not worrying signs for One Nation … with millions – audited – in the bag. Albo’s famous last words (in mocking tone) when asked about Hanson’s fund raising millions: “Did she though?…did she though?”
*
And amidst this political realignment … for the record:
Anthony Albanese determines the support staff levels for all parliamentary parties. He himself currently has 59 personal advisers. Greens Leader Larissa Waters has 15. Pauline Hanson has two – the same staffing allocation as a Teal MP. According to Personal Employee Positions as of May 1, Labor has 124 federal parliamentarians, with 489 personal advisers. The Coalition have 68 federal parliamentarians, with 88 personal advisers. The Greens have 11, with 16 personal advisers. One Nation has six, with five personal advisers. And Albo still can’t get it right …
*
As you probably know by now, The ABC, major traditional media companies and social media giants will be called to give evidence at the Royal Commission into antisemitism. The ABC, often behaving like the Australian desk of the Iranian Republican Guard Corps, will have most at stake … although it is hard to imagine its image and credibility with wider Australia sinking any lower. But in case you missed it, here are three notable examples of ABC coverage since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel (and continuing into the 2026 Iran-related escalations):
### 1. Reporting from inside Tehran (May/June 2026)
ABC secured rare access to Iran (granted by the regime under restrictions) and aired reports from Tehran streets highlighting anti-US/anti-Israel propaganda, crowds appearing to support the government, and regime-framed views of the conflict. Critics, including Iranian-Australian human rights advocate and Ryde Councillor Tina Kordrostami, called this a “spit in the face” to Iranians and dissidents. They argued it ignored widespread repression, the “lived reality” of the regime’s brutality, and dissenting voices (which ABC sometimes noted separately via voice notes but downplayed in on-the-ground segments). Opponents said it unintentionally (or effectively) platformed stage-managed regime propaganda.
### 2. Coverage of the Minab girls’ school strike (February/March 2026 onward)
ABC and other outlets prominently reported Iranian claims of a US/Israeli strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab that killed over 160 civilians (including many children), often using images and details sourced from Iranian state media or agencies like Mehr News. Critics accused Western media, including ABC, of quickly relaying regime casualty figures and narratives with insufficient initial scepticism or context about Iranian military use of civilian sites, while downplaying the broader war started by Iran’s axis or verification challenges amid blackouts. This was seen as echoing Tehran’s propaganda push during the conflict.
### 3. John Lyons’ commentary on US/Israel actions and Australian government statements (early 2026)
ABC Americas Editor John Lyons provided live analysis criticizing aspects of the US-Israel campaign against Iran, describing some Australian government support or statements (e.g., referencing Iran’s role) as “political propaganda” or “Israel’s talking points,” and questioning motives (e.g., suggesting business angles or lack of justification). This drew strong backlash from figures like Shadow Minister Sarah Henderson and Sky News, who accused it of bias, risking antisemitic tropes, and undermining the response to Iranian aggression.
*
Aren’t we the lucky country just, with major banks behaving like policy guardians for the busybodies in the climate change bureaucracy. Australia’s largest bank, the Commonwealth, is also the biggest oaf. In 2024, it introduced a policy requiring fossil fuel companies to have credible Paris Agreement-aligned climate transition plans. This led to a sharp decline: its upstream (oil/gas production/exploration) financing dropped 75% over the last three years. CBA has denied finance to many misaligned companies. NAB has also reduced exposure significantly — from 43% of big-four fossil fuel financing in 2021 to just 9% in 2025.
Would all their shareholders agree with this policy? Who knows, they were never consulted by the board.