List of political controversies in Australia

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This is a list of major political controversies in Australia:

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Pre-federation[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 State
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Rum Rebellion 1808 NSW Deposition and arrest of NSW Governor William Bligh by Major George Johnston, John Macarthur

Federal controversies[edit]

Barton government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Hopetoun Blunder 1900 n/a Lyne was chosen by Hopetoun to form Australia's first government, but leading politicians refused to serve under him and Barton was chosen instead. [1]

Deakin government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Petriana affair 1903 Government: Protectionist Citing the White Australia policy, the government refused permission for shipwrecked sailors of Asian origin to land in Australia. [2]

Hughes government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
ALP split of 1916 1916 Government: ALP The ALP split over the issue of overseas conscription and the conscription referendum. Hughes and his supporters were expelled from the ALP and formed a separate National Labor Party.
– 1918 Government: Nationalist Jensen was sacked from the ministry after a royal commission reported unfavourable on his conduct as navy minister. [3]
McDougall incident 1919 Opposition: ALP During the 1919 federal election campaign, McDougall was kidnapped and publicly tarred and feathered by return soldiers. [4]

Bruce–Page government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Walsh–Johnson case 1925 Government: Nationalist The government unsuccessfully sought to deport Walsh and Johnson, foreign-born leaders of the militant Seamen's Union. Groom resigned as Attorney-General. [5]

Scullin government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
ALP split of 1931 1931 Government: ALP The ALP split three ways over the Scullin government's response to the Great Depression, with Lyons and his followers joining the opposition and Lang's supporters joining the crossbench. Both eventually voted down the government forcing the 1931 federal election.

Lyons government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Kisch case 1934 Government: UAP
Opposition: ALP 		The government failed to stop a member of the German Communist Party from entering Australia.
Freer case 1936 Government: UAP/Country The government refused entry to Freer on the grounds of immoral conduct. Paterson's perceived bungling of the case effectively ended his ministerial career. [6]
1938 Government: UAP McLachlan resigned as Postmaster-General following revelations of a conflict of interest with his business affairs. [7]
Dalfram dispute 1938–1939 Government: UAP Attorney-General Menzies intervened to force striking waterside workers to load pig iron on a ship bound to Japan.

Menzies government (I)[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
1940 Government: UAP Lawson resigned as Minister for Trade and Customs following revelations of a conflict of interest. [8]

Curtin government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
"Brisbane Line" affair 1942–1943 Government: ALP A royal commission found Ward had made unsubstantiated claims about the previous government's war strategy. He remained in the ministry but was demoted to lesser portfolios.

Chifley government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Gamboa case 1949 Government: ALP Calwell as immigration minister refused entry to Gamboa, a Filipino-American, under the White Australia policy, despite Gamboa having an Australian wife and children.
New South Wales coal strike 1949 Government: ALP The government sent in troops as strike-breakers following an illegal strike by the Australian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation.

Menzies government (II)[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Petrov Affair 1954 Government: Liberal
Opposition: ALP		 Petrov and his wife defected from the USSR to Australia in dramatic circumstances, which the Menzies Government exploited for political gain in the lead-up to the 1954 election.
ALP split of 1955 1955 Opposition: ALP
Crossbench: ALP (Anti-Communist)		 ALP members opposed to Evatt's leadership, predominantly associated with the anti-communist Industrial Groups and Santamaria's Catholic Social Studies Movement, either left the party or were expelled, forming what eventually became the Democratic Labor Party.

Holt government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Melbourne–Voyager collision 1964–1967 Government: Liberal/Country The government stalled on holding a second royal commission into the collision, following concerns over the conclusions of the first.
VIP affair 1967 Government: Liberal
Opposition: ALP
Crossbench: DLP		 Government cover-up of misuse of RAAF VIP flights; Holt and Howson misled parliament. [9]

Whitlam government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Gair Affair 1974 ALP Vince Gair, Gough Whitlam, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Lionel Murphy, Ron Maunsell, Magnus Cormack, Billy Snedden
Morosi Affair 1974–1977 ALP Jim Cairns, Junie Morosi
Loans affair 1975 ALP Jim Cairns, Rex Connor
1975 Australian constitutional crisis 1975 ALP
Liberal Party 		Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser, Sir John Kerr Kerr dismissed the sitting government of the day [10]

