Phil Jeffery

Gamer, product manager, runner, WWII History nut, Game of Thrones fan, cricket lover and Eels tragic

[Dr Tracy Westerman AM @TracyWesterman]

The Sanewashing of Hanson Is at Its Peak.
This is how Trump came to power: platform the lies, skip the follow-up, let the headlines call it “proving her critics wrong.”
We are all watching it happen in real time.
At the National Press Club, Pauline Hanson said the following. Not one claim was challenged by the so called journalists in attendance and she continues to be unchallenged on the facts in every interview she sits.
-1. Unlike the Prime Minister, I welcome scrutiny.” Hypocritical. In the same speech she announced she refuses ABC interviews, will scrap the SBS, & will make the ABC subscription-only. The event allowed 2 hours; standard format gives 25–30 mins for the address. She spoke for 50-halving the time left for questions. When Guardian journalist Sarah Martin used that remaining time to ask about her daughter's $150,000 taxpayer-funded advisor role, Hanson called her “a trashy journalist” and banned her from all future press conferences.
• “Babies are aborted the day before birth.” Fabricated. Late-term abortion is highly restricted, requires medical approval, and occurs only in genuine medical emergencies.
• “Interest rates are heading towards 10%.” False. RBA cash rate: 4.35%. Forecast to fall, not rise.
• “There’s no gender pay gap — just women taking time off.” False. WGEA confirms the gap exists at equal hours, equal roles, regardless of career breaks.
• “$30B a year on Indigenous programs.” False. Only 18% (~$5.6B) is Indigenous-specific. The rest is the Indigenous share of mainstream services every Australian uses.
• Transgender people were compared to “militant Islam.” False and dangerous. ABS data: transgender and gender-diverse Australians make up 1% of the pop’n. There’s no body of research showing transgender ppl commit crime at elevated rates-in fact it shows transgender people are dramatically more likely to be victims of violence— assault, sexual violence, and homicide rates against trans people are well above general population rates in most studies (US, UK, and Aust data all show this pattern)
• “23% of Australians can’t speak English.” False. That 23% speak another language at home — most are bilingual. Limited English proficiency: just 3.2%.
• “The CEFC has had $200 billion.” False by a factor of six. Actual legislated capacity: $33 billion.
• “I care about the homeless and hungry.” Hypocritical. In the same speech, she backed cuts to Indigenous-specific funding — despite Aboriginal homelessness running up to 10 times higher than the non-Indigenous rate.
• $90 billion in cuts, no plan. ~$35 billion of it remains unaccounted for. No modelling.
• “I support worker rights.” False. Voted against minimum wage increases, penalty rates, criminalising wage theft, casual conversion rights, same job same pay, and the right to disconnect. Took a $100,000 pay rise while voting against a tax break for low-paid workers
• Called Australian workers “lazy.” She has attended just 12% of Senate estimates since 2016 & 53% of parliamentary votes. Paid over $200k a year
• Labor have let immigration get out of control.” False. Net overseas migration has fallen every year since the post-COVID peak in 2022-23 — 538,000 → 446,000 → 306,000 in 2024-25. She also recycled a 26-year-old ABS pop’n projection as a fresh “next 50 years” forecast

Said: This beautiful country belongs to all Australians born here and those who have joined us”- in her opening line; then spent the next 50 minutes demanding a monocultural society, comparing transgender Australians to militant Islam, inflating migration and language figures, denying the gender pay gap, and repeating the debunked $30 billion Indigenous funding myth. Welcomed everyone in the first sentence. Spent the rest of the speech defining most of them out — and offered no plan to fix anything she raised, only $90 billion in cuts.
Not one follow-up question. No source data on a single figure in the entire speech. This is what unchallenged looks like.
/2 sources

[Dirtyleftie @CraigSarg73]

Australia now has the world’s strongest economy and some of its weakest economic reporting.

Coverage of the latest Federal Budget exposed just how far standards in Australia’s media have declined.

The Budget data showed Australia remains one of the strongest-performing advanced economies on Earth. It is currently the only country with unemployment and inflation both below 4.7%, median adult wealth above US$250,000, triple-A credit ratings from all major agencies, moderate interest rates, and government debt below 25% of GDP.

On top of that, the Budget introduced reforms aimed at tackling long-standing structural inequities changes that many economists argue were overdue.

In most countries, results like these would dominate headlines and strengthen public confidence. Instead, much of Australia’s media responded with outrage, fear campaigns and ideological attacks.

Headlines warned of “budget debacles”, “dire consequences”, “war on wealth”, and “further pain”, while largely ignoring Australia’s globally leading economic performance.

Much of the commentary relied on the same recycled narratives that have dominated economic reporting for years narratives that often collapse under scrutiny.

