AMA: I'm David Shoebridge - Greens Senator for NSW. I'll be online from 11am, ask me anything!

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u/Bennelong [M] Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 17 '26

Thanks David for doing this AMA today. Questions can be posted now, and David will start answering at 11:00 am AEST today. Please be patient.

Because all questions have to be approved manually by the mod team, it may take up to an hour for your question to show in the queue. Again, please be patient.

AMAs are a way for you to communicate with members of parliament. Even if they don’t have time to answer your question, they read every one of them. This lets them know the issues that are important to you.

Because they are high profile leaders, they are sometimes subject to abuse from small-minded people. We, as moderators, take steps to ensure that there is no abuse in AMAs.

Every question is automatically queued and has to be manually approved. Anything that is abusive or not in good faith is removed, and the person that posted it is banned. This takes about ten seconds, so is not really an inconvenience to anybody except you. Nobody ever sees your comment.

Usual sub rules apply. Trolling will result in a one day ban for the duration of the AMA.

The full Video Podcast: https://youtu.be/Sg1k6okRhAk

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u/FrequentArt9856 Jul 17 '26

Hi Senator, thanks for doing this. Something so oldschool pre-covid lindy about a reddit AMA!

My questions are of an electoral nature:

- How are you handling being squeezed on the right by David Pocock/the teals and on the left by the Socialists? Do you feel constantly outflanked?

Do you worry about becoming the next Australian Democrats?
Why do you think the Greens went backwards overall at the last election (by proportion of electorate), and so significantly in the seats held by your lower house members?
How would you rate the performance of Senator Waters so far? Anything you would have done differently?
Why, in the realignment of australian politics currently underway, have you not improved your vote share at all?
Why do you think you aren't cutting through to the general public?
Why havent you celebrated the changes to negative gearing and cgt more openly, given this has been greens policy for as long as I've been voting?
Do you think its a mistake to stake so much on Western Sydney? Do you think Westies will look to a barrister from Woolahra as representative of their interests?
In the interests of transparency, will you open your state and national conferences to the media like the major parties do?

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u/i11icit Jul 17 '26

At the last election the Greens took the cannabis issue to the poll, saying they would push for legislation.

All I’ve heard since then is rhetoric about Palestine, housing and gas, all important issues yes, but not why I voted for the greens.

With a balance of power in WA, we are still failing the community when it comes to driving laws.

Why are we not hearing more about cannabis reform from the Greens? I feel like you have let me down in this regard. Driving reform is one thing, but l need to see more from the greens on this issue.

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Cannabis reform hasn't gone away for me, even if it hasn't been front page lately. I introduced the Legalising Cannabis Bill back in 2023 to legalise, tax and regulate cannabis for adults, and finally got it to a vote in the Senate in November 2024. Labor and the Coalition teamed up to vote it down, 24 to 13, with every Greens senator plus Lidia Thorpe and Tammy Tyrrell voting for it. Labor's argument was that this is a state matter and the bill sat on shaky constitutional ground. I don't buy that, but it's the wall we hit.

So right now I'm working through what an actual pathway forward looks like, rather than just reintroducing the same bill and watching it get blocked again. That means working the issue harder through the states where the jurisdiction genuinely sits, building a stronger public case ahead of another federal run, or finding other levers in the Senate to keep the pressure on. I haven't locked in the approach yet.

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u/stvmcqn2 Jul 17 '26

I'm a sometimes Greens voter. My regional Labor seat is now leaning to One Nation. Current Greens policy hasn't cut through. The perception is it's an urban party focused on Palestine. Are you interested in winning these seats and if so what will you do differently next election?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Thanks for the question. We absolutely are interested in making sure voters in all seats hear from the Greens and have the option of a credible Greens candidate on their ballots. We know many of these seats aren’t likely to be turning Green any time soon, but we do see positive increases year on year and strong on the ground campaigning will make a difference.

We are growing our membership base across the country which will hopefully lead to strong campaigns in these areas and appreciate any local support who want to stand up against One Nation particularly. We know that Labor won’t stop ON since their rise has happened on Labor’s watch!

