AAP FactCheck Articles

Claim that drought-affected farmers get less in government assistance than Manus Island detainees is false

A class action on behalf of Manus Island detainees was brought against the Australian government and two subcontracted service providers in the Victorian Supreme Court in 2017. The class action claimed detainees were illegally detained and kept in conditions that did not meet Australian standards.

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Is Australia the only OECD country that does not use nuclear power?

“We are the only OECD country that doesn’t utilise this type of technology (nuclear power).” Federal Liberal National Party MP Keith Pitt. August 7, 2019.

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Einstein quote that technology will create idiots is false

A Facebook post attributes Albert Einstein with the quote: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots”

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Is only 12 per cent of plastic waste recycled in Australia?

“Twelve per cent of our plastics are recycled in this country. I think we’re breaking the faith with Australia.” Prime Minister Scott Morrison. August 2, 2019.

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Claim about pensioners living in poverty is inaccurate

The link in the caption is for the OECD’s Pensions at a Glance 2015 report which analyses a number of statistics, including on page 171 of the report, the proportion of over 65s living in relative poverty .

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Claim there have been zero Jewish and Christian terrorist attacks since 9/11 is false

The image posted by Fair Dinkum Mate 2 does not include a source for its figures on the number of Jewish, Christian and Islamic terrorist attacks since September 11, 2001.

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Giant huntsman spider image is a fake

A Facebook post claimed a 32cm huntsman spider had been captured in the town of Hotham, east of Darwin.

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Do mass shootings occur more often in France, Switzerland and Finland than in the United States?

Pauline Hanson claims that mass shootings happen more often in France, Switzerland and Finland than in the United States.

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Henry Kissinger’s claim about using vaccinations for social and population control is false

A Facebook post containing a quote about using vaccinations to control the population was falsely attributed to former US Secretary of State Dr Henry Kissinger.

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Julie Bishop never said Aboriginal culture shouldn't be taught in schools

The text in the body of the article does not include the quote attributed to Ms Bishop on her picture posted on Facebook.

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Claim doctors were murdered over cancer-vaccine discovery is fake

A Facebook post claims to show a research team who were murdered after discovering cancer enzymes in vaccines.

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"Can you hear me" phone scam is fake

AAP FactCheck could not find a source for the original print story pictured in the Facebook post, but found a similar story in the Queensland newspaper the Sunshine Coast Daily on page five of the April 28, 2017 edition.

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Have debt recovery notices been issued in flood-affected Townsville despite federal government assurances they haven’t?

“Let me say at present under the income compliance program, no victims in the four postcodes around Townsville have received a debt notice." Government Services Minister Stuart Robert. July 30, 2019.

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"Be happy" quote attributed to Shakespeare is fake

Tiffany Stern, Professor of Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama at the University of Birmingham, advised AAP FactCheck the quote had “nothing in common with Shakespeare ... and is not even a parody of the way he wrote”.

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Bill Murray did not tell parents to teach kids about tax by eating 30 per cent of their ice-cream

US actor Bill Murray has starred in a number of high profile films, including Ghostbusters I and II (1984 and 1989), Groundhog Day (1993), Rushmore (1998) and Lost in Translation (2003), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

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Image of giant whales swimming under a Malaysian bridge is fake

AAP FactCheck analysed the image and found the bridge in the picture was the Sungai Johor Bridge in Malaysia. The bridge is 1.7 kilometres long and is part of the Senai Desaru Expressway which connects the towns of Senai and Desaru across the Johor River in the south of Malaysia.

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Did UK activist Raheem Kassam describe the Koran as ‘fundamentally evil’ and Islam as a ‘fascistic ideology?

“He has described the Koran, the holy book of the Islam faith, he has described it as quote ‘fundamentally evil’. He has described Islam as a ‘fascistic ideology’.” Kristina Keneally, Labor's Home Affairs spokesperson. July 31, 2019.

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Fake Che Guevara image depicts student guerilla theatre

Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara was a prominent communist figure in the 1956 -1959 Cuban Revolution who acted as an executioner (or ordered the execution) of suspected traitors and deserters.

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Immigration quote attributed to Prime Minister Barton is by US President Theodore Roosevelt

Edmund Barton was Australian prime minister from federation in 1901 until he resigned in 1903 to become a High Court judge, a position he held until his death in 1920. During his term as prime minister Sir Edmund also served as External Affairs Minister, responsible for foreign policy and immigration.

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Sydney Roosters rugby league club is not the world’s second most valuable sports team

American business magazine Forbes publishes an annual list of the world’s top 50 most valuable sports teams based on profits before “earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization”. It published its latest list on July 22, 2019.

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