#auspol on Bluesky: Sunday 27 September 2026

27 September 2026, 06:00–09:00 AEST

1. TOP TRENDING TOPICS

• Siobhan McKenna's Appointment as US Ambassador – Heavy criticism of PM Albanese's appointment of News Corp–connected Siobhan McKenna to the New York diplomatic posting, with accusations she is a Murdoch operative and the selection lacks transparency. (Highest engagement overall)

• One Nation Party Dysfunction & Hypocrisy – Multiple posts highlighting One Nation's contradiction of claiming to represent ordinary Australians while ignoring its own members; also coverage of the party's candidate fee "money grab" scheme ($150 applications + $5,500 undisclosed fees).

• AI/Palantir Security Concerns – Discussion of an AI system accessing non-public Medicare data without explicit authorisation and broader concerns about corporate surveillance technology in government, with calls for OpenAI executives to testify publicly.

• NDIS Privatisation Failures – Criticism that privatising essential services (housing, healthcare) has created systemic failures, framed as symptomatic of broader neoliberal policy problems rather than one-off issues.

• Albanese Government Accountability & Murdoch Influence – Broader narrative that Albanese prioritises retaining power over principle, appeasing News Corp rather than pursuing independent policy (spanning climate, Palestine, and appointments).

2. NOTABLE POSTS

@post.bsky.social by @simonrosenberg (20 likes, 10 reposts): "The author has picked two wildly differing world leaders. Spain's Pedro Sanchez has already backed his words with actions. Australia's Anthony Albanese is all piss and wind, allowing his foreign and defence policy to be directed by the US and Israel." Notable because it synthesises frustration about Albanese's foreign policy weakness across multiple issue areas (Palestine, US alignment, climate).

@post.bsky.social by @peggysanders (9 likes, 6 reposts): "Diplomatic postings aren't meant to be jobs PM hands out as sweeteners to his insider mates in News Corp… Handing Lachlan Murdoch's top strategist a plum NY diplomatic post shows exactly who calls the shots in Canberra." Notable for directly connecting McKenna appointment to structural questions about political capture and News Corp influence.

@post.bsky.social by @qldaah (31 likes, 8 reposts): "The racket of Pauline Hanson & James Ashby is a familiar complaint from former members. Jennifer Game used a debt recovery process to retrieve her $2k nomination deposit & a magistrate ordered ONP to pay her +$14k in electoral expenses." Notable for concrete evidence of One Nation's exploitative candidate practices.

3. OVERALL SENTIMENT

The mood is deeply cynical and frustrated. BlueSky users express broad disillusionment with both major parties and One Nation, viewing Australian politics as structurally captured by corporate interests (Murdoch, privatisers, billionaire tech firms). Albanese copped the heaviest criticism—users frame him as complicit in Murdoch influence, weak on climate and Palestine, and hostile to accountability. One Nation is simultaneously mocked as a scam and feared as dangerous. There is vocal left-wing and Green-aligned sentiment, strong concerns about AI/surveillance and NDIS privatisation, and sharp anger over cost-of-living issues and wage stagnation. The overall tone is anti-establishment, anti-corporate, and pessimistic about parliamentary democracy's capacity to serve ordinary people rather than elites.

Most active: @peggysanders.bsky.social (21 posts) · Most engaged: @pdutts68.bsky.social (38 likes, 19 reposts, 3 replies)

TOP TRENDING TOPICS

1. ABC's "Insiders" Program & Greg Sheridan Criticism – Widespread backlash against commentator Greg Sheridan's positions on AI regulation, US-Australia relations, and his perceived reluctance to hold US tech firms accountable for breaching Australian systems. Posts criticised his "bootlicking" stance and Trump sympathies.

1. AI Security & Data Centre Concerns – Multiple discussions around OpenAI and Microsoft being called to parliamentary inquiry following government website hacks. Debate over whether US AI companies should face legal consequences for breaching Australian law, with concern about sovereignty and data protection.

