By ADAM MARTIN; Independent Candidate for Braddon
In Australia’s political landscape, especially in Tasmania’s Northwest and West, the people have yearned for fairness, resilience, and a shared sense of purpose. Yet, as the winds of change sweep through our communities, the cracks in our democratic system are becoming too big to ignore. The values we hold dear are under threat from the growing influence of a global oligarchy—a powerful group of the ultra-wealthy whose economic might is reshaping our democracy and lives.
Tasmania may feel like it’s at the edge of the world but, make no mistake: these challenges are right on our doorstep.
OLIGARCHY DOWN UNDER
I describe oligarchy as the transformation of economic power into political dominance. It’s when the super-rich, whether through lobbying, media influence, or corporate greed, become the puppeteers of democracy. It’s a system where the people are no longer front and centre but sidelined.
This might seem like a distant problem in countries like the US or the UK, but, here in Australia, the signs are undeniable. Corporate giants dictate the national narrative, while our politicians—Labor and Liberal alike—too often serve as their enablers, not their challengers.
Look no further than our natural resources. Tasmania’s vast wilderness has become a battleground. Billionaires and corporations are eyeing our state as a playground for profit, whether it’s through fish farms that poison our pristine waters, or wind farms that trample over communities and ecosystems.
What’s the cost? Our farmers, fishers, and small businesses are being pushed aside. The traditions that make Tasmania unique are being uprooted, replaced by an economy prioritising shareholders who are mostly from the Americas and Southeast Asia over hardworking locals.
LESSONS FROM HISTORY
Tasmanians are no strangers to hardship. We have survived recessions, droughts, and the slow decline of profitable industries like forestry and mining. In the past, our communities have always managed to adapt and rebuild, often with little help from Canberra. But this new challenge—oligarchic influence—is different.
After World War II, Australia embraced progressive policies that supported working families. From universal healthcare to public housing, governments invested in ordinary people. We saw unprecedented equality and fairness in society. This was not handed to us; it was a product of collective struggle and demand.
But over the decades, this egalitarian dream has been chipped away. Wealth is more concentrated now than ever before, and the top end of town is calling the shots. If we’re not careful, our children will inherit a system where opportunity depends entirely on privilege, not effort. I fear we are already there.
THE TASMANIAN FIGHT
What makes Tasmania special is more people day-by-day are determined to stand up for what is right. We have fought to protect our wilderness and championed community-driven initiatives. This same spirit is needed more than ever to take on the larger, systemic issues.
Take housing, for instance. The cost of a home in Tasmania has skyrocketed, locking out young families and local workers. This is no accident. Investment funds and interstate developers are prioritising profits over people. Meanwhile, politicians wring their hands and insist that “market forces” are to blame.
And then there’s energy. While Tasmania boasts world-class hydroelectric infrastructure, locals are paying exorbitant electricity bills. Why? Because the system is not designed to benefit us—it’s being rigged to export power and infrastructure ownership while we pay premium prices.
We cannot sit idly by while our resources are exploited, our communities eroded, and our future sold off.
A NEW PATH FORWARD
Here in Braddon, we have an opportunity to lead by example. Tasmania’s challenges are Australia’s challenges, and the solutions we champion can set the tone for the entire nation.
FIGHT FOR ECONOMIC FAIRNESS
It is time to bring power back to the people. This means cracking down on corporations that dodge taxes and ensuring the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share. We need to prioritise small businesses and local industries over multinational giants.
INVEST IN HOUSING
Housing is a human right. Governments must invest in public and affordable housing projects. Renters deserve protections, and first-home buyers need real support to get into the market.
ENERGY FOR ALL
Tasmania’s energy should be affordable for Tasmanians. A bold policy could see excess profits from energy exports reinvested directly into lowering household bills. Tasmanians should be building energy sources that are owned by Tasmanians.
SUPPORT SMALL FARMERS
Let’s protect our farmers from predatory corporations. Policies that ensure fair prices, support regenerative practices, and promote local markets and outlets can revitalise our rural areas.
RECLAIM DEMOCRACY
The influence of money in politics is at the heart of this issue. It’s time for transparency. A ban on corporate donations and stricter rules on lobbying are long overdue. Democracy must serve the people, not the pockets of billionaires.
