Why Labor, Greens, and Liberals Have Failed Everyday Australians

With the Federal election just weeks away, the stakes for Australia couldn’t be higher. This pivotal moment demands we confront the failures of our political class. As the recent revelation of former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, the political class have too often misled and betrayed us. In the lead-up to the vote, I’ll be sharing a couple of Substack articles weekly to highlight why Labor, the Greens, and the Liberals have let everyday Australians down and why alternatives like Senator Gerard Rennick from People First Party, the Libertarians, Great Australian Party, Family First, One Nation, and the Heart Party deserve your consideration.

The Major Parties: Serving Donors, Not People

Labor, the Greens, and the Liberals have become beholden to powerful interests, with their policies reflecting the priorities of big business, unions, and wealthy donors rather than the average Australian. In 2023-24, Labor and the Coalition raked in over $140 million in donations, much of it from corporations like Tabcorp and billionaires like Gina Rinehart and Anthony Pratt. The Greens, while posturing as anti-establishment, accepted significant sums from individuals like Duncan Turpie, a gambler whose donations raise questions about influence. These financial ties shape policy in ways that sideline everyday Australians.

Labor’s record under Anthony Albanese exemplifies this disconnect. Despite promises of economic relief, their tax cuts disproportionately benefit higher earners, leaving low- and middle-income families with crumbs. Their failure to address gambling reform, despite industry donations, suggests a cozy relationship with vested interests. Meanwhile, their push for renewable energy mandates burdens small businesses and households with higher energy costs, while multinational corporations dodge scrutiny. Labor’s rhetoric about fairness rings hollow when their actions prioritise political survival over tangible support for struggling Australians. I could probably end my Substack here as that hits to the heart of all Australians.

The Greens, often cloaked in moral superiority, are equally culpable. Their policies, like banning investment homes without solar energy or pushing aggressive climate targets, sound progressive but ignore the practical realities of working families. These initiatives drive up costs for renters and small landlords while doing little to address housing affordability. Their dismissal of the gender pay gap as a non-issue, despite data showing it at 11.5%, betrays a selective commitment to equality. The Greens’ focus on niche cultural issues alienates Australians grappling with basic financial survival, revealing a party more interested in ideology than pragmatism. It is my view that the Greens don’t want to be the third party in the system—they want to be the party that influences government of the day so as to avoid the heavy lifting.

The Liberals, under Peter Dutton, fare no better. Women, who make up half the workforce, are sidelined by such rhetoric, yet Dutton’s silence speaks volumes about the Liberal National Party’s (LNP) priorities. Their obsession with culture wars, from transgender issues to “woke” corporations, distracts from addressing the housing crisis or wage stagnation. The LNP’s $73 million in donations last year, including from mining magnates, ensures their policies favor the elite over the everyday worker.

All three parties engage in a performative “Punch and Judy show,” as Rennick aptly described, bickering over trivialities while ignoring systemic issues like tax reform, bureaucratic bloat, and privatisation’s fallout. Over the past 40 years, governments have sold off public infrastructure, privatised essential services, and encroached on personal freedoms, leaving Australians with less wealth and more debt. This betrayal unites Labor, the Greens, and the Liberals in a shared failure to serve the public.

The Alternative: People-First Politics

Enter Senator Gerard Rennick and parties like the Libertarians, Great Australian Party, Family First, One Nation, and the Heart Party. These voices, though diverse, share a commitment to prioritising everyday Australians over corporate interests or ideological crusades. Rennick, who resigned from the LNP in August 2024 to form the People First Party, has emerged as a vocal advocate for practical solutions. His policies, like raising the tax-free threshold to $40,000, would deliver a $3,500 tax cut to low-income earners, directly easing the burden on those struggling to get by. His call for childcare subsidies to go to parents, not institutions, empowers families to make their own choices, a stark contrast to the major parties’ one-size-fits-all approach.

Rennick’s willingness to challenge the establishment extends to his critique of COVID-19 policies. He voted against vaccine discrimination and pushed for a Royal Commission into the government’s handling of the pandemic, a move Labor and the Greens blocked despite public demand for transparency. His views reflect a broader skepticism of bureaucratic overreach—a sentiment shared by many Australians tired of being dictated to by unaccountable elites.

The Libertarians, Great Australian Party, Family First, One Nation, and the Heart Party complement Rennick’s approach with their own strengths. The Libertarians champion individual freedom and economic deregulation, advocating for lower taxes and less government interference—policies that resonate with small business owners and workers crushed by red tape. One Nation focuses on protecting Australian jobs and curbing immigration’s strain on infrastructure, addressing concerns the major parties dismiss as divisive. Family First and the Heart Party emphasize traditional values and community welfare, offering a counterpoint to the Greens’ cultural progressivism. The Great Australian Party pushes for constitutional reform to restore accountability, appealing to those disillusioned with the political class.

These parties, while not without flaws, are united by their rejection of the major parties’ donor-driven agendas. Their alliance, dubbed the “Australia First Alliance,” aims to consolidate the non-mainstream vote, increasing their chances of Senate representation. By running joint tickets in states like New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, they maximise preference flows, offering a viable path to influence.

Why They’re Worth the Investment

Investing in Rennick and these minor parties means betting on a political system that listens to everyday Australians. Their policies—tax relief, parental choice, reduced bureaucracy, and economic protectionism—directly address the cost-of-living crisis, housing unaffordability, and erosion of personal freedoms. Unlike the major parties, they aren’t afraid to challenge sacred cows, whether it’s privatisation, climate orthodoxy, or vaccine mandates. Their independence from big donors allows them to prioritise people over profits.

Critics may argue these parties lack the polish or cohesion of the majors, and Rennick’s leanings can alienate moderates. Yet their raw authenticity and focus on “bread and butter” issues resonate with a public fed up with polished platitudes. The major parties’ stranglehold on power has stifled innovation and accountability; supporting alternatives like the People First Party or One Nation disrupts this monopoly, forcing the establishment to reckon with its failures.

Everyday Australians deserve better than Labor, the Greens, and the Liberals, who serve their donors and egos while families struggle. Senator Gerard Rennick and his allies offer a bold, if imperfect, vision for change. By voting for them in 2025, Australians can send a message: the people, not the powerful, should come first.