ALL ARTICLES

Showing posts with label Australian Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australian Politics. Show all posts

Time for a rethink of car manufacturing in Australia

No comments

Andrew Hastie is right, we should build things again.

Amid the post-Cold War euphoria from the 1990s onward, globalisation’s architects like Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, and even John Howard, preached the ‘commercial peace’ thesis. Open borders, supply chains snaking across continents, and WTO rules would bind nations in mutual prosperity, rendering war obsolete. Australia, ever the eager disciple, signed free trade pacts from Singapore to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), slashing tariffs and welcoming Chinese investment in our ports and mines.

It worked, economically. GDP boomed, jobs flowed, and our ‘mixed economy’, or the pragmatic blend of coordinated and competitive capitalism that Stilwell had so deftly mapped out, thrived.

But geopolitics has a rude habit of upending theory.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Time for a rethink of car manufacturing in Australia.

Are we really that gullible?

No comments
The media is spinning narratives. When threats are made, it matters to the press who makes them.

If Britain is the harbinger, Australia is the echo chamber, amplifying elite delusions while the rest of us foot the bill.

But if rising cost of electricity is a slow-burn outrage, the media’s selective outrage on security threats is a full-throated farce. Consider the horror that unfolded in Manchester on October 2, during Yom Kippur no less.

Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old who was reported to be on bail after being arrested on suspicion of rape, allegedly rammed his car into worshippers outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, then stabbed a security guard to death.

Two Jewish lives snuffed out in minutes of terror.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Are we really that gullible?

This isn’t progress, it’s punishment

No comments

Modern communism is destroying True Blue Australia.

In the shadow of our sunburnt country, an insidious force is at work, dismantling the very fabric of what it means to be Australian.

It’s not the bushfires or the floods that threaten our identity. Those are the battles we’ve always fought and won.

No, the real enemy is the creeping tide of modern communism, disguised as progressive virtue and unchecked mass immigration, that seeks to erase our unique cultural heritage in favour of a homogenised, globalist grey.

From the demolition of our Federation houses to the silencing of political opinion, and now the swamping of our suburbs with endless arrivals, this ideology doesn’t just hate Australia, it loathes the rugged individualism that built it.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, This isn’t progress, it’s punishment.

Here comes Andrew Hastie!

No comments

Is this the calm before a leadership storm? Hastie calls it quits on Sussan Ley's Shadow Cabinet.

Andrew Hastie has made a move that will go down in the history books of the Liberal Party of Australia.

In the cutthroat arena of Australian politics, where ambition often masquerades as principle, Andrew Hastie’s resignation from the Coalition Shadow Cabinet stands out as a rare act of authenticity. In a candid email to his constituents this week, the MP from Western Australia detailed his early-morning call to Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, stepping down from the Shadow Home Affairs role because he could no longer stomach the gag order on immigration – a portfolio cornerstone he was barred from shaping or even discussing.

Hastie’s dilemma is painfully clear. Ley’s letter demanded Shadow Cabinet solidarity, binding him to party lines without a seat at the policy table.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall wrote:

Here I was, about to sign off for Friday evening, when Andrew Hastie came out with the mother of all jump scares. He has quit Shadow Cabinet – thrown shade at Sussan Ley’s migration position – and joined the serious conservative talented amassing on the backbench. The Moderates will spend the weekend freaking out about the imminent threat of a leadership challenge.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Here comes Andrew Hastie!

CPAC Australia 2025: A conservative awakening

No comments

Eliza and I with Senator Hanson in front of the One Nation ‘Please Explain’ pinball machine

In the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah, CPAC Australia was held in Brisbane over the weekend of 20-21 September.

From standing ovations to fiery speeches, it was a gathering that reaffirmed the conservative movement’s pulse in Australia. But amid the stellar lineup of speakers, one figure stood out as the undeniable highlight: Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Her presence not only electrified the room but also signalled her potential as a future Prime Minister – a bold, unifying force for a nation weary of Woke policies and economic folly.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall wrote:

CPAC went off without a hitch over the weekend, with the stand-out crowd winners being Jacinta Price and Pauline Hanson – the latter of which announced the beloved Please Explain! cartoon series will be released as a feature length movie on Australia Day.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, CPAC Australia 2025: A conservative awakening.

A Conservative Manifesto to rescue Australia from Albo

No comments

Now’s the time for conservative Australians to shake a leg.

