The Commonwealth Ombudsman is investigating the Australian Federal Police (AFP) (@AFPmedia) over their handling of the Bronwyn Bishop MP, #Choppergate affair, after a complaint was lodged by No Fibs co-publisher, Tony Yegles (@geeksrulz). The Ombudsman probe will include: “the AFP’s use of discretion in relation to its application of the Minchin Protocol” “the AFP’s explanation […]
Commonwealth Ombudsman investigating @AFPmedia’s handling of #Choppergate affair: @Jansant reports
August 24, 2015
#choppergate ‘investigation’ Fact Check by @margokingston1
July 25, 2015
The AFP and the Department of Finance are playing pass-the-parcel on investigating the legality of Bronwyn Bishop’s helicopter trip to Geelong for a Liberal Party fundraiser. It’s a complicated game of obfuscation that counts on confusing voters. So here are the facts. 1. Applicability of the Minchin Protocol to the AFP When Labor and several members […]
Reporting grassroots greenshoots when faith in establishment politics dies: @margokingston1
May 2, 2014
Margo: A version of this column appeared in the Byron Shire Echo –[email protected]– on 29 April as a substitute for Mungo McCallum’s weekly column while he recovered from surgery. Mungo and I last discussed politics just after the federal election on Late Night Live. We both knew what Abbott would do – seek to close down free […]
Getting #leardblockade arrested, WTF is journalism and who’s the extremist: @margokingston1 interview with @dailytelegraph
April 13, 2014
[clear] My third trip to #leardblockade last week helped me clarify my vision for No Fibs (see Mass arrests at #leardblockade: @margokingston1 Twitter report and Picnic at boundary of Whitehaven State Forest: @margokingston1 April Fools Day Twitter report). I’m happy to answer your question in comments. I’ve never been an ‘embedded journalist’ before, and it’s testing. I was allowed […]
Reporting Indi: A reflection by Margo Kingston
December 2, 2013
[clear] By Margo Kingston, 1 December 2013 I take the Gold Coast train to Brisbane airport, the plane to Melbourne, the sky bus to Southern Cross Station, the train to Seymour, and the bus to Wangaratta train station. Wayne Jansson leads me to his battered old car and drives me to the hamlet of St James. […]
It’s time, Finance and AFP: Randall’s Cairns claim must be investigated
October 20, 2013
[clear] By Margo Kingston 20 October, 2013 OK, we’re starting to get to the pointy end of the political travel rorts scandal. My understanding of the Don Randall matter is this. In November 2012 the Perth MP and a family member flew to Cairns for an overnight stay. . He claimed the $5259 trip was “electorate […]
The fruitless push for a Parliamentarians’ code of conduct
October 16, 2013
By Rose Iser 16 October 2013 The latest spate of entitlements scandals is unlikely to bring about a code of conduct for federal parliamentarians given that, for the past 40 years, multiple attempts to enact a code have failed. Since 1975, federal leaders and parliamentarians have investigated the possibility of a code of conduct, but reports […]
How will Media, Finance and AFP handle the evidence that the PM is a cheat?
October 8, 2013
By Margo Kingston, 8 October, 2013 It looks like the Prime Minister is a serial cheat. It’s hard to imagine a bigger test of the integrity and fairness of our democratic institutions than that. Will the press gallery get forensic and press for answers from the PM and action from the authorities? Will the AFP investigate? […]
New No Fibs citizen journalism project: The CSG social movement
October 7, 2013
By Margo Kingston 7 October 2013 I knew I wanted to do journalism differently after experiencing the disconnect between the reality on the ground and the closed world of insider political reporting while covering Pauline Hanson’s 1998 election campaign. My idea was to live in the north western NSW town of Bourke to report rural and […]
Pissed off with LibLab? Don’t make them happy by voting informal
August 29, 2013
By Margo Kingston 29 August 2013 I’ve had several Twitter discussions with people who don’t think either big party deserves their vote and reckon voting informal is the way to stick it up both of them. It’s not. In fact, if the big two can’t get your first preference their next best option is for you […]
