What was claimed
Various Australian politicians have launched legal action against the ABC.
Our verdict
False. The legal cases do not exist and the quotes attributed to politicians are fabricated.
AAP FACTCHECK - Social media accounts are spreading fabricated stories that claim Australian politicians are launching multi-million-dollar lawsuits against the ABC.
The false claims have been shared by clickbait Facebook pages, including 'The Public Square' and 'The Aussie Way', and reshared by users who appear to believe the stories are genuine.
One post claims former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is suing the ABC and former Greens leader Adam Bandt for $50 million.
"PETER DUTTON SUES ABC AND ADAM BANDT FOR $50 MILLION — TARGETED AFTER LIVE BROADCAST!" the caption reads.
"They tried to destroy me in front of the entire nation," the post quotes Mr Dutton as saying.
The post includes a link to a fabricated news report about the claimed "highly aggressive media confrontation initiated by Adam Bandt during what was meant to be a routine afternoon talk show".
However, there is no evidence that the dispute ever took place.
AAP FactCheck could not find any footage of the alleged broadcast, any credible media reports of the incident or any court records relating to Mr Dutton's supposed legal action.
The quotes attributed to Mr Dutton appear to be entirely fabricated.
A post by The Aussie Way makes a similar claim that One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is suing the ABC for $50 million in damages.
"PAULINE HANSON SUES 'Q+A' FOR A$50 MILLION IN DAMAGES — TARGETED DURING LIVE TELEVISION BROADCAST!" the post reads.
AAP FactCheck found no evidence the purported broadcast occurred or that Senator Hanson was taking legal action against either ABC or the Q+A program.
Q+A was discontinued by the ABC in 2025.
Facebook's transparency details show 'The Aussie Way' page is managed by users in Vietnam.
AAP FactCheck previously debunked another Facebook page that claimed Senator Hanson was suing the ABC after she appeared on Q+A.
The posts appear to follow a recurring copy-and-paste format used by similar accounts overseas.
One post falsely claims US conservative commentator Kaitlin Bennett is suing the American talk show The View after a live televised confrontation.
Again, AAP FactCheck could find no evidence that the claimed incident occurred, and the story appears to be entirely fabricated.
Pages sharing these stories frequently publish sensational claims about prominent public figures in an apparent attempt to drive users to websites laden with advertisements and scams.
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