People First Victoria

23/03/2026

This is what fuel actually looks like.

Extraction → Refining → Storage → Transport → Distribution

Every step matters.
And if that chain is disrupted — everything stops.

A Defence-backed report by Cheryl Durrant (2019) highlighted that Australia is heavily reliant on imported fuel, and that shortages could hit within weeks in a major disruption, with supplies potentially depleted in less than 8 weeks.

Right now we are at week 3.

Fuel isn’t just an energy issue — it’s critical infrastructure.

If we can’t fuel:

transport
food supply
emergency services,

we don’t have a resilient country.

Infrastructure isn’t optional — it’s survival.

17/03/2026

Victoria’s debt has increased by more than $10 billion in just six months.

That’s now sitting at around $160 billion — with billions more being paid every year in interest.

Most families don’t think in billions…
but they feel it every day:

• Higher taxes
• Rising cost of living
• Less room in the household budget
• More pressure on families

This isn’t just about spending — it’s about how our system is set up.

We have layers of government, overlapping responsibilities, and no clear accountability for outcomes.

And the cost of that inefficiency flows back to you.

At People First, we believe before asking Australians to pay more…
government should work better.

Less duplication.
More accountability.
Better outcomes.

Because the system should serve the people — not the other way around.

Victoria’s debt pile has grown by $10bn in the past six months, with state debt now hitting $160bn.

17/03/2026

If you enjoyed Gerard Rennick People First Party last podcast with Karl, then you definitely need to settle in and watch this one.

Grab a cuppa or your beverage of choice, get comfortable with a blanky, and prepare for another thought-provoking conversation.

Fuel prices, war in the Middle East, and a cost-of-living crisis hitting Australian families — how did we get here?In this explosive episode of The Karl Stef...

01/03/2026

Grab a cuppa and have a listen to this great podcast

11/02/2026

If the policy doesn’t fit your family, why must your family fit the policy?

Families aren’t identical.
Work isn’t identical.
Life isn’t identical.

Some parents work nights.
Some work weekends.
Some live hours from a childcare centre.
Some want grandparents involved.
Some want to stay home longer.
Some simply know their child isn’t ready yet.

But the system says there’s only one “proper” model.

So parents stretch themselves thin.
They juggle. They stress. They feel guilty.
Not because they’re failing — but because the system wasn’t built around real life.

Support shouldn’t come with conditions that reshape families to suit policy.

Real support means trusting parents.
Real choice means flexibility.
Real fairness means recognising that what’s right for one family isn’t right for all.

Families shouldn’t have to bend to a system that refuses to bend for them.

11/02/2026

Politics was never meant to be a daily outrage contest.

It was meant to be about:
• jobs
• homes
• roads
• schools
• small business
• keeping the lights on

Somewhere along the way, politics stopped being about how the country functions and started being about who can yell the loudest about culture.

While we argue about headlines, everyday Australians are dealing with:
🏠 housing they can’t afford
💡 power bills they can’t keep up with
🛒 groceries going up every week
🚑 services stretched thin

That’s not left vs right.
That’s a system not working the way it should.

People First is not here to run culture wars.

We’re here to get back to:
🔧 practical solutions
📊 real outcomes
🏗️ infrastructure
💼 small business support
🏘️ housing supply

In other words…

We’re here to make politics boring again.

Because when politics is boring, the country is usually working.

And right now, Australians deserve a government that’s focused on results — not drama.

05/02/2026

Right now we are watching political momentum shift in many directions. When people feel unheard, uncertain or under pressure, they look for something — anything — that sounds strong, loud, or different. That reaction is human. But history shows us that desperation often drives decisions that inspiration never would.

Movements built on frustration can grow quickly. But lasting change is built on substance, discipline, and clear economic understanding.

In just over 12 months, Gerard has demonstrated what steady, service-driven leadership truly looks like — doing the hard policy work, asking the difficult questions, and holding political institutions to account on behalf of everyday Australians. This has not been about career politics or personal reward. It has been work carried out with a genuine sense of duty, often without the benefits or recognition many in public life seek. That kind of leadership may not dominate headlines, but it is exactly what strengthens a country.

It is easy in politics to be drawn toward popularity surges. But volume is not vision. Emotion is not a strategy. And loud voices do not always carry workable solutions.

What we are building requires patience, resilience and clarity of purpose. Real reform takes consistency. It takes people who remain grounded when others are swayed by the moment.

Your support matters because it represents belief in substance over spectacle, in economic credibility over slogans, and in steady progress over political theatre.

Stay focused. Stay informed. Stay steadfast.

That is how meaningful change is achieved.

05/02/2026

Built to Last. Not Built for Headlines.

People may feel the pull to jump ship and follow what seems popular in the moment — but when the seas get rough, it’s not the loudest wave that keeps you safe… it’s the steady light that guides you through.

History shows that when emotions run high, noise rises quickly. But real change is not built in the storm — it’s built on solid foundations, discipline, policy depth, and economic understanding.

Some political movements have spent decades in the national conversation promising change — yet Australians are still navigating the same structural pressures.

Time alone does not equal outcomes.
Noise does not equal progress.

Real reform means confronting difficult economic policy, challenging entrenched systems, and staying focused on long-term stability — not drifting with whatever current dominates the headlines.

