There was a lot to like in Matt Canavan’s National Press Club address this week.
At a time when too many politicians timidly conform to the failed thinking of the political class, the newly minted Nationals leader has chosen to make an argument — and Australians are responding.
Family First particularly welcomes his unapologetic call for policies that put families back at the centre of national life.
Babies, backyards and a future worth building
Australia’s collapsing birth rate is not just a statistic — it’s a national emergency.
Senator Canavan has put it plainly — and the numbers are sobering:
“There is no doubt that delayed home ownership and smaller housing is one reason our birth rate has collapsed below 1.5 babies per woman.”
That is not sustainable.
And his warning about where this leads should stop the nation in its tracks:
“The maths on low birth rates is brutal. By the end of the century there could be just 11 million Australians descended from those alive today. We will have many more people, but most will have come from somewhere else.”
Critically, he points to the need for tax reform that supports families raising children, something Family First has also long championed.
“Income splitting or giving families more choice over how they receive family support could help close that gap,” he told the Press Club.
This is a major reform long ignored by the major parties.
Families should not be penalised for having children or for structuring their work and care arrangements in ways that benefit their kids just because feminism expects and economics dictate that mothers to work outside the home.
Just as importantly, Senator Canavan understands the role of space and housing:
“The building of new cities so young Australians can afford a home and access the same services offered in capital cities.”
And when families can access affordable homes:
“A bigger house and a backyard — the kind of home that makes it easier to have children.”
Family First has long argued this. Strong families need space, stability and a tax system that backs them — not one that works against them.
Make things again — and use what we’ve got
Senator Canavan also understands something the political class has forgotten: nations that don’t make things decline.
“Australia has always defined itself by the things we make, build and grow… But as our factories have shut and we’ve made fewer real, physical things, Australia has shrunk.”
He is right to call for a manufacturing revival and to unlock Australia’s vast natural resources.
His broader vision is refreshingly ambitious:
“We need an Australia with more of everything: more factories, more dams, more vision, more cities, more homes and more babies.”
Australia is blessed beyond measure — with energy, land and resources.
As Senator Canavan points out:
“Australia has the second-highest energy resources per person in the world – we should not have an energy crisis.”
And yet we do — because of political decisions.
Family First agrees with his core point: we have been let down by a political class that has betrayed the promise of this nation.
Net zero is losing — because the argument is finally being made
Perhaps the most important political insight from Senator Canavan’s speech is this: the tide is turning.
For years, politicians have been too afraid to challenge the net zero orthodoxy.
But when leaders actually make the case, Australians listen.
“We need to scrap net zero… A real Made in Australia agenda will only work when it is fuelled by all types of Australian energy.”
And crucially, Senator Canavan acknowledged what many voters already sense — that the debate is shifting:
“A year ago… you wouldn’t have given me a chance in hell to convince the Liberal Party or anyone else that they should drop net zero.”
This is exactly right.
The argument is being won — not because the political class suddenly found courage, but because some were willing to fight instead of conform.
Time for courage, not conformity
Family First welcomes Senator Canavan’s optimism and ambition.
His call for:
- a baby boom backed by tax reform
- new cities and affordable family homes
- a manufacturing renaissance
- energy abundance using Australia’s own resources
is a refreshing break from managed decline.
As he said:
“I am proposing an Australian economic revolution, not a replay or a reset. We won’t get revival by tinkering around the edges.”
Australia does not lack resources.
It does not lack land.
It does not lack opportunity.
What it has lacked is leadership.
Family First believes that by putting families first, unlocking our resources, rebuilding industry and backing Australians to have children, our nation can once again be strong, prosperous and confident.
The future is there for the taking.
What’s required now is the courage to fight for it.