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Free trade and the Friedman Conference JUNE ROUNDUP This month: The long-heralded free trade agreement between Australia and Britain finally approaches reality as formal negotiations begin. A Britain free to reconnect with its Commonwealth
| This month:
The long-heralded free trade agreement between Australia and Britain finally approaches reality as formal negotiations begin. A Britain free to reconnect with its Commonwealth, how long we’ve waited. At the ATA we’ve produced a road map for Australians who are now concerned about how we recover from the disastrous impacts of the government-imposed COVID-19 lockdown. And a big win for the principle of ‘people power’ as Greg Hunt backs down in the face of a grassroots revolt against his authoritarian attitude on national health issues. On a lighter note, Balranald Council got a bit bogged down over toilet taxes. Read on for more! We are also now approaching our re-vamped 8th Annual Friedman Conference on July 11. This year has been a bit unconventional, so we are responding with a conventionally brilliant event:
- Over 100 speakers, including Senators James Paterson and Amanda Stoker as well as courageous author Ayaan Hirsi Ali, of Heretic fame.
- David Friedman, of the famous Friedman clan for whom we named the conference, will be attending as both a presenter and distinguished guest!
- The biggest and best pro-freedom event of 2020, every bit as good as it has been in recent years. |
| The Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance and Policy Director Emilie Dye in particular have been hard at work devising a plan for Australia’s economic recovery after COVID19. At a time when government reactions have varied from the knee-jerk to the deliberately punitive, hardworking Australians can be reassured that there are still some level heads to advise them.
We have made our submission to the federal Government and with your ongoing support we are sure to continue our progress, aiding Australia’s recovery. |
Free Trade with a Free Nation |
| With the UK now unshackled from the EU and free to act accordingly, Australians are set to enjoy a new era of free trade between with the country which was once our largest trading partner. The paperwork remains but the hardest part is done. |
| It’s an American phrase but a sudden upsurge of vocal grassroots opposition to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt’s crackdown on anti-smoking technology has seen Australians embracing the idea that ordinary people can drive political change with unified resistance.
The initial policy change came under criticism as a revenue-raising mechanism, and after a significant campaign involving many of Hunt’s own Coalition colleagues, and backed by a petition currently signed by over 70,000 concerned people, Hunt was forced to back down from the crackdown in spite of his personal beliefs.
This is truly a win for all Australians, regardless of your position on the issue. It can take a truly herculean effort to convince politicians to do what the people want rather than what they want. Australians of all stripes should be very pleased to see a grassroots public campaign drive a politician to do the right thing. |
Balranald gets Bogged Down |
| The council of the regional NSW town of Balranald, looking to retrieve lost revenue, issued a tax on toilets. Any business with more than 2 toilets, naturally including all of the already-hard-hit tourism businesses, was sent a bill for $100 for each toilet above 2. It’s a messy situation and made uglier by the fact that councils are given a mandate for service provision but left with few tools to collect taxes fairly for them.
Emilie Dye had a few choice words for the situation… |
Now more than ever, we appreciate our donorsAs mentioned previously, we understand that some supporters will not be able to contribute financially right now, please do not feel guilty if you are in this situation. If you want to continue helping us you can like and comment on our social media, we look forward to seeing you all there. For those of you who have continued to donate, we cannot express our gratitude in these times of uncertainty to be able to rely on your donations as we continue our work. |
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