⚙️ Political Gadgets News | Friday, 12 June 2026
Today’s Political Gadgets digest covers: Parliament: not sitting; MP expenses: Catherine King (Ballarat, Lab) — $1,143,969 over 4 quarters; Political advertising: Google $25,200 (YTD $2,327,400); Facebook $93,552 (YTD $642,607).
Today’s digest includes:
- Parliament: not sitting
- MP expenses: Catherine King (Ballarat, Lab) — $1,143,969 over 4 quarters
- Political advertising: Google $25,200 (YTD $2,327,400); Facebook $93,552 (YTD $642,607)
Register of Interests Update — Andrew Leigh
Fenner, Australian Capital Territory
Australian Labor Party · Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | 13. Memberships | National Press Club (2026-27) |
Deletions
None
Register of Interests Update — Maria Elliot
Richmond, New South Wales
Australian Labor Party
Additions
| Person | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | 3. Real Estate | Eungella NSW – Residential (jointly-owned with spouse). |
| Spouse/Partner | 3. Real Estate | Eungella NSW – Residential (jointly-owned with spouse). |
Deletions
None
Adelaide University Wins $13.5M in Grains Research Contracts
Adelaide University has secured two major research contracts worth a combined $13.5 million from the Grains Research and Development Corporation, focused on advancing soil productivity and fertiliser efficiency for Australian grain growers. The university, formed in January 2026 through the merger of the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia, is a Group of Eight research institution with more than 5,000 researchers and hosts the Waite Campus, described as the largest concentration of agriculture and wine research expertise in the Southern Hemisphere.
The first contract, valued at $5.4 million and running until August 2030, will develop innovative phenotyping methodologies for enhanced root traits to unlock soil productivity. Root phenotyping involves measuring characteristics such as root angle, length, and diameter that determine how effectively crops access water and nutrients from soil. The research aligns with GRDC's broader focus on improving crop resilience and nutrient capture, with the corporation having previously invested in projects examining wheat root systems for hardpan penetration and deep water extraction.
The second contract, worth $8.1 million through February 2031, supports GRDC's Future Fertilisers Program, which aims to optimise nitrogen use efficiency across Australia's grains sector. GRDC invests in research and development on behalf of Australian grain growers, funded by government contributions and industry levies. The corporation has recently announced major initiatives including a $115 million Nitrogen Mission targeting a 15 percent reduction in nitrogen costs and a $17 million project examining enhanced efficiency fertilisers across seven trial sites nationwide.
Sources: adelaide.edu.au; grdc.com.au; thewaite.org; precision-agriculture.sydney.edu.au [link]
All tenders
$61,534,607 in Fed Govt contracts given today. Top spend was with Adelaide University ($13,530,839) [link]
Consultant Tenders
$142,949,553 in Federal contracts to the big consultants in 2026. $318,864 yesterday. – KPMG: $318,864 {1057} [link]
Flights
The VIP fleet flew at least 3,804 km in the last few days. That’s 3 planes doing 9 flights over 6 hrs and 46 mins and costing around $30,901. [link]
Fed Govt Outsourced labour costs
Government Temporary Staff Tenders in the last day: $39,659,807 [link]
How does the tender money flow…
YTD tenders for National Gallery of Australia: $3,771,207 {780} [link]
Politician Expenses
Catherine King (Reps, Ballarat, Lab) claimed $1,143,969 in expenses over the last 4 reported quarters for major categories such as travel, offices and cars. That is $436,421 more than the average. #auspol [link]
Double Donors
Allianz Australia donated $67,800 in 2023-24. That was $47,500 to Labor and $20,300 to the Coalition. {7622} #auspol [link]
Parliamentary attendance
Tom Venning (representatives, Grey, Liberal Party) attended 72.4% of possible votes. [link]
Political advertising on Google
Political advertising spend with Google in last 24 hours: $25,200. (YTD: $2,327,400) [link]
Political advertising on Facebook
Political advertising on Facebook yesterday: $93,552. (YTD: $642,607) [link]
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