⏱️This edition of the National Account’s newsletter is a four-minute read.
👋 G’day everyone, Archie here.
Today's guest on the show isn’t a politician, comedian or journalist — but they are a hard-working Australian.
Truck owner-operator, Frank Black.
Also today: I take a look at councils asking the Federal Government to impose a levy on fossil fuel companies to pay for climate-change-related damages.
Let's dive into it 🚛
When I first started, if you're a young bloke, you could buy a vehicle or you could get a job in the industry. If you're prepared to work hard… you could earn a decent living. So we've seen that slowly get chipped away. Now, you can't really make a decent living.
🗣️ Why did he say that?
Frank Black has been an owner-operator on Australian roads for the last 40 years.
In that time he’s watched conditions get slowly chipped away and thinks the industry is broken.
He explained his fears to me on the future of the industry, as well as some broader reflections.
Watch the full interview below:
Cough up 💰
Flooded roads, eroded shorelines, burned communities. More than 500 Australian councils have come together to call for a levy on coal, oil and gas companies to pay for the damage.
They want $1.3 billion a year, and say ratepayers shouldn't be left footing the bill.
Here’s the rundown:
Thanks for catching up with me. I hope you enjoyed this issue, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Just reply to this email and I’ll be on the other side 👋
I’ll be back on Monday.
Cheers, Archie