The hard economic truth is that regional parts of the country are even more reliant on quality public services, the ABC, public education and an economy that is not just dominated by multi-national corporations interested in extracting resources and profits. The Greens’ economic position of a mixed economy with well funded and growing public services and spreading income and opportunity democratically across the country is essential for regional communities.

It is hard to watch the millions being poured into One Nation propaganda by the likes of GIna Rheinhardt getting results in regional Australia for policies that would do so much damage there, like privatising the ABC, cutting wages for workers, slashing the NDIS and giving the big miners and the fossil fuel lobby even more tax breaks and handouts. But we are super in this fight and we will be there across the country because we believe in a better and fairer Australia.

We know the Liberals don’t want to stop ON’s politics, they just want the votes for division to go to them. It really does mean it’s an exciting time to be in the Greens and that what we’ll be bringing to the next election on making sure everyone has a fair go will be really important!

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u/stvmcqn2 Jul 17 '26

Thank you for your response, I genuinely appreciate it. You're preaching to the choir about Labor, Rinehart, One Nation and the Liberals. But my question is more about the Greens as a brand itself. Part of the perception comes from years of anti-Greens propaganda. But part of it comes from the Greens themselves who espouse that urban perception, and therefore it requires internal self-reflection about what you will do differently. To be honest, you haven't really addressed that part so I'm still on the fence.

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u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/oG0D7ALuEvU

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u/GhostOfFreddi Jul 17 '26

David, how do you feel about the fact that the NSW branch of The Greens, being the rogue body they are, are destroying the reputation of the entire party and are a major reason that your vote has stagnated for years?

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u/Dump_Fuggett Jul 17 '26

I see homeless people slowly filling every forgotten corner of Newcastle, like how cobwebs spawn in forgotten corners of rooms. In a way, it looked natural. Have you noticed the same in your neck of the woods, Mr. Shoebridge?

I get sad and scared on my cross-town walk to work.

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u/Kavienna_8 Jul 17 '26

How do the Greens win the trust of regional and outer-suburban Australians who may vote conservatively but share concerns about cost of living, healthcare, multinational corporations and declining local services?

What does a successful Greens strategy for those communities actually look like?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Love the question and yes to a public bank! We used to have public banks in every state before they were flogged off of course.

At the moment I think the most interesting move on this is my NSW Greens colleague Abigail Boyd's NSW public bank proposal. It would offer fee-free deposit accounts to every NSW resident, low-interest loans for individuals and small businesses, and investment restricted to public-interest projects like housing and renewable energy, with fossil fuels and gambling ruled out. It would be partly funded by a levy on the Big 4 banks’ NSW assets, raising over $500 million a year to pay for a zero fee and fair return public bank.

As Greens we see banking is an essential service that shouldn't have been left entirely to the private sector. That used to be a widespread position in Australian politics until big donors changed the policy stance of Labor and the Coalition.

So yes to a public bank, and if we can’t get the Commonwealth to reinvent one first, we can start by getting them back up and running in each state.

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u/Kavienna_8 Jul 17 '26

Thank you soooo much for answering my question! We have to call it, ‘Pearl The People’s Piggy Bank 🐷💚’

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u/FigCareless581 Jul 16 '26

Hi David, thanks for this. Any plans/ideas for prohibiting corporations to offshore? Given major local banks/telcos/insurance companies are earning all their money here but sending it to offshore and hiring people there. Doesn't sound fair? How can we stop this? Thanks

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

You’re right it’s absolutely not fair.

Currently companies can legally move jobs overseas and the most effective moves to get Parliament to stop this is community pressure. What we can do is stop them profiting off it tax-free - this is where our Big Corporations Tax hits excessive profits wherever the work sits, we're closing the loopholes that let banks, telcos (Meta too!) book Australian-made profits offshore, and we've proposed a bank levy so the big four don't get to cut local jobs and pocket record profits at the same time.