Claim: Living standards are falling.
Reality: Living standards dipped globally after COVID, including in Australia, but key indicators have rebounded strongly since 2023. Australians are travelling overseas in record numbers, spending more on dining, retail and discretionary goods, and consumer activity has surged.

Claim: Wages are going backwards.
Reality: Real wages were hit during the inflation spike that followed the pandemic, but wage growth has now outpaced inflation. Since late 2023, wages, pensions and welfare payments have all risen faster than consumer prices.

Claim: Australia is a high-tax country.
Reality: Australia remains one of the lower-taxed advanced economies. The GST is just 10%, far below consumption taxes across much of Europe, while Australia’s total tax-to-GDP ratio sits near the bottom of the OECD.

Claim: Labor keeps increasing taxes.
Reality: IMF data places Australia among the lowest-taxing developed economies in both 2025 and 2026.

Claim: Labor is anti-business.
Reality: Business profits outside mining have reached record highs, while employment and expansion across many sectors continue to grow.

Claim: Labor spends recklessly.
Reality: Spending as a share of GDP under Anthony Albanese remains below levels seen under several previous governments, including the Morrison Government.

Claim: Business investment is collapsing.
Reality: Investment stagnated during the Coalition years but has resumed growth under the current government.

The bigger issue is what this says about Australia’s media culture.

Economic reporting increasingly resembles political campaigning rather than factual analysis. Too often, selective statistics, misleading framing and emotionally loaded commentary replace balanced reporting.

When positive economic outcomes are ignored while fear and outrage dominate coverage, it damages public trust, distorts national debate and weakens social cohesion.

Australia’s economy is not perfect. Productivity, housing affordability and inequality remain serious challenges. But pretending the country is in economic collapse despite internationally strong results does not inform the public. It misleads them.

[Phil Jeffery @gadget23]

@TMFScottP Sadly not

[Phil Jeffery @gadget23]

@TrainLinkWest Any updates?

[Phil Jeffery @gadget23]

@TMFScottP Tears, thankyou for sharing

[Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof]

Canadian Prime Minister @MarkJCarney's speech at Davos is quite brilliant. Without vitriol or exaggeration, he outlines the harsh new world that Trump is leading us all toward. Here's the full text; much recommended: https://t.co/H3TWppgsY6

[Orla Joelsen @OJoelsen]

Statement from the Premier of Greenland 🇬🇱
6:55pm local time:

“🇬🇱 We have been a close and loyal friend of the United States for generations. We have stood shoulder to shoulder in difficult times. We have taken responsibility for security in the North Atlantic — and not least for North America. That is what true friends do.

Precisely for that reason, the current and repeated rhetoric coming from the United States is entirely unacceptable.

When the President of the United States speaks of “needing Greenland” and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not only wrong. It is disrespectful.

Our country is not an object in great-power rhetoric. We are a people. A country. A democracy. That must be respected — especially by close and loyal friends.

We are part of NATO, and we are fully aware of our country’s strategic location. We also understand that our security depends on good friends and strong alliances. In that context, a respectful and loyal relationship with the United States is very important. That has been the case for decades.

But alliances are built on trust. And trust requires respect.

Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation have no place between friends. That is not how one speaks to a people who have repeatedly demonstrated responsibility, stability, and loyalty.

Enough is enough.

No more pressure.
No more insinuations.
No more fantasies of annexation.

We are open to dialogue. We are open to conversations. But they must take place through the proper channels and in full respect of international law. And the proper channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media.

Greenland is our home and our territory.
And it will remain so. 🇬🇱”

[Kurt Supe, CPA & Retirement Planner @KurtSupeCPA]

You walk into your bank for a meeting with your "wealth advisor."

Nice office. Nice looking. Credentials on the wall.

He/She reviews your accounts.

"I think we should move some money into this product."

Congratulations. You just met a sales person.

I Started in my early 20s at a bank. Then an insurance company. I didn't last long at either.

They push the most profitable products and sales quotas.

That product may pay a 6% commission and it may be hidden.

On $500K, that's $30K from YOU.
It gets worse. Some of these products charge 2% or more annually.

I couldn't ethically push products I knew weren't good for clients.

Started my own company over 20 years ago.

Here's how you know you're talking to a salesman:

Works for a bank or insurance company
Recommends proprietary products
Can't explain how they get paid
Avoids discussing conflicts of interest

That bank "advisor"? Salesman.

The insurance rep calling? Salesman.

The brokerage "financial advisor"? Salesman with a quota.

Here's my rule:

If they work for a company that MANUFACTURES financial products, they're a salesman.

Would you ask a Ford dealership which car is best?
Then why ask a bank which investment is best?

Make sure they're actually advising you.
Not just hitting their sales target.

