Transparency Warrior. Former Senator for SA, business development manager, project manager, underwater acoustics instructor and submariner.
Adelaide, South Australia
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I now conclude my time as a Senator in the Federal Parliament. It’s been such a privilege to represent South Australia. Unconstrained by party lines, I never held back and I never voted against my conscience. I’m proud of what my team and I achieved. No regrets! #auspol
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She didn’t turn up for last week’s Senate sitting but managed to attend a weekend protest in Canberra. She’s missed Senate Estimates this week. She earns a $211K salary + allowances + super but doesn’t turn up for work. Is she Australia’s most expensive dole bludger? #auspol
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Now that it’s been confirmed that @ScottMorrisonMP’s so-called ‘National Cabinet’ isn’t a real Cabinet, I’m going for the minutes etc of all 50 meetings so far. It’s important to bring some sunshine to dark corners. #auspol #FOI #transparency #acountability
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#BREAKING: After a two and half year battle, the #FOI Commissioner has found that the ‘Gaetjens #SportsRorts review’ into whether @senbmckenzie breached the ‘Statement of Ministerial Standards’ is NOT a Cabinet document and must be released to me within 28 days. #auspol
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In appreciation of the great work my staff has done over the past 4 1/2 years, I’m taking them & their families for a weekend by the Murray River (no taxpayer funds involved). There will be 7 teenage/preteen girls with us and no Wi-Fi. I haven’t told them. #transparencyfailure
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I'm still a Senator until 30 June so I'm plugging away on important unfinished business - urging the new Govt to shed light on the dark secrets of Australia’s past efforts to steal #TimorLeste's oil & gas. Openness is key to good future relations. #auspol michaelwest.com.au/pacific-a…
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I voted against the Cashless Debit Card because @ScottMorrisonMP’s Government couldn’t produce objective data that showed it works. Now the Auditor has found “DSS has not demonstrated that the CDC program is meeting its intended objectives”. #auspol 👉 anao.gov.au/work/performance…
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#BREAKING: David McBride jailed for 5 years and 8 months with no parole for 2 year 3 months!
Today we have seen the first person related to war crimes in Australia jailed, and it’s the whistleblower. What a stain on governance and justice in Australia.
David is a hero. #auspol
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The case for widespread free RATs is clear, but @ScottMorrisonMP says “you can't just make everything free”. He didn't say that to big business as they took $billions in #JobKeeper money they didn't need. And the PM has billions more put away for election pork barreling. #auspol
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I’m done with ‘em. @ScottMorrisonMP gifting hard earned taxpayer money to his business mates & donors makes him the most shameless & unethical PM ever. @JoshFrydenberg’s JK prudential failure makes him the most incompetent Treasurer ever. EPBC discussions over @sussanley! #auspol
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BREAKING: A big defeat for @JoshFrydenberg and his big business donors, but a great win for everyday Australians. Thanks to all Senators who supported me on this. #auspol
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Here’s me outside the Melbourne AAT hearing room where my appeal against Govt secrecy on #TimorLeste papers is underway. I’m not allowed in to hear or rebut the Govt’s arguments. I can’t listen to or challenge their witnesses. I can’t have a lawyer present. Unjust! #auspol
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Every day Kathryn Campbell sits in her $900K per annum #AUKUS advisor roll is a day of insult to those who suffered under the #RoboDebt scheme. #FOI has uncovered the dodgy expedited process that created her job from thin air and handed it to her. #auspol michaelwest.com.au/kathryn-c…
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.@Qantas seems determined to ruin my time away with my daughters. Putting aside lost bags and being seated apart when flying, last night I arrived in Washington DC to find my apartment, booked through Qantas and fully paid for five months ago, not actually booked. #QantasSaga
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The Australian’s lead story today suggests gas is in short supply. We produce 2.5 times the gas needed in the domestic market, but with no gas reservation policy, most gets sent overseas to the benefit of gas exporters. Gas is not in short supply, political leadership is. #auspol
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Nothing in the Westminster system of Govt allows a minister to mislead the Parliament or the public. How did @stuartrobertmp ever get the impression the system authorised him to make false statements? He should be censured next week. #auspol #robodebt theguardian.com/australia-ne…
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The next steps are simple. @HonTonyAbbott must register with the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme and @ScottMorrisonMP must then strip the former PM of most of his travel/office perks. Australian taxpayers should't subsidise a foreign agent. #auspol abc.net.au/news/2020-09-05/t…
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Today's release of 2001 Cabinet papers does not include files on the Timor Sea maritime boundary negotiations. All have been suppressed. @ScottMorrisonMP wants to keep John Howard's dirty secrets hidden. It's another fight for me in 2022. #auspol rexpatrick.com.au/senator_pa…