Fraser government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
1976 Government: Liberal Garland resigned as Minister for Post and Telecommunications after being charged with electoral offences. They were dismissed and he returned to the ministry in 1977. [11]
1977 Government: Liberal Lynch resigned as Treasurer following allegations of a conflict of interest relating to his land dealings. Two reports found he had not acted illegally and he returned to the ministry one month later in a different portfolio. [11]
1978 Government: Liberal Withers was sacked as Minister for Administrative Services after a Queensland royal commission found he had attempted to interfere with an electoral redistribution. [12]
1979 Government: NCP Sinclair resigned as Minister for Primary Industry after a report to the New South Wales parliament accused him of inappropriate business dealings. He was charged with fraud but acquitted, and returned to the ministry in 1980. [12]
Colour TV affair 1982 Government: Liberal MacKellar submitted an incorrect customs declaration relating to his importation of a colour television, which Moore attempted to cover up. Both resigned from the ministry. [13]

Hawke government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Combe–Ivanov affair 1983 Government: ALP Young resigned as Special Minister of State following revelations he had leaked the government's decision to expel Soviet diplomat Ivanov. [14]
1987 Government: ALP Brown resigned from the ministry after misleading parliament over World Expo 88 tenders. [15]
1988 Government: ALP Young resigned from parliament and the ministry after allegations he had mishandled campaign donations. Loosley later accepted responsibility for the errors. [15]

Keating government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Marshall Islands affair 1992 Government: ALP Richardson was censured by the Senate and resigned from the ministry due to controversy over his dealings with Symons, a businessman charged with forgery in relation to a migration scheme based in the Marshall Islands. [16]
Sandwich shop affair 1994 Government: ALP Griffiths resigned from the ministry after allegations he had misused party and government resources for personal gain. He was later cleared of wrongdoing by an Australian Federal Police investigation. [17]
Sports rorts affair 1994 Government: ALP Kelly resigned from the ministry, and later from parliament, over allegations of pork barreling. [17]

Howard government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
1996 Government: Liberal Short and Gibson separately resigned as parliamentary secretaries due to conflicts of interest relating to their shareholdings. [18]
1997 Government: Liberal Prosser resigned from the ministry due to a conflict of interest relating to his ownership of a small business. [18]
Travel rorts 1997 Government: Liberal/National Sharp and McGauran resigned from the ministry over false travel expense claims, while Jull resigned due after allowing Sharp to make secret payments and tabling an inaccurate report. [19]
Tampa affair 2001 Government: Liberal The government refused to allow asylum-seekers to enter Australia, using Special Air Service Regiment soldiers to board the MV Tampa, a Norwegian freighter that had rescued them from a sinking vessel.
Children Overboard affair 2001 Government: Liberal Howard falsely claimed that asylum seekers were throwing their children into the water so the navy would be forced to rescue them. [20]
Unlawful detention of Cornelia Rau 2005 Government: Liberal
Unlawful deportation of Vivian Solon 2005 Government: Liberal
AWB oil-for-wheat scandal 2006 Government: Liberal A royal commission found that AWB Limited had paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in exchange for lucrative wheat contracts, contravening UN sanctions.
Muhamed Haneef affair 2007 Government: Liberal Haneef's visa was cancelled following false allegations he had aided terrorists.
Lindsay pamphlet scandal 2007 Government: Liberal Liberal Party volunteers distributed fake pamphlets purporting to be from an Islamic organisation.