[Phil Jeffery @gadget23]

@kayosports - you could improve your coverage of the Shield games if you show what the chase total is...

[Bob Carr @bobjcarr]

The face of a Palestinian child says it all. This is a man-made famine, as in the Warsaw Ghetto. This outweighs other diplomatic considerations. To recognise Palestine sends a message to Israel to let food through in adequate quantities or be further defined as a pariah, …

[Phil Jeffery @gadget23]

@AdHaque110 I think it's telling that the US government feels so threatened by one person, that they need to go to these lengths. It's a sign of panic and to me indicates that @FranceskAlbs is making headway with international opinion. Otherwise, why this action?

[Phil Jeffery @gadget23]

@awkdipti No ball 😂

[Barry Malone @malonebarry]

Read this. It's remarkable. The UN is begging - literally begging - Israel to allow it to deliver to Gaza 160,000 pallets of food aid it has ready to go. Israel will not allow that. There is only one inescapable conclusion: Israel is deliberately starving Gaza to death.

[Phil Jeffery @gadget23]

@TransportforNSW hoping for some help with lost property - I've followed the process, lodged a form, but I can see my item via my tile tracker is in a siding... the lost property phone line reads a message about using the form, then hangs up. I'm desperate to speak to a human!

[Jerome Laxale MP @jeromelaxale]

Today’s question time in a tweet

Liberals; education spending is wasteful.

Labor; education spending is an investment.

Tells you everything you need to know

#auspol #qt

[Phil Jeffery @gadget23]

Why? Because America's politics leak to the rest of the world, and our politicians are watching.

[Phil Jeffery @gadget23]

I'm a huge fan of @Schwarzenegger and his statements resonate for me so much. I'm fortunate to be living in Australia, watching on, hoping that America chooses integrity over vitriol, ethics over hate, hope over division, country over party.

[Arnold Schwarzenegger @Schwarzenegger]

I don’t really do endorsements. I’m not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians.

I also understand that people want to hear from me because I am not just a celebrity, I am a former Republican Governor.

My time as Governor taught me to love policy and ignore politics. I’m proud of the work I did to help clean up our air, create jobs, balance the budget, make the biggest infrastructure investment in state history, and take power from the politicians and give it back to the people when it comes to our redistricting process and our primaries in California.

That’s policy. It requires working with the other side, not insulting them to win your next election, and I know it isn’t sexy to most people, but I love it when I can help make people’s lives better with policies, like I still do through my institute at USC, where we fight for clean air and stripping the power from the politicians who rig the system against the people.

Let me be honest with you: I don’t like either party right now. My Republicans have forgotten the beauty of the free market, driven up deficits, and rejected election results. Democrats aren’t any better at dealing with deficits, and I worry about their local policies hurting our cities with increased crime.

It is probably not a surprise that I hate politics more than ever, which, if you are a normal person who isn’t addicted to this crap, you probably understand.

I want to tune out.

But I can’t. Because rejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets. To someone like me who talks to people all over the world and still knows America is the shining city on a hill, calling America is a trash can for the world is so unpatriotic, it makes me furious.

And I will always be an American before I am a Republican.

That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

I’m sharing it with all of you because I think there are a lot of you who feel like I do. You don’t recognize our country. And you are right to be furious.

For decades, we’ve talked about the national debt. For decades, we’ve talked about comprehensive immigration reform that secures the border while fixing our broken immigration system. And Washington does nothing.

The problems just keep rolling, and we all keep getting angrier, because the only people that benefit from problems aren’t you, the people. The only people that benefit from this crap are the politicians who prefer having talking points to win elections to the public service that will make Americans’ lives better.

It is a just game to them. But it is life for my fellow Americans. We should be pissed!

But a candidate who won’t respect your vote unless it is for him, a candidate who will send his followers to storm the Capitol while he watches with a Diet Coke, a candidate who has shown no ability to work to pass any policy besides a tax cut that helped his donors and other rich people like me but helped no one else else, a candidate who thinks Americans who disagree with him are the bigger enemies than China, Russia, or North Korea - that won’t solve our problems.

It will just be four more years of bullshit with no results that makes us angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful.

We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger.

That’s enough reason for me to share my vote with all of you. I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz.

Vote this week. Turn the page and put this junk behind us.

And even if you disagree with me, vote, because that’s what we do as Americans. https://t.co/eHFZ723I4H

[Robert Reich @RBReich]

Trump’s dirty election night trick doesn’t work if you know it’s coming. Let me explain.

[Denise C. @SpudBenBean]

Having worked for an international airline for 25 years, I'm gobsmacked at the petty carry on about flight upgrades. Often we'd go thru the manifest, see who was travelling & offer upgrades, which then allowed us to clear the economy waitlist. Get a grip people.