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👋 G’day everyone, Archie here, writing from 26 degree Magnetic Island, just off the coast of Townsville, QLD.
The weekend plans mostly consist of taking in the sun, a couple of beverages, and maybe a trip to the Mad Cow Tavern. If you know, you know.
🔍 It’s been a busy couple of days. Yesterday, I did my best to try and explain what on earth is going on with the Tasmanian government.
If you’ve been wondering what are they up to over there? Here’s the rundown.
Despite having the most votes after a snap election in July, the Tasmanian Liberals still don’t have a majority to form government.
This didn’t stop Premier Jeremy Rockliff from going to the Governor to be reinstated as Tassie’s Premier.
Labor leader Dean Winter has said he will call another vote of no confidence, in an attempt to install a Labor-led minority government in Hobart.
That story here for you to check out.
🗞️ Now, let’s crack on.
In a climate change scenario, nuclear submarines are utterly useless
🗣️ Why did he say that?
A couple of weeks ago, I covered the arguments made by Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce on why Australia should, apparently, scrap net zero.
One of Barnaby’s claims was that net zero puts the country at a military risk. Not so, according to a paper published by the Australian Defence Force and written by Dr. Albert Palazzo.
Dr. Albert Palazzo, who is the long-serving Director of War Studies for the Australian Army, is an Adjunct Professor at UNSW who has written over 20 books on war.
Palazzo told me the ADF will increasingly engage in future wars due to the escalating climate crisis — unless pollution and emissions are brought way down (in line with policy like, say, net zero). The $360bn AUKUS submarines are not the right tools for that job.
For my full breakdown of that story, check out today’s video:
Around the Grounds 🦘
Across the country, things are happening at a local level that have an impact nationally. Here’s the stories you might not hear about in the traditional media.
1️⃣Youth homelessness waitlist grows in NSW
A concerning and powerful story from Ellie Chamberlain from the Mid North Coaster about the Ngurra Housing Project in Kempsey, on the NSW Mid North Coast.
The facility has housed over 160 young people since 2023. All its beds are currently full, and there is a growing waitlist.
Ellie also spoke with Savannah, a 20-year-old resident, who, after struggling with homelessness and being rejected from 15 rentals, was housed at Ngurra, received support, and is now moving into a permanent home.
Read that story by clicking below 👇
And check out the interview Ellie has filed 👇
It’s national Homelessness Week at the moment (today being the final day) and I’ve also read some good stories from Western Victoria and Gippsland about how councils, governments, volunteers and towns are struggling to keep up with an issue that — no matter who you ask — seems to be evolving into an ongoing crisis.
2️⃣ Where’d the koalas go?
In the late 1800s to early 1900s, around eight million koala skins were exported from Australia.
Mathew Sims at the Eastern Melburnian reports that the trade’s impact is still felt in places like the Dandenong Ranges, even 120 years later.
The shocking statistic: while nearly 80% of the koala-friendly eucalypt forests remain in Casey in Melbourne’s east, fewer than 100 koalas live there today.
Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) Chief Executive Deborah Tabart told him the local koala population could vanish within three generations.
Read that story by clicking below 👇
3️⃣ What’s it like to have a wind farm on your farm?
Jacob Wallace, over at the Gippsland Monitor, asked this question to sheep and cattle farmer Lindsay Marriott, who has had turbines installed on his farm near Tarwin Lower in Victoria’s south.
A 2024 report from Farmers for Climate Action found “annual payments to landholders typically range from $5500-6500 per MW and modern turbines typically have 7MW of capacity”.
Marriott said this extra income has allowed him to significantly upgrade the farm's infrastructure, subdivide paddocks, and employ more people, adding that his livestock is unaffected by the turbines and at ease with the maintenance crew.
Read that story by clicking below 👇
How often do you think about superannuation?💰
I recently took to the streets of Parramatta, NSW, to find out how often people are thinking about one of their largest assets 👇
I also filed this story talking with Robert Breunig, director of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at ANU. He poses the question: Should we cap superannuation at $5 million? 👇
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 on Monday with another week of news!
Cheers, Archie