1. One Nation Party Finances & James Ashby Scandal – Recurring criticism of One Nation's use of party funds for personal projects (Ashby's shed/distillery), described as a "money-making operation" and "grift." Former candidates accused the party of exploiting aspirants.

1. Cost of Living & Poverty Crisis – Posts highlighting JobSeeker shortfalls ($251–$428/week), food insecurity (68% of single parents), and youth homelessness (40,500+ young people seeking help). Criticism directed at PM Albanese for inadequate welfare responses.

1. Coalition Climate & Energy Policy – LNP's plan to scrap Net Zero and lift nuclear bans criticised as lacking substance; tension between Jane Hume's rhetoric and absence of actual emissions-reduction policies.

NOTABLE POSTS

• @michaelwestbiz.bsky.social (39 likes, 22 reposts): "Australia has become fluent in women's survival strategies, but has very little to say about the men" – Andrew Brown on domestic violence response failures. Highlighted systemic government/authority failures on a critical social issue.

• @rainbowregionmyles.bsky.social (11 likes, 4 reposts): Stark statistics on food insecurity and homelessness—"In Australia, one of the richest countries on Earth, 40,500 children...needed somewhere to sleep"—effectively encapsulating grassroots frustration with inequality.

• @antfarmer.bsky.social (15 likes, 3 reposts): Critique of Sheridan's praise for Barnaby Joyce dominating media cycles "like Trump," arguing it exposes the vacuousness of political commentary and "horse race crap" on ABC's Insiders.

OVERALL SENTIMENT

The discussion reflects deep frustration and distrust across multiple fronts. While anger at One Nation and Ashby remains strong, the dominant mood centres on perceived government failure and media complicity. Posts criticise both Labor (Albanese seen as captured by billionaires/Murdoch operatives) and Coalition (lacking substance, pro-corporate on AI, climate denialism). A strong undercurrent of economic despair appears in welfare and homelessness statistics, with commentators questioning whether the political system can address inequality. Notably, ABC "balance" is questioned repeatedly—users argue Insiders amplifies poor-faith actors (Sheridan, Jane Hume) without adequate pushback. The tone is cynical and exhausted, with some expressing resignation that neither major party offers viable alternatives, though minor parties (Greens, Teals, potentially One Nation) are discussed as chaotic or unreliable. Few posts express optimism.

Most active: @ashrafghebranious.bsky.social (9 posts) · Most engaged: @michaelwestbiz.bsky.social (39 likes, 22 reposts, 2 replies)

TOP TRENDING TOPICS

• "Civility Politics" Killing Democratic Discourse – Amy Remeikis's new book Screw Nice sparks discussion on how excessive focus on manners prevents substantive political debate; notably, the observation that "the sensible centre is somewhere sitting with Pauline Hanson" gained significant engagement (16 likes, 11 reposts).

• Cost-of-Living Crisis & Interest Rate Hikes – Mortgage holders bracing for another RBA rate increase; posts highlight small business sentiment in Canberra "as bad as it's ever been" and broader concerns about inflation and energy prices.

• One Nation's Rise & Financial Tactics – Multiple posts critique Pauline Hanson's party: candidates report being "used, lied to, misled and gaslit" over $630,000 demands; characterisations of One Nation as a "small business" rather than genuine party gaining traction.

• Data Centres & Energy Crisis – Queensland's proposed mega-data centre in Dalby sparks debate; concerns raised that it will consume ¼ of QLD's energy generation, with Premier David Crisafulli's claims about lowering power prices lacking modelling support.

• Violence Against Women & Housing Crisis – Family violence hospitalisations for women spike sharply; First Nations women experience rates 26 times higher than non-Indigenous women; youth allowance recipients face zero affordable rentals nationwide.

NOTABLE POSTS

1. @boganintel.bsky.social (16 likes, 11 reposts): "We don't acknowledge the fact that the sensible centre is somewhere sitting with Pauline Hanson at the moment" – encapsulates the discussion's central tension about political polarisation and the mainstreaming of fringe positions.

