RPRex Patrick

1. Article · Aug 31, 2026 · Rex Patrick

   This excuse is used to prevent your access to information. It's complete nonsense (opens the original)

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   If you like this article, share it with your friends. A public servant may “chill”, i.e. water down or hold back, their advice to a minister because it might be disclosed in a freedom of information request. Or so the argument goes, with FOI decision-makers regularly rolling out this so-called “chilling” excuse to justify withholding information from the public. We saw this in Rick Morton’s recent exclusive for Crikey regarding the $8 million “Meals on Wheels” scandal, with Anika Wells — then ag

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2. Article · Jul 14, 2026 · Rex Patrick

   Defence has bungled its disastrous $1.9bn munitions contract with Thales. What hope does AUKUS have? (opens the original)

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   If you like this article, share it with your friends. In 2020, the Australian government signed a 10-year $1.2 billion contract with Thales — a partially French state-owned defence company — to operate two Commonwealth-owned factories to domestically produce guided weapons, explosive ordnance and other munitions for the Australian Defence Force. As Bernard Keane wrote for Crikey in 2024, this billion-dollar contract was awarded after a tender process that only included Thales as a bidder, and fo

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