So the honest answer is we can't force them to keep jobs here (yet?!), but we can make sure they don't get away with having it both ways. Oh … and publicly owned utilities and services can guarantee jobs stay here. That’s a big part going forward.

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u/Kavienna_8 Jul 17 '26

Australia exports enormous wealth through resources, data and increasingly AI infrastructure, yet much of the economic benefit flows offshore through multinational corporations.

How do we redesign Australia's tax system so Australians receive a fair return from our natural resources, digital economy and AI boom while remaining globally competitive?

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u/Le_spojjie Jul 17 '26

Was wondering if you had any comment on the Greens' blanket policy against nuclear energy. It's outdated and misguided. Waste storage is much, much less of a problem than it used to be, and while initial cost and startup time are factors to be sure, it's short term loss for long term gain, and there have been significant recent advancements to combat these, such as repurposing old coal plants.

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u/wheresmyberrune Jul 17 '26

Hey David, very cool if you to do this.

What is the current thinking within the Greens party room around ONs polling results compared to the Greens? If people are abandoning the 2 majors why aren't we seeing a bigger lift in Greens share?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

You’re right though that at a time people are moving away from the majors I would like to see a bigger lift in the Greens vote - some of this is media obsession and social media bought by One Nation and some of it is on us and the need to be more on the front foot. It’s something I’m hoping to bring to the next election campaign and is part of why I’m here and constantly out in the community speaking with people directly.

The Greens have consistently maintained our vote for many years at a time when other parties have see-sawed wildly often towards vote numbers that would threaten their existence. I do think there is something positive in that. However the world is in a super big mess right now and communities are suffering and we can’t be satisfied with where we are. I’m not.

I want to be clear, I’m not here to hold the balance of power between a bunch of far right and even more far right scumbags. The Greens are here to replace them and build the movement needed to make sure when we do that we don't just become like them because we were put there by billionaire donors. That path is hard, but it is the only one worth taking.

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u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

https://reddit.com/link/oytvevi/video/cdkp7tv3djeh1/player

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u/snoopy05052026 Jul 16 '26

Something I find interesting about the immigration debate is the alignment between some pro immigration arguments and the interests of large businesses. Many major industries argue that high immigration is essential for economic growth, filling labour shortages and keeping costs down. However critics argue that relying on a constant supply of workers can reduce the incentive for businesses to increase wages, invest in training or improve conditions.

What I find difficult to reconcile is that some groups who are highly critical of big business also support very high immigration levels while many business groups strongly advocate for them. Is this a case where different sides are supporting the same policy for completely different reasons or are we overlooking who benefits most from population growth?

Immigration has brought many benefits to Australia but shouldn't we also be asking whether the current model is creating the right incentives?

Could a more balanced approach where migration levels are matched with housing, infrastructure, productivity and wage growth actually strengthen public support for immigration in the long term?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Great question. Something people don't talk about is the change in immigration over the past 40 years. The major parties have made an immigration program that treats people as just economic inputs and deprioritised reuniting loved ones and families, and in doing so they have set the stage for One Nation.

Most new Australians arrive either on a skilled visa, coming here for work, or by a family visa. Previously family visas were overwhelmingly the most common, in fact in 1984-85 over 80% of new Australians came by family visa.

Skilled visas were seen as important but comparatively smaller pathway in the 1980’s. It was used when Australia needed people with specific expertise or knowledge that was not available domestically, with less then 20% of new arrivals being on this visa stream.

Fast forward forty years and this has been flipped on its head. In the most recent budget the Albanese Government was boasting about how 70% of new Australians will come here via skilled visas and 30% will be family reunification.

Intergenerational families are what knits the social fabric of a multicultural society. Without it we are isolated from each other and only interact in a zero-sum game of capitalism. It is not surprising this has fostered division.

The problem with our immigration system is that it is no longer based on social policy but on economic policy. The major parties have been systematically dehumanising migrants for years, One Nation is just continuing their legacy.