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Just so we know where we stand with our US 'ally', Trump & Co have now listed Australia as one of ‘the dirty 15’ countries to be hit with more tariffs. DIRTY! It's time we put North West Cape, Pine Gap, critical minerals, etc on the chopping block. #auspol thepostmillennial.com/trump-…
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The #RobodebtRC has revealed a rot inside the Public Service that can’t be ignored; senior officials putting self before their public obligations, breaching even the lowest of ethical standard. I say no to resignations, rather sackings in disgrace. #auspol thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news…
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Having lunch with my incredible staff and advisors on my last day as a Senator. I blame all my successes on them. Thanks crew! #auspol
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.@PeterDutton_MP - As a former ADF member, I’m not letting you get away with using the ADF as a shield for the Government’s poor response to #Lismore’s flooding disaster. You knew this was coming and you did nothing. Stop playing politics. You have failed, own it! #auspol
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The revelation over the past few days that @ScottMorrisonMP secretly co-appointed himself as a minister (apparently, in some cases, without the knowledge of the extant minister) demands a dose of transparency. I’m here to administer that dose. #auspol #FOI
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Qatar and Australia both export similar volumes of LNG to the world. In 2021 Qatar was forecast to collect $26.6 billion in LNG royalties while Australia was forecast to received $0.8B. And yet @ScottMorrisonMP thinks himself an economic genius. #auspol smh.com.au/politics/federal/…
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I very much hope that new Attorney-General @markdreyfusQCMP will act quickly to drop the unjust prosecution of Bernard Collaery and end the counter-productive secrecy shrouding Australia's past attempts to steal #TimorLeste's energy resources. #auspol theguardian.com/australia-ne…
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In 1997 former Prime Minister Paul Keating declined to accept an award of Companion of the Order of Australia, saying he believed honours should be reserved for unrecognised achievers. #auspol
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#NAAC Commissioner Brereton was the man who declared senior officers immune from command responsibility for war crimes in Afghanistan. He’s now demonstrated an unwillingness to hold senior public servants to account. He’s the wrong man for the job. #auspol theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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For the 3rd year in a row, @naagovau has withheld papers on the Timor Sea negotiations from the annual release of Cabinet files. Once again they're claiming total secrecy with not one word released. I'll be continuing my fight to get John Howard's dirty secrets revealed. #auspol
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Too often the political/bureaucratic/business elite nominate each other for top awards as part of their rations. If Scott Morrison gets an AC, it will completely undermine our honours system. He is a singularly most unworthy candidate. #BackScratch #auspol crikey.com.au/2025/06/06/sco…
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.@ScottMorrisonMP’s new Voter ID laws are a solution desperately looking for a problem. They have no real merit and I won’t be voting for them. If the PM wants to solve a real integrity problem he should focus on a #FederalICAC - with teeth. #auspol thewest.com.au/politics/key-…
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The truth is emerging about Australia’s Solomon Islands foreign policy blunder. A proposal was on the table to shut the door on #China, but @ScottMorrisonMP thought the price was too high. His poor judgement will now cost Australians so much more. #auspol theaustralian.com.au/nation/…
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Here’s the chartered private jet flight @PeterDutton_MP took to Tamworth last August to attend Newscorp’s Bush Summit - where he criticised the Govt’s response to the cost of living crisis. Flight cost to the taxpayer - $23,300. 1/2 #auspol
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How time flies in a pandemic. 5 weeks ago @GladysB called 136 #COVID19nsw cases a day a “national emergency”. Now it's 1218 and all she and @ScottMorrisonMP want to talk about is opening up ASAP. Can they be trusted? No. Too much politics at play. #auspol sbs.com.au/news/nsw-authorit…
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“Senator Patrick do you think the upcoming election campaign will be full of spin, rorts and pork barrelling?” #auspol
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Novak Djokovic was NOT deported because he wasn’t vaccinated. He was NOT deported because he made a mistake on his entry form. He was deported because the Minister for Immigration claimed he might stir up anti-vaccination sentiment. #auspol
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New ATO tax transparency data shows 150 companies with a combined revenue of $971B over 7 years collectively paid ZERO corporate tax. They don’t contribute to public infrastructure, our education/health/justice systems, or other public services their businesses rely upon! #auspol
