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About David


David served in the Australian Defence Force for over 22 years. An Army pilot, he flew helicopters and fixed wing aircraft and was the Senior Flying Instructor at the School of Army Aviation in Queensland.

Graduating as an experimental test pilot from the Empire Test Pilots’ School (UK), he finished his full time career in Defence as the Commanding Officer of the RAAF Aircraft Research and Development Unit.

Elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Wakefield (SA) in 2004, he served in the Parliament until 2007. David continued to fly as a test pilot and ran a small business working in the Defence and Aviation sectors prior to being elected to the Senate in 2010, 2016 and again in 2019.

In the (45th) Parliament, David was sworn as the Assistant Minister for Defence.

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Plans for the defence of our nation are in disarray because of Labor—again!

The last Labor Government (2007-2013) proudly announced an ambitious White Paper but then proceeded to defer or cancel projects as they slashed defence funding to pre-WW2 levels.

The Defence Department Secretary at the time, Dennis Richardson, characterised the impact of defence budget cuts during the last Labor Government in this way: “The goalposts weren’t just moved; they were cut down and used for firewood.”

Respected analysts and journalists said at the time that Defence “is an incoherent mess” and that “plans are in disarray” because of the cuts, cancellations and delays.

The Albanese Labor government is no different as today’s headlines make clear.

History is repeating itself under this Albanese Labor Government.

You can’t trust Labor with Defence.

#Defence #intelligence #security #space #Australia
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Plans for the defence of our nation are in disarray because of Labor—again! 

The last Labor Government (2007-2013) proudly announced an ambitious White Paper but then proceeded to defer or cancel projects as they slashed defence funding to pre-WW2 levels. 

The Defence Department Secretary at the time, Dennis Richardson,  characterised the impact of defence budget cuts during the last Labor Government in this way: “The goalposts weren’t just moved; they were cut down and used for firewood.” 

Respected analysts and journalists said at the time that Defence “is an incoherent mess” and that “plans are in disarray” because of the cuts, cancellations and delays. 

The Albanese Labor government is no different as today’s headlines make clear. 

History is repeating itself under this Albanese Labor Government. 

You can’t trust Labor with Defence.

#Defence #intelligence #security #space #Australia

1 CommentComment on Facebook

True…. Satellites binned. F35 cutbacks. All about subs. However, LNP also contributed to our ship - building black hole during the Abbott- Turnbull years. And helped set the current defence culture. I’m not confident in any of our leadership for the path ahead

The Coalition is determined to restore the dream of home ownership.

✅ We will unlock up to 500,000 new homes by investing $5 billion to fund essential infrastructure like water, power and sewerage at housing development sites.
✅ To further address supply constraints, we will freeze any further changes to the National Construction Code for 10 years.

To alleviate pressure on the housing market, we will:

✅ Implement a two-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing homes.
✅ Rebalance our migration system.
✅ Return the refugee and humanitarian program planning level to the long-term average—from 20,000 to 13,750.
✅ Reduce the numbers of foreign students at metropolitan universities.

A Dutton Coalition Government will boost housing supply, rebalance migration, incentivise first home buyers and take pressure off interest rates and rents.

#housing #home #rent #costofliving #australia
... See MoreSee Less

The Coalition is determined to restore the dream of home ownership.

✅ We will unlock up to 500,000 new homes by investing $5 billion to fund essential infrastructure like water, power and sewerage at housing development sites.
✅ To further address supply constraints, we will freeze any further changes to the National Construction Code for 10 years.

To alleviate pressure on the housing market, we will:

✅ Implement a two-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing homes.
✅ Rebalance our migration system.
✅ Return the refugee and humanitarian program planning level to the long-term average—from 20,000 to 13,750.
✅ Reduce the numbers of foreign students at metropolitan universities.

A Dutton Coalition Government will boost housing supply, rebalance migration, incentivise first home buyers and take pressure off interest rates and rents.

#housing #home #rent #costofliving #Australia

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Read more about our plan to deliver more affordable housing: www.liberal.org.au/our-plan/affordable-housing

Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba in 1917—a turning point in the allies' Middle East campaign against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

The small, strategically-situated town of Beersheba—in what is now Israel— constituted a key element in the Turkish Beersheba-Gaza line.

Allied assaults on the town had so far failed to breach the Turkish defences, prompting Lieutenant General Sir Henry Chauvel, commander of the Desert Mounted Corps, to order forward the 800 men of the Australian Light Horse Brigade—a mounted infantry unit.

The Light Horse charged the Turkish trenches—taking the defenders completely by surprise when they proceeded on horseback, instead of dismounting before they attacked (the standard practice for mounted infantry).

Within an hour, the town and its vital wells were secure.

During the charge, two Light Horse officers and 29 other ranks were killed, while eight officers and 28 other ranks were wounded.

Lest we forget.

📷 Photo: AWM

#lestweforget #Anzac #Beersheba #lighthouse
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Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba in 1917—a turning point in the allies Middle East campaign against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

The small, strategically-situated town of Beersheba—in what is now Israel— constituted a key element in the Turkish Beersheba-Gaza line.

Allied assaults on the town had so far failed to breach the Turkish defences, prompting Lieutenant General Sir Henry Chauvel, commander of the Desert Mounted Corps, to order forward the 800 men of the Australian Light Horse Brigade—a mounted infantry unit.

The Light Horse charged the Turkish trenches—taking the defenders completely by surprise when they proceeded on horseback, instead of dismounting before they attacked (the standard practice for mounted infantry).

