Michael Arbon

US Study: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21910246/ General population satisfaction at 78%: advisory.com/daily-briefing… Down Syndrome Australia data: downsyndrome.org.au/about-down-syn… NDIS data: downsyndrome.org.au/national/about… Iceland & Denmark: abc.net.au/news/2024-05-0… Image source: abc.net.au/news/2021-10-0…

There may be no happier people in our society than those with Down syndrome. A US study found that nearly 99% of people with Down syndrome were happy with their lives. This sits well above the 78% of America’s general population that are either somewhat or very satisfied with their lives. NDIS data on the health and wellbeing shows that participants with Down syndrome: 🍺 are least likely to consume alcohol each week 🏀 are most likely to undertake light exercise weekly or more often 💪 tend to have greater resilience 😀 tend to experience the lowest level of psychological distress ✅ are most likely to rate their health as “Excellent”, “Very Good” or “Good” Yet according to Down syndrome Australia, it is estimated that 90% of parents who discover via prenatal screening that their unborn child may have Down syndrome choose to abort their child. Iceland takes it a step further. Only two or three babies with Down syndrome are born each year, not because the condition has disappeared, but because almost every prenatal diagnosis ends in abortion. Denmark reports a similarly high termination rate of around 98%. This is a tragedy, shaped by a medical system and a culture that too often reduces people with Down syndrome to a diagnosis rather than recognising their full humanity. People with Down syndrome are not less. Far from it. They bring enormous joy, love, and richness to our communities. We can, and we must do so much more as a society to love and support both mothers and their precious babies.

Western Australian Vaccine Safety Surveillance, Annual Report 2021: health.wa.gov.au/~/media/Corp/D… WA Border Closure: aph.gov.au/About_Parliame… WA Border Opening: wa.gov.au/government/ann… WA Covid cases 2021 (303): health.wa.gov.au/~/media/Files/… WA Covid cases 2020 (920): nmhs.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/HSPs/N… WA population: abs.gov.au/statistics/peo… Number of doses: health.gov.au/sites/default/…

Western Australia accidentally conducted one of the world's largest real-world vaccine safety experiments. From April 2020 until March 2022, Western Australian was isolated from the rest of Australia and the world. Its borders were closed, and for almost two years there was virtually no community transmission of COVID-19. That makes Western Australia's data unique. Across 2020 and 2021, a population of around 2.7 million people recorded just 1,223 COVID-19 cases. Some of which were classified as ‘historical cases’, and only around 11% were acquired locally. Most cases were linked to international arrivals, known contacts, or existing cases/clusters. By the end of 2021, almost 4.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in the state. According to the Western Australian Vaccine Safety Surveillance Annual Report 2021, the reported adverse event rate for all non-COVID vaccines was 11.1 per 100,000 doses. For COVID-19 vaccines, it was 264.1 per 100,000 doses. That is a reported adverse event rate per dose approximately 23.8 times higher than for all other vaccines combined. Those figures deserve attention. Western Australia's experience was unlike almost anywhere else on Earth. Millions of vaccine doses administered in a population with very limited exposure to the virus and a material spike in adverse events. If we are to learn from history, this data deserves our attention.

How do we defend freedom without slowly surrendering it? That's the question I explore as Parliament debates changes to ASIO's compulsory questioning powers. Good laws aren't written on the assumption those in power will always act wisely. They're written on the understanding that one day they may not.

Image source: State Library of NSW Image no. bcp_04869h

Australia is often referred to as "the Lucky Country". We are blessed with abundant natural resources, fertile land, fresh water and open oceans. Luck may have given us the land, but Australians built the nation. Previous generations fought for the country, cleared the scrub, worked the land, prospected, laid the railways, built the roads, founded towns, and left us a nation stronger and more prosperous than the one they inherited. Nothing worthwhile is ever built without effort. Australia's greatest resource has never been what lies beneath our feet. It has always been the character, courage and enterprise of our people.