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This morning at 10 o’clock, in a most shameful moment for @AlboMP and @MarkDreyfusKCMP, David McBride’s trial for revealing war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan will commence. This prosecution is wrong and will deter whistleblowing for years to come. #auspol
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A Royal Commission into #media diversity and ownership is vital for the health of our democracy. This important issue must not be ducked by a Labor Govt. It's a high priority for me. I’ll be pushing @AlboMP hard for action. #auspol #MurdochRoyalCommission rexpatrick.com.au/rex_patric…
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In a responsible system of govt where ministers are responsible to parliament, how improper was it for @ScottMorrisonMP to secretly swear himself in as health, finance & resources minister? How improper was it for those that knew to remain silent? #auspol news.com.au/national/politic…
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#BREAKING Shamefully, but unsurprisingly, the @LiberalAus, @The_Nationals, and @PaulineHansonOz, voted against having any debate on a Federal ICAC, this time on mine and @helenhainesindi‘s AFIC Bill. What are they hiding? #auspol #FederalICACNow
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So, whilst you are forever grateful for the opportunity afforded you, you don’t care for future students in your electorate or state that might want the same opportunity #auspol #FundUniFairly #highered
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.@ScoMo30 is being considered as an informal envoy for Australia! Seriously @AlboMP? Did you not read the Robodebt Royal Commission Report? Did you not read Virginia Bell’s report into multiple ministries? Morrison has no place in public affairs. #auspol thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news…
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. @ScottMorrisonMP hates #transparency. I launch a public interest legal case to unblock the huge backlog of @OAICgov #FOI reviews. The Govt responds with a lawyer's letter threatening $150k in costs. I may need a little help here, but I'm going to fight this all the way. #auspol
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Michael Pezzullo got his Order of Australia in 2020 “for distinguished service to public administration”. His breaches of the APS Code of Conduct are known to have been occurring as early as 2016. He should be stripped of his AO. #auspol
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In Opposition the LNP blows hard about cutting govt ‘waste’. But in govt they blew billions on fat cat consultancy firms, subsidies for big business and failed defence projects while they persecuted welfare recipients & veterans. A shameful legacy. #auspol theguardian.com/australia-ne…
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Took a ride to Parliament in an Australian developed electric truck. Note to @scottmorrisonmp - there are electric vehicles that can easily tow boats and trailers #auspol #ElectricVehicles #EV #ClimateActionNow
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Our aged care system is in crisis and yet @ScottMorrisonMP has put the Religious Discrimination Bill ahead of a Bill to implement some of the Aged Care Royal Commission recommendations. The Senate rarely gets to Bills listed for Thursday. His priorities are totally wrong! #auspol
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Australian shareholder ownership of Rio Tinto is 8%. Just as it exports almost all of our rocks to overseas jurisdictions for the value-adding to be done, it exports almost all of its dividends to overseas bank accounts. #JustSaying #auspol
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What a shock! The Australian discovers #independent MPs talk to each other, consult and cooperate. Who would have thought? The Oz calls this ‘collusion’. That’s wrong. It’s COOPERATION for the PUBLIC GOOD. We need more of that in Parliament. #auspol #Teals
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What would be proper, and a remedy to ensure this never happens again, is for @AlboMP (or a teal) to raise with the speaker or move a motion to refer @ScottMorrisonMP, @Barnaby_Joyce, @keithjpitt and any other MP that knew, to the House Privileges committee for contempt. #auspol
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#BREAKING: Rex V Scott. ‘National Cabinet’ is not a Cabinet. More to follow … #auspol #FOI #transparency
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In a MASSIVE win for transparency and accountability, the Full Federal Court has rejected @MarkDreyfusKCMP’s argument that ministers should be allowed to shred official docs when they leave office. He’s going to have to feed his secrecy addiction in some other way. 1/3 #auspol
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877 confirmed #coronavirus cases in Australia this morning. On 1 March there were only 21. A week ago it was 197. Three days ago it was 414. Our trend is closer to Italy or UK than Singapore. Australian Govts need to put social distancing breaks on much harder, right now #auspol
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.@cporterwa was a failure as Attorney-General. He demonstrated very poor judgment, supported the PM's secrecy mania, persecuted whistleblowers and undermined parliamentary standards/ democratic accountability. It is good he's exiting Parliament. #auspol abc.net.au/news/2021-12-01/c…
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Howard has learnt nothing. He still tries to justify immoral spying on a friendly neighbour, Timor, as ‘in the national interest’. That’s false. It was in Woodside’s interest and it poisoned relations with Dili for over a decade. Dumb and shameful! #auspol afr.com/politics/federal/eas…