1. @ajgardineresq.bsky.social (11 likes, 2 reposts): Threading about Body Corporate embezzlement and Victorian Consumer Affairs inaction on 3,500+ cases – exemplifies grassroots concern about regulatory failures and institutional neglect of vulnerable citizens.

1. @simonrosenberg.bsky.social (6 likes, 5 reposts): "Australia has become fluent in women's survival strategies, but has very little to say about the men" – distils frustration that gender violence discourse avoids perpetrator accountability.

OVERALL SENTIMENT

The discourse is predominantly pessimistic and fractious. Posts oscillate between institutional critique (regulatory capture, political cowardice) and ideological polarisation (frequent accusations of "fascism," "neo-liberalism," and collusion). While some discussion centres on concrete policy failures—cost-of-living, housing, energy—much engagement reflects disillusionment with both major parties; Labor is attacked from the left as complicit with US/Israeli foreign policy and corporate interests, while the Coalition faces criticism for ideological extremism. One Nation's emergence as a "sensible centre" alternative is presented both as a serious political shift and as evidence of democratic dysfunction. The tone is angry, sarcastic, and hopeless about institutional reform, with marginal posts displaying conspiracy thinking. Substantive policy debate is thin; emotional intensity is high.

Most active: @winkypop.bsky.social (5 posts) · Most engaged: @boganintel.bsky.social (16 likes, 11 reposts, 0 replies)

TOP 3–5 TRENDING TOPICS

• Data Centres & AI Infrastructure — Debate over proposed AI data centre projects, with concerns they're being justified by security incidents (OpenAI/Medicare breach) and criticism that environmental/infrastructure impacts are downplayed compared to renewable energy projects.

• One Nation Internal Crisis — Significant attention to disgruntled ex-members ahead of a 4 Corners exposé, with discussions of toxic leadership under Pauline Hanson and connections to far-right figures (neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell; Barnaby Joyce casino meeting).

• Indigenous Affairs & Government Tokenism — Cabinet dysfunction regarding the Minister for Indigenous Australians being set up to fail amid toxic workload, reflecting broader concerns about tokenistic appointments.

• Family & Social Policy Gaps — Solo mothers and family policy featured prominently, with criticism that government policy assumes dual-income households and fails vulnerable Australians.

• Queensland Infrastructure & Funding Cuts — LNP cuts to ScreenQLD (40%) and broader transport/maintenance failures in Victoria, indicating state-level governance concerns.

NOTABLE POSTS

1. @lucy.bsky.social Ham (16 likes, 11 reposts): "I don't know how we hold the line against far right and Christian Right bigots. Suggestions welcomed." — This resonated most with the community, capturing anxiety about rising extremism and desire for actionable resistance strategies.

1. @indymediaaus.bsky.social (9 likes, 4 reposts): Solo mothers policy analysis citing Georgie Dent — Highest-engagement post on social policy, reflecting grassroots frustration with structural inequality in family support systems.

1. @mark.bsky.social Melbin (4 likes, 2 reposts): Barnaby Joyce–Thomas Sewell casino meeting — Highlighted cognitive dissonance between Joyce's stated objections to migrant vilification and One Nation's actual policy platform; underscored far-right infiltration concerns.

OVERALL SENTIMENT

The mood is frustrated, cynical, and increasingly alarmed. Users express deep distrust of major parties (Labor and Coalition portrayed as indistinguishable on corporate interests, particularly AI/data centres), with particular venom directed at One Nation as a "grifter" organisation. There's anxiety about far-right normalization and concerns that tokenism masks structural inequality (Indigenous affairs, family policy). While some posts celebrate Labor figures (e.g., "Love ya work Albo"), the dominant tone is one of powerlessness—citizens feeling unheard by elected representatives and systems rigged against ordinary Australians. Minor bright spots include renewable energy potential and grassroots activism, but these are drowned out by despair about governance capture by corporate and extremist interests.

Most active: @insnip.bsky.social (3 posts) · Most engaged: @lucyham.bsky.social (16 likes, 11 reposts, 0 replies)