Matt Murphy

Union official with interest in shipbuilding and electrical power industry. Ex-RAINF who retains some currency. Tweets very much my own, retweet ≠ endorsement.

[Craig F̶o̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ @Craig_Foster]

Well done to Kylian Mbappe for responding to these vile and racist comments.

While often criticised for his self interest at PSG and Madrid, I must say Mbappe has risen to the occasion as captain of Les Bleus, playing an important role in incidents of on-field and off-field racism, been prepared to engage in broader politics against exclusionary and racist agendas, and generally been very impressive.

France should be immensely proud of him.

Much respect.

[Labor Against War @LabAgainstWar]

To deny the disquiet about AUKUS in Labor’s rank-and-file and refuse to debate it at conference is not a sign of strength but weakness. A signal of fealty to Washington, not the membership.

https://t.co/i4MotYU3VU

[Doug Cameron @DougCameron51]

Linda Reynolds, a strong supporter of AUKUS says what no one in govt will. Aukus makes us a bigger target and our target is China! Labor must abandon this madness. How can a Labor govt deliberately make us a bigger nuclear target and claim it makes us safer! Abandon AUKUS now!

[Matt Murphy @operator_mm]

AUKUS is an expensive rort by our defence “allies” at the expense of the Australian people.

[Doug Cameron @DougCameron51]

The inquiry into AUKUS has ruffled feathers in Canberra🐥
Raff Ciccone chair of the toothless PJCIS regurgitates govt talking points in defence of the AUKUS “deal” that sacrifices sovereignty and common sense.I challenge him to appear before the inquiry and explain his claptrap!

[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

[Matt Murphy @operator_mm]

In the absence of any proposed amendment to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, can any of you forelock-tuggers tell those of us of a more Gaelic heritage why it’s important who leads the English Government?

Fucken grow up.

[Matt Murphy @operator_mm]

Any journalists want to pick up this particular ball and run with it?

@TracyWesterman has done the work for you lazy swine.

[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

[Ray Gatt @Gatty54]

@PressClubAust as a former journalist of 47 years I am appalled by your handling of Hanson yesterday. You allowed her to speak for too long then limited the amount of questions. Your failure not to condemn her for her attack on the journalist from the Guardian was disgraceful.

[Mike Carlton @MikeCarlton01]

I worked in the Canberra press gallery as a very young ABC journalist. The senior people then were of high standing - experienced, knowledgeable, honest, ethical. They were reporters, not political players. God, how it’s changed. You wouldn’t feed 90% of them today.

[Mike Carlton @MikeCarlton01]

How long will this brutality continue ?

[Michael Pascoe @MichaelPascoe01]

Former ADF chief: " If AUKUS is the right answer for Australia, it will withstand examination. If it cannot withstand examination, that is something Australians need to know now – not in 2035" https://t.co/DRiZZYocxJ

[Solo Monk @JJKALE2]

Prof Jeffrey Sachs, American economist and public policy analyst. Columbia University:

"AUKUS is designed to bill the Australian taxpayers and enrich the US military industrial complex. You have been had Australia, sorry to tell you. And your politicians should own up it."

[Rex Patrick @MrRexPatrick]

Yesterday the UK Defence Secretary affirmed, in writing, the critical importance of the delivery of SSN #AUKUS to both the UK and Australia. Less than 24 hours later he walked away from having any part in the delivery of them. #UnreliablePartner #auspol https://t.co/eGUIB7WqPq

[Matt Murphy @operator_mm]

Perhaps the inquiry might question what benefits, if any of course, the more strident proponents of AUKUS are receiving in relation to their advocacy.

We only need to know about the current and former Federal parliamentarians.

Shouldn’t be too much of an ask, surely.

[Doug Cameron @DougCameron51]

If Kim Beazley thinks AUKUS is such a good idea then he should appear at the WA inquiry and address the devastating critiques from the Melbourne hearing.
Regurgitating govt talking points is insufficient to stem growing concerns or address the facts placed before the inquiry.

[Matt Murphy @operator_mm]

A well-considered, superbly directed, and probably (at least in my view) restrained response.

Bravo.

[💧Michael West @MichaelWestBiz]

Epic response by Cathy Wilcox to Murdoch grubs after their Israel lobby smear campaign

[Matt Murphy @operator_mm]

We need to ditch AUKUS.

And permanent US combat bases in Australia.

[Peter Cronau @PeterCronau]

Australia is anchored to 70 year old nuclear technology for its new submarines — ignoring the advances in electric submarines made by countries that are not the US or UK.

“European navies including Germany, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands and Greece are now in the process of acquiring LMB-equipped submarines, while Spain and Sweden are evaluating the technology for future adoption.

“Of greater significance for Australia, Indo-Asia-Pacific navies including Japan, South Korea, China, India, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines are either actively acquiring LMB-equipped submarines or planning to do so in the near future.”

All of which shows #AUKUS is a con to make Australia a military base for the US war against China.

Undersea warfare is moving faster than AUKUS https://t.co/Ca4332VkeN

[Michael Pascoe @MichaelPascoe01]

"Allowing Richard Marles to dominate Australian foreign policy, as a fellow traveller with the toxic Trump administration, is a huge mistake." https://t.co/YUYN6RcY7v

[Peter Cronau @PeterCronau]

🚨ALERT🚨 The newest in a string of American military bases in Australia was announced one week ago.

The Americans are calling it “NSA Stirling” — “US Naval Support Activity Stirling”.

This is in deference to Australian politicians who would have trouble with the voters if it used this honest title:

“US Naval Base Stirling”.

[Matt Murphy @operator_mm]

You can’t argue that we don’t have a free media if people are free to publish this level of stupidity.

[David Milner @DaveMilbo]

This is a new classic of the 'twisting reality on its head and shitting brainworms into an entire population' genre. Chris Uhlmann is the idiot's idiot

[Matt Murphy @operator_mm]

@DavidShoebridge The next stage in us being bargained down will be the offer of late-build Los Angeles Class rather than early-build Virginias. And Marles, if he’s still there, will lick the boots of the offer makers.