They’ve made the promise. We’ll make sure they keep it

The Jacqui Lambie Network is a strong advocate for reducing the cost of housing. The major parties are now promising affordable housing—but where was this urgency over the last 12 years? We need to restrict foreigners from buying housing and residential land in Australia, which will take some pressure out of the market. However, to truly get on top of the housing problem we need more housing and this means we need more land, more trades and more supplies. We want to minimise government processes and charges, cut through red tape and remove unnecessary burdens. That is how we’ll get the housing crisis under control.

Grocery prices are through the roof. Families are struggling.

Energy prices are a key cost of living pressure. South Australians deserve reliable, affordable power. We’re fed up listening to the major parties argue about who’s energy solution is better and who’s numbers are wrong, we want to see progress, we want the real problems identified and a plan to fix the problems.

We need to drastically lower electricity prices. The price of electricity is driven by the price of gas and Australia has a lot of gas, but it gets shipped overseas so the multinationals can make huge profits at our cost. This is not about drill baby drill, it’s about managing what we’ve got now, and that’s why we need a national gas reservation policy to ensure Australians can get the benefit from our abundant gas resources.

"Australians should be getting proper royalties for our mineral and gas exports, and the regulatory bodies should be forcing multinationals to pay their fair share of tax,” Mr Rex Patrick said’.

Australia’s finite resources are essentially being gifted to foreign multinationals, which profit from them and in too many cases pay no tax in Australia. It’s poor governance at the federal level and an abuse of our good nature by the foreign companies. If the current cohort of mining, oil and gas companies can’t extract our resources and be a profitable enterprise, maybe we need to replace them with companies that can.

When companies avoid paying their fair share of tax it means the rest of us have to carry the burden. We have companies turning over billions of dollars a year, which pay no tax because they are unable to make a profit.

Should a foreign company, selling its products via the internet, not be liable for similar taxes as an Australian company pays?

Our tax system needs an overhaul.

Rex and Jacqui campaigned hard for action to be taken in relation to the Whyalla steel works, the only facility in Australia that makes rail and structural steel, both products Australia fundamentally requires to build the infrastructure for our future. As suppliers withdrew services due to not being paid, and debts mounted to the state, they called out the state and federal governments for not taking action.

That worked, and the state government eventually took action, placing an administrator in control of the steelworks in February. That was the first step on a road to recovery, and there is much more to do. Rex and Jacqui are committed to that recovery and will continue to apply pressure to the state and federal governments to do the right thing and ensure Australia retains the sovereign capability to make structural and rail steel.

The MAMA campaign is about taking action to ensure Australia has the industrial capabilities and capacities necessary for the future, and doing everything we can to provide the right environment for Australian manufacturing so Australians have the choice to buy Australian products and not cheap overseas imports.

Barriers such as lack of technical education, cost of energy, taxes and product dumping must be looked at, there are ways to build local prosperity.

Current issues include trade relations with the US, how Australia position’s itself within the Pacific and Australia’s broader trade relations. The US has been a long-term trading partner – however the behaviour of the current Administration has totally reset, in a bad way, our trade relationship with them.

We’ve lived through China side-lining a Free Trade Agreement and now the US is following suit, imposing tariffs on our steel and aluminium, and we expect these to be extended to other exports, such as agriculture, wine and more.  

Jacqui and Rex [Patrick], a former senator re-running in South Australia, have pushed back on the current Albanese government’s position in responding to US tariffs. Rather than remaining passive they are seeking a more independent Australia first attitude with pushback where necessary and have been expressing this sentiment across national media. A Vote for the Jacqui Lambie Network is a vote to support a firm position towards the US, and helps to make sure this view is argued in Canberra.

An increase in defence spending is required to restore our ability to defend our country and our interests. This is particularly relevant in the current environment of increased risk in Asia Pacific Coupled with the fact that we can no longer have confidence that the US will help us in any future conflict.

However, the answer cannot be to just pour more money into the defence procurement budget, reform is required to ensure defence obtains better value from the money they do spend. Procurement must be effective and timely, ensuring the ADF has the equipment, logistical support and onshore technical capabilities to achieve mission success.  

The Jacqui Lambie Network has the experience and know how to scrutinise the efficiency and effectiveness of defence spending and ensure we are obtaining and sustaining the capabilities required here and now.

Both Rex [Patrick] and Jacqui have been outspoken about AUKUS and are advocating for a thorough detailed review of the deal, mindful of the capability required in both the short and longer terms. By voting for the team you help to ensure there are people in Parliament with the knowledge and experience to understand defence activities and scrutinise spending.

Jacqui and the team have been insightful and vocal about the risks to Australians of foreign interference and the need for Government to take a stronger position. Foreign interference has been seen in cyber-attacks on IT systems, electoral donations, sponsorship of universities and other institutions as well as traditional espionage activities. The team is committed to pursuing these issues relentlessly, and first up is parliamentary influence with the review powers of the Senate vital tools in this endeavour.

The Murray is the lifeblood of South Australia, but being at the end of it means the state and the people suffer from all of the decisions and behaviour that occurs up stream. We need to ensure the Murray is healthy and that we have a sustainable water supply for our population, our agriculture, our industry and the environment, if we don’t we will all lose.

Through insightful forethought, Adelaide is surrounded by Parkland, a significant feature of the city which ensures plenty of greenspace that can be enjoyed by locals and visitors. Unfortunately, the Parklands are gradually being consumed through government led development, because they view it as ‘free’ land. The Parklands need to be protected from permanent development, and we’ll be pushing to get the heritage listing finalised.