🛡️When Extraordinary Powers Become Ordinary Introducing RCR’s new Australian host, Michael Arbon @arbsmichael . How do we give government enough power to protect us — without giving it so much power that it threatens the freedoms it exists to defend? Michael examines ASIO’s compulsory questioning powers and the balance between national security, accountability, and civil liberties. 🎥 Watch here: rcr.media/episodes/micha…

How do we defend freedom without slowly surrendering it? That's the question I explore as Parliament debates changes to ASIO's compulsory questioning powers. Good laws aren't written on the assumption those in power will always act wisely. They're written on the understanding that one day they may not. rcr.media/episodes/micha…

Proposed deal: afr.com/companies/mini… The Act: legislation.gov.au/C2004A00485/la… Nuclear safety: ourworldindata.org/safest-sources…

Reports suggest Australia is preparing to strike a major uranium export deal with India. India plans to increase its nuclear power generation from around 8 gigawatts today to 100 gigawatts by 2047. Good for them. But what about Australia? Under section 140A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Australia prohibits the approval of nuclear power plants at home. So nuclear energy is safe enough for India, profitable enough to export, but somehow too dangerous for Australians? It makes no sense. Modern nuclear technology bears little resemblance to the Soviet-era reactor that failed at Chernobyl. Per unit of electricity produced, nuclear power is safer than coal, gas and hydro. Its safety record is comparable with both wind and solar. Australia holds nearly one-third of the world's known uranium reserves. If we're going to fuel India’s prosperity, why not our own?

Image source: alamy.com/stock-photo-19…

Australia once sold itself to the world with two words: “I will.” It was the spirit of taking risks, building, and believing tomorrow could be better than today. Families came for £10, knowing that hard work and courage opened the door to opportunity. Today, that spirit is too often smothered by tall poppy syndrome, big government, and a culture that punishes ambition. But the “I will” spirit isn’t gone. It still lives within the Australian character, waiting to be reclaimed. We can once again be a nation that rewards effort, builds boldly, and gives families confidence in the future. To do that, we must reject the false security of government and reclaim responsibility for our own destiny. Every great nation is built by people who believe they can shape the future, not simply inherit it. It begins when we choose to say it again: “I will.”

@DilkesLyal69069 Thank you

@arbsmichael You cut the "e" off the link... abs.gov.au/statistics/ind…

Labor set a target of 1.2 million new homes over five years. The data shows they're nowhere near it. Australia needs to build 20,000 new homes a month. Since July 2024, we're averaging just 14,600. Once the demolition of existing dwellings is factored in, the shortfall is approximately 7,000 homes a month (35%). They've thrown tens of billions of dollars at housing, handed out grant after grant, introduced 95% taxpayer-guaranteed home loans, a shared equity scheme (with the government), and generous tax concessions for large build-to-rent projects. Repeated demand side stimuli, yet little to encourage affordable supply. This failure impossible to ignore.

Image source: State Library Victoria

On my street, nobody is anonymous. We know each other by name. We know each other's stories. Our children play together, watched over not just by their parents, but by an entire community. The elderly are not forgotten. They are visited, listened to and valued. The young are not merely protected; they are mentored, encouraged and loved. We feel each other's pain, and we share each other's joy. We pray, laugh, and mourn together. We stand beside one another. Every year we gather for our street Christmas party. Tradition is simply too important to lose. There are front yards where conversations begin, backyards where friendships grow, and a street where children still come before cars. This is not nostalgia. This is still possible. No government can legislate it. No bureaucracy can manufacture it. Community is built by ordinary people who choose connection over isolation and neighbour over stranger. I know, because I live on a street where it already exists. I cannot help but wonder how different Australia would be if every street looked a little more like this.

Listen to the full show with @FlowFMAustralia for free here 👇 spreaker.com/podcast/arbon-… iheart.com/podcast/1333-a…

Australia's housing auction clearance rates have collapsed. The national preliminary clearance rate sits at just 49.8%, the weakest level seen since the COVID market slowdown in 2020. Brisbane's clearance rate has collapsed to 23.8%, down from 69.6% at the same time last year.