More free Gas to Woodside + The Great Housing Policy Reversal
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More free Gas to Woodside
THE TLDR:One minister just approved giving Woodside $215 billion worth of free gas for 45 more years (that's $8,600 per Australian), proving why we desperately need an independent EPA instead of corruptible ministerial discretion.
KEY FACTS:
1️⃣ The Scale of Corporate Welfare: Woodside's 45-year extension means we're giving away enough gas to fund universal dental care OR free childcare for every Australian family until 2070 - but mining cartels get it for free instead.
2️⃣ Ministerial Discretion = Corruption Risk: One person (Environment Minister Murray Watt) has the power to approve $215 billion giveaways with zero independent oversight - exactly the kind of concentrated power that invites corporate capture.
3️⃣ The EPA We Almost Had: Australia nearly got an independent environmental protection agency (like ACCC or ASIC) to make these decisions transparently, but WA Premier Roger Cook and gas cartels successfully lobbied to kill it - keeping the corrupt system that just enriched Woodside.
From £5 House Deposits to a Generation Locked Out: The Great Housing Policy Reversal
THE TLDR:Post-WWII Australia actively helped citizens become homeowners through government-built housing, £5 deposits, and direct government lending under the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement. Today's privatized system prioritizes property investors and developers through tax breaks and subsidies, creating record-high prices that have locked out entire generations from homeownership.
KEY FACTS: 1️⃣ Australia shifted from a government that directly built and sold houses to citizens, to one that subsidizes private developers while leaving citizens to compete in an unregulated market.
2️⃣ The country moved from offering £5 deposits and government-backed loans to a bank-dominated system requiring massive down payments that most Australians can't afford.
3️⃣ Housing policy transformed from treating homes as a human right and essential infrastructure to incentivising property investment through tax breaks, turning housing into a speculative commodity that prices out entire generations.
