This week on Media Blindspot we bring you three stories the mainstream media would rather not touch. Cabinet Secrecy Expansion – The Albanese Government wants to make it harder, slower, and now more expensive to access public information. Routine briefs and consultant reports can be buried for 20 years, anonymous requests are banned, and yes — they even want you to pay for FOI requests. Transparency, now paywalled. The Gold Coast Antisemitism Summit – While Gaza burns, the Deputy PM fronted a luxury Israel lobby summit on the Gold Coast. Out came a booklet branding everything from swastikas to… watermelons… as antisemitic symbols. The summit also launched a sweeping national plan that stretches into schools, universities, arts funding, and even visas. The Coal Whistleblower – Justin Williams uncovered coal test fraud worth hundreds of millions. Instead of being heard in court, he was shut out, while the directors he accused walked away with $3.6 million in legal costs paid by taxpayers. Meanwhile, miners on the ground are still being ripped off through labour hire loopholes. Secrecy, spectacle, and systemic rot. The cameras may turn away, but we don’t. All stories can be read on the website michaelwest.com.au patreon.com/thewestreport. #FOI #antisemitism #coal #wages 00:00: Intro 00:44: Story 1 – Labor’s FOI changes 02:30: Story 2 – The GC antisemitism summit 05:25: Story 3 – Coal whistleblower and the wage swindle 07:09: Support our journalism Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

This week we dive into Labor’s assault on transparency with their FOI amendment bill a so-called “reform” that actually makes it harder for Australians to access public information. While Albo once promised openness, his government is now moving in the opposite direction. We also look at the Gold Coast’s anti-Semitism summit, where councils were fed a new “hate symbols” guide that could see watermelon earrings or a Free Palestine T-shirt reported to police. Meanwhile, the property lobby rolled out its usual line blaming “supply” for skyrocketing prices, while ignoring negative gearing and tax perks. And who takes home Scam of the Week? Attorney-General Michelle Rowland, for defending FOI restrictions with the bizarre claim that criminals and foreign actors are just itching to file freedom of information requests. #scamoftheweek #auspol All this and more, on The West Report. 👉 100% funded by you, the viewers. No ads, no corporate money. Support us here: patreon.com/thewestreport 00:00: Rex Patrick vs FOI “Reform” 02:00: Labor’s Transparency Crackdown 04:20: Gold Coast Anti-Semitism Summit 06:30: Property Lobby Blame Game 08:50: SOTW Winner Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Billionaires like Gina Rinehart, Rupert Murdoch, Gautam Adani and Clive Palmer continue to shape Australia’s climate policy from behind the scenes. While governments scrap renewable projects and hand out royalty holidays to coal giants, corporate media fuels the narrative that clean energy will devastate farmers and communities. This episode of The West Report exposes how lobbying power, political capture and propaganda keep the country locked into fossil fuels despite cheaper, cleaner renewable alternatives. The Government of Queensland is really backsliding #auspol #fossilfuels #climatechange Support Us here https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Support Us here https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Let's call our first AUKUS submarine the HMAS Donald J Trump! A deadset brainwave by the Lowy Institute this week. And nobody, not a one, can figure out why the Coalition is still tumbling into oblivion in the polls when they have such noble ideas like defending the honour of 'war hero' Benjamin Netanyahu from the Hamas Labor Government. #chevron #australianpolitics #gaza #auspol #aukus #productivity #economy #donaldtrump #israel You decide. Watch, share, and let us know your pick for Scam of the Week. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Big Tech wants a free ride. The Productivity Commission is floating reforms to copyright law that would let tech giants mine Australian creative works songs, stories, journalism without permission or payment. It’s the latest push in a global land grab where public creativity is scraped into private profit. But while Silicon Valley protects its own source code and algorithms, it’s our work that gets plundered. Who benefits, and who pays the price? Watch as we break down the politics, the lobbying, and the stakes for Australia’s artists, authors, and journalists. 👉 Support independent journalism at patreon.com/thewestreport Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

This week’s Scam of the Week goes to the mainstream media, with the Sydney Morning Herald leading the charge. Albo recognises Palestine, and within hours, the Herald runs an “exclusive” claiming Hamas praised his courage. The problem? Their star source, Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, has been locked in an Israeli prison for two years. Yet somehow, they had a fresh interview drop right on deadline. Cue the headlines: Hero of Hamas, Hamas loves Albo, Australia has fallen. The press gallery and political class took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. Social media was fast to fact-check the propaganda-fest. We break down how the story was planted, rewritten, quietly re-edited, and parroted across the country with politicians piling in, again — another political hit job dressed up as journalism. This is why independent media matters. 👉 Watch, share, and support us on Patreon if you can. Support Us here https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

It’s the Jim Chalmers Productivity Show - a big summit on next week but don't expect too much. The fix is in. #auspol #TheWestReport #Productivity #JimChalmers #NegativeGearing #CapitalGains #ShareBuybacks #politics #rba Support Us here https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Over the weekend, 200,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in solidarity with Palestine. But in Newcastle, a peaceful charity gig raising money for food aid in Gaza was quietly shut down. Make Some Noise – Stand for Palestine was meant to be a night of music, community, and solidarity. Instead, the venue pulled out the day before after police warned of “credible threats” online. No arrests. No charges. Just enough pressure to cancel a fundraiser for starving kids. In this interview, we speak with one of the organisers to find out what really happened, why the event was cancelled, and what it says about protest, policing, and Palestine in Australia. Support Us here https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

This week’s Scam of the Week goes to Andrew Hastie, the man “sick and tired” of peace protesters but never sick and tired of defending war crimes. From the Harbour Bridge to the halls of Parliament, Hastie and his political mates lined up to smear Australians calling for a ceasefire, parroting the talking points of a foreign lobby. While children in Gaza are maimed and starved, the Zionist Federation drags dissenters into court with their charity status and taxpayer subsidies. We look at the Gold Coast junket designed to court local councils, the public money funding these lobby efforts, and the revolving door that lets disgraced consultancies like PwC waltz back into lucrative government contracts. This is not just politics, it is a racket. Support independent journalism so we can keep calling it out at patreon.com/thewestreport Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Australians are being priced out of protection While insurance companies rake in record profits, hundreds of thousands of households can no longer afford basic coverage, some quoted $30,000 a year just to insure their homes In this investigation, we break down how privatisation gutted public insurance, how flood and fire survivors are left stranded, and why there’s been no serious inquiry into an industry set to collapse under the weight of climate disasters We also reveal the billion dollar terrorism levy quietly sitting in the federal budget, untouched and unexplained Watch the full breakdown and tell us, who really benefits when disaster strikes? Support Us here https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.