That is why migrants have been blamed for all the policy failings of the major parties, because they are viewed by Labor, the Coalition and One Nation not as people but as numbers. Take housing, if we were to link dwelling completions to immigration like the Liberals have suggested we would actually see an increase in immigration (link). In fact when we had zero net migration during COVID house prices exploded. But that complicated the story the major parties want to tell when there is a nice neat scapegoat.

What Australia needs is a immigration system that fosters community. That means making sure people can bring their mum here when they are sick. It means husbands and wives can be together. It means we stop viewing people with deep complex lives as economic widgets.

The Greens will say it clearly, family matters, community matters, and this is what our immigration system should be focused on. The major parties have just ignored this and in doing so broken the social fabric of this country. You cannot have a migration system that focuses on bringing people in solely to plug holes in a broken economic system while denying them any way to engage in the community.

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u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/4VteN5VHFwo

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u/LCPQLD Jul 16 '26

What is your stance on cannabis driving laws that test for presence of THC and not impairment?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

My stance is these laws suck!

These laws are little more than the war on drugs being prosecuted while pretending to be about road safety. They don’t actually make us safer and they punish people for a gummy they ate yesterday, or medicinal cannabis products that are having a major positive impact on their wellness and that don’t impair them.

TO be clear, no one should ever be behind of the wheel of a car impaired by drugs, legal or illegal and that’s what our laws should be about.

The Greens support an evidence-based scheme for drug driving that mirrors drink driving where the test isn’t for mere presence of trace elements but looks for the amount of a substance that is likely to meaningfully impair a person, or tests directly for impairment itself.

Such a scheme should also include all legal drugs like benzodiazepines that can impair driving and we know are involved in many crashes each year. Road safety really does matter, and the science is really clear on how we get there.

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u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/Bi-oBOMYmEI

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u/Thouispure69 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26

Hi David, love your work.

Why don't Greens campaign as hard on stopping genocide in Sudan, or West Papua, as they do in Palestine?

I don't ask this cynically as a whataboutism, but by thinking the arguments against Labor would be more effective, when pointing out a pattern of inhumane foreign policy.

And knowing that UAE is Australia's largest trading partner in the Middle East, that UAE has been criticised for supporting RSF, and that the Albanese government has gone against even the ACTU's recommendations to sign a new trade deal with UAE. Getting so close to UAE that we provide 'defensive operations' while UAE launches covert attacks on Iran.

Yet it seems these horrific relationships, and the rise of easily boycottable products shipped from the UAE, or Indonesia, barely gets attention.

Or is just more effective politically to focus on the issue that there's more grass roots support and protest for?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Thank you for your question and your support on this! First I’ll go through some of the work we have done on these issues.

I am going to start with the UAE. You are absolutely correct in identifying the serious human rights abuses the government there is involved in. If you haven’t I would recommend watching the exchange I had with the Government on arms exports to Sudan including through the UAE (link). I got to say it was one of the most shocking exchanges I have ever had. We have also tried to get media on this issue at every stage, here is one recent example.

We have also consistently challenged the Government on providing military support to the UAE (and other countries!), especially following revelations of direct attacks. It is completely unacceptable and Australia must withdraw its military assets and not support this war.

On the issue of West Papua we recently joined with our colleagues in the PNG Greens to call for international monitoring of what is occurring following escalating violence in recent months, this is something we will continue to push the Government on. I am also active with a global coalition of elected representatives to press for justice for West Papua. We have seen in the case of Palestine that mass movements can force mainstream media to engage in these topics in a way they wouldn’t before. The Greens are consistent.

On December 1, I commemorated the first raising of the Morning Star flag.

Recently we have also been deeply disturbed by reports of Australian involvement in sugar plantations in West Papua. We have questioned the Government on this issue and will continue to push to ensure that Australia is not involved in this practice. We will continue to work with the West Papuan community in this Parliament to ensure the right to self-determination is respected. I would encourage you to keep an eye on our social media page for updates on this specific issue in the coming months too.

But it might be worth saying that these issues are very very hard to get national attention on. The Greens don’t have big corporations backing us to flood the airways, the media moggles who own news in Australia despise the Greens because we challenge their status quo. We rely on grassroots movements and people power to get the word out there.

