Nat Chat: A Common Sense Podcast

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We are well into Council elections and for Mildura Rural City Council this is the first time under a ward system.
Seems odd when other regional cities and towns are moving away from it and it has certainly caused some feedback.

All postal ballots are require back this week but first,  here is a little chat with Millewa candidate Julie Waters.

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/

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You know by now I’m very pragmatic,  Very Practical, which is what attracted me ti the Nats in the first place.  We love conversations with other pragmatists, like Ben Ridley - not only is he very practical, pragmatic and speaks in sports analogies which is my first language, he’s right at the coal face of the housing crisis being the principal of Collie & Teirney Real Estate in Mildura.

He sees first hand, every day how Victoria’s Residential Tenancy Act and new and increased taxes is doing to the rental market and housing crisis.

He makes many very valid points about property developers, landlords, tenants, rezoning, and the Labor Government’s Housing Statement.

It was a great chat. Very straightforward, very direct.

We’ve decided we have to do it more often on different subjets but this was a great place to start given that we can see how awful our housing stock is right now, leading to a huge increase in homelessness, people sleeping rough and couch surfing.

We’re both of the opinion that the only way to fix this is enable the free market to do what it does best,  fill gaps in the market.  The government should only be stepping in when the market fails,  NOT to put the free market out of business - that is socialism and that has never been a good idea or ever worked for the good of the people.

Ben Ridley - you’re not only a wealth of common sense and knowledge, but you’re a funny block and I can’t wait for our next one.

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/

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With Mildura Rural City Council now under a ward system,  there is are new candidates, candidates that have run before and some with no opposition.

Having the platform of a podcast is a good opportunity to have a chat with some new candidates that took up the invitation to get an insight into what's driving them to stand and what their expectations are.

I managed to have a chat to Carli Leishmann & Katie Clements during the week, just after nominations had closed.

Ballots are mailed out from 7th October.

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/

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This podcast was supposed to be a special Olympic episode, but things happened, it got delayed, life got in the way for me but I'm back.  Just in time for the Paris Paralympics, so technically, we're still ok.

You may have seen an Olympic blazer in the Victorian Parliament a few weeks ago and although it's possibly a little tighter than when he was an athlete at his peak,  it's still something to be immensely proud of.  

Sam Groth is a world record holder, even though some question it's validity, he was ranked #53 in the world in tennis at his peak, he represented Australia in Davis Cup and at the 2016 Rio Olympics and now represents the good people of Sorrento, Portsea, Rosebud and the rest of the Nepean electorate in Victorian Parliament.

He's also a mate depending on what the wind and moon are doing and I managed to catch him on a good day to discuss what happens at the Olympics and how he got there.

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/

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This is one I've been holding onto for a while. Since Nats State Conference in May in fact.
There's a couple of reasons for this; A) Annabelle's birthday is this week and she's now no longer a Young Nat so it's full tilt for everything!  Happy birthday!
B) It's Birth Trauma Awareness week and Annabelle talk about that in this episode.  Birth trauma is also something that affected me and my eldest child, but it wasn't my driver into politics.  It was certainly not the fault of any of the staff at Mildura Hospital.  In fact, the midwives were amazing for 15 hours, but that's a whole other story that I don't talk about.

In this episode however, we also chat to Young Nat, Alex Scott who talks about growing up in the foster care system and how that drove him to be an advocate in this space from a very young age.  His pragmatic approach to just about everything is what led him to the Nationals and we will find out more about his story in later episodes.

For now,  this is an overview on the Young Nats who are a very welcoming bunch, so if you'd like to join them for the bargain price of $10 please hit the link: https://vic.nationals.org.au/get-involved/young-nationals/

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/

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Josh Waters has won not one, not two, but three Australian Superbike Championships, and looks good to potentially win his fourth this season,  something that no one, in the history of ASBK has ever done before!
He's also about to head back to Japan to ride the Suzuka 8 Hour for the eleventh time!

This is like the  La Mans of road racing, a rock star event where Josh is treated as such.  People are paying thousands to meet the bloke.  It's amazing, and yet, as you'll see here,  he's just a kid from Mildura who can go really, REALLY fast on a motorcycle.

Yes, there's natural ability but his work ethic, humility, dedication and focus certainly play a role in Josh being one of the greatest ever Australian Superbike riders ever.
... and yet,  you may not even read about him in the local paper.
You probably won't hear about him on the radio.

It's a shame, but it's the story of many of the motorsport champions Mildura has produced.  They go about their business whilst remaining under the radar locally, and being treated like rockstars internationally?  Why is that and is that the reason they choose to still call Sunraysia home?

You might be able to tell, I was a little excited to do this pod with Josh and promise to be more calm next time, and there will be a next time.

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/

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You'd remember Mower Mick from The Voice in 2021.
That angelic voice that floated from the vocal chords of a seemingly man's man from Gippsland.
We were all stuck at home,  don't pretend like you didn't watch it,  we all did.
Mick was runner up, and it's a great lesson in never judging a book.  I mean,  you can make the assumption that he needs to wear a very good sunscreen given his ginger colouring,  but he is a gentle giant with the most generous heart and hopelessly devoted Dad to three young girls.
Mick is a very good Nats man,  so I thought I'd have a chat to him to thank him once again for our fabulous theme song, and to find out exactly why he joined the Nats.

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/

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Labor can't manage money, they can't manage projects and it's your family paying the price, particularly on our roads.

Danny O'Brien,  Member for Gippsland South & Shadow Minister for Roads and Roads maintenance is also a ten year veteran of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee.

So I managed to grab him at the end of the last Parliamentary sitting week and then again at our State Conference to catch us up on the PAEC hearings that have been happening over the last weeks or so. 

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/

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On the eve of the Labor's tenth budget in a row, here is the next installment of our common sense podcast.
Budgeting and trying to pay your debt down makes sense to most of us.
As does, not spending money you don't have.
Apparently that's not the perspective of the Allan Labor Government who are currently paying Victoria's interest bill at $15 million PER DAY.

I caught up with Brad Rowswell, Shadow Treasurer and Member for Sandringham in my office at Parliament house to discuss.

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/

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I am certainly no historian,  but I do love learning from history and I do believe all aspects of history should be told.

I also believe that these stories should be told over and over again - it's important they are shared for generations to come.

So I thought it appropriate to tell the stories of why the relationship between Robinvale and Villers Bretonneux is so important and just one of the reasons I am emotionally attached to it.

I don't do this to speak on behalf of any of the families besides my own, but rather as a historical recourse on such a significant week.

The 40th Anniversary of the twinning of Villers Bretonneux & Robinvale.

History of Cuttle family and George Robin Cuttle: https://www.robinvalewarmemorial.com.au/lieutenant-george-robin-cuttle/

History of Private Percy Pitt Goullet courtesy of my Uncle Maurice 'Butch' Woodburn
Also from the Australian War Memorial website: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1584679

Find information and social media links here: https://www.jadebenham.com.au/