⏱️This edition of the National Account’s newsletter is a five-minute read.
👋 G’day everyone, Archie here.
Today, I’m going back into some Australian history I knew nothing about and I’m absolutely shocked.
The focus: A town in WA that was taken off the map because of asbestos.
It’s called Wittenoom, and I took a bit of a drive into what happened there.
Also: Tomorrow marks the start of the 50th Australian Labor Party Conference. It’s looking like both the diesel fuel rebate and 25 percent gas export tax are going to be argued for.
But will anything happen? I’m not so sure.
Before we get into it though, just a reminder to come subscribe to the YouTube Channel, if you haven’t already, by clicking here.
Now let’s crack into it 🗞️
The asbestos mine at Wittenoom, let the record state, operates without any sort of dust extractor whatsoever. In a year or two, ABA [Australian Blue Asbestos]will produce the richest and most lethal crop of asbestosis cases in the world's literature"
🗣️ Why did he say that?
Somewhere in Western Australia sits an exclusion zone a fifth the size of Chernobyl.
But this exclusion zone exists not because of radiation, but asbestos.
The town inside it, Wittenoom, doesn't exist anymore. It was torn down by the West Australian Government.
It’s believed 4,000 people are dead because of what happened there.
So what on earth was Wittenoom?
Watch my rundown below:
What will Labor do? 🗳️
Two proposals worth billions are on the table at this week's Labor conference, but even if members vote yes, nothing has to change.
The Labor Party conference happens every three years.
This week, members are pushing to strip diesel rebates from the 18 biggest miners and slap a 25% tax on gas exports.
Will it actually happen, hard to say.
Watch my rundown below:
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 Friday.
Cheers, Archie