As soon as you start working, the government is taking part of your life from you in the form of your earnings you pay in tax. So of course you should get involved in the decision making that affects your life.
TRANSCRIPT:
(This transcript is derived from an automated process. The video recording is authoritative.)
Well, good evening ladies and gentlemen. Just like in high school, it appears that I'll be the first one to go. But a powerful truth, as Jewel mentioned that I'm often reminded of on nights like these, is that the future belongs to those who turn up. And by turning up here tonight, each and every one of us, well we're writing our own story in the future that we are to play a part in. So I'll firstly say I'm deeply grateful to Jill for inviting me here to speak where the voices of young and old tonight converge to ignite change.
So let me first ask, let us start here. Please raise your hand if you think maybe you're paying too much tax to the government. Unanimous. Now, please keep your hand raised if you're unhappy about it. Finally, I'm just curious if you're a member of a political party, keep your hand further raised. Not bad. So everything to me is mindset, and I hope to make you all a little bit more uncomfortable about that tax that you must give the government every year, every day, every week that you work, because that tax, that money that you are giving to the government every single week of your working life, that is literally your life
Every week, one to two days that you are working that is purely to pay the government before you are working towards any future for yourself, your family, or your community, or just your own future. You see, I want to help all of you see politics more as I do, as I share my mindset, my inspirations, my expectations. Well, if I can encourage any of you or even one of you that you can be that voice for change, then I am succeeding because every action of good, it sends out a ripple and you never know who else that ripple may impact.
So many of you would know that I joined the liberals at the age of 16. I was a member for about nine years, and I partook. I went to many state and national conventions. I was secretary of my branch up in North Queensland, and I volunteered at most elections. But I have to say, I had no profound understanding of what I was getting into. I was just there because I knew it was important. My parents played a role and well, these people were deciding the fate of our country. So I thought I should turn up. But the simple fact of trying to come to an understanding, an understanding of what these political ideologies that dominate our landscape actually stood for liberal labour, the Greens one Nation, United Australia party, libertarians. Well, it's something I know is not clear even to veterans of politics because it was just last weekend, I was with the wife of a senator at a wedding and she said to me, what is the difference between a libertarian and one nation? What is the mindset of a person who joins these parties? You see, in my naivety of youth at high school, I literally would think to myself, well, why do we have so much debate, so much discussion? Because aren't we all just trying to work towards the best environment for everyone's success? And if we just followed, well, some of the data, should we all come to similar conclusions? But that was a naive high schooler who had not worked, who had not experienced much of human nature. So no wonder I thought as such,
But what I want to convey to you all is that I, firsthand, I know that politics does seem complex. It does seem inaccessible. And at times it's very frustrating when we continually see from our leaders lack of progress or we each feel disheartened by the seemingly indifference of those in power. But that's not a struggle unique to any particular age group or any one of us. That's a struggle we'll probably have for most of our lives. So as a young man, when I embarked on this journey, yes, I've always been clear on my gender. Well, my father had me following a very simple strategy, and that strategy was just to ask questions. If you didn't understand something, just ask. I honestly spent the majority of my time just listening, learning, because every interaction, every discussion, it offered new insights, new perspectives. But most importantly, it allowed me to reflect and better understand the political ideologies and the individuals that make up our political landscape because politics is people. So something to remember when you begin anything is just to learn and listen because well, we have two ears and one mouth so that we may listen twice as much as we speak, as Titus said. And it is simple. And I like simple because the definition of a genius is he who takes something complex and makes it simple, at least according to Albert Einstein. But I do my best to remember that.
So then when we look at politics, when we strip away the layers of complexity that often do surround it, we find a simple yet very profound truth. This is my conclusion. Politics is fundamentally a struggle between those who seek to exert their authority and control over you. Verse those who simply want to leave you alone and let you make your own decisions for yourself and your family. One side of those who wish, who seek to exert their authority to dictate our actions and will power over our lives. They aim to take from us autonomy, our free will, imposing their own will, their own designs and expectations upon us without obviously regard for individual freedoms or desires. And we have each now lived this. We've each followed unnecessary, untrue, and now damaging commands from some who were not even elected authorities. But oppositely are those who do champion liberation, individuals who recognise the inherent value of personal responsibility, self-determination and personal freedom. They seek to empower us and return to us what rightfully belongs to us, and create a society where individuals are free to pursue their own path without undue interference for themselves or their family.
This dichotomy, ladies and gentlemen, this battle between control and liberation. This is what lies at the heart of politics and politicians, but worry not I do not seek to control anyone. It's just unfortunately that we have seen and experienced many who do. But now we are clear. We are clear about the war we are in because politics is war. They say a war between control and liberation.
Something many people don't realise. But this is the way that I think. I hope that we all grew up on stories, stories that were between control and liberation. Heroes who fought against tyranny of what do I speak while I'm actually talking about Star Wars with Ankin Skywalker, the Lord of the Rings, with Gandalf, Frodo, Aragon, they were heroes standing against those who wish to take control of their lives and exert their authority. They were politicians standing for freedom, for justice and the future generations. I know they're not commonly the politicians that you may think of, but they are the politicians that I grew up on. But more so my childhood, it was steeped in these stories, but also in the stories of our history. It was our history that taught me about heroism, the weight of responsibility, but most importantly that anything is possible.
