True Crime
Evidence-Based Crime Policy for Victoria I call for an immediate shift away from media-driven sensationalism and toward an evidence-based approach to community safety in Victoria. Grounded in official data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the Australian Institute of…
Keep readingBring public transport back into public hands
Taking Back Our Network: A Fairer, Integrated, Fully Public Transport System For Victoria Our public transport system is working for private profit, not Victorian passengers. While the state builds the tracks through the “Big Build,” private corporate operators pocket the…
Keep readingReforming Australian Healthcare: A Community-First Blueprint
The Australian healthcare system is broken by a “Federation Blind Spot.” Right now, the Federal Government funds Medicare and local GPs, while State Governments run the public hospitals. This division creates a bureaucratic tug-of-war, leading to cost-shifting, long waiting times,…
Keep readingBicycle Victoria’s 5% for Safer Streets
Mario and Y.B. kindly reached out to me for my response to Bicycle Victoria’s campaign. For more see https://scc-campaign.vercel.app/ Brunswick, as part of Merri-bek Council enjoys strong ongoing, funded support for cycling infrastructure. We are incredibly fortunate to be located…
Keep readingGet digital devices out of the classroom and improve classroom behaviour
PISA is the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment. PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges. The 2025 results have just landed. PISA results in Australia and globally are…
Keep readingAustralia’s business support maze
Australian businesses currently face a fragmented and inefficient system of support spread across federal, state, and local governments. Multiple layers of government operate overlapping grant programs, advisory services, and regional development funds, creating unnecessary complexity, higher compliance costs, and confusion…
Keep readingAI mythbusting
The current public Artificial Intelligence debate suffers from a steady stream of misinformation and hyperbole on all sides. This is a basic background piece on “what is AI?”, “what is a data centre?”, “what is the scale of the electricity…
Keep readingEarly learning reforms can’t work without the right workforce. The gap between rich and poor is widening.
Victoria’s substantial investment in Fee Kinder and state-built childcare centres remains unproven. Results so far suggest that while early learning improves cognitive outcomes, the gap between rich and poor students is actually widening. Potential “human capital” benefits (such as increased…
Keep readingCancel Brunswick Skyrail
Better Transport Outcomes for Merri-bek and the Upfield Corridor Transport investments must maximise accessibility, reliability, and value for taxpayers while respecting local communities and active transport users. Responsible Infrastructure Investment With the Brunswick Level Crossing Removal Project projected to cost…
Keep readingThe rural maze – duplicated agriculture, energy and regional development schemes must stop
The Productivity Commission’s structural blueprints offer the only serious, evidence-based pathway to erase three-tier administrative waste and protect rural businesses from duplicate compliance loops. Decades of independent economic analysis prove that failing to reform these spaces directly penalises Victorian primary…
Keep readingLocal government has exited from social services. A leap of blind faith with no soft landing
The withdrawal of local councils from childcare, aged care, and other frontline community services is one of the biggest changes in Victoria’s local government sector. Due to state-imposed rate caps and rising costs, many councils have stopped providing these services…
Keep readingEconomic growth will remain highly challenging. The next government must address the structural gaps and risks
The Victorian economy is experiencing a mixed economic landscape, highlighted by an annual Real State Final Demand growth of 3.5% for the March 2026 quarter. But the Victorian economy faces many structural constraints and headwind risks that need addressing. Over…
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