Rudd government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Utegate or OzCar affair 2009 Liberal Party Malcolm Turnbull, Godwin Grech Grech claimed Prime Minister Rudd intervened in a grants claim for a Car Dealership, Turnbull as Opposition Leader then seized upon the claims. It was later determined Grech fabricated the entire thing. [21]
Energy Efficient Homes Package 2010 ALP Kevin Rudd, Peter Garrett

Gillard government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Health Services Union expenses affair 2010 ALP Craig Thomson, Health Services Union, Kathy Jackson, Fair Work Australia, Julia Gillard, Michael Williamson
Ditch the Witch 2011 Liberal Party Tony Abbott, Bronwyn Bishop, Sophie Mirabella In a protest against the Gillard government's carbon tax a number of MPs from the Liberal party were pictured in front of signs saying "Ditch the Witch" and "JuLiar... Bob Brown's Bitch" [22]
Peter Slipper affair 2012 Liberal Party
ALP 		Peter Slipper, James Ashby

Abbott government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Offshore detention crisis 2013–2019 Liberal Party Tony Abbott
Scott Morrison 		Asylum seekers were locked up indefinitely while their refugee status was being assessed
Spying on Indonesian officials 2009–2013 Liberal Party
ALP 		Tony Abbott Australian spy agencies attempted to tap the phones of high ranking Indonesian officials including the president. Abbott refused to apologise [23]
Australian Water Holdings corruption scandal 2013 Liberal Party Arthur Sinodinos Corruption in Australian Water Holdings and ICAC investigation into fundraising at the Liberal Party [24][25]
Joe Hockey's first budget 2014 Liberal Party Tony Abbott
Joe Hockey 		The first budget delivered by the government was seen as being based on severe cuts to welfare and other social programs. It triggered a polling slump that Abbott struggled to recover from
Shirtfronting Putin 2014 Liberal Party Tony Abbott Abbott promised to "shirtfront" Putin when confronting him about his role in the MH17 disaster [26]
Duke of Edinburgh knighthood 2015 Liberal Party Tony Abbott After controversially reinstating knighthoods, Abbott gave one of the first knighthoods to Prince Philip rather than to an Australian [27]
Joe Hockey home ownership gaff 2015 Liberal Party Joe Hockey With house prices rising sharply, treasurer Joe Hockey said on radio that the first step to home ownership was "get a good job that pays good money" [28]
Dutton overheard on a hot mic 2015 Liberal Party Peter Dutton
Tony Abbott
Scott Morrison 		Peter Dutton at a press conference was overheard on an overhead microphone saying about the Pacific Islands that "time doesn't mean anything when you're about to have water lapping at your door" [29]
Choppergate 2015 Liberal Party Bronwyn Bishop Bishop was found to have chartered a helicopter to a Liberal Party fundraiser. This was charged at over $5,000 for what would have been a 1 hour drive.

Turnbull government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis 2017 Liberal Party
Nationals
ALP
Greens
Xenophon
One Nation 		Scott Ludlam, Larissa Waters, Matt Canavan, Malcolm Roberts, Barnaby Joyce, Fiona Nash, Nick Xenophon and others Parliamentarians of various parties were found to be in breach of Section 44 of the Constitution which prohibits dual citizens from sitting in parliament [30]
Bonk Ban 2018 Nationals Barnaby Joyce Joyce who was married at the time, was discovered having an affair with a staffer, who was pregnant with his baby. In response a code of conduct was introduced that prevented relationships between MPs and staffers [31]
Helloworld scandal 2019 Liberal Party Mathias Cormann, Joe Hockey It was uncovered that government contracts were being given to a Liberal Party donor, who was also paying for the holidays of a number of MPs [32]

Morrison government[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Parties involved
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Allegations of war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016 2016–21 Morrison government David McBride, Dan Oakes, Sam Clark, Annika Smethurst, Peter Dutton, Christian Porter, and others Publication of the allegations, based on leaked documents, by the ABC lead in 2019 to the Australian Federal Police raiding the ABC's Ultimo offices (as well as News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst's home, due to her reporting on another leaked plan to allow the ASD to spy on Australian citizens). Media organisations feared the raids posed a severe threat to investigative journalism, as well as to Australia's reputation as a free and open democracy.
See also the Brereton Report. 		[33][34][35][36]
Robodebt 2016–19 Liberal Party Scott Morrison, Stuart Robert, Christian Porter Centrelink were issuing automated illegal debts that had not been incurred by the individuals concerned.

Scott Morrison was the lead figure in this scandal, he was the minister responsible for designing, funding, approving and continuing the project. The settlement cost the Australian taxpayers $112 million. Many people committed suicide after receiving the debt letters.

