Elect and Reflect

12/05/2026

Finally.

09/05/2026

It’s been a big few months for campaigners with 3 by-elections in a row. I’ve been chatting with many across all 3 and tonight is going to be interesting. I don’t expect it will go the way many expect.

If you want to watch a Watch party check out The Tally Room with Ben Raue giving us all the analysis.

Join Ben Raue and guests as they analyse the results of the Farrer by-election, from 6:30pm-10:30pm AEST tonight.

29/04/2026

We deserve news that is factual and not designed to influence for the benefit of another.

The media has lost a lot of respect by most and seen the rise in independent journalism.

This event is worth attending.

Join us for a Democracy Counts townhall on public interest journalism - what it does, why it needs to be protected, and what needs to change

27/04/2026

Stop gaslighting Karoline. You don’t think the driver might be a president who’s threatened to annex sovereign countries, had foreign leaders kidnapped and killed, and is actively backing a genocide? This has nothing to do with what people have said about Trump. It’s solely about what he’s done.

The news is exhausting. What used to shock us doesn’t anymore. We have come a long way and it isn’t good.

25/04/2026

If you attended or missed our Q&A on AUKUS with Rex Patrick this event is worth checking out.

AUKUS needs deep discussion and action. We can’t just put our head under the doona and pretend the current global landscape has not changed things.

Webinar on AUKUS -20th May 2026

13/04/2026

The Strait of Hormuz was open before this war. Between 100 and 120 commercial vessels passed through it every single day.  No toll. No military es**rt. No paperwork. It was an international waterway, and it worked.

Then the US and Israel started a war. Now it doesn’t.
Oil prices jumped from around $72 a barrel before the war to as high as $118 in late March.  Food, fertiliser, transport, all up. For everyone. Including us.

Here’s the mobster bit.
Trump demanded Iran reopen the strait. No tolls, free passage, that was the deal. Then mid-ceasefire, he was asked about Iran charging ships up to $2 million to pass through. Trump said he wanted a “joint venture” where the US and Iran split the toll. “It’s a beautiful thing,” he told ABC News. 

A joint venture. On an international waterway. That was free.

Now Trump calls the toll “world extortion” and has announced a blockade. The same toll he just called beautiful.

Break the thing. Blame the other guy. Offer to fix it for a cut.

The goodwill the US and Israel once traded on is being spent at a rate that will take decades to repay. Australia should be saying that out loud. Our government’s silence is a choice.

Iran’s army says US plan to blockade Hormuz ‘amounts to piracy’

13/04/2026

Join the conversation about Parliament expanding. Parliament could grow by up to 28 new lower house seats and 12 additional senators - the biggest structural change since 1984.

What would that mean for representation, party power and independent opportunities?

Join special guest Ben Raue from The Tally Room as we break down the numbers, the boundary shifts and how expansion could reshape Australia’s political landscape.
Australia’s parliament hasn’t significantly grown since 1984.

Back then, lower house MPs represented around 66,000 people each.

Today it’s more than 120,000.

Now there’s serious discussion about expanding parliament:

Increasing state senators from 12 to 14
Adding 12 senators overall
Growing the House of Representatives by 24 to 28 seats
Taking the total number of MPs from 151 to potentially around 175 to 179
That’s a big structural shift.

What would it actually mean? More politicians? Or better representation? Who benefits? Who loses?And what new political opportunities would it create?

Join us for a thoughtful, no-spin conversation featuring special guest Ben Raue from The Tally Room, alongside additional guest commentators, as we unpack:

How expansion would reshape electoral boundaries
What it means for Queensland and fast growth regions
Whether it strengthens democracy or increases fragmentation
The potential openings for independents and minor parties
This is about understanding how structural reform could redraw the political landscape before the next election.

If you want to be ahead of the curve, this conversation matters.

Join special guest Ben Raue from The Tally Room as we unpack what expansion would mean for boundaries, growth corridors […]

13/04/2026

I’ve seen many pro Israel advocates jumping behind BRS is this why?

A choice has been made to prosecute Ben Roberts-Smith and an Australian soldier in Ukraine but not returning IDF soldiers linked to genocide.

10/04/2026

Parliament could grow by up to 28 new lower house seats and 12 additional senators - the biggest structural change since 1984.

What would that mean for representation, party power and independent opportunities?

Join special guest Ben Raue from The Tally Room as we break down the numbers, the boundary shifts and how expansion could reshape Australia’s political landscape.
Australia’s parliament hasn’t significantly grown since 1984.

Back then, lower house MPs represented around 66,000 people each. Today it’s more than 120,000.

Now there’s serious discussion about expanding parliament:

Increasing state senators from 12 to 14
Adding 12 senators overall
Growing the House of Representatives by 24 to 28 seats
Taking the total number of MPs from 151 to potentially around 175 to 179
That’s a big structural shift.

What would it actually mean? More politicians? Or better representation? Who benefits? Who loses?

And what new political opportunities would it create?

Join us for a thoughtful, no-spin conversation featuring special guest Ben Raue from The Tally Room, alongside additional guest commentators, as we unpack:

How expansion would reshape electoral boundaries
What it means for Queensland and fast growth regions
Whether it strengthens democracy or increases fragmentation
The potential openings for independents and minor parties
This is about understanding how structural reform could redraw the political landscape before the next election.

If you want to be ahead of the curve, this conversation matters.

Register at https://www.electandreflect.com.au/civicrm/event/info/

Join special guest Ben Raue from The Tally Room as we unpack what expansion would mean for boundaries, growth corridors […]