⚙️ Political Gadgets News | Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Today’s Political Gadgets digest covers: Parliament: sitting; MP expenses: Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Ind) — $519,284 over 4 quarters; Political advertising: Google $14,250 (YTD $1,931,250); Facebook $93,552 (YTD $642,607).
Today’s digest includes:
- Parliament: sitting
- MP expenses: Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Ind) — $519,284 over 4 quarters
- Political advertising: Google $14,250 (YTD $1,931,250); Facebook $93,552 (YTD $642,607)
Bluesky says One Nation’s Farrer win and Coalition collapse dominate Australian political discourse.
BlueSky #auspol · 12 May 2026, 05:29 AEST · 507 posts · AI-generated
The dominant story across #auspol discourse is the fallout from One Nation’s victory in the Farrer by-election, with 507 posts reflecting deep anxiety about the Coalition’s structural decay and Labor’s struggling policy agenda ahead of the federal budget. Jane Hume’s refusal to rule out a One Nation alliance crystallised concerns that major parties face an existential crisis, even as commentators warned against overstating One Nation’s broader appeal.
Key Issues dominate the conversation. First, Coalition viability: users describe the Liberals as functionally extinct in many seats, with One Nation exploiting anger over cost-of-living pressures and perceived abandonment of regional voters. Second, tax and gas policy: Labor faces intense pressure to impose a 25 per cent export tax on gas—popular across demographics—but remains reluctant, drawing accusations of cowardice from left commentators. Third, housing and inequality: the upcoming budget generated debate over negative gearing, capital gains tax, and JobSeeker rates, with progressives demanding bolder redistribution and conservatives warning of unfair “cash grabs.”
A standout exchange saw Commissioner Virginia Bell challenge Dor Foundation research conflating Zionism with Jewishness during a Royal Commission on antisemitism, drawing 166 reposts and 147 likes—among the highest engagement on the day. The overall tone is one of frustration: voters express exhaustion with major-party timidity, independents and Greens attract strategic interest as alternatives, and the media’s coverage of One Nation’s rise provokes debate over whether coverage legitimises or merely reports the far right’s resurgence.
Top topics: Coalition Structural Decay · One Nation Electoral Rise · Gas Export Tax Policy · Federal Budget Redistribution · Housing and Inequality Reform
AI-generated from BlueSky #auspol posts.
Register of Interests Update — Michelle Landry
Capricornia, Queensland
National Party
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | 11. Gifts | 2 x tickets to Great Northern Brewing Company and GDL Calcutta sport Luncheon |
| Self | 11. Gifts | 2 x tickets to Members Lounge Lunch – The Rocky Amateurs Race Day Supplied by Central Queensland Amateur Racing Club Inc |
Deletions
None
Register of Interests Update — Kevin Hogan
Page, New South Wales
National Party · Shadow Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | 11. Gifts | Travel and Accomodation to give keynote address at a Conference in Hong Kong 14-17th April. Courtesy of Australian Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong) |
Deletions
None
Register of Interests Update — Anne Urquhart
Braddon, Tasmania
Australian Labor Party
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | 13. Memberships | Burnie Coast Art Group Sponsorship |
Deletions
None
Defence Intelligence Group Awards $3.15 Million Hardware Contract to Hewlett Packard
The Department of Defence has awarded Hewlett Packard Australia a five-year hardware contract valued at $3.15 million to supply equipment to the Defence Intelligence Group. The open tender contract, signed on 11 May 2026, runs through April 2031 and represents the largest single procurement in a day of government contracts totalling $24.5 million.
Hewlett Packard Australia, a subsidiary of US-based Hewlett Packard Enterprise, operates from Rhodes in New South Wales and employs 763 staff across Australia. The company provides enterprise-grade servers, storage systems, and networking equipment to government and corporate clients. HPE was formed in 2015 when the original Hewlett-Packard split into two companies, with HPE focusing on enterprise infrastructure including ProLiant servers and storage arrays.
The Defence Intelligence Group, established in September 2020, delivers intelligence capabilities supporting Australian Defence Force operations and government decision-making. In late 2024, DIG signalled it was seeking industry support to design and develop capabilities to manage an anticipated surge in intelligence data, with officials highlighting the need to automate processes and invest in infrastructure and technology to support a growing intelligence workforce.
Sources: defence.gov.au; hpe.com; dnb.com; govconexec.com [link]
All tenders
The Fed Govt announced $24,544,188 in contracts. Top of the list was HEWLETT PACKARD AUSTRALIA LTD ($3,152,780) [link]
Consultant Tenders
$115,612,246 in Federal contracts to the big consultants in 2026. $85,800 yesterday. – KPMG: $85,800 {1151} [link]
Flights
The VIP fleet flew at least 1,411 km in the last few days. That’s 1 plane doing 3 flights over 2 hrs and 15 mins and costing around $10,333. [link]
Fed Govt Outsourced labour costs
Government Temporary Staff Tenders in the last day: $32,308,595 [link]
Donations
$30,000 in Federal political donations from Poligolet Holdings ATF The Poligolet Trust. {774} [link]
Politician Expenses
Sophie Scamps (Reps, Mackellar, Ind) claimed $519,284 in expenses over the last 4 reported quarters for major categories such as travel, offices and cars. That is $181,693 less than the average. #auspol [link]
Double Donors
Organon Pharma donated $62,400 in 2023-24. That was $36,300 to Labor and $26,100 to the Coalition. {3859} #auspol [link]
Parliamentary attendance
Mehreen Faruqi (senate, NSW, Australian Greens) attended 92.5% of possible votes. [link]
Political advertising on Google
Political advertising spend with Google in last 24 hours: $14,250. (YTD: $1,931,250) [link]
Political advertising on Facebook
Political advertising on Facebook yesterday: $93,552. (YTD: $642,607) [link]
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