[37]
It's okay to be white 2018 Liberal Party

One Nation

Christian Porter

Mathias Cormann

Pauline Hanson

The governing coalition supported a motion in the senate declaring "it's ok to be white" and opposing the "deplorable rise of anti-white racism and attacks on Western civilisation" [38]
Chinese election signs 2019 Liberal Party Gladys Liu

Josh Frydenberg

The Liberal party put up signs in Mandarin in places with large Chinese populations that were deliberately made to look like they were produced by the AEC. The signs directed voters to vote for the Liberal Party. [39]
2019–20 bushfire response 2019–20 Liberal Party Scott Morrison Scott Morrison took a family holiday to Hawaii during one of the worst bushfire seasons on record. He returned only after significant public pressure.

When touring bushfire affected communities, many residents refused to engage with Morrison. On a number of occasions Morrison forced a handshake on residents. The government released an ad praising their bushfire response. The ad was attacked as being a party political ad paid for by taxpayers.

[40]
Sports rorts affair (2020) 2019–20 Liberal Party
Nationals		 Bridget McKenzie The government were providing grants for sports projects for communities in marginal electorates. Many of these projects were considered low priority or previously rejected, and were seen as a way to defend the marginal electorates. [41]
Brian Houston invited to the White House 2020 Liberal Party Scott Morrison Scott Morrison's pastor, Houston, was invited by Morrison to attend an official White House dinner. Houston is under investigation for covering up his father's sex abuse. Morrison continually denied this as gossip until admitting it was true. [42]
Destruction of Aboriginal cultural sites 2020 Liberal Party Ken Wyatt, Ben Wyatt Miners Rio Tinto destroyed two sites of Aboriginal cultural significance in Juukan Gorge. [43][44]
2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations 2021 Liberal Party

ALP

Brittany Higgins, Linda Reynolds, Christian Porter, Scott Morrison, Andrew Laming Two separate ongoing allegations including rape and sexual assault, both raised in February 2021, causing controversy for the Liberal-National Morrison government. These allegations have sparked further discussions over workplace culture, systemic misogyny and victim blaming within the Morrison government and Parliament as a whole, with the government heavily criticised for its response. [45]
Murugappan family asylum claims 2018–21 Liberal Party Scott Morrison, Peter Dutton, Karen Andrews A Tamil family from Sri Lanka had applied for asylum. The government rejected their claims and wanted to send them back to Sri Lanka with their two Australian-born children. The family was sent to offshore detention for years while their case was taken to court. [46]
Car park rorts affair 2021 Liberal Party Scott Morrison, Josh Frydenberg, Tim Wilson, Michael Sukkar The government handed out grants to build carparks near train stations a day before a federal election was called. The carparks had no tender process and were almost exclusively in Liberal party seats. Some were cancelled, or the site was not near train stations. [47]
Scott Morrison ministerial positions controversy 2020–2022 Liberal Party Scott Morrison, David Hurley, Christian Porter Scott Morrison had himself secretly sworn in as Health Minister, Finance Minister, Treasurer, Home Affairs Minister, and Industry, Science, Energy, and Resources Minister at various times between 2020 and 2021, without announcement to the public, to Parliament, to the Ministerial staff, or in most cases to the existing relevant Ministers. [48]

State controversies[edit]

New South Wales[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Administration
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
1932 New South Wales constitutional crisis 1932 Lang Dismissal of NSW Premier Jack Lang by governor Philip Game
Metherell affair 1992 Greiner Nick Greiner, Tim Moore, Terry Metherell
Orange Grove affair 2004 Carr
Eddie Obeid corruption scandals 2012 Carr, Iemma, Rees, Keneally Eddie Obeid, Ian Macdonald
Grangegate 2014 O'Farrell Barry O'Farrell O'Farrell received a $3,000 bottle of Grange Hermitage and did not declare it.
Gladys Berejiklian resignation 2021 Berejiklian Gladys Berejiklian Berejiklian resigned when it was revealed that she was under ICAC investigation.
John Barilaro Trade Commissioner appointment 2021 Perrottet John Barilaro, Stuart Ayres Barilaro was appointed to a trade commissioner position in New York, questions raised about impropriety, Barilaro violently attacks cameraman, Ayres resigns as Trade Minister