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.@Qantas have found a solution: They’ve offered to replace my prepaid two bedroom apartment (with a kitchen, a laundry and parking) with a one bedroom hotel room with no facilities … wait for it … for the same price! #QantasSaga
.@Qantas seems determined to ruin my time away with my daughters. Putting aside lost bags and being seated apart when flying, last night I arrived in Washington DC to find my apartment, booked through Qantas and fully paid for five months ago, not actually booked. #QantasSaga
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Did you know billionaires such as Gina Rinehart, Anthony Pratt, Harry Triguboff, Frank Lowy, Kerry Stokes & other 'old money' families are exempt from providing audited accounts to ASIC. I'm working to end this outrageous rort. A priority for 2021! #auspol michaelwest.com.au/inside-au…
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Hey @JEChalmers, rather than just being absolutely furious and ropeable, why don’t you take real action and ban @PwC_AU from Govt work for two years. That’s what would happen in other countries. 1/2 #auspol #governance afr.com/companies/profession…
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#EXCLUSIVE: On the fifth of November “National Cabinet” was briefed on Australia’s upcoming high risk weather season. Obtained under #FOI, here is some of the information that secrecy maniac @ScottMorrisonMP doesn’t want you to see. #auspol #climate #transparency
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So at the end of the day, the highly paid top public servants who failed in their duty, and worse, in the #Robodebt scandal just get a gentle slap on the wrist. Kathryn Campbell still has her AO for 'distinguished service to public administration’. #auspol theguardian.com/australia-ne…
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John Howard can’t purport to occupy high moral ground when his Govt, having agreed to negotiate the rights to Timor Sea oil and gas ‘in good faith’, defrauded the newly independent and impoverished #TimorLeste by spying on their negotiating team. #auspol theaustralian.com.au/nation/…
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Sometimes leaders grow in a role and sometimes they don’t. @PeterDutton_MP has had more than two years as opposition leader to show he has the character to lead our nation. So far he’s taken the low road of cynical, divisive, political opportunism. #auspol canberratimes.com.au/story/8…
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The ATO's latest tax transparency report shows Amazon generated $6.6 billion in income in Australia in 2022-23, but paid just $129 million in income tax - only 1.9%. If we taxed foreign corporate giants and billionaires properly, we could do so much more for our people. #auspol
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With just over 20 days to go I spent the day in Canberra talking to incoming ministers about things that matter to SA. I also managed to catch up with @pocockdavid. I was pleased to meet with him and look forward to seeing an independent representing the ACT in the Senate #auspol
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Now that @HonTonyAbbott has registered as an agent of a foreign govt, he should be largely stripped of his taxpayer-funded entitlements as a former PM (office, staff, car, travel). It's inappropriate to subsidise an operative of a foreign power #auspol theguardian.com/australia-ne…
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The dog ate my cabinet document excuse is pathetic, but @ScottMorrisonMP is shameless when it comes to hiding his Government’s dirty little secrets. I'll keep pursuing this and other #FOI applications to expose political corruption. #auspol #FederalICACNow theguardian.com/australia-ne…
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Only two people control access to texts exchanged between @ScottMorrisonMP and @EmmanuelMacron. You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to work out who gave texts to @dailytelegraph. What a diplomatically inept move, but how typical of him. #auspol news.com.au/technology/innov…
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There's going to be a very significant legal fight over the #FOI status of @ScottMorrisonMP's 'National Cabinet'. The PM has stretched cabinet confidentiality way beyond legitimate boundaries. Democratic accountability requires this be challenged #auspol theage.com.au/national/victo…
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The employment of Ms Campbell by Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty raises very serious questions as to his judgement. His decision to retain Ms Campbell on a completely unjustifiable $892,630 raises very serious questions as to propriety. 1/2 #auspol #misappropriation #referral
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Now I’ve cracked open @ScottMorrisonMP’s National Cabinet secrecy vault, I’ll be lodging more #FOI applications to examine what’s inside. Much of the Government’s #COVID19Aus response needs scrutiny. You can FOI too! #auspol canberratimes.com.au/story/7…
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If you spin, rort, cover-up, disrespect, hold the law in contempt, don’t enforce team standards, persecute whistleblowers, lack transparency, cause waste and ignore science, you will lose the trust of the electorate and you will lose the election #auspol theaustralian.com.au/nation/…
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Great news David McBride has been granted leave to appeal his conviction and sentence. It’s still a disgrace that @MarkDreyfusKCMP allowed the prosecution to proceed. Labor talked about supporting whistleblowers but instead persecutes them. #auspol abc.net.au/news/2024-10-09/d…
