Why I'm running in the State election

Like a lot of Australians, I took no interest in politics. I had read the headlines about politics and corruption, but I paid no attention. But then regulations and government overreach hit me squarely between the eyes. I was left to ponder whether I truly owned my home, as I had to seek Council approval continually to do this or that to my property. I kept feeling the impact of being over-taxed and over-regulated and was told that it was for the better of the country. That was never going to sit well with me, so I had to investigate. I started with the major changes to the way we were governed, what changed, and when it changed. 

Our history of poor economic reform and poor policy making started after Menzies left. Menzies was all about small and gradual change. But that all changed by the time Whitlam took office. Since then, both Labor and the LNP have followed the same path. Their economic reforms were designed reduced debt through the sale/privatisation of our assets, and less government interference, which some call government overreach. So, how has that played out? 

Well, we are living through a fury of legislation and regulations. We are over-taxed and over-regulated. The average Australian breaks about five laws a day that most would not even know it. Government “reform” has sold off $100BN of our assets in the name of debt reduction and less government. Here’s a snap-shot:

* $2TN State and Federal debt. So much for paying down out debt with the $100BN. 

* The government is 12% bigger now than back then and growing.

* The public service now earns more than private industry. 

* Australia has tanked from the top 10 in entrepreneurism to 61st out of 64 countries measured.

* More Australians are leaving Australia than ever in our history. 

* Government policies that serve big corporation and the wealthy have decimated middle-to-lower income earners. Government policy during COVID saw the greatest wealth transfer in history from middle-to-lower incomes earners to the ultra-wealthy. It was okay for a brothel to remain open but not for a health food shop. 

* When we have privatised, we have been promised new jobs and innovation. Well, the evidence suggests that’s not the case. After about 2-3 years of job creation, the opposite happens. And as for innovation, I think the slide with entrepreneurism is a pretty good lead on just how far we have slipped. 

We know that the economy doesn’t work if people can’t work. Yet the very thing the government did during the pandemic was to lock up healthy people even once they knew the severity of the virus was low. The very thing they knew from pandemic handbooks of the past was to isolate the vulnerable and keep healthy people working so they can keep producing, delivering and buying. What they did was print hundreds of billions of dollars and pump it into the economy, while people stayed at home. Productivity went from being the standard to zero. 

It's worth remembering that Australia had a historical policy of racial exclusion. Once you acknowledge the acceptance of race-based discrimination instead of merit as a foundation, seemingly unconventional ideas become more plausible. Enter the Unions. The focus on maintaining their support rather than expanding the business fostered a culture of corruption.  

Keynesian economics reigned because Australia was run by leftist ideologies. The solution was to double wages to combat the inflation they created that had doubled. That created higher prices, which created higher inflation, which created higher wages, and so on. That was their solution. 

I have come to the conclusion that doing nothing is not the answer. Sitting back and complaining about my patch in life was not solving my problems or the countries problems. And while I might be one person, I know that the role I am playing by running as an Independent only needs a small amount of people to step up. But it needs a large amount of people to effect the change. 

My approach is simple yet achievable. We have seen the primary votes of Labor and the LNP reduce significantly over the past few elections as people become more disenfranchised. But most do not know exactly how to effect the change. But the truth is, they are so close. It is about having the one forbidden political conversations with family, friends, work and social colleagues. It is asking questions of them about the state of Australia, and is it time to put the brakes on 54 years of failed reform and policies. Can one independent make a difference? The experience of Liz Cunningham says yes. And if we have 5 or 10 Liz Cunningham’s in the parliament, then we can stop the wave of legislation that is pushed through and decide what is truly good for the people of Queensland by asking the people in the electorate. It is by having town halls every 4 months are reporting back on progress. It is about getting a team around the independent to help him or her in whatever is needed. 

A political party is no longer the answer. The people are.