Queensland[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 State
 Administration
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Mungana affair 1929 Queensland Theodore Corrupt actions by Qld. Premiers Ted Theodore and William McCormack
Bjelkemander 1972—1987 Queensland Bjelke-Petersen Joh Bjelke-Petersen Use of Malapportionment to keep National Party and Bjelke-Petersen in power.
Fitzgerald Inquiry 1987 Queensland Bjelke-Petersen Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Terry Lewis, Leisha Harvey, Don Lane, Brian Austin Commission of Inquiry into Police Corruption
Scott Driscoll corruption scandals 2013 Queensland Newman Scott Driscoll

South Australia[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 State
 Administration
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Playmander 1936–1968 South Australia Playford South Australian Electoral "gerrymander" favouring the Liberal and Country League and Sir Thomas Playford
Hindmarsh Island bridge controversy 1989–1997 South Australia Bannon, Arnold, Brown, Olsen Ngarrindjeri people, Tom & Wendy Chapman, Michael Armitage, Robert Tickner, Ian McLachlan, John von Doussa Building of a road bridge at Goolwa, linking Hindmarsh Island to the town. Resulted in the Hindmarsh Island Royal Commission.
State Bank of South Australia collapse 1991 South Australia Bannon It caused the resignation of premier John Bannon in 1992, and the crushing electoral defeat of the South Australian Labor government at the 1993 election.
Motorola affair 2001 South Australia Olsen John Olsen

Tasmania[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Administration
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Edmund Rouse bribery scandal 1989 Jim Cox, Robin Gray, Gunns

Victoria[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Administration
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
State Bank of Victoria collapse 1990 Kirner These events were a key factor in the defeat of the Labor government of Joan Kirner and the election of the Liberal Party, led by Jeff Kennett, at the 1992 Victorian state election
Red Shirts rorts scandal 2018 Andrews Daniel Andrews In 2018, the Victorian Ombudsman found the Victorian Labor had misused $388,000 of taxpayer funds which were used to win the 2014 Victorian election. [49]
Branch stacking scandal 2020 Andrews Daniel Andrews, Adem Somyurek, Jenny Mikakos High level and wide reaching cases of branch stacking (internal vote rigging) in the Victorian Labor party. Outcome was the federal party taking over the state branch for several years to fix the problem [50]

Western Australia[edit]

Controversy "name"
 Date
 Administration
 People involved
 Summary
 Source
Nevanas affair 1915 Scaddan Actions leading to the downfall of John Scaddan's W.A. government
WA Inc royal commission 1992 Burke Brian Burke, Alan Bond, Laurie Connell
Easton affair 1992 Court Carmen Lawrence

References[edit]