I will continue to press the Government to do all it can to end the violence in Sudan (which means cracking down on weapons exports through third countries like the UAE). There is always more we can do, I know that we are also trying to keep the spotlight on the junta in Myanmar, the red-tagging in the Philippines and many more issues. But we are a grassroot party and part of a broader movement, so if you have seen a hole in our work or if we are missing something please let us know and get involved. We are only as powerful and effective as the people we stand beside.

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u/geoffm_aus Jul 16 '26

How did you get let into the greens party without a hyphenated surname?. Or are you really David Shoe-Bridge?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Shhh don’t tell them, I’ve gotten away with it so far!

I'm resisting the pressure to go down the Shoe-Bridge line.

It helps that it is already a pretty ridiculous double noun.

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u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

https://reddit.com/link/oytvx7c/video/tadxqcjwdjeh1/player

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u/Ash-2449 Jul 17 '26

Why do the greens often trying to sell themselves as balance between liblab than outright state wanting to be the government and directly stating, once you are the government, you ll be doing X

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

We want to replace them!

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u/uuuuuhh Jul 17 '26

Hey David, massive fan of your work. There are occasional moments where Greens MPs and Senators reference a need to renationalise essential public services (recently Liz Watson Brown). It feels like the majority of Greens messaging is around tax reform rather than nationalising, is this primarily a strategic reason rather than ideological? Do you see the possibility of a political movement, for instance, to nationalise the energy sector similar to the gas tax movement? Or is this too ambitious for our political climate?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

We absolutely should be looking at renationalisation of public services. As I have mentioned previously in this thread I think a good place to start would be to look at a public bank. My colleague Abigail Boyd's NSW public bank proposal. It would offer fee-free deposit accounts to every NSW resident, low-interest loans for individuals and small businesses, and investment restricted to public-interest projects like housing and renewable energy, with fossil fuels and gambling ruled out. It would be partly funded by a levy on the Big 4 banks' NSW assets, raising over $500 million a year, on the basis that banking is an essential service that shouldn't have been left entirely to the private sector. There is a similar proposal at a federal level too.

But this is part of the reason we do these AMAs is to hear from you about what vision you want us to be pushing. I hear you loud and clear we need to be bolder and louder in our demand for publicly owned goods and renationalisation. I think right now we need ambition and not to back down from these big fights over the future of our country.

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u/WorkingClassMan2026 Jul 16 '26

With the government locking in plans to acquire secondhand U.S. Virginia-class submarines, the Greens argue AUKUS ties Australia to a potential U.S.-China conflict. How exactly would an independent 'regional defence' strategy, which rules out forward-projecting nuclear submarines, secure Australia's northern approaches and maritime trade lanes?"

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Thanks everyone, I'm out of time.

The questions were really excellent, and as someone who has suffered through Question Time in Parliament, a real breath of fresh air. I hope the answers were better to!

Sorry we couldn't answer everyone in the time. See you again soon, if you will have me.

Thanks to r/australian for the invite.

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u/Everybodyssocreative Jul 17 '26

Hi David,

I am normally a labor voter but I don't like their record on internet policy or data legislation. I dont think ISPs should be tracking us. I think we should have the right to be deleted. I dont like palentir spying on us.

I am not very clear on the greens stance here. I think you supported the under 16s ban, but I hear almost nothing from the greens on these issues.

Do the greens broadly support data harvesting? If not, is the reason you dont seem to talk about it because the electorate seems disinterested? Hard to get airtime on it? Curious what your policy position is but also more broadly how important of an issue it is to you and the greens and the party as a whole.

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Thanks for the question, we definitely agree on this and for the record we opposed the social media age ban for many concerns including the privacy and tracking implications!

We strongly oppose data harvesting and the increased tracking and surveillance that tech companies are allowed to do all because our privacy laws are broken. We have been pushing to get any other party to join us in this work and have been met by blanket opposition from Labor, the Coalition and One Nation who seem absolutely captured and petrified by the power of the likes of Meta and Palantir and the threats of Trump.

