● THE INFLATION RORT: Four rises in 2026 ♦ GAS REVENUE FOREGONE: A$537 A SECOND SINCE 1 JULY 2022 ♦ THE INFLATION RORT: Above the 0.25 ♦ THE REPORTING RORT: The fifth system ♦ THE AIRLINE RORT: ONGOING · UNRESOLVED · 8 INVESTIGATIONS ♦ THE CARTEL SWITCH: ONGOING · UNRESOLVED · 1 INVESTIGATIONS ♦ THE COMPLIANCE MACHINE: ONGOING · UNRESOLVED · 1 INVESTIGATIONS ♦ 105 ENTITIES TRACKED · 101 INVESTIGATIONS · 0 STRUCTURAL BREAK-UPS ♦ THE SURCHARGE RORT: The cost the Tax Office won’t wear ♦ THE SURCHARGE RORT: A line off the receipt

THE RORT · THE WATCHFLOOR · WHAT IS BEING TAKENTRACKING · RIGHT NOW

The Watchfloor · Latest drop · 29/09/2026

Four rises in 2026

On 29 September 2026 the Reserve Bank raised the cash rate to 4.60 per cent, unanimously: its fourth rise this year and the highest rate since 2011. Its reasons put a war and oil prices first. Its answer is to keep demand “subdued for a period”. This is the…

The Inflation Rort · Ongoing · four rises in 2026Read the investigation →

Fig. 01 /What The Inflation Rort turns on6 of 8 on file

0.25NAB’s variable home loan rise from 9 October 2026, the same as the Reserve Bank’s rise in the cash rate. Neither NAB’s release nor its customer notice states a larger rise for any home loan.NAB release and customer notice, 30 September 2026 4.60%Cash rate target from 30 September 2026: the fourth rise of 2026 and the highest since late 2011. The four 2026 rises total 100 basis points from 3.60 per cent. The decision was unanimous.RBA cash rate table; RBA Media Release 2026-27, 29 September 2026 0.8 pointsFuel's contribution to March 2026's 4.6 per cent headline inflation, on the Reserve Bank's own split. Inflation was already 3.7 per cent in February, before the war began on 28 February…RBA SMP May 2026; ABS CPI, 29 April 2026; IEA Oil Market Report, March 2026; RBA media conference, 5 May 2026 67%of supermarket grocery sales controlled by Woolworths and Coles, in a sector the ACCC describes as ‘oligopolistic’ with ‘limited incentive to compete vigorously on price.’ EBIT margins…ACCC Supermarkets Inquiry final report, March 2025 ‘Better suited’The government’s own 2026-27 Budget: fiscal policy is better suited than monetary policy to respond to supply shocks, such as the global oil shock. The RBA’s 29 September reasons put the…Budget Paper No. 1, Statement 3, 12 May 2026; RBA Media Release 2026-27; IMF WEO Update, July 2026 5 votes to 4The March 2026 rise passed by one vote. Votes are published the same afternoon, unattributed, and the Minutes attribute no votes, so how any member voted is not known. The four in the…RBA Media Release 2026-08; RBA Minutes, 16 and 17 March 2026

Fig. 01Source: case file · inflation-rort · 8 sourced exhibits on file, 6 shownAs of 2026‑10‑04Auto-assembled

Fig. 02 / Open cases

5 on THE PATCH →All 20 on the docket →

Two other cases with an article dated October 2026, in the archive’s own order.

Open cases

282

Sourced exhibits

101

Investigations

Case 14CORPORATEThe Reporting Rort6 duties, 1 empty rowThe ledger this article builds runs from a Centrelink recipient's…17 exhibits in 4 articles Case 19POLITICSThe Surcharge Rort$1.6 billionCard surcharges the RBA estimates consumers paid in 2024/25 on the…7 exhibits in 2 articles

Fig. 02Source: case register · latest article date per case · 2 of 2, in the archive’s orderAs of 2026‑10‑04Auto-assembled

Fig. 03 /Gas revenue foregone, counted liveLive · modelled rate

A$537 a second

A fixed A$537 a second since 1 July 2022, so the total rises in a straight line. A modelled rate, not a measured series.

