ARTICLE: The Crippling Decline in Disposable Household Income

“We’ve come a long way, we’ve got a lot going for us, we’re better placed and better prepared than other countries.”

This was the bold claim made by Treasurer Jim Chalmers at the National Press Club back in June.

His words have come back to bite him however, as new data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revealed that Australia has recorded the steepest decline in real household disposable income among all other developed nations.

Commanding the Narrative - Newsletter 51 - Did World War II Doom the West?

Over the past few weeks and months on Commanding the Narrative, we have been exploring the impact that World War II had on Western Civilisation.

It all kicked off with my interview with Leigh Evans back on CtN94 (watch here), when I asked Leigh why the UK has seen such a decline in basic freedoms and Governance. Leigh’s answer was to theorise that England had lost too many of its strongest and best during World War II.

Commanding the Narrative - Newsletter 50 - Is a Political Realignment Taking Place?

As the Liberal Party and the Coalition continue to fall apart in front of our eyes, it seems that a political realignment on the right side of politics is taking place.

If the polls are anything to go by, the Liberal vote is falling into the toilet, with seemingly the majority of disaffected Liberals turning to One Nation.

Despite what happens at the next Federal election, what is clear is that we are not being represented adequately.

Commanding the Narrative - Newsletter 49 - Inadequate Politicians Have Failed Us

Government intervention - or lack thereof - played a role in Australia's manufacturing decline, through a complex mix of factors.

Historically, Australian governments supported manufacturing, including Adelaide’s automotive sector, through tariffs and subsidies.

However, from the 1980s, federal policies shifted toward free-market reforms, reducing tariffs and subsidies (e.g. the Button Plan, 1984), exposing Australia’s industries to global competition.

Commanding the Narrative - Newsletter 48 - Are Our Political Parties Failing Us?

As I speak with people, a common theme is that people are completely disillusioned with politics and the political parties that are meant to represent them.

Labor are governing with only 34% of the vote and recent polling indicates that the Liberal/National coalition is now under 30%.

It is clear that the major parties are bleeding votes as they become less and less of what their traditional supporters expect them to be.

Commanding the Narrative - Newsletter 47 - Is Australia on a Highway to Hell?

Finally, I spent the weekend at CPAC Australia. Alongside Members of the Australians for Better Government Committee, we worked hard to spread the word of ABG.

Of course, there were many high-profile Conservative voices who spoke at CPAC, but I was left feeling despondent by their lack of vision or strong, nation building solutions. Most of all, there was nothing spoken of the deep structural reforms that need to take place with our system of Government itself.