⚙️ Political Gadgets News | Saturday, 20 June 2026
Today’s Political Gadgets digest covers: Register of Interests: Larissa Waters (QLD) — interests updated; Federal contracts: $36,753,767 awarded; largest to TERADATA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD ($5,159,944); Parliament: not sitting; MP expenses: Andrew Giles (Scullin, Lab) — $1,214,051 over 4 quarters.
Today’s digest includes:
- Register of Interests: Larissa Waters (QLD) — interests updated
- Federal contracts: $36,753,767 awarded; largest to TERADATA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD ($5,159,944)
- Parliament: not sitting
- MP expenses: Andrew Giles (Scullin, Lab) — $1,214,051 over 4 quarters
- Political advertising: Google $40,650 (YTD $2,617,950); Facebook $93,552 (YTD $642,607)
Bluesky says One Nation’s National Press Club appearance dominates conversation as media credibility declines.
BlueSky #auspol · 20 June 2026, 05:29 AEST · 641 posts · AI-generated
Pauline Hanson’s address to the National Press Club on 19 June dominated Australian political conversation, with 641 posts tagged #auspol in the 24 hours following the event. The dominant tension centres on mainstream media’s perceived failure to scrutinise her claims, with critics arguing journalists adopted “watchdog theatre”—adopting a posture of vigilance while failing to challenge demonstrable falsehoods. The event crystallised a broader crisis of political accountability and press gallery integrity.
Key Issues emerging across posts include three interconnected concerns. First, the relationship between billionaire Gina Rinehart and One Nation’s policy direction, with posts flagging Rinehart’s direct influence on Hanson’s agenda and her offers to gift party resources including a private jet and bulldozer. Second, media enablement of far-right rhetoric, with posts criticising both the ABC and commercial outlets for platforming Hanson while failing to hold her accountable for absences from Parliament, broken promises to battlers, or policy contradictions. Third, substantive policy concerns ranging from NDIS cuts and tax reform backdowns to reproductive rights restrictions and foreign affairs entanglements, with the KPMG whistleblower scandal drawing particular Senate scrutiny.
The standout moment involved Senator Deborah O’Neill’s withering exchanges with former KPMG executives during Senate estimates, with posts noting the hypocrisy of firms citing legal privilege to dodge accountability while simultaneously investigating whistleblowers. Overall tone across the feed was one of alarm mixed with frustration—citizens perceiving a democratic system increasingly captured by wealth and weakened by press gallery deference to political theatricality over substantive accountability.
Top topics: Media Credibility Crisis · One Nation Political Influence · Press Accountability Standards · KPMG Whistleblower Scandal · NDIS Policy Concerns
AI-generated from BlueSky #auspol posts.
Register of Interests Update — Melissa McIntosh
Lindsay, New South Wales
Liberal Party · Shadow Minister for the NDIS
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | 12. Travel Or Hospitality | Complimentary Membership of Qantas Chairman's Lounge |
Deletions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse/Partner | 14. Other Interests | Remove Spouse employment – 'Employment NSW Government Department of Planning' |
Register of Interests Update — Waters, Larissa
Queensland
Australian Greens
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | Office Holder Donating | Donation to Brisbane Pride's Queen Ball |
Deletions
None
Donations Data Has Changed — +1 rows in 2024-25 – Interest update
Donations Data Has Changed — +1 rows in 2024-25 [link]
Home Affairs Extends Teradata Data Platform Deal for $5.2 Million
The Department of Home Affairs has awarded Teradata Australia two one-year professional services contracts worth a combined $5.16 million, continuing a relationship that dates back years. Teradata is a US-headquartered data analytics company founded in 1979 and spun off from NCR Corporation in 2007. The company provides cloud data warehousing and analytics platforms, serving major clients across retail, financial services, telecommunications, and government sectors globally.
Teradata's professional services typically involve data warehouse consulting, architecture design, cloud migration support, and implementation of its Vantage analytics platform. The company has maintained a significant presence in Australian government IT, with Home Affairs previously using Teradata for large-scale data handling across visa systems, cargo consignments, and law enforcement databases shared with agencies including the Australian Federal Police and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. The contracts were awarded through limited tender as extensions for compatibility with existing systems.
Teradata Australia operates from offices in North Sydney and Canberra. The company's Government Systems division provides data analytics support for civilian, defense, and national security agencies, with solutions designed to meet federal security requirements including data residency and encryption standards.
Sources: teradata.com; itnews.com.au; globaldata.com; dcfmodeling.com [link]
All tenders
Fed govt contracts given today came to $36,753,767. The winner is TERADATA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD ($5,159,944) [link]
Consultant Tenders
$185,764,800 in Federal contracts to the big consultants in 2026. $1,277,262 yesterday. – PWC: $50,000 – EY: $470,800 – Deloitte: $756,462 {347} [link]
What’s Parliament doing
Parliament… is not sitting today. There are no committees today. {60} [link]
Flights
The VIP fleet flew at least 3,629 km in the last few days. That’s 3 planes doing 5 flights over 6 hrs and 03 mins and costing around $27,639. [link]
Fed Govt Outsourced labour costs
Government Temporary Staff Tenders in the last day: $8,280,767 [link]
How does the tender money flow…
YTD tenders for Australian Institute of Marine Science: $1,134,437 {751} [link]
Politician Expenses
Andrew Giles (Reps, Scullin, Lab) claimed $1,214,051 in expenses over the last 4 reported quarters for major categories such as travel, offices and cars. That is $418,002 more than the average. #auspol [link]
Double Donors
Eastbound Estate donated $15,000 in 2023-24. That was $5,000 to Labor and $10,000 to the Coalition. {2247} #auspol [link]
Parliamentary attendance
Marion Scrymgour (representatives, Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) attended 90.3% of possible votes. [link]
Political advertising on Google
Political advertising spend with Google in last 24 hours: $40,650. (YTD: $2,617,950) [link]
Political advertising on Facebook
Political advertising on Facebook yesterday: $93,552. (YTD: $642,607) [link]
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