The counter on THE DRAIN →

1 July 2022Now

Fig. 03Source: Punter's Politics / Rort tracking, since 1 Jul 2022As of 2026‑07‑06Hand-curated

Fig. 04 / Every open case and what it turns on, in the archive’s own order

№CaseWhat it turns onEvidence

01The Airline RortCASE FILE · CORPORATE~5,000 membersThe Qantas Chairman's Lounge includes approximately 90 per cent of federal parliamentarians…24exhibits 02The Cartel SwitchCASE FILE · CORPORATE13 daysBill s1493 originated in the Senate, portfolio Treasury. It was introduced and read a first…6exhibits 03The Compliance MachineCASE FILE · POLITICSSection 6A"Under s 6A of the SSA Act, DEWR's secretary may arrange for the use of computer programs to…7exhibits 04The Consultancy RortCASE FILE · GOVERNMENTA$968.6mTotal federal consultancy contracts in 2024-25, up about 48 per cent on the prior year's A$653m…6exhibits 05The Gambling RortCASE FILE · POLITICS$0Dollar figures in the explanatory memorandum for the levy that funds the register: none. The…6exhibits 06Australia's Gas HeistCASE FILE · RESOURCESA$66 billionApproximate value of Australian LNG exports in the financial year just ended.65exhibits 07The Inflation RortCASE FILE · CORPORATE0.25NAB’s variable home loan rise from 9 October 2026, the same as the Reserve Bank’s rise in the…18exhibits 08Media OwnershipCASE FILE · MEDIAA$13.27Min costs ordered against ACE alone. Stokes used his private company to bankroll a defamation…9exhibits 09The Nature RortCASE FILE · ENVIRONMENT2 projects · 0 certificatesThe Nature Repair Market has two registered projects, both in NSW under the Replanting Method…9exhibits 10The Pork BarrelCASE FILE · POLITICSA$5The cost of two years’ social membership at Marrickville Golf Club, as Albanese stated it in…3exhibits 11The Prison Contract RortCASE FILE · JUSTICE$500,000The charge to the operator for an unnatural death in custody, as the 2022 report states it…6exhibits 12The Privacy RortCASE FILE · CORPORATE58 and 57 monthsHow long the Optus White Pages investigation and the Meta case each ran, on this article’s…9exhibits 13RandwickCASE FILE · LOCAL · EASTERN SYDNEYApproximately $950,000Clause (a)(i) of resolution 199/26 notes a community infrastructure contribution of…11exhibits 14The Reporting RortCASE FILE · CORPORATE6 duties, 1 empty rowThe ledger this article builds runs from a Centrelink recipient's fourteen days to an AI…17exhibits 15The Roads RortCASE FILE · CORPORATE10–20 cents/litrethe difference between the cycle peak and the cycle trough in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and…11exhibits 16ShellharbourCASE FILE · LOCAL · ILLAWARRA6 to 3On 25 March 2025, Shellharbour City Council resolved to expand its CEO review panel from four…7exhibits 17The SmearCASE FILE · POLITICSEightThe number of times the cartoon calls Andrew Hastie a “traitor”. It also calls him a “gutless…2exhibits 18The Suppression RortCASE FILE · JUSTICE3 August 2026The Monday on which Carr's legal team abandoned the application to extend his suppression…9exhibits 19The Surcharge RortCASE FILE · POLITICS$1.6 billionCard surcharges the RBA estimates consumers paid in 2024/25 on the eftpos, Mastercard and Visa…7exhibits 20The Surveillance RortCASE FILE · JUSTICE27 June 2026The date from which age assurance for logged-in Google and Bing users has been in force in…12exhibits 21The BypassTHE PATCH · THE THROUGHLINE3 of 5 seatsThe Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel, which determines development applications above A$30…5exhibits 22The Triple Zero RortCASE FILE · CORPORATE605 numbers, 150 throughBy Optus's own count: 605 service numbers tried to reach Triple Zero during the outage; 150 got…7exhibits 23The War TradeCASE FILE · POLITICSNo majorityThe Senate Select Committee into the taxation of Australia's gas resources tabled its report on…11exhibits 24WaverleyCASE FILE · LOCAL · EASTERN SYDNEYA$250 millionThe Orosi four-site assembly at Rose Bay, reported at approximately A$250 million, was approved…7exhibits 25WollongongCASE FILE · LOCAL · ILLAWARRACommunity to operationalReclassification is the statutory precondition to disposal under the Local Government Act 1993…8exhibits

Not all of it is money. A date an obligation quietly took force, a vote that rezoned a suburb, a certificate never issued, a threshold lowered while nobody was reading. Each one is read from a filing, a regulator's own words or a court record, and each is counted here the same as a dollar.

