This week marks 10 years of Fact Check at the ABC and the 600 verdicts offer an insight into our political system, writes RMIT ABC Fact Check's Matt Martino.

The claim in question is about Australia’s debt being the highest it’s ever been. In fact, it was much, much higher during WW2. That said, the claim becomes true if you restrict it to the time since the late 1950s after the WW2 debt was paid off.

  • ZagorathOPEnglish
    10·
    11 months ago

    More interesting than the headline, I think, are figures on how often each politician or political party has been found to lie vs tell the truth. Notwithstanding the fact that the data faces selection bias in terms of what the ABC actually deems worthy of fact checking, Malcolm Turnbull was found to be the Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition to have lied the least since 2013, by a pretty significant margin.

    In terms of cabinet ministers, Jim Chalmers lies the least and Christian Porter the most, both by a pretty wide margin.

    The Greens, as well as non-politicians, fared by far the best in terms of honesty, with One Nation and Palmer’s party bringing up the rear. “Other minor parties and independents” were worse than the two majors, but better than ON.