#auspol on Bluesky: Wednesday 14 October 2026

1. TOP TRENDING TOPICS

• Aged care privatisation and fees: Posts criticise for-profit aged care, staffing ratios, and new resident fees for TVs and hot breakfasts, with several calls to end privatisation.
• Cost of living and poverty: Users push to "Raise the Rate" (Anti-Poverty Week), linking poverty to inequality and wages, and highlight the 6c card-surcharge ban pushing up café prices.
• One Nation and PHON: Posts target Pauline Hanson's party, its finances and donations, and Liberal defectors joining its NSW ticket, alongside Canavan–Nationals merger speculation.
• AI, data centres and Big Tech: Discussion covers AI investment returns, job losses, copyright, the Firmus AI "flop," and calls to stop data centres and compensate online harms victims.
• Albanese government and media framing: Posts criticise Albanese's reported intervention on the credit card ban, polling woes, Labor's gas and AUKUS positions, and mainstream media narratives on immigration and cost of living.

2. NOTABLE POSTS

• [michaelwestbiz.bsky.social] (19 likes, 12 reposts): "What do the Tech Bros say we get for enormous investment in AI - 'nothing clear, nothing soon, and possibly nothing at all'." This was the most-engaged post in the set, framing AI spending as a labour-market and economic risk.
• [simonrosenberg.bsky.social] (13 likes, 7 reposts): Contrasts Albanese texting the ACCI boss and getting quick action with the one in seven struggling households who cannot access the PM the same way, tying it to #RaiseTheRate. It is a sharp example of the inequality-of-access framing that runs through the feed.
• [lucyham.bsky.social] (31 likes, 13 reposts): Argues Murdoch's media power shapes what counts as "normal" sense-making, linking to an essay on the linguistics of media influence. It was the highest-engagement post and reflects a recurring theme of distrust in mainstream media.

3. OVERALL SENTIMENT

The mood is predominantly critical and frustrated, with a strong left-leaning, anti-inequality tone. Posts attack the major parties for neoliberal policy, privatised care, gas and fossil fuel approvals, and weak responses to poverty, while expressing alarm at the rise of One Nation and anti-immigration rhetoric. Some posts are more fatalistic, such as the "That ship has sailed" comments on Labor's polling, and a few lean toward outrage at violence, child abuse, and political hate speech. Engagement is generally low, with most posts receiving zero to two likes, and a small number of high-engagement posts dominate. Humour and mockery are used occasionally, particularly toward One Nation and the Liberals, but the dominant tone is one of disillusionment with both major parties and a call for bolder, more transformative policy, often from independents or the Greens.

Most active: @samoskal.bsky.social (7 posts) · Most engaged: @lucyham.bsky.social (31 likes, 13 reposts, 2 replies)

1. TOP TRENDING TOPICS

• Anne Aly death threats and Angie Bell's "stoned" remark: The Liberal MP's comment about the PM and Labor's Anne Aly drew the most engagement, with reports of death threats against Aly and widespread condemnation.
• Israel, Palestine and the NAZA documentary: Posts on Netanyahu's reported move to prosecute those involved in the film, Gaza, BDS and Labor's stance were numerous and emotionally charged.
• Trump's attack on the ICC and Labor's response: Posts celebrated Labor finally backing condemnation of the US action, alongside the wider debate about AUKUS and Australian sovereignty.
• Housing affordability and the Greens: Debate centred on Labor's 30% minimum trust tax being referred to an inquiry, rent caps, and the housing crisis.
• Aged care and minister Sam Rae: Frustration over aged care failures and calls for the minister to act, with the topic repeatedly raised.

2. NOTABLE POSTS

• [qldaah.bsky.social] (21 likes, 13 reposts): Reported that Anne Aly received death threats, including stoning, after Angie Bell's comment about the PM. It is the most-engaged post in the set and captures the top story of the window.
• [kimbaublys.bsky.social] (10 likes, 4 reposts): "A win for peer group pressure and public distain," on Labor finally condemning Trump's attack on the ICC. It reflects a notable shift in the government's position and the pressure that prompted it.
• [barbie4science.bsky.social] (5 likes, 3 reposts): "Australia, this is not who we are... Respect people," calling for a less toxic political conversation. It stands out as one of the few explicit calls for civility amid the heated threads.

3. OVERALL SENTIMENT

The mood is predominantly angry, cynical and distrustful, with frequent accusations that Labor and the Coalition serve donors, lobbyists and the wealthy while ordinary Australians struggle with housing, aged care and cost of living. Much of the discussion is hostile to the Albanese government, with critics calling it "gutless," captive to lobbyists or too close to the US and Israel, while some posts attack the Coalition, One Nation and Rinehart as well. Alarm runs through posts on political violence and threats against MPs, and on the Israel-Gaza and Trump-related stories, with some expressing outright fear about authoritarianism. Some posts are supportive of the Greens or independents, and a few offer calls for civility, but overall the tone is pessimistic and highly polarised. Much of the content is also promotional, news-feed reposts or spam-like hashtag lists, which adds noise to the sample.