  1. ^ La Nauze, John (1957). The Hopetoun Blunder: The Appointment of the First Prime Minister of Australia, December 1900. Melbourne University Press.
  2. ^ Foster, Leonie (2014). "Shipwrecks and the White Australia policy". The Great Circle. 36 (2). The Australian Association for Maritime History: 68–84. JSTOR 24583070.
  3. ^ Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 11.
  4. ^ King, Terry (1983). "The Tarring and Feathering of J. K. McDougall: 'Dirty Tricks' in the 1919 Federal Election". Labour History. 45 (45): 54–67. doi:10.2307/27508605. JSTOR 27508605.
  5. ^ Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 12.
  6. ^ Hartcher, Peter (4 December 2019). "From the Archives, 1936: The lady, the puritan, and the cover-up". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  7. ^ Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 15.
  8. ^ Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 16.
  9. ^ Hancock, Ian (2003). "The V.I.P. Affair, 1966–67: The causes, course and consequences of a ministerial and public service cover-up" (PDF). Australasian Parliamentary Review. 18 (2). Australasian Study of Parliament Group.
  10. ^ Twomey, Anne. "Australian politics explainer: Gough Whitlam's dismissal as prime minister". The Conversation. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  11. ^ a b Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 23.
  12. ^ a b Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 24.
  13. ^ Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 25.
  14. ^ Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 26.
  15. ^ a b Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 27.
  16. ^ Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 31.
  17. ^ a b Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 34.
  18. ^ a b Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 35.
  19. ^ Wilson & Healy 2017, p. 35–36.
  20. ^ Marr, David (11 February 2014). "Burnt hands, children overboard, it all seems the same to Peter Reith | David Marr". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  21. ^ "Utegate: Turnbull admits there's no case against Rudd". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 June 2009. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023.
  22. ^ Muller, Denis. "Sexist abuse has a long history in Australian politics – and takes us all to a dark place". The Conversation. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  23. ^ "Abbott rejects Indonesia's call for spying apology". www.abc.net.au. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  24. ^ Griffiths, political correspondent Emma (19 March 2014). "Sinodinos stands aside as Assistant Treasurer over ICAC investigation". ABC News. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  25. ^ Leslie, Tim; Elvery, Simon; Spraggon, Ben (29 April 2014). "A tangled web: ICAC investigates NSW corruption". ABC News. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  26. ^ "What is a 'shirtfront'?". www.abc.net.au. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  27. ^ "Angus Houston, Prince Philip named Australia's newest knights". ABC News. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  28. ^ Clarke, political reporters Melissa; Bennett, James (9 June 2015). "'Get a good job': Hockey under fire over advice to first-home buyers". ABC News. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  29. ^ "Dutton jokes about rising sea levels in Pacific". www.abc.net.au. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  30. ^ "Fact file: The dual citizenship crisis". ABC News. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  31. ^ Crowe, David (16 April 2020). "'How could he have been so stupid': Turnbull, Joyce and the 'bonk ban' debacle". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  32. ^ Hatch, Patrick (22 February 2019). "Suspicious minds are circling Helloworld boss". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  33. ^ Knowles, Lorna; Worthington, Elise; and Blumer, Clare; ABC Investigations (5 June 2019), ABC raid: AFP leave Ultimo building with files after hours-long raid over Afghan Files stories, ABC News. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  34. ^ Ananian-Welsh, Rebecca (5 June 2019), Why the raids on Australian media present a clear threat to democracy, The Conversation. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  35. ^ Tingle, Laura (24 June 2019), Australia's national security laws should protect the country, not its politicians in power, ABC News. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  36. ^ Ryan, Peter (8 June 2019), AFP's media raids risk eroding business sector's confidence in Australia, expert warns, ABC News. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  37. ^ Ombudsman, Commonwealth (17 April 2017). "RoboDebt - Centrelink's automated debt raising and recovery system" (PDF). Commonwealth Ombudsman.
  38. ^ "Senators backed Hanson's 'OK to be white' motion by mistake: Government". www.abc.net.au. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  39. ^ Taylor, Josh (6 November 2019). "Liberal official admits Chinese language signs were meant to look like they came from AEC". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  40. ^ Remeikis, Amy (20 December 2019). "Scott Morrison's Hawaii horror show: how a PR disaster unfolded". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  41. ^ Senate Select Committee, Sports Grants (20 March 2020). "Select Committee on Administration of Sports Grants". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  42. ^ "Morrison admits inviting controversial pastor to White House dinner". The New Daily. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  43. ^ "Rio Tinto blasting of 46,000-year-old Aboriginal sites compared to Islamic State's destruction in Palmyra". www.abc.net.au. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  44. ^ Wahlquist, Calla (30 May 2020). "Juukan Gorge: Rio Tinto blasting of Aboriginal site prompts calls to change antiquated laws". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  45. ^ Stayner, Tom (2 March 2021). "How Australian politics has been shaken to the core in the wake of Brittany Higgins' rape allegation". SBS. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  46. ^ "Tamil family lose appeal to stay in Australia". the Guardian. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  47. ^ feed-importer (1 July 2020). "Administration of Commuter Car Park Projects within the Urban Congestion Fund". www.anao.gov.au. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  48. ^ "Scott Morrison faces probe over secret ministry claims as government seeks legal advice". TheGuardian.com. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  49. ^ "Victorian Ombudsman releases report on Labor Party's 'red shirts rorts'". ABC. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  50. ^ "The Faceless man: Dark underbelly of Australian power exposed". YouTube. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.

Further reading[edit]

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