In just over 12 months, Gerard Rennick has shown what service-driven leadership looks like: accountability, substance, and the courage to question institutions — not for attention, but to help Australians find steady ground.

Not every wave leads to safe shores.
Not every surge is progress.

In uncertain times, what matters most is steady leadership — the kind that stands firm when others are swept up in the storm.

Stay focused. Stay informed. Stay steadfast.

03/02/2026

Local Councillors Should Be Australian Citizens

Many Victorians are surprised to learn that Australian citizenship is not currently required to run for local council in Victoria.

Local councils are established under state law, and eligibility is linked to enrolment categories rather than nationality. Because the system historically focused on ratepayers and residents, not citizenship, a pathway exists where someone may stand for council without being an Australian citizen.

Local government today makes decisions that shape everyday life:

• planning and development
• rates and local charges
• infrastructure and roads
• community services
• local laws and safety

These are not minor matters. Councils influence how communities grow, what gets built, and how public resources are used.

⚠️ WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

Local councils increasingly deal with issues connected to:

• major development and land use
• infrastructure projects
• environmental and social policy settings
• community programs linked to external funding bodies

This has led to growing community concern about:

• foreign influence in local decision-making, and
• the expanding role of internationally connected NGOs and advocacy networks in shaping local policy directions.

Local democracy must remain accountable to Australian civic standards first.

Governance Framework

Eligibility rules are administered by the Victorian Electoral Commission under legislation passed by the Victorian Parliament. Councils themselves do not set these requirements.

This is not about individuals.
It is about ensuring the legal framework reflects modern expectations of democratic integrity.

✅ OUR POLICY

We support reform so that anyone standing for local council in Victoria must:

• be an Australian citizen

We do not propose a residency restriction — property owners and others connected to a municipality may still stand — but civic allegiance through Australian citizenship should be the minimum standard for holding public office.

This ensures:

✔️ Clear civic commitment to Australia
✔️ Stronger democratic accountability
✔️ Reduced risk of foreign or externally driven influence
✔️ Alignment between local office and national democratic principles

This is not exclusion.
It is a basic democratic safeguard:

If you hold public office in Australia, you should be an Australian citizen.

Join the movement.

Official website for Gerard Rennick People First Party.

27/01/2026

Government Failure Exposed by National Payment System Breakdown

Yesterday’s failure of Australia’s central payment infrastructure is not a “technical issue” — it is a government failure that directly harmed everyday Australians.

Property settlements across the country were unable to proceed because the system that moves settlement funds did not function. That means:

Families could not move into homes

Sellers were not paid

Contracts due to complete were thrown into uncertainty

Australians were left in financial and legal limbo

This is not a private bank error. This is not a conveyancing issue. This sits at the level of national financial infrastructure.

And the most alarming part? Silence.

No immediate national address.
No urgent public briefing.
No clear explanation of what failed or how it was allowed to happen.

Australians are expected to meet deadlines, pay penalties, and comply with strict financial and legal obligations. Yet when the system controlled and overseen by government institutions fails, there is no immediate accountability.

That is a double standard.

The government regulates every aspect of property transactions — lending rules, settlement timeframes, compliance obligations — yet it has failed to ensure the most basic requirement: that the money can actually move.

This failure shows:

Lack of resilience in critical financial infrastructure

Lack of contingency planning

Lack of transparency

Lack of respect for the public impact

Property settlement is not a luxury transaction. It is the moment Australians secure housing, access life savings, and complete major financial commitments. When that system collapses, it is not an inconvenience — it is a breach of public trust.

People First is calling for:

1. An immediate public explanation of the failure
2. Disclosure of how long the issue was known
3. A full review of national payment system resilience
4. Mandatory public communication protocols for financial infrastructure outages
5. Accountability from the institutions responsible

Australians can tolerate problems. What they will not tolerate is government systems failing while the public is left in the dark.

This is about more than a missed settlement day.
This is about whether Australians can trust the financial systems their homes and livelihoods depend on.

Confidence in the system cannot exist without accountability.

People First stands with the families, buyers, and sellers who were impacted — and demands answers.

17/12/2025

Australia does not have a gun law problem.

Australia has a border control, intelligence, and political leadership problem.

Law-abiding fi****ms owners have complied with some of the strictest gun laws in the democratic world for nearly three decades. To now suggest that further restrictions on lawful citizens will prevent terrorism is an abrogation of responsibility by premiers and the Prime Minister.

The real failures lie elsewhere:

• Mass immigration without effective vetting
• Intelligence agencies identifying threats but failing to act decisively
• A political class that prioritises multicultural symbolism over civic assimilation and shared national values

It is entirely legitimate to ask why known extremists were able to live among us, raise families, access resources, and remain unchecked until violence occurred. That is not a gun control issue — it is an intelligence and enforcement failure.

Talking about changing gun laws (with the exception of banning non-citizens from holding fi****ms licences) is nothing more than political cover for these failures.

Serious questions must also be asked about:
• the depth of extremist network infiltration in Australia, and
• the funding channels that sustain them.

History shows Western intelligence agencies have made catastrophic errors before, including cooperating with extremist groups in foreign conflicts. Transparency demands that governments explain what is known, what was ignored, and why action was not taken sooner.

Australians deserve accountability — not scapegoating.

You can view our policy here:
👉

Official website for Gerard Rennick People First Party.