Over the past few months, global instability has forced Australians to confront an uncomfortable truth: no one is coming to save this country except Australians themselves.
From the conflict involving Iran and Israel to growing concerns about migration, energy prices, cost of living and national cohesion, more Australians are beginning to ask a question that should never have gone out of fashion: who in politics is actually putting Australia first?
For years, Australians were sold the fantasy that globalism, endless migration, hollowed-out industries and weak leadership would somehow make us more prosperous and secure. Instead, we got rising power bills, housing shortages, clogged infrastructure, foreign influence and a political class that seems more interested in managing narratives than solving problems. A remarkable achievement.
At Turning Point Australia, we have been clear: the answer is a return to Australia-First politics; policies that defend sovereignty, strengthen national culture, secure our borders, rebuild economic self-reliance and put Australians ahead of foreign lobbies, ideological crusades and elite vanity projects.
That message was front and centre when I attended the Alliance of Sovereign Nations Conference in Washington DC, alongside Scott Challen, one of the founders of the new Australian Lobby Group. While there, I sat down with Scott for a discussion about free speech, sovereignty, migration, lobbying power and the growing divide between political elites and everyday citizens.
We’ve got to get back to basics in serving the Australian people, not corporations, not lobby groups, not foreign countries. That is the heart of Australia-First politics.
It means recognising that Australians should not be left carrying the burden of bad policy while being lectured by people insulated from the consequences. It means understanding that when foreign conflicts drive up fuel prices, Australian families suffer. When migration is pushed beyond sustainable levels, Australian communities suffer. When governments sell off resources, overtax productivity and undermine social cohesion, Australians are the ones who pay for it.
We’ve got Aussie people, this conflict going on, Aussies are going to be hurt by this, fuel’s going up, trucks are going up, food getting to the cities, that’s going to go up. That is why Australia-First politics matters. It is not theory. It is about whether ordinary Australians can afford to live, work, raise families and trust that their country still belongs to them.
Labor, in particular, has shown itself incapable of responding to the national mood. The Albanese government talks endlessly about prosperity and inclusion while presiding over worsening affordability, growing fragmentation and a public that is steadily losing faith in the institutions around them. Australians are told everything is fine while life gets harder. Convincing stuff.
What is encouraging is that more Australians are waking up. Across the West, movements are emerging that reject the failed consensus on migration, energy, censorship and sovereignty. Australia is part of that shift.
Turning Point Australia is committed to Australia-First policies, political transparency, national sovereignty and giving Australians the tools and confidence to fight for their own country.
Because if Australians do not put Australia first, no one else will.
Check out my interview with Scott Challen:
