⚙️ Political Gadgets News | Sunday, 26 July 2026

Bluesky says Labor’s Gaza stance dominates #auspol as party fails to recognise genocide amid internal fracture.

BlueSky #auspol  ·  26 July 2026, 05:29 AEST  ·  335 posts  ·  AI-generated

Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party wrapped its national conference in Adelaide on Friday with a contentious Israel-Palestine debate that never reached the floor. Ed Husic’s push for the party to formally recognise Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide fell short of the support needed for public debate, drawing sharp criticism from members who see the decision as a betrayal of Labor’s progressive values and international law obligations.

Key Issues: The Gaza motion dominated social media discussion, with dozens of posts expressing anger that Labor blocked debate on the genocide question despite hundreds of delegates, unionists and MPs voting on it. A second major tension centred on AUKUS, the nuclear submarine deal, with critics questioning whether the government has adequately considered nuclear waste management, IAEA safeguard agreements, and whether the $368 billion commitment serves Australian interests or simply deepens ties to the United States. A third cluster of posts attacked One Nation and Pauline Hanson, particularly over domestic violence comments she has repeatedly made suggesting women exaggerate or fabricate allegations, with several posts linking her rhetoric to broader concerns about misogyny in Australian politics.

Husic emerged from the conference as Labor’s unlikely moral voice, with supporters arguing he alone retained principle while colleagues prioritised “unity” over conscience. One prominent post noted that foreign interference—specifically Israeli embassy lobbying—had influenced Labor’s talking points, prompting comparisons to how similar intervention by other nations would trigger outcry. The overall tone was one of disappointment, anger and disengagement, with several long-time Labor voters announcing they would no longer support the party.

Top topics: Gaza Genocide Recognition  ·  Labor Party Internal Division  ·  AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Deal  ·  Pauline Hanson Domestic Violence  ·  Foreign Interference in Politics

AI-generated from BlueSky #auspol posts.

ATO awards Data#3 $151 million Microsoft licensing contract

The Australian Taxation Office has awarded Data#3 Limited a five-year contract worth over $150 million for Microsoft Volume Sourcing Agreement licensing solutions. The contract, which runs from June 2026 to June 2031, represents the largest single procurement announced on July 24, accounting for more than half of the day's total government contract value of $252 million.

Data#3 is an ASX-listed information technology solutions provider founded in 1977 and headquartered in Brisbane. The company reported revenue of $2.8 billion in the 2023-24 financial year and employs approximately 1,400 staff across 12 locations in Australia and Fiji. Data#3 has served as the Australian Government's exclusive Microsoft licensing reseller for nearly 15 years, having first secured the role in 2008. The company was named Microsoft Country Partner of the Year for Australia in 2025 and holds the position of Microsoft's largest Australian business partner.

Microsoft Volume Sourcing Agreements are bulk purchasing frameworks that allow government agencies to procure Microsoft products including Office 365, Azure cloud services, Windows Server, and enterprise applications at negotiated rates. The Digital Transformation Agency recently signed the sixth iteration of its whole-of-government Microsoft agreement, with the previous version having grown to over $1.2 billion in total expenditure. Data#3 also secured three smaller ICT equipment contracts with the Department of Defence on the same day, totaling approximately $201,000.

Sources: wikipedia.org; data3.com; ibisworld.com; arnnet.com.au; itnews.com.au; datacenterdynamics.com; buyingfor.vic.gov.au [link]

Consultant Tenders

$266,620,876 in Federal contracts to the big consultants in 2026. $0 yesterday. {1292} [link]

Donations

Pater Investments declared $329,500 in political donations. {852} [link]

Flights

The VIP fleet flew at least 1,057 km in the last few days. That’s 1 plane doing 1 flight over 1 hrs and 40 mins and costing around $7,648. [link]

Politician Expenses

Melissa Mcintosh claimed $708,305 in expenses over the last 4 reported quarters for major categories such as travel, offices and cars. That is $757 more than the average. #auspol [link]

Double Donors

Toga donated $59,489 in 2023-24. That was $2,000 to Labor and $57,489 to the Coalition. {7412} #auspol [link]

Parliamentary attendance

Sharon Claydon (representatives, Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) attended 84.3% of possible votes. [link]

Political advertising on Google

Political advertising spend with Google in last 24 hours: $13,050. (YTD: $3,043,350) [link]

Political advertising on Facebook

Political advertising on Facebook yesterday: $73,316. (YTD: $2,103,704) [link]