Nicky Hager's "Dirty Work": Exposé Or Election Hit Job?

Political commentator Dr Bryce Edwards, director of the Democracy Project, joins Andrew Urquhart to dissect Nicky Hager's new book *Dirty Work*, which targets the Taxpayers' Union ahead of the election. Edwards contrasts it with Hager's earlier, more rigorously sourced works like *Hollow Men* and *Dirty Politics*, arguing this instalment relies on interviews with disgruntled former staff rather than leaked documents, making its claims of harassment, foreign funding and covert National Party links harder to substantiate.

Edwards further critiques the book's framing of the Three Waters backlash as race-baiting whipped up by the right, suggesting Hager understates the government's own missteps and applies a double standard by not scrutinising left-aligned groups with similar overseas funding ties. While defending Hager's authenticity and the book's value in sparking public debate, Edwards concedes this release feels more partisan than its predecessors, leaving the author more exposed to accusations of the very bias he claims to expose.

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