Rex Patrick
mrrexpatrick.bsky.social
Rex Patrick
@mrrexpatrick.bsky.social
Transparency Warrior, small business owner, former Independent Senator for SA and former submariner.
All I want for Christmas is a good coffee. But that involves a bit more complexity than you might initially think.👇
Rex Patrick. All I want for Christmas is a good coffee - Michael West
Get a quality coffee machine or enjoy a barista brew at the cafe? The decision is more complex than you think. Rex Patrick investigates
michaelwest.com.au
December 24, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Trump’s vanity battleships may well be another fantasy. But even a false start will divert scarce shipbuilding resources and further erode chances of US improving Virginia-class sub build rate to allow transfers to Aust. #AUKUS looking even worse. #auspol
Trump’s proposed battleships might look impressive on paper. But building them won’t be easy – or cheap | CNN
US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a new class of battleships bearing his name puts a fresh spotlight on a US naval shipbuilding program that has fallen short on delivering the new warships o...
www.cnn.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:48 AM
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is using the awful events at Bondi to justify delaying a response to a gambling related #FOI. Really? FOI officials and gaming policy advisors are on the front line of the nation’s terrorism response? Or just shabby opportunism? #auspol
December 23, 2025 at 10:14 PM
And the biggest compo payout for #Robodebt goes to … Scott Morrison! #FOI #auspol
And the biggest compo payout for Robodebt victims is ... Scott Morrison! - Michael West
Compare Robodebt victims' compo to the quantum of Scott Morrison's publicly funded legal fees. It's shameful, reports Rex Patrick.
michaelwest.com.au
December 23, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Gas reservation on new gas only🤦‍♂️! A 0% domestic reserve on massive amounts of existing gas and a 25% reserve on tiny amounts of new gas won’t do anything for electricity prices. A big win for the gas cartel. A massive loss for Aussies. #fail #auspol
Government announces domestic gas reservation scheme in bid to lower costs
Chris Bowen makes a long-anticipated announcement about reserving a portion of gas on the east coast for domestic use after a cabinet meeting.
www.abc.net.au
December 22, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Richard Marles just loves his private jets - so befitting a man of his importance. After a secrecy blanket was wrapped over these taxpayer funded flights, he’s been free to indulge with no scrutiny. Except the ‘security risk’ excuse has failed in the face of #FOI. #auspol
December 21, 2025 at 9:03 PM
When your child’s school is lacking essential resources or you’re stuck in a hospital waiting room, think of our ‘entitled’ pollies jetting about in taxpayer funded RAAF 737s, instead of flying commercial. #auspol
December 21, 2025 at 8:58 PM
On #TravelRorts. Newly released #FOI docs show Defence Minister Richard Marles flying Avalon-Canberra in an otherwise empty RAAF 737 VIP flight. On a 2nd 737 flight he flies Canberra-Avalon with just 3 others. Pity the taxpayer.🤦‍♂️ #SenseOfEntitlement #auspol
RAAF, or Richard Marles' Airways? The Defence Minister's flight of fancy - Michael West
Parliamentary expenses. Defence Minister Richard Marles is using an Air Force 737 as his own private jet. Rex Patrick reports.
michaelwest.com.au
December 20, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Two truths about submarines. 1) Small non-nuclear subs will outperform large nuclear subs in shallow water. 2) Modern affordable conventional subs that can be delivered will outperform costly nuclear subs that never get delivered. #AUKUS #auspol
Shallow Waters, Big Lessons: What the Falklands War Reveals About Submarine Warfare
In the midst of the Falklands War, British sailors hunting for ARA San Luis launched ordnance at the sonar and radar signals of whales, wrecks, and even
warontherocks.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:11 PM
This morning’s #WorkFromRoam office. West Wyalong, northern Riverina region of NSW, ‘Rise and Grind’ coffee.
December 18, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Snowy Hydro is 100% taxpayer owned. Its $2B … no $6B … no $12B … no, more … ‘Snowy 2.0’ project is 100% taxpayer funded. But the taxpayer is NOT allowed to see monthly project reports. Serious legal minds are now challenging this secrecy. #FOI #auspol
"Transparency warrior" goes to court over Snowy 2.0 costings
Legal efforts to investigate the cost overruns that have beset the Snowy 2.0 hydro project have been redoubled in federal court. Former senator and self-styled...
