July Update

The Albanese Government has used the cover of the winter parliamentary recess to approve the sale of Rushy Lagoon after months of delay, stonewalling and a complete refusal to be transparent with the Australian public. 
 
The approval of the sale of Rushy Lagoon is a disappointing decision that flies in the face of the concerns raised by local farmers, agricultural businesses and regional communities throughout this process.

My concern has never been foreign investment in itself. My concern has been that the proposed purchaser was reportedly able to benefit from support associated with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, creating market distortion that disadvantaged other potential buyers and undermined confidence in Tasmania's agricultural land market. 
 
The government's handling of this matter has been equally concerning. Labor ignored an Order for the Production of Documents passed by the Senate seeking transparency around any involvement of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and repeated delays pushed an announcement of the Foreign Investment Review Board outcome into the parliamentary winter recess. 
 
Despite writing directly to the Treasurer on multiple occasions and raising these issues repeatedly in the Senate, significant questions remain unanswered, despite assurances that responses would be forthcoming. 
 
Rushy Lagoon is not an ordinary property. It is a 22,000-hectare irrigated beef and dairy enterprise that has been a cornerstone of agricultural production in North East Tasmania for decades. At a time when governments are talking about food security and strengthening domestic supply chains, approving the conversion of productive agricultural land away from food production sends entirely the wrong signal. 
 
Local producers have consistently warned about the impacts on milk collection networks, beef processing, agricultural employment and confidence across the sector. Those concerns deserved proper consideration and public transparency, not secrecy and delay. 
 
The Government must now explain why this decision is in Australia's national interest, disclose the full extent of any taxpayer-backed support associated with the proposal, and justify why productive agricultural land has been placed at a competitive disadvantage through government intervention in the market. 
 
Julie Collins, a Tasmanian MP and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in the Albanese ministry must face Tasmania's farming community and explain how the government supports food production, regional jobs and fair competition in agricultural markets.

Labor went to the election promising to cut household electricity bills by $275 a year. Instead, families across Australia have watched their power costs climb, placing even greater pressure on already stretched household budgets.

Australian families are continuing to feel the pressure of rising electricity costs, with many households struggling to keep up with higher energy bills and the broader cost of living.

The Coalition believes Australia needs a practical, common-sense energy policy that makes use of all of the nation’s strengths. With abundant coal, gas, uranium and renewable resources, Australia has the opportunity to deliver reliable and affordable energy without placing additional burdens on households and businesses.

Rather than relying on more targets and subsidies, the focus should be on increasing energy supply from all available sources to help drive prices down and strengthen energy security.

The Coalition has committed to scrapping net zero policies, supporting energy abundance, and pursuing measures designed to lower power prices for Australians.

With families already facing higher bills, higher taxes and growing financial pressure, many Australians are looking for policies that restore affordability and improve living standards.

Australians were promised a housing revolution. Instead, they're getting higher prices, higher rents and fewer homes.

Labor promised to help deliver 1.2 million new homes over five years, despite Australia needing around 275,000 new homes each year just to keep pace with demand. Labor's own policies were expected to contribute just 240,000 homes to that target, and so far only 170,000 have been actually delivered.

Recent reports indicate first home buyer loan applications have fallen significantly since the Budget, despite government claims that more Australians are getting into their first home. At the same time, Labor continues to add pressure to an already stretched housing market. Persistent inflation, rising construction costs, burdensome industrial relations changes, excessive red tape, labour shortages, and higher taxes are making it more expensive to build new homes and harder for Australians to buy or rent them.

The reality is simple: you cannot solve a housing crisis without building more houses.

Instead of tackling supply, Labor has spent billions of taxpayer dollars on interventions that do little to address the underlying shortage of homes. The result is that affordability continues to deteriorate while home ownership drifts further out of reach for many Australians.

The Coalition is committed to restoring common sense to housing policy by building more homes, reducing construction costs through stripping out unnecessary red tape in the National Construction Code, and ensuring migration levels align with housing supply. Our plan includes a $5 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund to unlock up to 400,000 new homes by supporting last-mile infrastructure such as water, sewerage, utilities and road access, reforms to reduce unnecessary building costs, and a migration cap linked to the number of homes being completed each year.

Australia needs policies that encourage more homes to be built, not more bureaucracy, more taxes and more announcements that fail to deliver. Until supply increases, housing will remain less affordable, and the dream of home ownership will continue slipping away for many Australians.

Please share this newsletter and encourage your family, friends and colleagues to subscribe. 

The more voices engaged, the stronger our community. Send it on, and help others stay in the loop. 

Extraordinary Australians are all around us. They are the people making a difference in our communities, supporting others, championing important causes, and helping to make our country a better place.

You may know someone whose dedication and achievements deserve national recognition. Whether their impact is felt locally or across the nation, they could be Australia’s next Australian of the Year.

Receiving an Australian of the Year Award not only recognises an individual’s contribution, it also shines a spotlight on their work, elevates their cause, and inspires others to create positive change.

Nominating someone is quick and easy. Visit https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au and submit your nomination today.

Extraordinary Australians are among us. See them. Hear them. Nominate them.

Nominations for the 2027 Australian of the Year Awards close at midnight on 31 July 2026.

Australia's next Census is on Tuesday 11 August 2026.

The Census is a snapshot of the country and tells the story of how we are changing. In the Census, every answer matters to help us understand what Australia needs now and into the future. Census data informs planning for schools, healthcare, transport and infrastructure. It is also used to help plan local services for individuals, families and communities.

From late this month, households will receive instructions on how to complete the Census. Households can complete the Census as soon as they get their instructions, if they know where they'll be on Census night.

Everyone in Australia on Census night must complete the Census.

Visit census.abs.gov.au for more information. For help in your language call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450.