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Endless Studies, Zero Dams

The Urannah Dam project was cancelled by the Albanese Labor government in 2022. I wanted to see the final business case and environmental impact study (EIS) to see what they’re hiding. The Commonwealth threw $22.65 million into the business case and approvals, then Bowen River Utilities withdrew the scheme from Queensland’s environmental assessment processes in […]

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Who’s Winning the Tobacco War?

Black market tobacco and vaping in Australia is a real problem. I raised concerns that, while seizures have increased by 38%, there’s no clear data showing whether that’s actually making a dent in the total illicit market. Even the department couldn’t tell me how much illegal tobacco is getting through compared to what’s being stopped. […]

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The Shocking Truth About Australian Crime Rates

Are our streets more dangerous than the US? Australia faces a serious crime problem. Many Australians believe our crime rate is low compared with countries like the United States, yet sadly that myth stems from misunderstanding statistics about how crime is measured. Media coverage reinforces the myth and the real questions are why that misunderstanding […]

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COVID Lessons Learned?

The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned was handed down last week. Although the report included substantial criticism of New Zealand’s mistakes in its response, it did not give them prominence. Instead, the report focused only on process errors—specifically process, rather than medical, errors—especially advice failing to reach decision-makers […]

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Gold Rush on Black Market Tobacco

How government greed turned citizens into criminals … As a government, if you wish to stop a destructive public behaviour – you punish it. This can be through fines, incarceration, or economic coercion (taxes). If you want to turn a public behaviour into a permanent cash-cow that props up the Budget – you tax it carefully. Somehow, uniparty […]

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Government Gambles With Your Money

I wanted to get some straight answers about the government’s 5% deposit scheme, because to me, it looks like risky lending at the taxpayers’ expense. APRA have previously said that loans with a 95% value ratio are high-risk. I asked how they reconcile that with a government scheme that encourages this exact behaviour. They admitted […]

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Government Spending is Fuelling the Fire

There is a massive disconnect between the RBA’s projections and the reality facing Australian families. Reckless government spending is fuelling inflation, and everyday people are paying the price. In this session with the RBA in December, I questioned Governor Bullock on her claim that inflation expectations are ‘anchored’ at 2.5%. With CPI at the time […]