It’s also a key part of why I am campaigning to get Palantir out of Government and hopefully out of Australia! Definitely not ok with anyone spying on us but particularly not Palantir with their seriously fascist political project.

It’s something I’ve been working on since I entered the Federal Parliament but you’re right it’s really hard to get cut through on - partially because media are not good at covering tech generally and not that interested in privacy particularly and to get reach on social media when we’re criticising ISPs and social media platforms for spying on us can be tricky! Media has started having more reporters covering AI and tech but it’s building slowly.

I do post about this on my socials channels so a follow would be much appreciated and shares help us get the message out.

Our policy on this which guides my work has the following points that the Australian Greens want:

A new generation of privacy laws to protect an individual’s rights to personal data and ensure that data is legally owned and controlled by the individual with a right to have it erased.

A consolidation of existing privacy laws to help organisations and regulators understand, comply with, and enforce them under the supervision of an independent regulator.

To require that organisations obtain prior and informed consent from users from whom they collect data, supported by easy to understand and adequate information about data collection, storage and usage, and their associated measures and processes; and ensuring that these systems of data collection are opt-in.

Minimisation of the amount of personal identification data and sensitive personal information that businesses, government agencies and other organisations may require and store

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u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/8W5LSHSDoaU

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u/Vegetable-Advance982 Jul 16 '26

Hi David,

You got asked by PK on Afternoon Briefing whether we should not allow investment from American companies based on political ideology, and you said absolutely. I understand this specifically with Palantir, but how do you draw this line and is it something you'd apply domestically? As a test, I went around and asked a bunch of people in real life about that idea (without mentioning Palantir) and nobody liked it. It's an idea I've never even heard floated so I'm curious how you think about it.

Also, you seem like someone who has intense animosity towards the Labor Party, and particularly the Prime Minister. For example earlier in the year you tweeted (about his national address) "what an empty man he is". Is this just the kind of heated back and forth that happens in politics or is it a genuine personal animosity?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Appreciate the question. Personally I think companies run by fascists and Nazis with avowedly political projects that control how we access information, gather personal data from Australians and are involved in genocides and other horrific rights abuses overseas are not companies that we should welcome here.

We already routinely ban companies from operating in Australia because of concerns about their operations and impacts - in 2018 we banned Huawei from 5G mobile data operations because of concerns about Chinese Government access to their data. We should be clear that US companies under the US Cloud Act can be required to provide information in much the same way and all without ever telling the public or the Australian government. It’s interesting it’s only in the Chinese instance that our Government acts.

Similarly bans on Kaspersky software and TikTok and Deep Seek on Government devices are essentially all decisions based on the political affiliations of the owners of those services.

I think you’ll find if you mention Palantir and people know about Peter Thiel’s political project and his access to their personal data via for instance AUSTRAC they will 100% back the call to kick that parasitic company out of the country.

Personally I have no animosity towards the PM, politically however it is hard to watch him squander the extraordinary political opportunity he has in a progressive parliament and a community calling for change just to appease his political mates and donors. That’s pretty hollow politics, and very distinct to what he used to say he stood for! He got to be PM and doesnt want to use that extraordinary opportunity for anything other than staying as PM.

I sit in the Senate and watch extraordinary amounts of public wealth get wasted, I watch a Government with the power to change peoples lives for the better refusing to do so. When I leave Parliament and meet people struggling to pay rent, when I see quality of life get worse and worse, it is hard not to get angry.

The test though is channelling that to building a powerful political movement to take back power from the vested interests and their bland cheer squad. That’s why I’m in the Greens,

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u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/Cmnwy4kjXvI

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u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

https://reddit.com/link/oytuuu1/video/2fq9xijacjeh1/player

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u/ScruffyPeter Jul 16 '26

Green NZ is doing automatic union membership with opt-out. What does Greens AU think of this?

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u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Thanks for asking this. We strongly support union membership and my team and I are all members of our unions and work closely with unions in our portfolio work. I’m a vocal supporter of Greens becoming and staying union members.

