⏱️This edition of the National Account’s newsletter is a five-minute read.
👋 G’day everyone, Archie here.
Diving right into it today with the story of Australia's first plane hijacking, followed by my first-ever politician social media review and finally a step-by-step guide on how the gas lobby tries to change Australian law.
First Officer Thomas Ross Bennett
🗣️ Why did he do that?
In 1960, a passenger on a TAA flight from Sydney to Brisbane pulled out a sawn-off rifle and a jelly-explosive bomb, demanding to be flown to Singapore.
A quick-thinking first officer punched him and tore the wires from his hand seconds before detonation.
For my full rundown check out today’s video:
Social review 📲
NSW state MP Ron Hoenig is the first subject in my new series rating how well Australian politicians use social media.
He scores well [9/10] for authenticity and community presence, losing points for the occasional AI-generated image and corporate political language.
Watch my rundown below:
🔥 How to change a law
A leaked lobbying document lays out why the Victorian government should reverse its plan to phase out gas appliances, and then explains step-by-step how ministers could do it.
The plan was written for a gas pipeline company and cites research that isn't sourced. With the Victorian election approaching, the Liberals, Nationals and One Nation have all said they'll scrap the policy if elected.
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