Bill Hicks

SOME THOUGHTS WHILE TRAVELLING So I'll put them down here ... No, I don't think government spending is the main driver of inflation in Australia Yes, I do think that government spending has increased notably, and that it has made the RBA's task of inflation fighting harder (especially so in 2023 and 2024) Yes, regardless, I do think that the RBA has to bear the brunt of the inflation fight No, I don't think the RBA's rate rises can stop wars or cause oil prices to fall. But yes, rate rises can reduce demand, getting it closer to supply, and so are still the best way to fight inflation No, I don't think alternative ways to fight inflation are painless. We get to pick the poison, but it is still poison Yes, even though inflation in Australia in 2026 isn't particularly driven by government spending any more, there are good reasons for governments to be pulling back (the structural deficit has risen notably in recent years, and the quality of both our spending and our taxing is poor). Yes, to the extent that pullback by governments happens sooner rather than later, it can help lower inflation No, savings to help fight inflation aren't the same thing as savings to repair the structural deficit - those two are linked but not an exact match For example we should tax gas better, but that wouldn't help against inflation here in Australia And we should be building more and better infrastructure (and also charging for it better). But, especially amid the data centre building rush, there is a good case to slow federal and state infrastructure spending💰. That could be achieved via a reduced federal share of any State construction costs incurred over the next 18 months (meaning there's an incentive for the states to slow down their capex) Then there is the area of overlap - where savings that could help BOTH longer term structural and fighting inflation That list would include everything from the WA GST deal, speeding up the reforms to the NDIS, cutting dodgy grant schemes, equalising PHI subsidies for the over 65s, lifting deeming rates for pensioners, reducing the less effective elements of support for housing and for the energy transition, the allied health entitlements of veterans, pulling back from taxpayer bailouts of failing businesses, providing genuine scrutiny to the Future Made In Australia spending, plus an assessment of how to use AI to get much better value from the public service and from consultants And, if we are willing to tackle our poor spending, we should be equally willing to tackle our poor taxing - there's plenty of that too!

The Trump Admin wants Australian travellers to the US to provide 5 years of social media history & personal & work contacts, extensive personal information on family members, & the IP address & metadata of any photos uploaded as part of their application. sbs.com.au/news/article/trum…

No, it is not "owned by One Nation". Small Batch Brewing Pty Ltd is a private company owned by Pauline Hanson, James Ashby and Alex Jones. It was registered in March 2025. It has no legal connection any political party. Equal shares are held by Pauline Hanson, James Ashby, and former party treasurer Alex Jones according to ASIC records. The company is privately owned and not directly owned by any political party or party trusts. It also has no current liquor licence and no revenue stream. Any profits it may make will go into the pockets of the three owners - Hanson, Ashby and Jones. Are you so blind to this game you can not see this is private enrichment - for them? James "offered" to get a $56K shed - a shed he didn't have to pay for - built on his own land. Yes, a free shed built on his land out of other people's money for a company he owns (not One Nation). He's now using that free shed for his own personal home - rent free - while he renovates his house, which also coincidentally happened to occur around the same time the shed was built, which is also coincidentally built on the same land as his house. Meanwhile Small Batch Brewing Pty Ltd - the one owned by only 3 people - is registered to a mystery address in Stretton in the suburbs of Brisbane. Pauline Hanson used donor funds to holiday in Italy. She uses donor funds under-the-table for everything. She's using donor funds to line their pockets with this little side hustle too. Hanson is a millionaire, so are her henchmen. Do you actually believe these people are acting honestly and in your best interests and not their own? .