And as we youth are the upcoming generation, we have to make a decision about the future. We want to live experience and see. You see a truth so often overlooked that I'm recently learning is just how much of our history is replete with the stories of young individuals who dared to challenge the status quo. But in doing so, they redefined a political landscape. They redefined a nation. Let us go back to the past. Alexander the Great was just 20 years old when he became the king of Macedonia. That was Greek at the time. Well, he went on within 10 years to build an empire history. We will never forget Afghanistan used to be a Greek colony, Greek bion, they were called Cleopatra of Egypt. She was just 18 when she became the queen. And we're still making documentaries now about her. Well, it was herb famous political alliances with Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony that retained Egypt's independence during a time that Rome was unchallengeable. And let us look more recently to the Americas. Thomas Jefferson, only 30 years old when he penned the Declaration of Independence. Alexander Hamilton, the chief architect of America's financial system, was just 21 and James Monroe was just 18. When these young men signed the Declaration of Independence fighting for freedom during a time when there was no income tax, there was no corporate tax, there was no payroll tax a time Australia also once knew.
And my point in telling you is telling you this, is that they were not seasoned politicians by any measure with decades of experience. There were young visionaries fueled by passion, conviction, and in the case of the founding fathers had an absolute profound belief in the principles of liberty and democracy. And we must never forget what that managed to accomplish their youth. It did not hinder them, it empowered them. It gave them the audacity to question, to challenge authority, but most importantly to envision a future that was radically different from the one that they were inheriting that we are inheriting.
You see the system that we live within now, it is a complicated system, but our government, it should be simple so that every citizen may partake in the system to the utmost. But let's just entertain an idea. Indulge me. You see, I've had this idea where imagine if our tax system, which is incredibly complicated, but imagine if that was a simple transaction tax, 2% every time you spend money or withdraw money. My point in thinking this, well, everybody's on an even playing field. Everyone's getting a fair go because right now we pay accountants thousands of dollars every year just to remain legal in the system. And the truth is that big business, those with resources, well, they don't necessarily mind the complexity of the system because they have the financial resources to figure it out, to pay for the structures that protect them, that give them the benefits. But it's the everyday people, the moms and dads who may not fully understand and be able to work out the system because it's so complicated. It goes on to then create the jobs for the accountants. It's complicated, creates jobs for lawyers and then so forth for financial advisors. But the reality is
The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the state as the Romans would say. And I have to say, I think that is Australia. So maybe it's the naivety of youth speaking and I'm not sure if such an idea would be feasible, but I just want to articulate to you an idea that is radically different from the one that I'm inheriting and imagining is the first step to creating. So it's these visions of the future. The stories of the past which inspire me. They inspire me because, well, the heroes of those stories are each politicians in their own right. They're making decisions that shape the fate of nations just as we all can. That's why we must never forget that all of us are just like those characters in those grand stories. We are each playing a role in the narrative of our nation, and we are each engaged in our own real life saga of Australia. Our narrative is that of resistance by those who strive for the principles of liberty and self-determination against those who seek to exert control and dominance over us. And our struggle is a lived experience because it was not three years ago that we each woke under the watchful gaze of our government.
And each day we sought permission. We sought permission to leave our homes from an arrogant authority who was wrong in its judgement , tyrannical in its execution and prideful in reflection. This is just last week, front page of the Herald Son. And this is becoming more and more prevalent, but these times are no different from 100 or a thousand years ago. The struggle by nature remains the same. It is between control and liberation. It's just that technology has changed the form, but human nature remains the same. So here I speak to the youth because our generation, we stand at the precipice of history. The responsibility that was once withheld from us while it is now ours, that we must each embrace wholeheartedly because the future is ours. To navigate the advancements in artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, it is a revolution that I do believe magnitude's greater than the industrial revolution or the internet. No aspect of our society will remain untouched by these innovative powers of technology. It's just that it is a digital revolution. It's not physical. So if you're not part of it, you're probably not going to witness it until it's here. But they call it an exponential of an exponential.
Within a few years from now, AI will exceed the combined intelligence of all humans, but with great power, well comes great responsibility. But I will say massive responsibility because we youth who are born in the internet moulded by it, we must be the ones to harness it right now. There is a generation of bureaucrats in our government who would rather channel this potential into further centralization, further control, digital id, central banking, digital currencies. And I know that perhaps those current politicians may not have ill intentions, but we must always look to the future because politicians are temporary. And the power that future politicians will hold through this centralization. Well, it does concern me. You see, it's the wrong mindset, ai, blockchain, technology. It can decentralise power further, make transparent the decisions that decide our future and our children's future. That is what democracy is. It's the decentralisation of power and technology can enable that. Further politics is now far from being just individuals and suits, debating policies. It's groups vying for power, disconnected from the voices of the people they represent, and instead serving their master's interest for their own interest. Look how quickly we have sent a billion dollars to a war on the other side of the world, a war that stands us at the precipice of a world war. What generations may be lost. Again, I want no part in that. I want no part in that for my younger brothers, no more brother and son wars.
So let us change this trajectory because politics to me has always been a noble pursuit. In ancient Greece, politics was a battleground of minds and bodies. Aristotle said, if liberty and equality as thought by some are chiefly found in democracy, they will be best detained when all persons share to the utmost young and old in their government. And keeping it simple truly helps in that more. So I want to say it's about inspiring others to live better lives, to take care of themselves and their families to create a better country for the future generations. We can make it that noble pursuit again, because Plato, he said, and this is all from history. It's nothing new. Plato said, trying to persuade a citizen and to lead them against their will to that which can make them better. That is the mission statement of a good citizen.
So share in government to the utmost, that is what we all must do as we each embrace our roles as protagonists in this Australian saga, stand resolutely against oppression and remain proud of the history which made us who we are today. As we youth, we seize this opportunity and responsibility to set a new standard, one characterised by integrity, honesty, and we no longer see seek to control one another. So I thank you ladies and gentlemen for your time, and I hope for those who have not yet joined a party, will that perhaps put a bit more fire in your belly?
