Barnaby Joyce passes the pub test

How much money should the government make off your beer down the pub?

I arrived at Mr Joyce’s office just as the bells were ringing for a division. I was happy about this because I was running a minute late. Gunner time remains an important value. If you get it wrong, well. They don’t call we gunners ‘dropshorts’ for nothing.

Mr Joyce arrived and I backgrounded him on how I’d heard his speech from the gallery. I wanted to hear his views on the alcohol excise and the role he’d played in bringing about the freeze on the excise for the next two years.

‘Were you instrumental?’ I asked.

‘No, I played my part’, he replied.

Mr Joyce explained that One Nation has a policy to abolish the excise on alcohol served at venues. This would not be extended to bottleshops. The idea is about keeping pubs at the centre of community. Mr Joyce reinforced that this is particularly important in one-pub towns in regional and rural Australia.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Barnaby Joyce passes the pub test.

Barnaby Joyce, on behalf of One Nation, has put forward their plan to save the local pub - and your cultural Friday drinks.

The aim is to restore quality of life and curb government greed.

It is being presented as another policy that understands ordinary people - whether they… pic.twitter.com/QTtRk9QiSf

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) February 11, 2026

Liberals’ wheels fell off with the hate speech laws

Sussan Ley called for a special sitting of Parliament, then went in with no idea of what to stand for.

Conservative policies are key to the Liberal Party turning itself around.

But is it too late? With One Nation on the rise, and some two years to go before the next election, this brings me to the straw that broke the camel’s back: the Hate Speech Laws.

The tipping point was Sussan Ley calling for a special sitting of Parliament, then going in with no idea of what to stand for. Only a handful of conservative politicians were brave enough to stand up for conservative principles and oppose these laws.

It is worth remembering that the Liberals brought their problems upon themselves. And it all started with the Hate Speech Laws.

Essentially, Sussan Ley has punished the Nationals for voting the same way as conservative members wanted them to.

If anything, the Liberals should be looking to the Nationals for guidance on standing up for conservative principles.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Liberals’ wheels fell off with the hate speech laws.

Conservative policies are key to the Liberal Party turning itself around.

But is it too late? With One Nation on the rise, and some two years to go before the next election, this brings me to the straw that broke the camel’s back: the Hate Speech Laws.

The tipping point was… pic.twitter.com/9FKuRKofz8

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) February 10, 2026

Overcoming stereotypes in ageing policy

COTA's research provides some important findings about ageing stereotypes that influence policy.

Tom Connell: Michael de Percy, Spectator Oz.

Michael de Percy: Thank you, Mr Pyne. My question is about aging policy.

Christopher Pyne: Goodness. Exciting. [applause]

Michael de Percy: You mentioned social connection and you also spoke about co-design and a national research program. One of my issues with aging policy is we have people working, people born in the 1950s and now 60s. They get to age 63. They're physically, they can't work anymore but they can't go on the pension. So there's this gap. People in their 50s now can't access their super until they're 60. So there's this gap. At the same time, aging policy designed by stereotypes has an elite sort of progressive bias where, and I've given lectures at retirement villages which look fantastic if you're into that kind of lifestyle. Many of these working people aren't into that kind of lifestyle. They want to be at home in their own house with their pets, with their families. That's their connection. But our policy doesn't really focus on them and they seem to be the people you mentioned who are missing out. So my question is the people who would be interested in co-design will probably be more likely be progressive left-leaning. The national research program will be conducted by left-leaning progressive academics probably. How do you make sure that you can actually address the people who really need aging policy to reflect their choice in how they age and how they live?

Christopher Pyne: Look, it's a good question. I wouldn't adopt the pejoratives that if people are from the left, it means that they're going to have not very useful views in terms of policy. I do, as I said in my speech, the policy, the action plan for aging Australia over the next 10 years should be designed with older people, not for older people. And that process needs to be a genuine one. And it can be and I also said that we need to have the flexibility in the workforce, in employment to keep older people working for as long as they wish to. And that should not be as hard especially because of COVID as it used to be. One of the only good things that came out of COVID was that people can work from home and prove to be quite productive and stay in the workforce for longer if that's what they choose to do in the same way as they could stay in the workforce when they had to stay at home because of COVID. So I think that does give us a model of flexible working but I wouldn't overemphasize that because you also want older people in the workforce because they provide a tremendous mentoring role for the people around them and you don't want to lose that skill, that opportunity. So policies have to be designed to be flexible to meet all of those requirements and they can be and the same with aged care, the same with home and community care packages or support at home care. That's what this proposal that COTA has put forward today about a 10-year plan for aging Australia is all about.

My question to Christopher Pyne, Chair of the Council of the Ageing (COTA) at the National Press Club of Australia yesterday: https://t.co/VO9UKvjjRE

— Dr Michael de Percy (@FlaneurPolitiq) February 5, 2026