Fig. 04Source: case register · lead exhibit sourced per case file · unrankedAs of 2026‑10‑04Auto-assembled

THE RORT · THE WATCHFLOOR · SITUATION BOARDTRACKING · RIGHT NOW

Fig. 05 / The live floor · latest drops across the model

EVIDENCE /Also on the model, behind the lead

24Above the 0.25THE INFLATION RORT · 04/10/2026→04The fifth systemTHE REPORTING RORT · 03/10/2026→02The cost the Tax Office won’t wearTHE SURCHARGE RORT · 03/10/2026→18Seven votes for a gas export tax, all lostTHE INFLATION RORT · 29/09/2026→16Is it the only way?THE INFLATION RORT · 29/09/2026→15What the Reserve Bank pays the banksTHE INFLATION RORT · 29/09/2026→14The savers’ shareTHE INFLATION RORT · 29/09/2026→13Are corporations untouched?THE INFLATION RORT · 29/09/2026→

TARGET /Priority node

The ACCC

The most tracked node on the board: it surfaces across more of the model than any other name.

Investigations citing it

Power topics it spans

OPEN DOSSIER →

WIRE /On the wire

◆GAMBLING AD REGISTER: THE BOOKMAKERS FUND IT, YOU FILL IT IN

◆AGE ASSURANCE FOR LOGGED-IN GOOGLE AND BING USERS IN FORCE SINCE 27 JUNE

◆NATURE REPAIR MARKET: ONE REGISTERED PROJECT, NO CERTIFICATES ISSUED

◆SHELLHARBOUR EXPANDED ITS CEO REVIEW PANEL SIX VOTES TO THREE

◆WOLLONGONG: COMMUNITY LAND RECLASSIFIED TO OPERATIONAL

◆NEGATIVE GEARING COSTS TAXPAYERS $6B PER YEAR

Fig. 05Source: model.json · latest drops, most recent firstAs of 2026‑10‑04Auto-assembled

Fig. 06 / Citation reach

Who the archive keeps returning to, and where its articles are filed.

The ACCC leads the model · 30 citations, the most of any nameOpen dossier →

Fig. 06Source: entity index · appearance counts read from the archive; case register · articles per caseAs of 2026‑10‑04Auto-assembled

Fig. 07 / The register · every name the model tracks

◆ Every name the model tracks, grouped by its part in the machine105 accounted for

Companies33

WoodsideCompany · gas17cited SantosCompany · gas15cited ChevronCompany · gas11cited ShellCompany · gas10cited QantasCompany · aviation10cited ColesCompany · supermarkets10cited WoolworthsCompany · supermarkets10cited INPEXCompany · gas10cited TransurbanCompany · toll roads9cited News CorpCompany · media8cited NineCompany · media8cited Sydney AirportCompany · infrastructure8cited GoogleActor · platform5cited OptusCompany · telecommunications5cited Seven West MediaCompany · media5cited American ExpressCompany · payments4cited OpenAICompany · AI4cited MetaActor · platform3cited MedibankCompany · health insurance3cited Australian Clinical LabsCompany · pathology3cited Virgin AustraliaCompany · aviation3cited Hancock ProspectingCompany3cited TelstraCompany · telecommunications2cited Trump MediaCompany · Trump Media & Technology Group2cited PolymarketPlatform · prediction market2cited VisaCompany · payments2cited MastercardCompany · payments2cited eftposCompany · payments2cited Nous GroupCompany · consultancy1cited McGrathNicolCompany · consultancy1cited MTC AustraliaActor · operator1cited World Liberty FinancialCompany · crypto venture1cited pay.com.auCompany · payments1cited

Lobbies5

Australian Banking AssociationLobby · banking industry group7cited ACCILobby · business peak body3cited The Chairman's LoungeMechanism · lobbying3cited Responsible Wagering AustraliaLobby · online wagering2cited COSBOALobby · small business peak body2cited

