⚙️ Political Gadgets News | Monday, 13 July 2026
Today’s Political Gadgets digest covers: MP expenses: Dorinda Cox (WA, Lab) — $542,535 over 4 quarters; Political advertising: Google $7,800 (YTD $2,918,100); Facebook $71,947 (YTD $1,157,377).
Today’s digest includes:
- MP expenses: Dorinda Cox (WA, Lab) — $542,535 over 4 quarters
- Political advertising: Google $7,800 (YTD $2,918,100); Facebook $71,947 (YTD $1,157,377)
Bluesky says Australian political discourse dominated by Israel-Palestine tensions, domestic violence crisis, and polling shifts toward One Nation.
BlueSky #auspol · 13 July 2026, 05:29 AEST · 363 posts · AI-generated
Israeli-Palestinian politics, anti-Semitism inquiries and allegations against the Israel lobby dominated Australian political conversation in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, with discussion often fierce and conspiratorial. Simultaneously, recurring posts highlighted femicide in Australia—at least 36 women killed this year—with activists demanding a royal commission into violence against women rather than the government-backed anti-Semitism inquiry. A new Resolve poll showed Labor at 28 per cent, Coalition at 23 per cent, and One Nation at 26 per cent, suggesting the minor party continues to eat into conservative support despite recent losses.
Key Issues
The Israel lobby’s alleged influence on Australian politics and media generated hundreds of posts, with critics arguing it shapes foreign policy and domestic institutions disproportionately. Violence against women emerged as an urgent counterpoint to government priorities, with multiple deaths reported and calls for a dedicated royal commission rather than other inquiries. One Nation’s rise continued despite Pauline Hanson’s UK visit to meet far-right figures and questions over uncosted policies, prompting debate about the media’s role in legitimising populist movements and whether billionaire backing now drives the party’s agenda.
A standout exchange involved posts praising journalist Sarah Martin for pressing the Prime Minister on misogynistic remarks on ABC Insiders, contrasted with frustration that panel members dismissed the concern. The overall tone remained angry and polarised, with broad distrust of mainstream media, both major parties, and political institutions—though some posts celebrated independent journalism and the retirement of electoral analyst Antony Green.
Top topics: Israel-Palestine Tensions · Violence Against Women · One Nation Rise · Israel Lobby Influence · Anti-Semitism Inquiry
AI-generated from BlueSky #auspol posts.
Home Affairs Locks in $61 Million VMware Subscription Through 2029
The Department of Home Affairs has signed a three-year software subscription contract with VMware Australia worth nearly $61 million, running from July 2026 through June 2029. VMware, a virtualization and cloud infrastructure provider founded in 1998, was acquired by semiconductor giant Broadcom in November 2023 for approximately $84 billion. The company specializes in software that allows multiple virtual machines to run on single physical servers, enabling organizations to consolidate IT infrastructure and reduce hardware costs.
The contract represents an extension of existing VMware deployments across the department under a limited tender for compatibility with current systems. Since Broadcom's acquisition, VMware has transitioned entirely to subscription-based licensing with per-core pricing models, discontinuing perpetual licenses in February 2024. Australian government agencies including Defence and the Bureau of Meteorology have recently renewed VMware contracts at significantly higher costs, with Defence's three-year deal reaching $178 million in December 2025. The licensing changes have prompted some Australian organizations to evaluate alternative hypervisor platforms, though migration away from deeply embedded VMware environments remains complex for many agencies facing renewal deadlines.
Sources: sec.gov; itnews.com.au; schneider.im; broadcom.com [link]
Consultant Tenders
$205,225,272 in Federal contracts to the big consultants in 2026. $0 yesterday. {1998} [link]
Flights
The VIP fleet flew at least 473 km in the last few days. That’s 1 plane doing 2 flights over 0 hrs and 59 mins and costing around $4,491. [link]
Politician Expenses
Dorinda Cox (Sen, WA, Lab) claimed $542,535 in expenses over the last 4 reported quarters for major categories such as travel, offices and cars. That is $253,514 less than the average. #auspol [link]
Double Donors
Mineral Resources donated $126,500 in 2023-24. That was $55,000 to Labor and $71,500 to the Coalition. {6129} #auspol [link]
Parliamentary attendance
Andrew McLachlan (senate, SA, Liberal Party) attended 66.3% of possible votes. [link]
Political advertising on Google
Political advertising spend with Google in last 24 hours: $7,800. (YTD: $2,918,100) [link]
Political advertising on Facebook
Political advertising on Facebook yesterday: $71,947. (YTD: $1,157,377) [link]
© Copyright PoliticalGadgets.com