The case against means testing
“Means testing is fundamentally flawed because it adds complexity, cost, and exclusion without delivering meaningful savings. The bureaucracy required to police eligibility often costs more than the assistance it withholds, while undermining the effectiveness of public services. Universal systems avoid these failures by treating essential services as social infrastructure rather than charity. Redistributing wealth is neither radical nor speculative. Taxing high-income earners and accumulated wealth – whether through capital gains, inheritance, or equity-based mechanisms – has been done repeatedly and successfully across advanced economies. The limiting factor is not technology or resources. We already produce more than enough to guarantee a dignified standard of living for all. What prevents this is intergenerational wealth inequality, which entrenches advantage and shapes policy to preserve existing concentrations of power. The sick should be healed, the hungry fed, the poor housed and all should receive a good education.”
Scott Draffin

Cheap, stable and clean
“Why is it that energy experts and economists rarely, if ever, mention the good effect renewables have on inflation. The cost of electricity from my rooftop solar is the same as it was when installed several years ago. The cost of recharging my EV is unchanged. Meanwhile oil, gas and coal have all risen in price. The value of stable prices and lower inflation — the opposite of the uncertainty we currently have over oil and gas that permeates the whole economy — cannot be overemphasised. Time to seize the moment, accelerate renewables and decarbonisation. Lower cost, lower inflation, zero emissions.”
Julian Lawrence, Karana Downs, Qld

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