The Australian Budget for 2022 was just released a few days ago, and with record exports volumes of iron ore, gas, coal, and agriculture, the Australian economy has been turbo-charged over the last year. So the Federal Government's tax revenue has been beefed up beyond their original forecast which means that the Federal budget for 2022 has left extra cash in the tin to splash out on the Australian economy. The media is focusing on the cash handouts and cost of living reductions, I'm looking at the big infrastructure projects that have been funded, and notably they are road, rail and dam projects. Where is Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg put all this cash? Well, jump on and fin out because today we're Talking Tactics.

Brisbane and other parts of South East Queensland, plus parts of New South Wales including Lismore and Sydney have flooded once again. **This video was written and filmed before the widespread flooding disaster had really engulfed a lot of New South Wales as well, so we only briefly touch on it. We are not trying to downplay the severity of the crisis down south by focusing on Brisbane and South East Queensland, it just hadn't happened yet quite as much as up here in Brisbane.***After a rain bomb lingered over the city, delivering almost a year’s worth of rain in three days, the city was underwater. Boats and pontoons were washed down the mighty Brisbane river, roads became kayak courses and parks became raging torrents. Not to mention the countless number of homes and businesses that were inundated, causing extensive damage – and potentially more. Can we stop flooding events like this one from happening in the future. Are new dams like Wivenhoe Dam good flood mitigation measures? Are we able to redirect floodwaters from Queensland and up north, to inland areas of Australia where it's dry and often in drought? A plan like this has been proposed called the New Bradfield Scheme which would see a series of pipes and dams redirecting water to the middle of Australia. And in combination with that scheme, a project like Snowy Hydro 2.0 that generates hydroelectricity by recycling dam water could also be created, which could take damaging floodwaters away from populated areas and turn it into a clean, green, renewaable energy. There's a lot to unpack so come with me as we start talking tactics.

Welcome to our very first episode of the Talking Tactics with Mel Pikos Podcast! This is our first crack at uploading a podcast version of our YouTube channel show and it's an extended version of the interview that we did with Franco Giammattei from Ferrari Brisbane. We chat a lot about Ferrari's business model, how to rank up within Ferrari to be offered a chance at buying the special editions and a whole lot more. 

If you'd like to watch that YouTube video here is the link: https://youtu.be/O2JoEe_1by8 We had a lot of fun at the dealership, and then I took out an F8 Spider for a drive around Brisbane. 

But that was a shorter, 8-minute long episode, and we chatted with Franco for about 35 minutes. So here it is, the whole interview for your listening pleasure.  

As I mentioned, this is our first podcast and it's a bit of a trial run. The interview was recorded at the Ferrari showroom, so it's a bit echo-y, and there's some background noise as it is a workplace. But we wanted to make sure that you got to hear everything that Franco said, so we're uploading. As we do more and more interviews, we're going to start setting up a proper podcast recording space, and everything will get better! Please let us know if you have any tips or advice for us newbies, just starting out in the podcast game!  

I hope you enjoy the episode. Stay safe and have a great day!  

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South Bank 2.0 or the vision for it is getting closer to being realised, and the Brisbane Olympic Games in 2032 are helping it to get there. An industrial site in Kurilpa, an area near South Brisbane and West End, by the Brisbane River, has been earmarked for the International Broadcast Centre for the games and afterwards, plans are to redevelop the area into new parklands for Brisbane residents and tourists. Adrian Schrinner, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, has confirmed that negotiations with the company that owns the land are progressing, and that their offer to buy the land had been well received. It's a perfect way to add to what was created at South Bank for Expo 88 - this will be South Bank 2.0, Schrinner said. This will be in line with the vision proposed in the Kurilpa Riverfront Renewal Draft Masterplan, released by the Brisbane City Council 2013. It will create parklands, retail, dining, commercial office space and increase river touch points.A number of key locations are earmarked throughout Brisbane for the Olympic Games, including the Gabba, Suncorp Stadium and various sites on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.There's plenty more information on this episode of Talking Tactics with Mel Pikos.

Moving to Brisbane or thinking about moving to Brisbane in 2023? We have seven reasons why you definitely SHOULD move to Brisbane. Not only does Queensland have some of the best weather in Australia, there are plenty of infrastructure projects that the Brisbane City Council and Queensland Governments are creating that is turning the place into a new world city. From new green bridges across the Brisbane River, to the Cross River Rail, Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, Queen's Wharf Casino, the business innovation hubs and new green building design guides like "Buildings that Breathe". Also, did we mention the weather and potential for outdoor dining? Places like Howard Smith Wharves, Hellenika and Southside are really making Brisbane the new capital for outdoor dining and recreation. Brisbane is becoming a gateway to the rest of the world with the airport runway upgrade and it's truly becoming a new world city.Should you move to Brisbane in 2024?

The Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games has been officially announced and the entire city has jumped into planning mode! The Brisbane Masterplan for the Games has been released and there is plenty to talk about. In total, 32 locations across South East Queensland have been earmarked as sites for different sporting events and ceremonies. But Northshore Hamilton has been chosen as the site of the Athlete's Village. It will host over 10,000 athletes, managers, officials and others for the Olympic Games, and over 5000 for the Paralympic Games. What does this mean for the area? How will it be developed and what's going to be built? This is what we want to find out today on Talking Tactics with Mel Pikos. #brisbane2032 #olympicgames #australia

*Episode originally produced and released on YouTube in October 2021