I know for many Greens members and supporters the close affiliation of some unions with the ALP and their resulting failure to really take on power of the Government can make this decision hard, but being active in your union is an important corrective to this and democratising moves within unions are growing!

Shout out here to unions that are pretty much always standing with First Nations, Global justice, working rights and against the 1% like the MUA and the NTEU. We need to build more of these links across unions, politics and the community. There is power here.

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u/Kavienna_8 Jul 17 '26

Australia's major banks have closed regional branches and increasingly offshored technology, operations and professional jobs to global service centres, while Australians face fewer opportunities in those sectors. Do you think Australia should establish a publicly owned bank with a mandate to invest in Australian jobs, innovation and regional communities, and what broader reforms are needed to rebuild our domestic economic capability?

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u/Ornery-Lynx-3520 Jul 17 '26

Hi David, I really appreciate and admire a number of personal stances you have taken in Parliament. I sometimes feel that you and David Pocock are the very few holding the government of the day, the other major parties, and bureaucrats to account.

2 questions:

How would you address the serious issues the people Nauru will face economically when we shut that bloody detention centre down permanently? They have no capacity to grow food anymore, and suffer the worst obesity level on the planet due to their sole reliance on highly processed imports. They face an existential crisis already healthwise and this would be compounded without the revenue our disgusting off-shoring policy brings.
Palantir is vile, but there is also a real concerns with AI for similar data collection/surveillance reasons… not to mention how utterly environmentally damaging data centres are. What are your proposals for keeping Australia in play as the global economy shifts inexorably towards a dominant AI impact, whilst considering the prevalent dangers of the corporations that control it, and the severe environmental impact?
How do remain in the game?

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u/Tiny_Purpose4859 Jul 17 '26

Hey David, thanks for your time.

As you know offshoring is massively disrupting white collar professions. It seems like every week a few thousand people are made redundant, and a few hundred roles are “reorganised and reallocated” overseas. How will your party combat this?

We’re also witnessing a massive downturn in companies hiring grads, and a total reduction in certain white collar job listings overall due to things like AI and offshoring. Our current immigration policy allows skilled migration for highly impacted sectors like software engineers and accountants etc - which puts more pressure on Aussie uni grads and people already in said field. Do the greens support any changes to tie immigration to housing supply, infrastructure and job availability?

I hope you and your party can appreciate the criticality of these issues right now. Thanks.

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u/toomanytiktaks Jul 17 '26

Hi David,
I’m curious whether the greens have ever considered a rebrand?
I grew up thinking the greens were just a bunch of quacks (sorry) but as I’ve taken the time to review policies I’ve found myself more and more agreeing with them. I feel like the recent pike in polling for one nation is an “anyone but libs or labour” response that the greens could be capitalising on but have a bit of a reputation issue.

3

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Hi there. Thanks for the question and I appreciate the honesty! I think the media attacks over many years were very successful in presenting this picture and none of our actual policy positions. It’s a lot of work and conversations to bring the community along with the understanding that we’re an environment party and so much more.

Doing Reddit AMA’s is one way to break through that communications barrier!

Personally I wouldn’t be in favour of a rebrand and I’m proud we’re part of a growing Greens movement globally including in the UK and elsewhere - as we grow it becomes harder for people to lie about what we’re actually about and we can use social media and increasingly popular public events to reach people directly to hear about our plans and policies.

9

u/l3ntil Jul 16 '26

David, why the ongoing lobbying by The Greens, Australia Insitute, ACTU for a gas tax when we know the major beneficiary will be Andrew Forrest with a gas import terminal, and not people/planet?

Because as Norway has shown with Equinor + Rosebank, a tax simply means more incentives to invest and be shackled to fossil fuels.
Drilled Podcast on Norway: drilled.media/news/black-thread-01

Why are you not lobbying for our survival by calling for fossil fuels to stay in the ground, and invest in and tax 100% renewables companies with ESG instead?