The once-formidable Liberal Party, now a defunct shell of its former self, is ideologically adrift and electorally diminished, and appears content to nod along with Labor’s agenda, offering little more than token resistance.

Beneath the rhetoric of unity and fairness lies a stark reality. Our nation’s conservatives are fractured, leaderless, and in desperate need of a unifying force.

It is time to rally around a bold conservative manifesto, one that repurposes the remnants of the Liberal Party as a launchpad to challenge this creeping authoritarianism and restore Australia’s economic vitality.

Alexander Marshall wrote in the Unfiltered newsletter:

Maybe the Liberal Party should take Michael de Percy’s advice and embark on a Conservative Manifesto to re-establish the beliefs and principles which will lead the party forward.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, A Conservative Manifesto to rescue Australia from Albo.

It’s time to end union stranglehold on industry super funds

No comments

Paul Schroder at the National Press Club: Super funds are not a government 'piggy bank'.

Government interference in investment decisions would be a ‘disaster’ for members, he argued, and here Schroder hits the nail on the head. Super funds must remain independent, focused on delivering returns to everyday Australians rather than bending to Canberra’s whims. His vision of super as an ‘engine room’ for national prosperity – investing in housing, energy transitions, and infrastructure on a risk-adjusted basis – is at least workable, provided it’s not dictated from above.

Yet, for all his talk of modernisation and adapting to ‘changes in society’, Schroder’s address curiously sidestepped the most glaring anachronism in the room: AustralianSuper’s own governance structure.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, It’s time to end union stranglehold on industry super funds.

Malcolm Roberts calls for an inquiry into immigration policy

No comments
One Nation are the only party questioning the impact of immigration on our economy during the crisis. 

Senator Roberts has called for a straightforward parliamentary inquiry into the impacts of mass immigration on housing prices, rentals, wages, infrastructure (such as schools, roads, and hospitals), and social cohesion.

He has invited submissions from all sides, stating that if data shows immigration as a strength, Australians should see it.

Otherwise, our immigration policy needs re-evaluation.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Malcolm Roberts calls for an inquiry into immigration policy.

King Albo of Multicultural Australia

No comments

With no credible opposition in sight, Albo struts around like he is the King of Multicultural Australia.

After failing to win The Voice to Parliament referendum, King Albo was forced to cancel the Assistant Minister for a Republic.

Multiculturalism, however, now has its very own Cabinet Minister.

In Question Time on September 1, Ashvini Ambihaipahar asked this Dorothy Dixer of Labor’s Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Dr Anne Aly:

How is the Albanese Labor government strengthening and building upon the success that is multicultural Australia.

In response, Dr Aly could not hold back her excitement:

For the first time, Australia has a standalone Minister for Multicultural Affairs.

Aly is also the Minister for Small Business. It’s a pity that small businesses are standing alone as their hopes and dreams are dashed on Labor’s socialist beachhead.

For a beachhead it is.

Alexandra Marshall wrote in the Unfiltered newsletter:

The narrative of Multicultural Australia is coming under intense scrutiny, including in the Senate where One Nation has pushed for an inquiry to get to the bottom of whether or not diversity really is our strength, economically speaking. Well, according to Michael de Percy, Anthony Albanese appears to see himself as the King of this ideological movement. ‘In the presence of his court jesters and an Opposition scared of its own shadow, King Albo presides over Conflation Nation.’

Terry Barnes wrote in the Morning Double Shot newsletter:

Michael de Percy tells us why the Prime Minister is ‘king’ of exploiting multiculturalism for political gain better than your scribe ever could. As his article’s subtitle says: Australians deserve better; Middle Australians demand it.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, King Albo of Multicultural Australia.

What a crock. Treasurer’s talkfest forgets to cut spending

No comments

Treasurer Jim Chalmers claimed this gabfest would forge consensus on bold reforms.

Productivity isn’t some esoteric puzzle requiring endless panels and PowerPoints. It’s the driver of our standard of living, but it’s been stalled by Labor’s bureaucratic bloat and fiscal profligacy. Chalmers’ roundtable, with its leaked Treasury advice hinting at timid outcomes like freezing certain expenditures, reeks of the same old Labor playbook: consult, delay, and deflect.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall wrote:

Anyone else suspect ‘productivity’ might be Jim Chalmers’ code word for ‘raising taxes’? We’re hearing a lot of whispers leaking out of the roundtable about grave robbing (inheritance tax), raising the GST, a 2 per cent wealth tax, and other hikes. Tax is a punishment. Tax is meant to deter us naughty citizens from a bad activity. That’s the reason the government gives us for taxes on alcohol, cigarettes, and petrol. How does taxing productivity encourage productivity? What sort of magical money trees is the Treasurer planting in Canberra?

