Nationals leader’s vision for ‘Australia on steroids’
National leader Matt Canavan will outline his economic vision for a revolutionary “hyper Australia” and call on the country to abandon net zero targets, halt immigration and embrace industry protection.
“We need an Australia with more of everything: more factories, more dams, more vision, more cities, more homes and more babies,” he will say in his first speech to the National Press Club as leader on Wednesday.
“I like to call it hyper Australia, but whatever you want to call it, my agenda is Australia on steroids.”
Senator Canavan will blame high energy costs, globalization and government policies, arguing Australians are experiencing an unprecedented decline in living standards.
The Queensland senator, who became leader of the National Party after David Littleproud’s shock resignation in March, will target the prime minister directly, accusing him of adhering to outdated economic thinking and relying too heavily on the clean energy transition.
“Microwaved Milton Friedman will not solve our economic woes – and it certainly will not assuage the Australian people’s righteous anger at the incompetence of their political leaders to throw away the promise of the luckiest country on earth,” he will say.
“The chief cheerleader of this economic impasse remains the prime minister: Captain Status Quo himself.
“He still believes that a few more subsidies on batteries and hydrogen will fix everything.”
Senator Canavan will propose an economic plan he calls the Patriotic Agenda for Australia’s Economic Resurgence, with five main focus points.
The first would be a “manufacturing renaissance” by protecting key sectors from foreign competition, the second would be the closing of borders to mass migration to free up infrastructure and housing stock.
“Australia has always defined itself by the things we do, build and grow,” Senator Canavan said in his speech.
“We built cars, we built the Snowy Hydro, Queenslanders are known as banana spinners and yes, we invented the Hills Hoist clothesline.”
He will also call for energy abundance by scrapping net zero and investing in all forms of energy to bring down prices, and a national work program building dams, roads, rail, ports and spaceports.
Senator Canavan will also propose building new cities as a fifth focus area, allowing young Australians to buy a home and access the same services in capital cities.
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