Facts Fight Back is an initiative of The Australia Institute, a Canberra-based public policy think tank, which conducts research on a broad range of economic, social and environmental issues.
While politicians should be free to make their case for what the big issues are and why their policies are best at tackling them, they should not be free to make up their own facts. Voters must be trusted to weigh their own priorities, but they cannot be expected to check the truthfulness of everything they hear.
For political debate to strengthen our democracy the political cost of deception needs to be far higher than any political advantage that flows from fabricating the facts.
Facts Fight Back will provide a timely and accessible source of information to help voters, journalists and the politicians themselves keep track of who is playing loose with the truth.
Fantastic idea, I hope it gets into the social media and gets as much coverage as it deserves.
Thank God!!
I am very disappointed with the Politics of today. I am finding it very difficult to believe either of the leaders of the two main parties in what they say and putting K. Rudd back as leader has totally lost me as a Labor voter. Lets hope that your website can bring some sense back into voting at the election this year. The last 3 years have been an absolute shambles and I do not believe that Rudd or Abbott can be trusted. Both men need to be made to be accountable for their policies.
Great resource. I’m interested in the people behind your organisation. What are the researchers’ backgrounds and how is the organisation funded?
An excellent and necessary initiative which exposes the failure of the mass media to work more with facts and context – instead of ideology and opinion.
Where can I find information about where The Australian Institute receives its funding from? I’d be nice to have it readily available in your about section.
I see that:
“The Australia Institute is wholly independent from government, business and party politics. We therefore rely on the generosity of our donors to fund our research.”
But, I’m wondering if there is any other information available?
For more information please see The Australia Institute website (http://www.tai.org.au/node/1).
An essential public aide at a time when way too many vested interests think they’re entitled to promote their own opinions and interests as facts.
Any democracy is only as good as its public education and information systems.
Just wondering of you take contributions from external sources. See out media release section for example (http://www.taxpayer.com.au/Media/Media-Releases)