If we can’t talk about Welcome to Country, are we truly one and free?

If we can’t talk about Welcome to Country, are we truly one and free?

Events in Melbourne have shown how strongly differing political views can dominate mainstream discussions. It’s concerning that past political perspectives might shape how we address important national topics today.

The left and right of politics do not go off in a straight-line ad infinitum, they curve towards each other. Extremes on both the left and right can lead to authoritarianism, which is a concern for our democracy. Having these two political extremes play out on Anzac Day serves as a reminder to protect our social cohesion.

Writing in the Morning Double Shot newsletter, Terry Barnes had this to say:

Your scribe has never made an Acknowledgement of Country, and never will. Michael de Percy makes the point that if those on the left shut down a national conversation about whether such things are ‘overdone’, can we be truly be ‘one and free’ as in the Morrison-bastardised version of the national anthem? His is an interesting article, written from a perspective you may not expect.

My commentary on the Welcome to Country for ANZAC Day Dawn Service in Melbourne for The Spectator Australia, If we can’t talk about Welcome to Country, are we truly one and free?

I felt that the Welcome to Country at the Dawn Service had a political tone that detracted from the unity of the occasion. While there was no excuse for ‘booing’, the event highlighted social discontent, the discussion of which has become taboo.https://t.co/5UPxmCvmqT

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 30, 2025

Albo’s Mediscare has gone nuclear

Albo and his asinine Medicare card stunt at the National Press Club, 20 April 2025.

Anthony Albanese is desperate to hold on to power. He revels in being an underestimated political underdog. Behind the scenes, he is a ‘factional ninja’ whose experience has been ‘shaped by decades of internecine feuds’. As a beta male, Albanese’s power is wielded most where it is shielded most – in the opaque world of Labor’s internal politics.

My report from the National Press Club for The Spectator Australia, Albo’s Mediscare has gone nuclear.

MICHAEL DE PERCY | "Anthony Albanese is desperate to hold on to power." 🙁

Healthcare is a black hole where you pay the Medicare levy, pay for health insurance that doesn’t cover much, then you pay the gap at the surgery.https://t.co/hutASK03CK

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 29, 2025

Time to honour our Anzacs and ramp up defence spending

Marching with veterans in Gunning, ANZAC Day 2024

Australia has a habit of being caught with its pants down when it comes to defence spending. In 1938, Australia’s defence spend was a miserable 1.6 per cent of GDP. In the last ten years, it has wavered around 1.9 to 2 per cent. While the measure of defence spending as a percentage of GDP does not necessarily reflect the capability of one’s defence force, it does indicate that Australia has not been pulling its weight.

My election coverage in The Spectator Australia, Time to honour our Anzacs and ramp up defence spending.

MICHAEL DE PERCY | "Mrs Rinehart’s 5% Defence spending figure ought to be taken seriously."
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Australia’s most successful businessperson, Gina Rinehart, stated:

‘It is my belief that we urgently need to do more to defend Australians, starting with… pic.twitter.com/myRSYrYZ5Y

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 26, 2025