My latest in The Spectator Australia, What a crock. Treasurer’s talkfest forgets to cut spending.

Albo breaches social contract with Palestinian recognition

No comments

Albanese’s recognition of Palestine smacks of Burkean folly.

Australia’s longstanding alliance with Israel, rooted in shared democratic values and strategic interests, has been a pillar of our foreign policy. Recognising Palestine prematurely, amid ongoing conflicts and without ironclad commitments to peace, will strain ties with key partners like the United States, which has historically opposed such moves without bilateral agreements.

The US is the only other ally in history who spilt blood defending us against an eternal aggressor. Anyone who doesn’t understand this is an ungrateful recipient of history.

Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

Michael de Percy adds that Albanese has breached his social contract with the Australian people be doing so, saying that the move by the Prime Minister ‘reeks of ideological posturing over prudent statecraft to ensure our national security’. He also adds that it ‘smacks of Burkean folly’.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Albo breaches social contract with Palestinian recognition.

Speakman silent while renewables wreck regions

No comments
Wendy Tuckerman has actively engaged with regional Australians impacted by reckless renewables.  

Blindsided by the resignation of frontbencher Wendy Tuckerman over the party’s limp support for Labor’s controversial renewable energy laws, NSW Liberals leader Mark Speakman has presided over a fiasco that exposes the deep fissures within the Liberals.

The crisis erupted when Tuckerman, the MP for Goulburn, sensationally quit the opposition frontbench in protest over her party’s handling of Labor’s rushed electricity bill. This legislation, aimed at accelerating the transition to renewables, has been slated for its lack of consultation and its blatant disregard for the impacts on rural landowners.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Speakman silent while renewables wreck regions.

Is it time we elected judges in Australia?

1 comment

Ordinary Australians are being held to ransom by activist groups that do not represent the mainstream.

The Palestinian Action Group’s win in the Supreme Court of NSW is not a victory for freedom of speech. It demonstrates that unelected judges are able to stymy the ability of NSW Police to put a stop to a protest that endangers peace and public order.

It begs the question: Who holds judges to account?

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Is it time we elected judges in Australia?

Albo’s TikTok dilemma

No comments
Imagine if Albo has to overturn the social media ban because of his communist masters

Chinese social media giant TikTok is set to launch a constitutional challenge to Australia’s controversial social media ban for under 16-year-olds. This comes amid calls to decrease the voting age to 16, an exercise that I recently demonstrated will force children to become adults too soon.

Opposition to Labor’s social media ban for under 16-year-olds, an abhorrent exercise in government overreach led by eKaren, has had little practical effect. God knows Australia’s Uniparty isn’t interested in defending liberal democracy.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall wrote:

The problem deepens with TikTok considering legal action against Albanese’s government – Google too. Albanese is snapping back, attempting to throw his weight around against Silicon Valley without realising that Australia does not own the digital realm. It did not create it. And it has no replacement. What happens if Google and Bing blacklist Australia? What happens to the business world if social media is shut off? Labor likes to talk about existential threats – I assure you, Silicon Valley shutting Australia off is the end of the economy. Labor does not have the ability to pull rank, especially not when Silicon Valley sits inside America – our major defence ally. What’s Albanese’s plan, asking China to run our search engines and social media? Seriously. Labor’s desire to censor free speech is overshadowing all rational thought.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Albo’s TikTok dilemma.

Two Against One with Rowan Dean and Michael Danby

No comments
On The World ccording to Rowan Dean, 25 July 2025 

Discussing the demise of green hydrogen in Australia and French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state on "The World According to Rowan Dean" tonight.

I'm on from 41:23 minutes in: Two Against One with Rowan Dean and Michael Danby.

It’s time to give 16-year-olds the vote

No comments
It's what the Greens want so it must be a good thing said nobody ever except the Brits

While the left has a history of lowering the voting age, the change from 21 to 18 years of age as the arbitrary signifier of legal adulthood attributed the relevant rights and responsibilities to those now deemed adults. The change to 16 years of age might as well be to 1 or 100 years of age. It really depends on society’s view as to what age a human is deemed to be responsible for their own existence and capable of participating in society

As Alexandra Marshall wrote in the Unfiltered newsletter:

Sure, give 16-year-olds the vote, argues Michael de Percy, but if the government is going to treat them as fully-fledged adults at the ballot box, then they must extend this to all aspects of their lives. If they are not prepared to do this, then it will prove, without question, that this action is a political stunt to boost numbers rather than a genuine acknowledgement that the age of responsibility has dropped.

