The BlueSky Auspol Pulse tracks trending Australian political conversation on BlueSky Social in near real-time. Every few hours, this page is updated with AI-generated analysis of the top themes, sentiment, and notable posts appearing under the #auspol hashtag — giving a snapshot of what Australians are talking about politically right now.
This update — covering a 3-hour window ending — analysed 84 posts. Top themes include Victorian and Queensland state politics, Firmus collapse and the Curtis/Firmus saga, and Tax office credit card ban backflip.
3. OVERALL SENTIMENT
The tone is predominantly cynical and critical, with frustration aimed at both major parties, the Albanese government (over the tax-office backflip, AUKUS and Gaza-related policy), and the broader influence of corporate and billionaire interests. Engagement is low overall, with most posts receiving under five likes, and the feed is heavily weighted toward left-leaning, independent and Greens-aligned voices, with a sizeable share of posts being automated news-feed reposts (AAP, Reddit, Mastodon bridges). Hopeful notes appear mainly around independent candidates and minor-party campaigns (Fusion, Sustainable Australia), while anger and distrust dominate discussion of the major parties, One Nation, and US politics. Several posts are off-topic or spam-like (trending-hashtag bots, US-focused content tagged #auspol), which suggests the tag is being used loosely and that this sample is only a partial picture of Australian political conversation.
1. TOP TRENDING TOPICS
- Victorian and Queensland state politics: Posts on the November 28 Victorian election (ALP/Greens projections, Ben Carroll's rejection of the Greens, One Nation's rise) and Queensland (#qldpol) drew steady engagement.
- Firmus collapse and the Curtis/Firmus saga: AAP reports that the $7bn Firmus float was scrapped, alongside commentary on a co-founder's criminal conviction, circulated widely across several accounts.
- Tax office credit card ban backflip: The Treasurer's decision to delay the ban until mid-2027, with taxpayers covering fees, drew criticism from small-business and general commentators.
- One Nation and the "protest party" debate: Posts on One Nation's coal-mine approval proposals and its polling strength sparked debate about its political identity.
- Israel/Gaza and US foreign policy: Several posts covered Gaza Action Day, the Iran conflict, and Australia's "Shared Values" stance, often with sharply critical framing.
2. NOTABLE POSTS
- [lucyham.bsky.social] (18 likes, 13 reposts): Highlighted Nancy MacLean's scholarship on the Atlas Network and donor-funded "counterrevolution" against the welfare state. It was the most-engaged post in the set and points to a strand of structural critique of right-wing think-tank funding.
- [kammassakomhi.bsky.social] (8 likes, 7 reposts): "Labor-Liberal has operated for decades with the assumption that they will regain the government... Both of them need a kick in the nuts preferably delivered by independents or greens." It captures the widely shared frustration with the two-party system and voter complacency, and it resonates with the independents-and-Greens theme running through the feed.
- [peggysanders.bsky.social] (2 likes, 2 reposts): Quoting reporting that the PM handed Jillian Segal the "god power" over immigration decisions, the post frames the move as a concentration of authority over who is allowed in and what can be said. It is a notable example of the "democratic accountability" framing that appears across the feed.