⚙️ Political Gadgets News | Friday, 24 April 2026
Today’s Political Gadgets digest covers: Federal contracts: $63,195,748 awarded; largest to VERIZON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD ($19,216,868); Parliament: not sitting; Political donations: $126,205 from Matthew Hughes; MP expenses: Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Ind) — $523,044 over 4 quarters.
Today’s digest includes:
- Federal contracts: $63,195,748 awarded; largest to VERIZON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD ($19,216,868)
- Parliament: not sitting
- Political donations: $126,205 from Matthew Hughes
- MP expenses: Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Ind) — $523,044 over 4 quarters
- Political advertising: Google $14,850 (YTD $1,433,700); Facebook $93,552 (YTD $642,607)
Register of Interests Update — Jodie Belyea
Dunkley, Victoria
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | 11. Gifts | Women Deliver 27th April, 2026- Parliamentary Forum entrance fee @$950 USD. |
Deletions
None
Register of Interests Update — Matthew Thistlethwaite
Kingsford Smith, New South Wales
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | 12. Travel Or Hospitality | Tickets supplied by South Sydney Rabbitohs Rabbitohs v Bulldogs NRL Match – Friday 3 April, 2026 Accor Stadium, Homebush |
Deletions
None
Register of Interests Update — Angie Bell
Moncrieff, Queensland
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | 11. Gifts | FIFA World Cup Soccer Ball signed by goal keeper gifted by Football Australia, Sydney Swans signed 2026 Home Guernsey gifted by Sydney Swans, Sydney Premiere of Anastasia tickets x 2 – tickets provided by Crossroads Live, Australian Premiere of Sting in the Last Ship Musical tickets x 2 – tickets provided by QPAC, 2026 Australian Open Swimming Championships Gold Coast ticket x 1 and hospitality -tickets provided by Swimming Australia |
Deletions
None
Verizon Australia Secures $19.2 Million PKI Contract with Services Australia
Verizon Australia has been awarded a three-year contract worth $19.2 million to deliver a Public Key Infrastructure service solution to Services Australia, running from March 2026 to March 2029. The contract represents the single largest procurement announced on 22 April 2026.
Verizon Australia is the local subsidiary of US telecommunications giant Verizon Communications, which is headquartered in New York and ranks as the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue. The Australian operation provides IT and telecommunications services to business and government customers, with reported 2024 revenue of $184.8 million and 289 employees. The company operates an Advanced Security Operations Centre in Canberra that provides threat monitoring services to Australian Government agencies and has worked with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on digital identity projects. Verizon Australia holds Gatekeeper accreditation at the High Assurance category.
Public Key Infrastructure services involve managing digital certificates and cryptographic keys that enable secure authentication, encryption, and digital signatures across government networks and systems. PKI solutions typically encompass certificate lifecycle management, hardware security modules for key storage, and compliance with frameworks such as the Australian Government's Gatekeeper PKI Framework, which sets accreditation requirements for organisations issuing digital certificates to government agencies. The three-year contract term aligns with common enterprise PKI service arrangements that balance operational continuity with technology refresh cycles.
Sources: verizon.com; ibisworld.com; finance.gov.au; architecture.digital.gov.au [link]
All tenders
Fed govt contracts given today came to $63,195,748. The winner is VERIZON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD ($19,216,868) [link]
Consultant Tenders
$94,422,834 in Federal contracts to the big consultants in 2026. $746,198 yesterday. – KPMG: $746,198 {1125} [link]
Flights
The VIP fleet flew at least 3,142 km in the last few days. That’s 1 plane doing 1 flight over 3 hrs and 58 mins and costing around $18,141. [link]
How does the tender money flow…
YTD tenders for Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: $23,427,863 {65} [link]
Politician Expenses
Tammy Tyrrell (Sen, Tasmania, Ind) claimed $523,044 in expenses over the last 4 reported quarters for major categories such as travel, offices and cars. That is $261,176 less than the average. #auspol [link]
Double Donors
Uber Australia donated $85,000 in 2023-24. That was $55,000 to Labor and $30,000 to the Coalition. {9321} #auspol [link]
Parliamentary attendance
Lidia Thorpe (senate, Victoria, Independent) attended 55.2% of possible votes. [link]
Political advertising on Google
Political advertising spend with Google in last 24 hours: $14,850. (YTD: $1,433,700) [link]
Political advertising on Facebook
Political advertising on Facebook yesterday: $93,552. (YTD: $642,607) [link]
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