A CALL TO ACTION
In Tasmania’s Northwest and West, we’re known for punching above our weight. But this fight isn’t about size—it’s about spirit. Each of us has a role to play in standing up for fairness, equality, and the values that make Tasmania unique.
The time for complacency is over. If we don’t act, the oligarchs win. They will continue to exploit our resources, raise the cost of living, and erode our democracy until there is little left for the ordinary Aussie.
But if there is one thing history has taught us, it’s that change is possible. From the union movements of the 20th century to the environmental battles fought here in Tasmania, progress is born when ordinary people come together with a shared purpose.
Let’s remind Australia—and the world—what Tasmanians stand for: fairness, resilience, and a belief that democracy should work for everyone, not just the elite.
The future is in our hands. Let’s make it count.
Re. foreign investment – which countries own most – US and UK are by far the biggest nationally (China comes in at #10):
https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/trade-and-investment-data-information-and-publications/foreign-investment-statistics/statistics-on-who-invests-in-australia
Re. oligarchies – they’re just one consequence of neoliberalism (aka “trickle-down” economics or “Market economics”), which is a religious faith for both Liberal and Labor parties.
While there’s always a ratchet in economies – “rich get richer, poor get poorer” – a highly regulated market under a social-democrat style representative democracy will, to an extent, keep it under control. The post WWII era saw incredible booms for ordinary people precisely because the war time economic control used a taxation system that would shock people today, and mandated socialist approaches to universal health, education and housing. It allowed an ordinary worker (usually a male) to receive a wage adequate to providing for a small family and sufficient savings to buy a mortgage.
Globalisation changed all that, as did our western democracies as they took on the neoliberal faith. That’s why the same problems are happening everywhere – housing, food supply and costs, insurance crises, health care, supply chains balanced on a razor’s edge, etc.
There isn’t a ‘cost of living crisis’ or a ‘housing crisis’ – it’s neoliberal capitalism working perfectly, and it’s why Liberal and Labor won’t do a damn thing to use the levers of good governance to fix anything. It’s why no genuine action on climate change is occurring. It’s why health care everywhere is getting harder to access. It’s why education is more expensive. It’s why almost everyone under 35 will live in deep, lifelong debt and never own their own home without parental support or an extraordinary level of income. (Pro-tip: I understand being a Queensland cop is a good option to generate a 300 million dollar property portfolio!)
All corporations are predatory – that’s not an ideological stance but a pragmatic one; corporations work to secure and improve shareholder value, and that priority ratchets various inequities throughout our communities. While the big ones buy up our political parties and politicians, and bellow for the removal of ‘shackles of socialist regulation’ (red tape, green tape, unions, government oversight, community interests, etc), our two major parties eagerly agree, not because they’re necessarily corrupt, but because they believe Market Economics must be served ahead of other priorities. Why? Because ‘trickle down’. If governments help ‘create investment opportunities’ then ‘jobs and growth’ will trickle down, and all will be well. But politicians’ beliefs are largely pragmatic politics fused to personal ambition and an absolute indifference to reality.
So don’t bother talking about ‘better corporate culture’ or expecting corporate interests to be ‘good citizens’ – they can’t be; they will always and must increase shareholder value, and no matter how many lovely humans work in them, the corporation itself is an indifferent sociopath who will bulldoze you and your community in a heartbeat.
Adam’s right. We need to ditch the left-right nonsense that keeps us at each other’s throats (’typical bloody leftie!’, ‘redneck!’, ‘bloody greenies!’, ‘anti-everything brigade!’, ‘blockers not builders!’ etc). We need to take back our democracy by dumping the two major parties, and any politicians who try to divide us with populist fascistic disinformation and name-calling social media. We need to unite, argue the points, stay united, and hold anyone we elect to account. Whether we lean left or right, we must not let that be used to demonise ’the other side’ and keep us from working and problem-solving together.
Let’s vote independent and minor parties, join your union, and put the majors right down the bottom.
Only community backed independents ( those who represent their community not parties or industries ) can deliver effective representation.