#auspol on Bluesky: Tuesday 13 October 2026

1. TOP TRENDING TOPICS

• US influence and Trump-era politics: Posts criticise Labor's perceived deference to the US, including calls to act over a livestreamed execution, Pine Gap intelligence concerns, and the CPAC and "shared values" rhetoric.
• Israel, Gaza and the ICC: Commentators urge stronger action against Israel, criticise the government's response to alleged genocide, and highlight Australia's failure to back international law.
• One Nation and the Coalition: Users attack One Nation's campaign tactics and migration plans, and warn that Coalition policies could harm Australians.
• Greens recruitment and Labor's record: Greens supporters push membership drives, while critics accuse the Greens of Russia-friendly positions and Labor of shortfalls on poverty, aged care and youth justice.
• Parliament sitting and Question Time: Official accounts promote the day's parliamentary program, with links to live streams and committee work.

2. NOTABLE POSTS

• [simonrosenberg.bsky.social] (17 likes): "shared values"™️yet again, @albomp.bsky.social ? — The most-liked post in the set, it sums up a recurring sarcastic critique of the PM's US alignment.
• [coalisdead.bsky.social] (6 likes, 7 reposts): On the Environment Minister's office saying "no decisions have been made" on mining settings, while climate advocates call expansion "nonsensical" — notable for showing a high-engagement climate-policy clash with a cited government response.
• [robduncan.bsky.social] (21 likes, 6 reposts): A heavily hashtagged post with no substantive text, but it drew the highest engagement in the set, reflecting a large cross-border audience that mixes #auspol with #USPOL and #cdnpoli.

3. OVERALL SENTIMENT

The tone is predominantly critical and frustrated, with left-leaning users attacking both major parties: Labor is faulted for being too deferential to the US, slow on Israel and weak on poverty and climate, while the Coalition and One Nation are framed as dangerous. Partisan sarcasm ("St Josh," "piss weak," "bending the knee") runs through many posts, and a few are promotional, such as Greens membership drives, party pitches and parliamentary schedule updates. Overall engagement is low, with most posts receiving fewer than five likes, which suggests a fragmented, largely activist-driven conversation rather than a single dominant news moment.

Most active: @simonrosenberg.bsky.social (4 posts) · Most engaged: @robduncan.bsky.social (21 likes, 6 reposts, 0 replies)

1. TOP TRENDING TOPICS

• US execution livestream and eSafety powers: Multiple posts and AAP coverage criticise the government for not stopping a live US execution being broadcast in Australia, with the eSafety Commissioner saying she lacks the powers.
• Australia's stance on US sanctions against the ICC and the rules-based order: An Australia Institute podcast (the most-engaged post of the window) questions whether Australia is backing its values against Trump-era pressure.
• One Nation attacks and deepfakes: Posters target One Nation as a "Trump-style" threat, and a call to ban AI deepfakes in political ads follows a party video using fabricated people.
• Welfare, poverty and housing: JobSeeker adequacy, ACOSS warnings about two million people near destitution, and housing affordability calls recur.
• Gaza, Palestine and foreign policy: Criticism of Penny Wong's response to a delayed Palestinian election and of government silence on Navi Pillay's Nobel Prize, alongside a Gaza casualty statistic.

2. NOTABLE POSTS

• @australiainstitute.org.au (37 likes, 21 reposts): Promotes a discussion of Australia's response to US ICC sanctions, quoting "Here is the rules-based order under attack & we're not coming to the party." It is the highest-engagement post and anchors the foreign-policy conversation.
• @coalisdead.bsky.social (20 likes, 19 reposts): Quotes ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie: "This is a policy choice and the government can fix it." Its near-equal reposts show it resonated strongly with the progressive left audience.
• @benorton.bsky.social: Asks "what is the point of having an ESafety Govt body if it can't stop a live execution being beamed around AU?" It captures the frustration over the livestream issue in a concise, pointed form, tagging Albanese and Wong directly.

3. OVERALL SENTIMENT

The mood is predominantly critical and frustrated, with the left-leaning majority of posters attacking the Albanese government from the progressive side over foreign policy (ICC sanctions, Gaza, the US execution livestream), welfare adequacy and climate. One Nation draws the sharpest language, often framed as a Trump-aligned threat. Some posts are partisan jabs at the Coalition or Labor, and several are unrelated or spam-like (hashtag lists, housing ads, personal commentary), which dilutes the overall signal. Engagement is low across most posts, with a handful of posts drawing most of the interaction. Tone is angry and sardonic rather than constructive, with few posts offering policy solutions beyond calls to act.

