Australia should never be ‘begging’ again, Nationals Leader urges

Australia should never again be in a position of “begging for resources”, Nationals Leader Matt Canavan has warned, as he calls for an “economic revolution”.

Senator Canavan used his address before the National Press Club on Wednesday to call for an “Australia on steroids”, as the country weathers global economic shocks – including the war on Iran – and declining standards of living.

Lashing out at Australia’s banks as “not patriotic”, Senator Canavan said the nation was in the “terrible situation where we have to beg for liquid fuels” from other nations.

“We should never again, as a country, be in a position of begging for resources,” he said.

Senator Canavan said he was “sad” the era of globalisation and free trade “was over”.

“It would be better if we could return to such a world, but at some point we do have to face the fact that things have changed,” he said.

“At what point do we recognise that the board game we’re playing is totally different, and while it might be second best, it might not be our first best option, we still need to make choices for our country and our nation that provide the best benefits in the world as we have it.

“Because, I can’t, like, wave a magic wand and make free trade come back.”

One world Albo wouldn’t say

While admitting he disagreed with US President Donald Trump on a number of issues, Senator Canavan advocated for reappraisal of trade tariffs, as both the Coalition and Labor position themselves as the champions of homegrown manufacturing and resilience.

At the heart of that is net-zero.

Senator Canavan accused Anthony Albanese of avoiding the phrase in his own National Press Club address last week.

“The whole centrepiece of the future made in Australia agenda, the whole point of Labor’s manufacturing policy is to pursue net-zero,” Senator Canavan said.

“That’s what it all flows from, and yet the Prime Minister did not even mention that goal here on this stage last week as he dropped it … if they don’t, if they don’t believe in net-zero anymore, their whole manufacturing agenda is bankrupt.”

Senator Canavan also reflected on the change in political conversation more than a year after Donald Trump returned to the White House.

“I don’t know what other people think of my ideas,” he said.

“All I know is a year ago, you guys (the media) wouldn’t have given me a chance in hell to convince the Liberal Party or anyone else that they should drop net-zero.”

Labor on Wednesday also dropped reference to the 82 per cent renewables target from a draft national policy platform it intends to take to the next election.

Responding to the omission and Senator Canavan’s address, Environment Minister Murray Watt said the Nationals’ Leader had “an ideological position against net-zero for many years”.

“He has successfully dragged the Liberal Party to the right on this as they attempt to chase One Nation,” he told Sky News.

“I don’t really know what Senator Canavan is getting at when it comes to us locking up resources.

“It’s not the government that have stopped people from building new coal fired power stations, it’s the market that has decided that it’s not viable to do so because renewables have become much cheaper and much more widespread in their use.”

Senator Canavan has repeatedly called for a “hyper Australia” – a turn of phrase he on Wednesday attributed to his son.

‘Economic revolution’

Framing his speech around anecdotes of crafting furniture in his backyard shed, he used the image of hands-on work to argue that Australia has lost its identity as a nation of builders and producers, according to an advanced copy of his remarks.

“Australia has always defined itself by the things we make, build and grow,” he said.

“We made cars, we built the Snowy Hydro, Queenslanders are known as banana benders, and yes – we invented the Hills Hoist clothesline.

“But as our factories have shut and we’ve made fewer real, physical things, Australia has shrunk.”

Senator Canavan linked that decline in “making real, physical things” to the biggest “reduction in living standards” the country has seen.

“A whole generation of Australians has gone backwards a generation,” he said.

Offering himself as a disrupter of the political status quo, Senator Canavan pledged to challenge the Albanese government and shake up economic policy.

Scrapping Labor’s plan for net zero emissions by 2050 is at the top of that list.

“We need to scrap net zero. We need to make things again. We need to protect our industries so we can make things again. We need to grow Australia so we can defend

Australia and pass it on to the next generation,” he said, offering six points for his “Patriot Agenda for an Australian Economic Revival”.

“A manufacturing renaissance through the protection of key industries against unfair competition – and all tools should be used to achieve this, including tariffs.

“Closing our borders to mass migration so our intake is properly calibrated to the infrastructure, services and housing we have.

“Energy abundance by scrapping net zero and investing in all forms of energy so Australia can enjoy lower prices and deliver real fuel security.

“A 21st-century national works program that builds dams, roads, rail, ports – and space ports – to renew our pioneer spirit.

“The building of new cities so young Australians can a afford a home and access the same services offered in capital cities.

“And a new baby boom so that our Australian way of life can be passed on to the next generation.

“I am proposing an Australian economic revolution, not a replay or a reset. We won’t get revival by tinkering around the edges.”

As part of emphasising the need for regional development, he will suggest that work-from-home opportunities could help decentralise the population and make housing more affordable for families.

The senator also linked population policy to national identity, arguing that Australia’s falling birthrate threatens the country’s future and that immigration systems need tighter oversight.

Senator Canavan took up the Nationals’ top job in March after predecessor David Littleproud declared himself “buggered” and stepped down.

Senator Canavan has earned a reputation for being a political maverick and led the policy work that saw the Nationals scrap net zero last year.