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What we should have been debating in Parliament this week. #auspol #FederalICAC
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Yesterday I received a 46th Parliament integrity award. My approach to integrity is simple. You can’t hide personal misconduct and misadventure from yourself. You need to look yourself in the mirror everyday and make sure you’re happy with the person in the reflection. #auspol
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The Governor-General and the Council of the Order of Australia have sullied the Australian honours system today. #auspol
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I’m fighting for transparency. I’m fighting for the preservation of responsible government. And I’m fighting to stop @ScottMorrisonMP unilaterally taking away an #FOI right given to all Australians by the Parliament. It’s an important fight. #auspol thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news…
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It was the Chinese president who stopped flights from Wuhan to Australia, not @ScottMorrisonMP. The PM has hesitated in ordering full biological screening of flights from origins of risk. Australia needs to stay ahead of the curve #auspol #coronavirus sbs.com.au/news/australia-co…
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A hat-trick for the secrecy ‘resistance’ this arvo with my 3rd consecutive #FOI victory against @pmc_gov_au’s ‘dark forces’. Today’s win came with the FOI Commissioner ordering the release of Scott Morrison’s letter commissioning the Gaetjens’ #SportsRorts Report. #auspol
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Attorney-General @SenatorCash plans to use extraordinary powers to maintain the secrets of PM John Howard’s dirty Timor oil diplomacy. I’m fighting this. Our relations with Timor would be better served by honesty and an apology, not truth burying. #auspol theguardian.com/world/2022/j…
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#FOI shows @PeterDutton_MP has not visited Australia’s only nuclear reactor, nor received advice on nuclear power from experts at @ANSTO or @ARPANSANews in the last 5 years. It’s policy without homework, which really means it’s all about politics. #auspol michaelwest.com.au/nuclear-r…
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.@ScottMorrisonMP has been using a little-known Cabinet 'Governance Committee' to keep dirty secrets under lock and key. I'm moving to change #FOI law so that Cabinet secrecy can't be used to hide corruption and breaches of Ministerial standards. #auspol rexpatrick.com.au/senator_pa…
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Yesterday, in reply to a question about #FOI, @AlboMP went out of his way to take a swipe at me. His words were unbecoming of a PM, but I’m glad my #transparency efforts are getting under his skin. It shows our anti-secrecy campaign is having an impact. #auspol
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#VICTORY With <24 hrs to go until a first AAT #FOI hearing into @ScottMorrisonMP’s outrageous claim National Cabinet was still a Cabinet, despite a judge ruling otherwise, the Govt has capitulated and granted me access to all docs from the first 20 meetings. #auspol #transparency
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Norway delivers its oil and gas riches to its people, Australia delivers the profits into foreign hands. #auspol. michaelwest.com.au/gas-how-a…
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Toothless. Muzzled. Not much of a guard dog, but that’s @AlboMP’s anti-corruption commission. Covering up for @ScoMo30's #robodebt bureaucrats. 🤦♂️ #auspol abc.net.au/news/2024-06-06/n…
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.@ScottMorrisonMP did the wrong thing when he used YOUR money to pay for car parks to win votes in Liberal Party seats. Now the PM is ignoring #FOI laws to ensure the media can’t investigate this political corruption. More than ever we need a #FederalICAC now. #auspol
The Prime Minister's office is accused of plotting to keep documents from its controversial car parks scheme a secret.
A Nine News investigation about the role of Scott Morrison's staff went unanswered, his office failing to meet what's required by law. @jekearsley #9News
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Europe braces for a future without the US as a reliable ally - so must Australia. #AUKUS #auspol politico.com/news/2025/02/12…
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In 2004 Australian spies bugged #TimorLeste’s Cabinet to help the Howard Government steal oil and gas reserves from Timor. Today I’ve applied to access ASIS’s records on the origins of this disgraceful scandal. There’s a big #transparency fight ahead to get to the #truth. #auspol
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.@AustralianLabor and @LiberalAus have just joined forces to vote NO to the quarterly disclosure by ministers of who, outside Govt, is meeting with them to influence policies or decisions. Publication of people who lobby Govt is a #transparency and integrity measure #auspol #NACC
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.@markdreyfusQCMP’s use of s71 of the Judicial Act to discontinue the prosecution of Bernard Collaery is a big win for whistleblowing and a positive step in the repairing of Australia’s relationship with #TimorLeste. Well done Attorney-General! #auspol smh.com.au/politics/federal/…
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I had a good win today in an important #FOI battle against @ScottMorrisonMP's 'National Cabinet' secrecy. I'll be using this result to achieve more transparency. There's much work to do to restore integrity & accountability across Federal Govt. #auspol smh.com.au/politics/federal/…
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