‘I think the major parties need a kick in the nuts’: How ‘Punter’s Politics’ stormed Parliament House

It was a topical week for Punter Konrad*, aka Punter’s Politics, to visit Parliament House — though perhaps they all are.

The 35-year-old influencer, who aims to make politics accessible to the “average punter”, came to make a point about lobbying laws, having secured one of thousands of orange passes that give lobbyists free rein — passes sponsored by politicians, with no way of knowing who sponsored whom. “If you can’t beat them, join them!” he posted, inviting followers to buy a message for an MP of their choosing.

The self-titled “punter’s lobbyist” spent Monday presenting crossbenchers, including David Pocock, Jacqui Lambie and Zali Steggall, with Punter-branded “bribes” — to “remind them that they serve the punters, the average Australian and not the corporate lobbyists”. By Tuesday his pass had been suspended, following a run-in with Anthony Albanese, who did not take well to being offered a “WORLD’S BEST MP” mug in the corridor.

(The official reason given for the suspension was that he’d filmed in prohibited areas, though Konrad insists he always checked before doing so, and did not surreptitiously record any MPs).

“He’s probably thinking he’s going to get in trouble again, or it’s a bit of a stitch-up,” Konrad says, when asked if he thinks the Qantas saga had the PM on edge. “I don’t see myself as some kind of Chaser’s War on Everything gotcha person. I’m just trying to draw attention to things that otherwise would go under the radar.”

That’s a fair summation of what Punter’s Politics does. Between Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and a podcast, the former teacher has built a large following by simplifying politics into extremely Aussie vernacular, often involving scripts in which he plays both himself (a punter) and the government (or PWC, or the NACC). He’s critical of the major parties, especially when it comes to corporate influence and donation transparency.

“It’s mainly me making Instagram reels and explaining complex, boring political policy or corporate scams that people might not be able to understand,” Konrad tells me via phone on his drive home to Newcastle. “These corporate scams or government scams get pulled on us and covered up with super boring and uninteresting language so we stop paying attention. Punter’s Politics is trying to draw the average punter’s attention to the things that actually matter.”

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed renter has 235,000 Instagram followers, double that of Monique Ryan — not bad considering his first post was October 2023. He often interviews politicians, usually independents, though recently chatted with SA Premier Peter Malinauskas about donation reform. His campaign to fund billboards explaining Australia’s failure to tax gas exports (another pet peeve) has exceeded its $30,000 target. He’s given up teaching and lives off Patreon support.

What’s more, he seems to reach people who aren’t usually into politics. A beautician I see who dislikes politics often tells me to check out his posts (she also links to them in the comments of Albanese’s posts). Konrad estimates that his audience, who he refers to as “punters” or “punts”, is around 70% male, mostly millennial, often blue collar — “just your everyman, I suppose”.

“I think a lot of Aussies are just sick of tribal politics, people picking teams, the political distraction,” he says. “Meanwhile, the system chugs on unchanged, this broken political system.”

“It might be naive, but I actually think 90% of Aussies agree on 90% of stuff, we’re just driven apart by party politics,” he adds. “My politics is going, okay, what is actually important? What are the issues? What’s the systemic problems? And for me, the lines always lead back to corporate influence in politics, politicians’ cosy relationships with corporations, the revolving door…”

He cites a number of leaders who’ve gone on to work for fossil fuel companies. “There is some kind of swamp going on … we’re gettin’ sold out.”

He sounds like a politician, but also nothing like one. People sometimes ask him about going into politics; he says his focus is on helping voters understand how they are being ripped off. It isn’t that “no-one gives a shit,” as he used to believe; it’s that politics can often be impenetrable.

Same goes for media literacy, which he used to teach high school students. Konrad says he tries to rely on independent media, and always shows followers his sources.

“It just helps us have a better conversation if we’re transparent with the media we’re using or the think tanks that have done the research. If there’s a problem with a certain think tank’s data set, then I want to know about it.”

Independent politicians are a core part of the Punter’s fanbase. Teal MPs often comment on his posts; he’s shared disdain for lobbyists with Pocock on his podcast.

“It’s mainly the independents who are receptive to me because they’re always talking about political transparency, I’m talking about political transparency, so it makes sense,” he says, adding that he’ll interview any politician whose record matches their rhetoric — and call them out if it doesn’t.

Konrad likes the way independents do politics, even if he doesn’t always agree with them. The teals, he notes, are in a “different income bracket” to him.

“They’re supposed to represent their constituents and they have way more money than I do. So it makes sense that we’d disagree, but there’s still a lot we’d agree on with policy.”

And he reckons more indies is the solution Australia needs.

“I think the major parties need a kick in the nuts,” he says. “When punters say to me in the DMs and in my comments, ‘they’re all the same, they’re all crooks, they’re all this’, like, it can look like I’m a harbinger for all this government cynicism, but I actually have a lot of hope in Australia … When other options come along, like the teals, that go, ‘listen, we’re just going to vote the way our constituents want and that’s it’, I think people are willing to give it a go.”

As for which politician sponsored his orange pass?

“People have asked, and the best part about it is I don’t have to tell anyone!” he says. “Joke’s on the system. Like, that’s the whole damn point. If they want to know who sponsored my pass, tell me who sponsored Exxon Mobil’s pass and Sportsbet’s pass and Marlborough’s pass…”

He makes a fair point — as if being kicked out hadn’t already made it for him.

*Konrad would prefer we don’t cite his last name.