Mechanisms24

The PRRTMechanism · tax20cited The Revolving DoorMechanism13cited The Democratic BypassMechanism8cited Offshore DecommissioningMechanism · liability8cited The Housing SEPPPlanning instrument7cited Deemed RefusalMechanism7cited Voluntary Planning AgreementsMechanism6cited Duopoly & ConcentrationMechanism5cited Regulatory CaptureMechanism4cited Metadata RetentionMechanism · surveillance3cited Suppression OrdersMechanism · courts3cited The Big FourMechanism · consultancy2cited Sunset ClausesMechanism · safeguard theatre2cited Digital IDMechanism · identity2cited The exceptional circumstances declarationMechanism · statutory switch2cited Interchange feesMechanism · card fees2cited Negative GearingMechanism · tax2cited The Nature Repair MarketMechanism · market2cited BetStopMechanism · self-exclusion1cited The Opt-Out RegisterMechanism · default settings1cited Charge EventsMechanism · contract1cited Targeted Compliance FrameworkMechanism · compliance1cited The News Bargaining IncentiveMechanism · levy1cited MLCIProgram · Major and Local Community Infrastructure program, A$560 million, invitation only1cited

Regulators & bodies11

The ACCCFederal regulator30cited The RBAFederal regulator22cited The OAICFederal regulator5cited The ACMAFederal regulator4cited NOPSEMAFederal regulator3cited CFTCRegulator · US Commodity Futures Trading Commission3cited Cyber Security NSWActor · body3cited The eSafety CommissionerFederal regulator2cited Commonwealth OmbudsmanActor · watchdog2cited The INSLMFederal watchdog1cited The Inspector of Custodial ServicesActor · oversight1cited

Agencies & departments8

The ATOActor · agency7cited Services AustraliaActor · agency6cited PM&CActor · department6cited The ASDActor · agency4cited NPWSActor · agency3cited Corrective Services NSWActor · agency1cited DEWRActor · department1cited NSW DCCEEWActor · department1cited

Councils & panels5

Randwick City CouncilLocal council6cited Sydney Eastern City Planning PanelState planning panel5cited Wollongong City CouncilLocal council4cited Waverley CouncilLocal council4cited Shellharbour City CouncilLocal council3cited

Courts1

The Land and Environment CourtCourt7cited

Police2

Victoria PoliceState police force3cited NSW PoliceState police force3cited

Parties & organisations2

One NationPolitical party7cited Marrickville Golf ClubOrganisation1cited

People14

Anthony AlbanesePerson · politician22cited Jim ChalmersPerson · Treasurer12cited Donald TrumpPerson · US President7cited Barnaby JoycePerson · One Nation MP for New England6cited Kerry StokesPerson · magnate6cited Bridget McKenziePerson · Shadow Infrastructure Minister, resigned as sports minister in 20204cited Ben Roberts-SmithPerson · former SAS soldier, Victoria Cross recipient4cited Jacqui LambiePerson · Senator for Tasmania, Army veteran3cited Alan JoycePerson · executive3cited Andrew HastiePerson · Liberal MP for Canning, WA3cited Gina RinehartPerson · executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting2cited Pauline HansonPerson · Senator, One Nation leader2cited Pete HegsethPerson · US defence secretary, styled Secretary of War1cited Steve WitkoffPerson · US special envoy and Iran negotiator1cited

Fig. 07Source: entities.index.json · grouped by part in the machineAs of 2026‑10‑04Auto-assembled

Exhibits on this page7 figures

Fig. 01What The Inflation Rort turns on, in the units its own documents usecase file · inflation-rort · 8 sourced exhibits on file, 6 shown
Fig. 02Open casescase register · latest article date per case · 2 of 2, in the archive’s order
Fig. 03Gas revenue foregone, counted livePunter's Politics / Rort tracking, since 1 Jul 2022
Fig. 04Every open case and what it turns on, in the archive’s own ordercase register · lead exhibit sourced per case file · unranked
Fig. 05The live floor · latest drops across the modelmodel.json · latest drops, most recent first
Fig. 06Citation reachentity index · appearance counts read from the archive; case register · articles per case
Fig. 07The register · every name the model tracksentities.index.json · grouped by part in the machine

An exhibit is anything this page asks you to believe — a chart, a map, a chain of decisions, a register of names. Each is citable by its number and the surface it sits on. Not every rort is denominated in dollars.