Rex Patrick

I now conclude my time as a Senator in the Federal Parliament. It’s been such a privilege to represent South Australia. Unconstrained by party lines, I never held back and I never voted against my conscience. I’m proud of what my team and I achieved. No regrets! #auspol

Past Govts have squandered our resources, with revenue flooding into corporate bank accounts while only dripping into public bank accounts. We can’t let that happen for emerging critical minerals. I’m fighting for transparency around this future national opportunity. #FOI #auspol

You should look at the difference between a mineral and a fossil fuel, then you will appreciate the folly of your post. In respect of fossil fuels, I have never said that we should not export them (because that’s not going to happen). I have said that we should stop opening new fossil fuels mines and fields. I have said that we should not export so much of our oil and gas (reservation policy) that we drive our domestic prices up and we should receive an appropriate return for the exported fuels (gas export tax). There are no inconsistencies in what I say.

Here's something really pernicious about someone whom aligns with parties that say we shouldn't use these resources, supports activists who do everything to block mineral exploration and exploitation, want to tax these companies to the hilt, block spending on public services, and then talk about how "we're not getting a fair share of these trillions of theoretical resource dollars in federal coffers" ( WA turned a surplus off their resources boom). What does the Federal Government want tax for? All that bulk billing, welfare and pension rises, infrastructure spending and defence spending, or tax cuts for the not-rich? The Albanese Government wants more tax whilst delivering less. You're in the sheltered ten percent who wants to add defence spending to that list.

@TheHypocrisyCh1 I guess it’s not ‘critical’ to our national resilience.

@MrRexPatrick I know the list and uranium for some unknown reason ( political probably ) and is why you should advocating to have it included Its on many other countries critical minerals list, why not Australia's

@TheHypocrisyCh1 The list of critical minerals is determined by Government. industry.gov.au/publications/a…

@MrRexPatrick Hopefully you're including uranium in that list

@SimonBurns4 I pass through towns from time to time.

@MrRexPatrick where do you get your milk from out there Working from roam ?

When you #WorkFromRoam, you can duck down the road during a break and see wonderful things; in this case one of the tallest waterfalls in the southern hemisphere. Ellenborough Falls , Mid North Coast, NSW. 1/3

Beauty in the mist! Ellenborough Falls , Mid North Coast, NSW. 3/3

200 metre drop! Ellenborough Falls , Mid North Coast, NSW. 2/3

Wasted - $693,000,000! And a national security fail as a capability gap is confirmed. But if you’re thinking someone’s going to get fired over this, don’t hold your breath. #SNAFU #AUKUS #auspol michaelwest.com.au/substandard-th…

The Auditor-General has handed down her report into Australia's very broken #FOI system. Champaign bottles can be heard popping in @AlboMP's Prime Ministerial suite. #auspol crikey.com.au/2026/05/22/fre…

A little more of this sort of #AUKUS analysis in our Govt please. #auspol "Investments in cyber defence, unmanned systems, intelligence capabilities, and regional partnerships could yield more tangible and immediate benefits for Australia’s defence posture and resilience against emerging threats in the Indo-Pacific." “The risk is that Australia may bear high costs and constraints without full autonomy or strategic clarity, especially if the Indo-Pacific deteriorates faster than AUKUS timelines can accommodate.” "While these nuclear-powered submarines are intended to significantly enhance Australia’s naval capabilities, their procurement raises concerns about the degree of sovereign control Canberra can exercise over these assets. This concern is rooted in Australia’s substantial dependence on U.S. and U.K. contributions, particularly in nuclear technology, maintenance infrastructure, operational doctrine, and personnel training." “The upcoming transfer of Virginia-class submarines will likely tilt the balance further toward interoperability and alliance-based operations, potentially at the expense of Australia’s independent decision-making authority in times of crisis,” thenightly.com.au/australia/us-n…

@MichaelPascoe01 Collins are outclassed by a number of newer submarines in the region. The modern Type 218's used by Singapore cost circa $700M to buy. We spend $1B per annum trying to keep Collins boats at sea.

@MrRexPatrick Rex, will these vintage Collins after the $11B reno be as good as the Korean subs we could buy new for less?

There was no need to extend the Collins subs' life until Defence botched buying new ones - French subs & #AUKUS. So we now have a Collins extension program that's gone from $1B to $5B to $11B, all while the extension work has been scaled back. 🤦‍♂️ #auspol michaelwest.com.au/enhanced-susta…

@ltcinsane That was one of the options considered in the early 2010s - Option 3 “Son of Collins”. #auspol

@MrRexPatrick As a joke Rex do you think we could of designed a new upgraded Collins and started building them in the time this chaos has been going on? XD

Former naval officer Jen Parker said the revised [Collins submarine] plan is a “reasonable approach”, given technical risks and prospect of schedule blowouts. Fair analysis @JAParker29 sadly doesn't apply when spruiking #AUKUS 🤦‍♂️ #doublestandard #auspol 👉 theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence…