An opinion piece published by The Australian on 17 April 2025

The Coalition came into the 2025 federal election as the underdogs. Everyone knew that; we haven’t seen the defeat of a first-term government since 1931. That’s close to a century of history against us from the get-go.

And yet the Coalition has cemented ourselves firmly as a formidable and genuine threat to the Albanese government at this coming election. Whatever your political persuasion, that is objectively remarkable. And while there are many party faithful who are sure of who they will vote for, there are many who remain in the valley of indecision.

I suspect many of them, like most Australians, want to see Australia return to what they once knew it to be. Where we weren’t suffering through the worst downfall in living standards in our history; where we hadn’t been subjected to 12 interest rate hikes; where the cost of all basic necessities hadn’t gone up by a minimum of 10 per cent and average mortgage holders weren’t paying $50,000 extra.

I know without doubt that’s what I want.

A few days ago, I said that I wanted to see Australia returned to its former glory.

And what I meant by that was exactly what I said. That I want the damage to be reversed; that I want our country’s trajectory to begin to point true north again; that we might begin to see some semblance of restoration, redemption – dare I say it, greatness.

The media pile-on that subsequently ensued is no secret to anyone. Now, I’ve received my fair share of criticism about my opinions before, so the relentless attacks weren’t all that upsetting.

What really gets me, however, is that this is now the norm under Anthony Albanese. It’s one of the biggest indictments of his leadership and it must be called out.

Make no mistake, the seeds of division and separatism sowed by Albanese when he committed to holding the voice referendum have had a vicious and lingering effect. We have been so divided, group against group, that it’s all we can see.

It benefits no one. There are no winners – everyone suffers in a country like that. Because as the past week has shown, instead of focusing on the real issues, people are now so prone to the separatist mentality that we’re all too willing to distract ourselves with the pile-on without a second thought.

The legacy of the Albanese government is the abolition of reasonable and rational conversations. Sensible ground on which mature adult conversations can be had has disappeared under Albanese’s leadership.

If we oppose the voice, we’re racist; if we’re in favour of nuclear energy, we’re lunatics who’ll be guilty of creating three-eyed fish; if we witnessed the Prime Minister fall off a stage with our own eyes, we’re sorely mistaken.

That’s why, although the media asked me whether my comments were an endorsement of Trumpian policy, they didn’t want to know the answer. Because despite my unequivocal answer that the Coalition would govern Australia for Australians, those comments didn’t make the headlines because they didn’t fit the separatist narrative.

It’s not only the absence of adult conversations but Albanese also is leaving a wake of broken promises: the promise of lower power bills not just broken but reversed so you’re paying a staggering amount more than you were; the promise of houses being built under the Housing Australia Future Fund yet not one delivered.

The Coalition’s priority will always be on Australians, whereas Albanese is unwilling to put Australians first. Our national security comes instantly to mind. Albanese’s weakness has meant Chinese naval ships now believe they have a right to circumnavigate the country and conduct live-firing exercises close to our home. Quite frankly, the lack of outrage at Albanese’s enabling of those activities is deeply troubling.

But again, these things require more than a headline to understand, so for many people it goes unnoticed. I believe the media’s dumbing down bears a significant responsibility for that. As an aside, the media also bears the burden of having made gifts I got at Christmas somehow more important than the cost-of-living crisis.

A Coalition government that I’m part of will govern Australia in the best interests of Australians. And the suggestion that we should be excluded from having the chance to govern because we aspire towards greatness is indefensible.

So, to those in the valley of indecision, I dare you to go beyond the headline in weighing up who has the better vision and ability to lead our country. I dare you to believe that our future could be hope-filled, heading upwards, towards greatness and back on track.