2016 was the year that gave us “post-truth” as the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year, assurances that people “have had enough of experts”, and an increasingly powerful tide of fake news.
Through all this, FactCheck ploughed on. Our experts fact-checked the 2016 Australian federal election, claims from lobby groups, and assertions across the political spectrum. All FactChecks are blind reviewed by a second expert to ensure accuracy.
We think facts matter more than ever. So who got it right and who got it wrong in 2016?
Take The Conversation’s 2016 FactCheck quiz to find out.
Read the full FactCheck articles here:
Would backpackers be better off working in Australia than NZ, England or Canada?
Have average out-of-pocket costs for GP visits risen almost 20% under the Coalition?
Has the Grand Mufti of Australia condemned terrorist attacks overseas?
Do eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses?
How unusual is compulsory voting, and do 90% of New Zealanders vote without it?
Are one in three age pensioners living under the poverty line?
Have eight of Australia’s 12 most emission intensive power stations closed in the last five years?
Does the government spend $3 billion each year on the offshore asylum seeker detention system?
Is the Australian Sex Party right about religious organisations, tax and record-keeping?
Is crime getting worse in Australia?
Is global demand for coal still going through the roof?
Is Australia among the lowest-taxing countries in the OECD?
Is a week’s worth of Newstart equal to what a politician can claim for one night in Canberra?
Is Australia’s foreign debt nearly $1 trillion, up from $74 billion last year?
Has the NBN been delayed?
Is Australia the world leader in household solar power?
Has the level of casual employment in Australia stayed steady for the past 18 years?
Can foreign seafarers be paid $2 an hour to work in Australian waters, under laws passed by Labor?
Does Australia run one of the most generous student loan schemes in the world?
Are Australians paying twice as much for electricity as Americans?
For all our FactCheck coverage, click here.