www.energynewsbulletin.net
December 17, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Hey @jimchalmers.bsky.social. Why not focus on #AUKUS spending and switch away from an unaffordable ‘best’ submarine capability that won’t be delivered to an affordable ‘adequate’ submarine capability that will be delivered? #auspol
December 16, 2025 at 10:25 PM
More and more Aussies are voting independent. The response from the major parties has NOT been to ‘be and do better’, rather to rig electoral laws to favour them. It’s undemocratic! @zoedaniel.bsky.social and I are asking the High Court to strike out those laws. #auspol
Former independents launch high court challenge to electoral laws they say favour Labor and Coalition
Contentious changes to fundraising rules will keep politics a ‘cosy table’ for major parties, Zoe Daniel and Rex Patrick say
www.theguardian.com
December 15, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Electoral laws passed by the duopoly earlier this year create an uneven playing field at elections, in their favour. They undermine your voting choice and our democracy. @zoedaniel.bsky.social and I are challenging the laws in the High Court. #unconstitutional #auspol
High Court fight over laws said to entrench ‘cosy table for two’
Former independent MPs Zoe Daniel and Rex Patrick are spearheading a challenge to Albanese government donation reforms which they say entrench the dominance of major parties.
www.smh.com.au
December 14, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Time of reflection.

Sun-up, Murray River, Renmark, South Australia.
December 13, 2025 at 7:36 PM
“We can’t tinker and dither.”

Maybe it’s a good thing @australianlabor.bsky.social factional forces ousted Ed Husic from the ministry. With the shackles of Cabinet solidarity lifted, he’s speaking some common sense on gas. #auspol
Courage needed on gas policy
ANALYSIS: “We need better local gas pricing For Australia, that means doing something hitherto unthought of: telling multinationals that the cost of doing business here is to provide better prices for...
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au
December 12, 2025 at 10:19 PM
In the same week the US released a new National Security Strategy which declared “the affairs of other countries are our concern only if their activities directly threaten our interests”, @RichardMarlesMP declared “full steam ahead” on #AUKUS 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️. #juxtaposition #auspol
December 12, 2025 at 9:50 PM
It’s really disappointing that some of our politicians lack judgement or a sense of ‘show the way’. Travel rules that were designed to be flexible must now be tightened significantly, and even wound back. @albomp.bsky.social needs to act. #SnoutsInTheTrough #auspol
Forget "the rules", pollies should get their snouts out of the travel trough - Michael West
The latest travel expensive outrage reveals how major party politicians hide behind "independent rules" while rorting the system.
michaelwest.com.au
December 12, 2025 at 9:27 PM
A fundamental quality needed to be a politician is judgement. A fundamental role of a politician is to ‘show the way’. Taking advantage of flexible travel rules for private benefit demonstrates neither. #auspol
Anthony Albanese sidesteps calls for reform amid growing community anger over MP travel perks
The federal opposition and crossbenchers have backed a review of expenses spending rules
www.theguardian.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:11 PM
60,000 Australian Fly-In-Fly-Out workers might look at politicians’ family reunion entitlements and wonder. So too might taxpayers. 1/2 #auspol
December 10, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Question: Which top bureaucrat spent the most on travel?
Answer: Australian Submarine Agency boss Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, who in 2024-25 spent $143,068 on flights and accomodation. #AUKUS gravy train. #auspol
Which top bureaucrat spent the most on flights?
Find out which bosses billed taxpayers the most this year.
www.canberratimes.com.au
December 9, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Richard Marles gives us the new version of “All the way with LBJ.” #auspol
December 8, 2025 at 9:18 PM
“Full steam ahead” on #AUKUS rhetoric. “Full steam ahead” on the transfer of another $1B of Australian taxpayers’ dollars to US industry. Too bad the US Virginia submarine build rate is stuck at 1 per annum, nowhere near enough to meet the US Navy’s needs, let alone ours. #auspol
December 8, 2025 at 8:09 PM
The former head of nuclear policy at the UK MoD, Rear Admiral Philip Mathias, calls out the “catastrophic” state of British nuclear submarine procurement & sustainment and calls for #AUKUS to be “cancelled now”. What’s your response Richard Marles? #auspol
UK 'incapable' of maintaining nuclear submarines as expert issues brutal verdict
Rear Admiral Philip Mathias has criticised the state of the Royal Navy's naval submarine programme, labelling it as "not fit for purpose."
www.express.co.uk
December 7, 2025 at 9:40 PM
As sure as day follows night, the gas cartel is rolling out its spin campaign to avoid a retrospective gas reservation scheme. But let’s hope their day of reckoning is upon them. Australians first - it’s OUR gas! Go hard @albomp.bsky.social! #auspol
December 7, 2025 at 8:35 PM