The Coalition has a long history of weaponising “real people” and “real families” in media campaigns and press releases to push policy or inflame public sentiment – only for these figures to later be exposed as cherry-picked, misrepresented, or outright fabricated narratives.
Let’s examine this trend in the context of the recent real people, real families rebrand.
Real People, Real Convenient Lies: A Forensic Look at the Coalition’s Manufactured Outrage Machine
Byline: Lachlan J. McKenzie (for Satirical Truths Quarterly)
Real people, real families. That’s the Coalition’s new motto, meant to signal a kinder, gentler immigration policy after Peter Dutton’s ousting. But before we start handing out welcome mats, let’s take a closer look. Because if history is any guide, when the Coalition talks about “real people,” it usually means real staged outrage, real incomplete stories, and real misleading headlines.
1. The Pattern: Faux Everyman, Fabricated Crisis
For years, the Coalition has rolled out carefully selected “real families” as human props for political messaging – often without disclosing key facts that would undermine the intended narrative.
The “battler” who wasn’t:
In 2019, during the campaign against Labor’s franking credit policy, Coalition MPs repeatedly presented self-funded retirees who would “lose everything.” One such “everyday retiree” turned out to be sitting on millions in assets – and not reliant on the pension at all.
The small business sob story that soured:
During industrial relations debates, “small business owners” cited in Liberal campaigns were found to be LNP donors or family members of MPs. Details like “employs no staff” or “operates online only” were left out to exaggerate the policy impact.
The “real” crime victims in immigration and law-and-order debates:
Time and again, the Coalition has put forward victims of crime (real people, real tragedies) but omitted that perpetrators were not immigrants, or had been in Australia since early childhood, undermining the immigration fearmongering. In 2018, Peter Dutton used the case of a man from Sudanese background to justify punitive visa changes – despite the man being an Australian citizen since age five.
2. The Real People of 2025: Who’s Missing?
Now in 2025, the Guardian reports the Coalition is rolling out a new campaign focused on “real people, real families” as a pivot from Dutton’s hyper-punitive approach.
So far, they’ve cited:
An overwhelmed “mum of three” from Western Sydney.
A young family allegedly priced out of housing due to immigration-fuelled demand.
A tradesman whose wages “haven’t moved” because of “cheap labour from overseas.”
But in every case:
No names.
No locations.
No context.
No evidence they even exist.
In political comms, this is known as the “anecdata tactic” – emotionally loaded, unverifiable stories used in place of statistics or policy detail.
3. What’s Left Out: Inconvenient Truths
When these stories are told, here’s what’s usually left out:
Real data contradicts the message.
The idea that immigration causes housing unaffordability is not backed by independent reviews. As the University of Melbourne’s experts noted, cutting migrant numbers won’t fix housing – poor planning, land hoarding, and tax distortions will still dominate.
Read: “Cutting migrant numbers won’t help housing – the real immigration problems not being tackled this election.” (The Conversation).
The “real people” have affiliations.
Some “everyday Australians” quoted in Coalition press releases turn out to be party donors, staffers, or linked to conservative think tanks.
Convenient omissions.
When highlighting visa overstayers or crime cases, the Coalition avoids mentioning that most overstayers are from countries like the US and UK – not the nations their dog whistles suggest.
4. Confected Outrage: Manufactured for Headlines
What makes all this dangerous isn’t just the spin – it’s the emotional manipulation. These “real” families are used to:
- Justify punitive migration or welfare policy
- Inflame resentment among voters
- Distract from the Coalition’s own policy failures
And when challenged? There’s always plausible deniability: “We’re just listening to what people are telling us.” Who exactly? Doesn’t matter. The lie already did its job.
Conclusion: Real People Don’t Need Fake Narratives
The rebrand might feel different – softer colours, family-friendly language – but unless it comes with truth, transparency, and proper policy reform, it’s just more of the same cynical playbook.
The next time you hear “real people, real families,”. ask:
What’s missing?
Who benefits?
And are these stories helping voters understand the world – or just fear it?
Dear reader, we need your support
Independent sites such as The AIMN provide a platform for public interest journalists. From its humble beginning in January 2013, The AIMN has grown into one of the most trusted and popular independent media organisations.
One of the reasons we have succeeded has been due to the support we receive from our readers through their financial contributions.
With increasing costs to maintain The AIMN, we need this continued support.
Your donation – large or small – to help with the running costs of this site will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
On one occasion they highlighted the plight of a pregnant, single-mother of three, who was having difficulty making ends meet due to Labor’s high cost of living.
Are they still having immaculate conceptions in Liberal land ?
Manufacturing consent?
The modern ‘architects’ have been fossil fuel and ‘segregation economics’ Koch Network with e.g. climate science denial, Freedom Works media audit and ‘media assembly line’ (see Jane Mayer ‘Dark Money’).
The latter often starts on their Daily Signal outlet using anecdotes, incidents, gripes etc. presented as journalism or research to promote talking points then FoxNews, to then nudge the MSM, further to the right, with constant repetition.
The same occurs on all things demography, refugees, immigrants, international students and population growth via Koch’s fellow US donor recipients (also Project 2025, anti-EU & anti-Ukraine), Tanton Network for ‘the great replacement’.
That’s Malthusian Tanton Network (encompasses old fossil fuel ’70s ZPG) using ‘jazzed up stats’, cherry picked data points, locally too for a proxy and post white Australia policy* in media (*admired by Tanton) using faux research to inform MPs with people at MacroBusiness, SkyNewsAD, RW MSM and voters’ social narratives; rinse and repeat.