Australia is on a dangerous downward path. It's been getting worse for years, but the tipping point for me was when our PM had to go to Singapore to beg for fuel. Think about it. Singapore imports everything-fuel, food, metals, building materials, even water-yet it has built a world-class refining and supply hub that services much of our region. Meanwhile, we ship our resources offshore and then buy them back in refined form.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The numbers beggar belief. Singapore, with a population of just 6.1 million and a land area of 719 square kilometres and with no natural resources, is outperforming a nation of 27.7 million people spread across 7.7 million square kilometres.
Interest rates in Singapore are about 1.0 per cent versus our 4.1 per cent, inflation 1.2 per cent against 3.7 per cent, and government spending just 16.8 per cent of GDP compared with our 26.5 per cent.
Its top personal tax rate is 24 per cent versus our 47 per cent, company tax 17 per cent versus 30 per cent, and unemployment 2 per cent against 4.3 per cent.
It runs a current account surplus of 16.7 per cent of GDP while we run a 2.9 per cent deficit.
It even holds more gold-194 tonnes to our 80-despite never mining an ounce.
The contrast is brutal. A nation with nothing has built a powerhouse economy in just 66 years.
Australia has had 238 years and is now bogged down in bureaucracy and red tape, relying on exports to keep us going.
Our debt is now over a trillion dollars, yet the government's approach to spending is reckless.
When the fuel crisis got serious, the priority should have been to protect the budget and encourage people to use less fuel. Instead, $2 billion was spent-added to our national debt-to save a few cents a litre, followed by another $20 million to educate people to drive using less fuel.
Don't get me started on NDIS.
It began with good intentions but has never been means tested, and there are no apparent checks and balances on provider charges.
The cost has doubled since 2021 and is forecast to hit $55 billion next financial year-more than our defence budget.
Everybody has an NDIS story. Jack's is typical. His son needed a special chair.
The price at Harvey Norman was $2,000, but after six months dealing with NDIS, the same chair cost $6,000.
Aged care is a complete dog's breakfast. Governments have known for decades that an ageing population would strain the system, yet failed to ensure enough beds and workers.
After years of scrutiny and the Royal Commission, the 2025 reforms were hailed as "once in a generation", promising a person-centred system built on dignity, respect and safety.
The reality is very different. Changes to fees and funding have left thousands of seniors stranded in hospital beds while being labelled "bed blockers".
More than 100,000 are still at home waiting for care. The average wait for an assessment is four weeks, and then a further 245 days for a package to begin. Many wait far longer.
When care finally arrives, costs can be staggering. Changes to provider charges and new co-contributions-where self-funded retirees may pay up to 80 per cent-have pushed prices to extremes: cleaning at $170 an hour, help with showering $180, gardening close to $300, with higher rates after hours.
This problem will worsen before it improves. About 1.5 million Australians currently receive aged care; by 2050, that number is expected to reach 3.5 million.
It's not that we lack resources. It's that we've lost the ability to turn them into outcomes.
In 1964, journalist Donald Horne published The Lucky Country, and the title became Australia's enduring nickname. But most Australians missed his point.
It was never a compliment. Horne wrote: "Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second-rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people's ideas."
His message was clear: our prosperity owed more to luck and natural resources than to innovation or leadership. It was a wake-up call to an unimaginative nation, an indictment of a country drifting into mediocrity.
Sixty years on, it reads less like history and more like a warning we chose to ignore. If there were a sequel today, the title might well be: Don't Cry for Me, Argentina.
In 1964, journalist Donald Horne published The Lucky Country, and the title became Australia's enduring nickname. But most Australians missed his point. It was never a compliment. Horne wrote: "Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second-rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people's ideas."