Within an hour, the town and its vital wells were secure.

During the charge, two Light Horse officers and 29 other ranks were killed, while eight officers and 28 other ranks were wounded.

Lest we forget.

📷 Photo: AWM

#lestweforget #Anzac #Beersheba #lighthouse

3 CommentsComment on Facebook

Ion Idriess, The Desert Column

CUTTING 20% OF HECS IS A GOOD START AND LABOR DESERVES PRAISE FOR ATTACKING AN UNFAIR TAX AND NOW SHOULD DO AWAY WITH THE OTHER 80% BELOW IS WHERE THE MONEY WILL COME FROM TO DO IT! Households are ‘profit cows’ for AGL who pay no tax on billions of income Matthew Elmas Nov 01, 2024, updated Nov 01, 2024 Share New research finds gas giants aren't paying any tax despite making billions in profits. Gas giant AGL charged ordinary customers up to three times more than businesses and made huge profits from households, economists say. Australia Institute senior research fellow David Richardson published an analysis of the company’s annual report this week that showed it charged consumers an average of $38.1 per gigajoule (GJ) last financial year, compared to just $11.9/GJ for businesses. Richardson said that gas prices have risen at nearly double the rate of the broader Consumer Price Index (CPI) since June 2021, soaring more than 30 per cent over that time. Customers are paying more than they should, with AGL booking 36 per cent of its sales price as profits at the retail level, compared to a 0.5 per cent loss on business sales, he said. “That profit essentially comes from just billing and marketing to you,” Richardson said. “The gas households get is the same gas as businesses do. Businesses don’t get some special type of gas which means gas companies can’t make a profit on it.” The analysis of AGL’s investor disclosures shows businesses are paying 69 per cent less per GJ of gas than regular consumers, who Richardson said are being used as “profit cows” by AGL. Meanwhile, the company paid no tax on $15.4 billion worth of income in 2020-21, according to Australian Taxation Office transparency data. “It is clear that households dependent upon gas for their heating have done it particularly tough,” Richardson said. “Consumers … might think that this is just the unfortunate side-effect of the cost of international gas prices rising and as a result, energy companies like AGL have no choice but to pass on the cost to continue to make a profit … this is not the case.” A spokesperson for AGL said contracts between residential and large business customers are “set up differently”. “Large business customers are provided bespoke pricing based on their individual customer profile,” they said. “The gas consumption of different businesses varies significantly when compared to residential customers. Business customers are also signed on longer-term contracts. “For residential customers, their gas prices are determined by a range of factors including changes in wholesale prices, network and environmental costs.” No tax paid by multinationals It comes as separate analysis from the Australia Institute on Friday found that gas exporters in Queensland have made $36 billion without paying any state or federal tax. Multinationals including Australia Pacific LNG, Arrow Energy Holdings, SANTOS and Petronas made billions in income without paying the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT). Each is exporting coal seam gas from Queensland. “If you paid any tax in 2022-23, you paid more than all these gas corporations combined,” Australia Institute principal advisor Mark Ogge said. “Australians are missing out on schools, hospitals, housing and cost of living relief because foreign-owned gas exporters are taking us for a ride, and our governments are doing nothing about it.” The Australia Institute findings underscore a broader political debate in Australia about whether gas companies are paying their fair share of tax, particularly after a global commodity squeeze post-COVID generated huge profits for the industry. Gas companies have claimed that the shortage is due to regulations preventing gas exploration, but analysts have pointed out that these companies are shipping large quantities of LNG overseas. Australian households, meanwhile, continue to suffer from elevated gas bills as the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) continues to warn about possible shortages. “A minimum surplus of 12 PJ (if the LNG producers export all of their un contracted gas) will be important for the east coast market to help re-fill storage facilities ahead of winter and provide a buffer for other market risks,” the regulator said in its latest report. Name Total income $ Tax payable $ AUSTRALIA PACIFIC LNG P/L 11,315,191,510.00 0.00 LNG PTY LTD ARROW ENERGY HOLDINGS P/L 683,308,002.00 0.00 QGC UPSTREAM 10,654,836,617.00 0.00 HOLDINGS PTY LIMITED 10,654,836,617.00 0.00 PETRONAS AUSTRALIA 1,891,659,280.00 0.00 PTY LIMITED TOTAL ENERGIES EP HOLDINGS 3,665,554,256.00 0.00 AUSTRALIA PTY LTD TOTALENERGIES EP AUSTRALIA 351,887,864.00 0.00 TOTAL ENERGIES GAS & POWER 163,868,239.00 0.00 AUSTRALIA PTY LTD KOGAS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD 1,556,634,411.00 0.00 SANTOS LIMITED 6,257,384,778.00 0.00 Total 36,540,324,957.00 0.00 0.00

Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have invested in nuclear energy because it’s clear that advanced economies will only have reliable, affordable and clean power if nuclear is part of a balanced future energy mix.

#nuclear #energy #power #technology #AI #Australia
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Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have invested in nuclear energy because it’s clear that advanced economies will only have reliable, affordable and clean power if nuclear is part of a balanced future energy mix.

#nuclear #energy #power #technology #AI #Australia

6 CommentsComment on Facebook

It's clear that albo and bowen have no real actual intelligence. Bowen is like the sunbeams, seabreazes are so pretty 😍

But sleazy albo frm Australia knows going that way is not good fr money laundering schemes

😉👎

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