What was claimed
Social media posts report on heated debates between high-profile political figures.
Our verdict
False. The claimed encounters did not happen and the quotes have been fabricated.
AAP FACTCHECK - A foreign-run Facebook page is spreading political disinformation by fabricating heated debates between prominent political figures.
Those targeted by the page include Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, TV presenter Peta Credlin and former Liberal leader Peter Dutton.
Meta's transparency data shows the page, Mood Space, is run by users based in Vietnam.
A September 10 post falsely claims Ms Credlin engaged in a "heated Australian TV debate" with Environment Minister Murray Watt.
"You're making claims your own brain can't defend," the post quotes Ms Credlin as saying.
The post's claims are false and there are no credible reports about the supposed televised debate.
It features a composite image that includes depictions of Ms Credlin and Mr Watt, both of which display signs of AI generation, such as unnatural complexions.
Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, confirms the image contains an invisible watermark, known as SynthID, indicating it was made using Google AI tools.
The comments section links users to an ad-laden website that expands on the post's false claims.
A September 18 post by the page falsely claims Mr Hastie has warned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces 30 years in jail for "letting people who followed terrorist networks walk free on Australian soil".
The post claims "ISIS brides" were fast-tracked into Australia, which is an apparent reference to the recent return of Australian citizens from prohibited areas in Syria.
"Lock them up or send them home!" Mr Hastie is quoted as saying in the post.
The claims in this post are also false.
Mr Hastie has been critical of the Albanese government's approach to the return of Australian citizens from prohibited zones in Syria, but AAP FactCheck could find no credible reports that he publicly warned that the prime minister faces up to 30 years in jail.
A September 15 post on the page claims former opposition leader Peter Dutton insulted Mr Albanese while accepting a leadership award.
"Last night, Peter Dutton received a major leadership award," the post claims.
"Instead of the usual polite thanks, he stood on stage and hit the Prime Minister with a string of nicknames."
The post then lists several disparaging nicknames that Mr Dutton supposedly gave Mr Albanese.
It also claims Mr Dutton said: "Holding the prime minister accountable shouldn’t win you a prize."
"The right to criticise our leaders is a democratic right — yet Canberra tried to silence opposing voices."
AAP FactCheck found no credible reports that Mr Dutton recently accepted a leadership award or said the words attributed to him.
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