This week started off with a serious case of déjà vu when the national broadcaster aired a story that Crikey already investigated… 18 months ago.

David Hardaker, who dug into the prime minister’s close friendship with QAnon follower Tim Stewart back in 2019, gave us some more context to the story, including what the PMO told Crikey back in 2019 about the PM’s use of the phrase “ritual abuse” in the apology to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

Elsewhere, Cam Wilson and Michael Bradley provided some thoughtful insight into controversial Australian YouTuber Friendlyjordies, covering NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro’s defamation case against Jordan Shanks, and NSW police’s overstep in arresting Shanks’ producer.

Margot Saville covered Ben Roberts-Smith’s week in court, GP Mitchell Squire discussed gender-affirming healthcare in Australia, and Bernard Keane found himself agreeing with Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest on how Santos’ new Barossa gas field is “atrocious”. (That’s not all we wrote on Twiggy this week though…)

To top this all off, the Crikey paywall is down until June 30, which means you can share your favourite articles from the week with friends and family, free to read. And if they enjoy their taste of independent news, let them know subscriptions are choose-what-you-pay starting at $99 — or better yet, buy them one yourself and snag some Crikey swag while you’re at it.

DAVID HARDAKER 4 minute read

Scott Morrison's friendship with QAnon conspiracy theorist Tim Stewart goes back three decades. But what are his church buddy's fundamental beliefs?

DAVID HARDAKER 3 minute read

The sister of a leading QAnon figure in Australia has lost not only her faith but also her brother.

DAVID HARDAKER 5 minute read

Scott Morrison must answer questions about inserting the word "ritual" into the apology to survivors of child sex abuse. His silence speaks volumes.

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

Andrew Forrest is exactly right when he calls Santos' Barossa LNG project 'atrocious' and the 'most polluting project in the world'.

AMBER SCHULTZ 3 minute read

Being able to put risks into context is something we often find hard to do. Fear is just one of our hang-ups.

BERNARD KEANE 4 minute read

Free trade deals are always duds. Which is why we can offer a single, permanent guide to why new trade deals, announced with great fanfare, aren't worth the paper they're written on.

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

Rather than lift wages and end exploitation in horticulture, the industry wants to access new sources of easily exploited labour.

GEORGIA WILKINS 3 minute read

Will the mining billionaire walk his anti-slavery stance like he talks it?

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

Little work has been done on what benefits, if any, an Olympics will deliver Brisbane — and what has been done is riddled with absurdities and strange assumptions.

MITCHELL SQUIRE 3 minute read

After we reported on the overwhelmingly negative slant of trans reporting in certain media outlets, it's worth putting the truth about gender-affirming healthcare in the spotlight.