Most active: @peggysanders.bsky.social (10 posts) · Most engaged: @qldaah.bsky.social (21 likes, 13 reposts, 6 replies)

1. TOP TRENDING TOPICS

• Housing affordability and public housing: Multiple posts push for housing as a human right, public housing construction, and criticism of the market-led approach, with Greens and Sustainable Australia promoting alternatives.
• Pine Gap, AUKUS and US alliance trust: Posts question whether Australia can trust US intelligence, call for evicting US personnel from Pine Gap, and attack the AUKUS submarine deal and Defence Minister Richard Marles.
• Aged care failures: Posts highlight aged care residents facing new fees and a 40 per cent jump in hospital bed-blockers awaiting aged care placement, with criticism of Aged Care Minister Sam Rae's silence.
• Trump and Australian sovereignty: Criticism of Trump's ICC sanctions, his foreign policy conduct, and Australia's muted response, including calls for Albanese to stand up to him.
• Liberal–One Nation preference tensions: Liberal figures debate whether to deal with One Nation before the next election, with critics warning it signals weakness.

2. NOTABLE POSTS

• @simonrosenberg.bsky.social (40 likes, 14 reposts): "it really is past time that Australia's prime minister should show some moral leadership and stand up to Trump, and call out his dangerously psychopathic behavior." Highest-engagement post in the set, reflecting broad frustration with the government's approach to the US.
• @siriusstar3.bsky.social (19 likes, 10 reposts): Cites a 40 per cent rise in hospital patients waiting for aged care placement (761 to 1,063) and argues "If only we had a spare 300 odd billion dollars. Or taxed the 1%." Notable for linking a concrete health statistic to a wider tax-reform argument.
• @louise007.bsky.social (11 likes, 6 reposts): Calls to "EVICT THE US FROM PINE GAP" over intelligence-sharing concerns. Notable as one of the most forceful sovereignty positions in the feed, showing the Pine Gap debate has moved beyond the fringe.

3. OVERALL SENTIMENT

The mood is predominantly critical and frustrated, with most engagement aimed at the major parties, particularly Labor, whether over housing, aged care, AUKUS, or perceived deference to the US and Israel. Progressive and minor-party voices (Greens, Fusion, Sustainable Australia) feature heavily, and the most-engaged posts express anger at government inaction. Alongside the political critique there is a notable volume of automated or low-engagement content: hashtag-trend bot posts, AAP news relays, and cross-posted Mastodon links, which dilute the organic conversation. Humour and satire appear occasionally (Spitting Image, a Pine Gap satire piece, pineapple jokes) but are a minority. Overall, the tone is one of disillusionment with both major parties rather than partisan celebration.

Most active: @coupdegraz7.bsky.social (9 posts) · Most engaged: @simonrosenberg.bsky.social (40 likes, 14 reposts, 2 replies)

1. TOP 3–5 TRENDING TOPICS

• Treasurer Chalmers and the ATO credit card ban backflip: Multiple AAP feed posts and commentary cover the reversal, with the opposition calling for Chalmers to be sacked and Albanese's role in the decision questioned.
• #RevenueSummit26 and tax/housing policy: A high-volume burst of near-identical hashtag posts from one account (roughly 40 posts) dominates the count, alongside tax fairness and housing affordability/rent cap debates.
• Gaza, Israel and the Sydney vigil controversy: Posts on Gaza's healthcare, the foreign ministers' statement on elections, and the Sydney vigil/antisemitism row drew the most engagement.
• Anti-poverty week and social security: Criticism that Labor has left 1 in 6 children in poverty and not met advocates, plus calls to raise the rate.
• FOI appeals, gas reservation and corporate power: Senator Lambie's bill against government appeals of FOI wins, Labor's gas reservation plan, and anger at big business and lobbying.

2. NOTABLE POSTS

• @mrrexpatrick.bsky.social (40 likes, 10 reposts): Reports the government is appealing citizens' FOI wins to the Federal Court, risking up to $300,000 in costs, and praises Senator Lambie's counter-bill. Notable as the most-engaged transparency story, with cross-party framing.
• @michaelwestbiz.bsky.social (30 likes, 12 reposts): Cites Murdoch's "Sydney's Day of Shame" and Israel lobby criticism of a vigil, with the author defending it as having prayed for both Jewish and Palestinian dead. Notable as the highest-engagement post and a flashpoint on antisemitism and the Gaza debate.
• @simonrosenberg.bsky.social (32 likes, 12 reposts): "Canberra journos frothing about Albo & Chalmers' petty power struggles... condemned 1 in 6 kids to poverty." Notable for capturing a widely shared critique that press coverage focuses on Labor infighting over substantive poverty and business-lobby issues.

3. OVERALL SENTIMENT

The mood is largely critical and combative, with progressive and left-leaning voices attacking Labor from the left (on poverty, gas, lobbying, Gaza and civil liberties) while also condemning the Coalition, One Nation and the US administration. Much of the conversation is partisan and cynical, with frequent jabs at the "duopoly" and at centrist commentators, and a large share of posts are repetitive hashtag or news-feed bot content rather than organic discussion. Some pockets are celebratory, such as praise for Labor's tax-trust reform and for Australia's stance on the ICC, but these are outnumbered by frustration, distrust of elites and calls for stronger action.

Most active: @coupdegraz7.bsky.social (25 posts) · Most engaged: @mrrexpatrick.bsky.social (40 likes, 10 reposts, 0 replies)