Terry Barnes wrote in the Morning Double Shot newsletter:

Last week, Michael de Percy made a courageous (in the Sir Humphrey sense) conservative case for lowering the voting age to 16. This week, Colleen Harkin counters with a case against. She makes the point that most teenagers barely know or care about the workings of the civil society that would compel their vote, not least because civics education in Australia is a farce. We would add that it is also hopelessly biased towards the left, and calibrated to turn out lifelong Green-Left voters by the thousand.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, It’s time to give 16-year-olds the vote.

The Greens are engrossed in their own irrelevance

No comments
The Greens are more interested in trans extremism than protecting the enivironment.

Plurality of thought and action in Korea is part of the political landscape. Last time I was here the protests were about labour union and pro-Palestine issues. Politics in Korea is as diverse as the natural environment.

In Australia, however, free speech is no longer a given in politics. Over the weekend, the Queensland Greens gave co-founder Drew Hutton the boot. Despite support from co-founder Bob Brown and former leader Christine Milne, Hutton’s appeal to the Queensland Greens was rejected, with 75 votes opposing and 23 votes supporting.

The expulsion resulted from Hutton’s Facebook posts back in 2022 that referred to Greens officials in Victoria and New South Wales as ‘authoritarian and antidemocratic’. This was in response to official Greens’ actions to remove members with transgender views the party didn’t like.

As Alexandra Marshall wrote in the Unfiltered newsletter:

The Greens have started to cancel themselves after co-founder Drew Hutton was kicked out after saying the environmental party had turned into an activist cult, or words to that effect. He’s not wrong. You’re more likely to hear the Greens campaigning for trans rights or Palestine than koalas. This is not a problem limited to Australian green groups. All over the West, true environmentalists are walking away from green parties in disgust. There is a gap opening for an environmentally-minded political party – but what will fill it?

My latest in The Specttor Australia, The Greens are engrossed in their own irrelevance.

Housing propaganda from your state-owned media

No comments
Jacinta Allan says she is 'helping deliver more options for renters'.

The housing debate has devolved into government overreach and ideological posturing, with policies mismatched to Australian values. Prioritising urban density and renewable energy projects that consume vast tracts of land is a green-left idea that dominates Labor-Greens governments in Australia.

Detached family homes have defined the nation’s way of life since the post-war boom.

When you have room to breathe, you have room to think, but when you are crammed into future slums, you vote Labor-Greens.

This mismatch in values and policy is evident and insidiously promoted in the state-owned media’s coverage.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

Okay enough of the ABC’s petty propaganda! For a billion dollars a year, you’d imagine the quality of our so-called ‘impartial’ public broadcaster would be better… Instead, we’ve got the ABC pitting ‘YIMBYs’ and NIMBYs’ against each other in the housing debate.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Housing propaganda from your state-owned media.

Hey Albo, cop this mate. With love, The Don

No comments

Albo picked a fight with The Don. It's not a smart move.

As Albo continues to ignore the only nation and ally that has spilt blood in the defence of our continent, the stakes have just been raised.

President Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Australian-manufactured pharmaceuticals to 200 per cent and copper to 20 per cent. These two items were previously in a tariff-free zone. Not anymore.

While ‘Handsome Boy’ Albo is busy schmoozing up to his ideological mate in Beijing, ‘The Don’ has sent a clear message that ca no longer be ignored.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Hey Albo, cop this mate. With love, The Don.

Disloyal far-left breakaways are coming for Labor

No comments

A new far-left party could disrupt Labor’s hold on key seats

Jeremy Corbyn’s new far-left party poses a significant threat to Starmer’s Labour government by risking a split in the left vote, a danger illustrated by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 1980s.

In Australia, Anthony Albanese’s Labor government, while currently dominant, faces similar vulnerabilities as left-wing criticism grows. Although Australia’s preferential system offers some protection, a new far-left party could disrupt Labor’s hold on key seats and influence policy through the Senate.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

There is a reason the ‘right’ is rising (and the left is splintering off into new movements). It is a desperate attempt to salvage a desperate situation.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Disloyal far-left breakaways are coming for Labor.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
© 2025 Dr Michael de Percy
made with by templateszoo