⚙️ Political Gadgets News | Friday, 28 August 2026
Today’s Political Gadgets digest covers: Parliament: not sitting; MP expenses: Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Lab) — $639,334 over 4 quarters; Political advertising: Google $11,700 (YTD $3,361,800); Facebook $84,001 (YTD $23,368,390).
Today’s digest includes:
- Parliament: not sitting
- MP expenses: Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Lab) — $639,334 over 4 quarters
- Political advertising: Google $11,700 (YTD $3,361,800); Facebook $84,001 (YTD $23,368,390)
Bluesky says Australia’s political conversation fractured across migration, Israel-Palestine tensions, and climate policy in 24 hours to 28 Aug.
BlueSky #auspol · 28 August 2026, 05:45 AEST · 468 posts · AI-generated
Anthony Albanese dominated the day’s discourse as users clashed over his capitulation on multiple fronts. The PM backed down on mandatory renewables for data centres, allowing Queensland and the Northern Territory to draw on coal and gas—a reversal that drew accusations of prioritising corporate interests over climate action. Separately, his government announced plans to gradually reduce Australia’s refugee intake from 20,000 to 13,000 annually, prompting fierce criticism from progressive voices who condemned the move as pandering to One Nation’s anti-immigration rhetoric.
Key Issues
The data centre showdown dominated technical and environmental debate, with users condemning the fossil fuel carve-out as catastrophic timing given Nepal’s glacier disaster and Australia’s climate emergency. Migration policy fractured Labor’s base, with supporters saying the government caved to racism while others defended pragmatism. A third thread erupted over visa approvals for Israeli Defence Force soldiers competing in the Sydney Marathon on 30 August, while a Palestinian-Australian comedian faced visa complications—a contradiction many framed as political capture by pro-Israel lobby groups.
The tone was predominantly angry and despairing. High-engagement posts criticised Albanese as spineless and captured by billionaires and foreign interests. A notable post from journalist Richard Flanagan warning of free-speech suppression received significant traction, as did complaints that Labor had abandoned its values. Some users signalled voting strategically for Greens or Independents. Occasional defences of the government were drowned out by a crescendo of disillusionment.
Top topics: Data Centre Fossil Fuels · Refugee Intake Reduction · Israel-Palestine Visa Policy · Climate Policy Reversal · Labor Base Fracture
AI-generated from BlueSky #auspol posts.
Ernst & Young Secures $6.7 Million Software Maintenance Contract with Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission has awarded Ernst & Young a three-year software maintenance and support contract valued at $6.73 million, running from August 2026 to August 2029. EY Australia employs approximately 9,800 staff across the country and reported revenue of $2.72 billion for the year ending June 2025. The firm operates across four service lines including assurance, consulting, transactions, and tax, with particular expertise in computer system design services and management consulting.
Software maintenance contracts typically involve providing updates, bug fixes, patches, and technical assistance to keep systems functional and current. The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission maintains national information-sharing systems used by law enforcement agencies across Australia, including platforms for criminal intelligence databases and biometric identification systems. The agency has previously deployed technology from vendors including Palantir, Microsoft Azure, and Cisco for its operational systems.
EY has established a presence in Australian government technology contracts, including previous work on ERP implementations and enterprise software solutions. The firm provides technology consulting services spanning platform implementation, data management, cybersecurity, and ongoing system support for government and commercial clients.
Sources: ey.com; finance.gov.au; ibisworld.com; appsruntheworld.com; itnews.com.au [link]
All tenders
$25,167,138 in Fed Govt contracts given today. Top spend was with Ernst & Young ($6,734,784) [link]
Consultant Tenders
$326,700,038 in Federal contracts to the big consultants in 2026. $6,734,784 yesterday. – EY: $6,734,784 {1215} [link]
Fed Govt Outsourced labour costs
Government Temporary Staff Tenders in the last day: $2,088,416 [link]
How does the tender money flow…
YTD tenders for Department of the Treasury: $41,346,077 {480} [link]
Politician Expenses
Claire Clutterham (Reps, Sturt, Lab) claimed $639,334 in expenses over the last 4 reported quarters for major categories such as travel, offices and cars. That is $111,709 more than the median. #auspol [link]
Double Donors
SingTel Optus donated $63,200 in 2023-24. That was $33,000 to Labor and $30,200 to the Coalition. {4161} #auspol [link]
Parliamentary attendance
Marielle Smith (senate, SA, Australian Labor Party) attended 65.1% of possible votes. [link]
Political advertising on Google
Political advertising spend with Google in last 24 hours: $11,700. (YTD: $3,361,800) [link]
Political advertising on Facebook
Political advertising on Facebook yesterday: $84,001. (YTD: $23,368,390) [link]
© Copyright PoliticalGadgets.com