Most active: @samoskal.bsky.social (9 posts) · Most engaged: @australiainstitute.org.au (37 likes, 21 reposts, 3 replies)

1. TOP TRENDING TOPICS

• US execution livestream and government response: Many posts criticise Labor for saying it is powerless to block livestreamed execution content, with comparisons to eSafety's stricter stance on other material.
• Josh Frydenberg's political return and Liberal leadership: Commentary on his possible bid for the LNP leadership against Angus Taylor, with mixed reactions ranging from mockery to cautious interest.
• Israel, Gaza and Palestine solidarity: Frequent posts around Mehreen Faruqi's Senate push to expel the Israeli ambassador, alongside accusations that Labor is complicit in genocide.
• Cost of living, housing and poverty: Calls for a national public housing summit, Anti-Poverty Week messaging, and rising inflation, rate-hike and fuel-price concerns.
• Mont Pelerin Society and the Atlas Network: Posts examining links between Katherine Deves, Helen Dale and neoliberal think-tank networks, with some concern about trans rights.

2. NOTABLE POSTS

• [strangerous.bsky.social] (146 likes, 44 reposts): Reports Mehreen Faruqi pushing in the Senate to suspend standing orders and expel the Israeli ambassador. It is the highest-engagement post in the set and anchors the Gaza debate in the dataset.
• [andrewwilkiemp.bsky.social] (43 likes, 18 reposts): Notes that 3.7 million Australians live in poverty during Anti-Poverty Week, including one in six children. It is a rare example of mainstream, policy-focused engagement that gained significant traction.
• [bcarrington.bsky.social] / [peterwmurphy1.bsky.social]: Both report Liberal MP Angie Bell's call for the PM and Small Business Minister to be "stoned in the square" during Question Time. Calling it a potential breach of parliamentary norms, it drew cross-party criticism and is the most significant conduct story in the set.

3. OVERALL SENTIMENT

The mood is predominantly angry, sardonic and distrustful. Users express frustration with both major parties, with Labor accused of complicity on Israel, inaction on housing and climate, and weakness on the US livestream, while the Coalition is mocked over leadership turmoil and the Bell remarks. Left-leaning and progressive voices dominate the engagement, with frequent calls for stronger action on climate, Palestine and inequality, and growing interest in minor parties such as the Greens, One Nation and independents. Much of the discussion is highly partisan and laced with profanity and satire, while a significant share of the feed is spam or unrelated trending hashtags (for example NSFW tags) that dilute the political signal.

Most active: @kimwingerei.bsky.social (10 posts) · Most engaged: @strangerous.bsky.social (146 likes, 44 reposts, 9 replies)

1. TOP TRENDING TOPICS

• Queensland politics (#qldpol): Heavy posting on the LNP government, including child safety data failures, the reported deaths of 91 children known to child safety, and funding cuts, often cross-tagged with #auspol.
• Israel, ICC and IDF-linked Australians: Strong engagement around reports that about 500 Australians served in the Israeli military, calls for ICC accountability, and criticism of government silence.
• One Nation and Pauline Hanson: Concern about its migration-cutting plan, an AI-generated deepfake ad, a gas reservation claim, and News Corp columnist Vikki Campion joining its NSW campaign.
• Election transparency and AEC data censorship: Repeated posts about the AEC withholding political donations data and questions about Special Minister Don Farrell's role.
• Polling and Liberal leadership: Roy Morgan's fortnightly federal poll (ALP 26%, One Nation 24%, L-NP 21.5%) and speculation about Josh Frydenberg's return to Liberal leadership.

2. NOTABLE POSTS

• @peggysanders.bsky.social (50 likes, 25 reposts) quoted David Shoebridge: "There are 500 Australians who have fought in the Israel Military. Home Affairs doesn't ask or check." It was the most-engaged post in the set and pushed a national security question into the conversation.
• @simonrosenberg.bsky.social (20 likes, 11 reposts) mocked the government's silence on the ICC with "🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗." Its sarcasm captured a broader frustration that Australia's response to international justice issues is seen as passive.
• @siriusstar3.bsky.social (10 likes, 5 reposts) argued that "gov's are not only failing to do that; they are actively exposing us to danger, climate & ecosystem collapse, AI, war, genocide." It is a representative example of the wider anti-government, systemic-critique tone.

3. OVERALL SENTIMENT

The mood is overwhelmingly hostile and distrustful, with little praise for any major party. Criticism falls on the LNP (especially in Queensland), Labor (over Israel, the ICC, gas, and transparency), One Nation (over migration, deepfakes and its candidates), and the Murdoch-linked media. Much of the discussion is driven by activist, Greens-aligned, and independent accounts, and a lot of it is hashtag-heavy and low-engagement, with most posts drawing zero to a few likes. The most engaged posts concentrate on Israel and foreign policy, which shows where emotional energy is strongest. Several posts also flag hate speech and inflammatory rhetoric. Overall, the tone is cynical, angry and frustrated, and it expresses a sense that politicians are not serving voters. Some sources also appear to be spam or off-topic (e.g. the trending hashtag posts), which adds noise to the sample.

Most active: @coupdegraz7.bsky.social (12 posts) · Most engaged: @peggysanders.bsky.social (50 likes, 25 reposts, 4 replies)