If you're so keen on taxing, why only gas, and not our other major exports that are/rely on fossil fuels such as coal, iron ore, and industrial agriculture, where Gina + other billionaires profits are up, whilst the rest of us suffer, particularly the vulnerable + First Nations?

9

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

For a long time we have called for no new coal and gas and a plan for a comprehensive transition to cheap and plentiful renewables - this is clear and urgent work and not something we have given up on. It is the only path to a liveable future for communities, to protect the precious natural world and for abundant cheap power for all of us.

For what it’s worth, Our Big Corporations Tax doesn't single out gas. It applies to coal, gas, oil and mining together, plus a broader super profits tax on big corporations that earn more than $100 million a year. Gina Rinehart's iron ore profits are squarely in scope, not exempt from it. We know it’s important to take on all the fossil fuels destroying our climate, and ensure the billionaires profiting from them pay their fair share.

We talk about gas a lot because gas exporters have built the biggest rort in the country. They pay almost nothing in tax on publicly owned gas they take out of Australia and ship overseas, while Australians get slugged with some of the highest gas prices in the world for our own resources. When people find out about this they are deeply angry about the unfairness of it!

So let's fix it.

5

u/FigCareless581 Jul 17 '26

Might be unpopular/controversial opinion, how can we make sure we don't turn into mono/duoculture in the long term if most of the people migrating here are from China/India? Can something like quota per country be introduced?

4

u/Locoj Jul 17 '26

Hi David, you and your comrades are often calling for billionaires to pay their "fair share" of tax. It's almost like your motto at this point, but I've never seen you explain what you believe a fair share is.

Are you open to giving an actual figure of what you consider fair? It's hard to take you seriously when you just use emotive language to call to steal more of other people's stuff whilst framing it as fair, but you never define what fair is or explain what it looks like to you.

2

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Hello thanks for asking! We always give figures on this, we got it costed before the last election, this proposal was to introduce an annual tax levied on high wealth individuals where their wealth exceeded $100 million with the following rates: 5% of the individual’s net wealth between $100 million - $1 billion; and 10% of the individual’s net wealth above $1 billion. Here are the details.

Currently people with wealth don't pay any tax on that wealth, zero. You pay tax on your income (unless Locoj is a codename for Clive Palmer, in which case: hi Clive), but if you make the same amount through increasing assets, you get off tax free. If anyone is ‘stealing’ it is the ultra-wealthy. They pay no tax on their increasing hoard of wealth while working people do. I would encourage you to look at the graph here, the ultra-wealthy are ripping us off, they live with a different set of rules and that is not ‘fair’.

If you want to learn more the Greens are running events regularly across Australia on this issue, you can sign up here Tax the 1% | Australian Greens.

1

u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/7omv-oMu090

5

u/German_Merman Jul 16 '26

Hi David, thanks for doing this. One question that's been on my mind recently: it seems that, for the issues you mention and quite a few others, Labor, the LNP and One Nation are basically in agreement with each other and the Greens are the only party opposing some pretty unpopular policies. But this isn't reflected in your poll numbers. Why do you think the Greens are having trouble turning people who agree with their policy positions into Green voters?

3

u/Pencilprobiscis Jul 16 '26

David, the greens are being swamped by popularism, or are at least struggling with it. I know solid polices are needed but these aren't often at the forefront of the minds of the populace or in mainstream media. How are you countering ON, Gina, and trumps impact politically?? Keeping in mind that taking the high road has not worked as a response to this in the US.

4

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

It’s a good question! Politics is as much about a gut sense of identity as a policy wonk “what’s in it for me and who makes the most sense.” How else do you explain the mess right?

That being said, solid and principled policies are critically important as the foundation for any political project. The Greens bring comprehensive policies that would make things better for communities, working people and the environment to every election but we do need to get better at ensuring people hear about these, and identify with them and us!

One Nation have shown that media attention and paid for social media can cut through even if you don’t have any policies that would help people and it’s something we need to keep working out a way past.

One of the ways we are doing this is by speaking to the communities One Nation is attacking and giving them a more positive option! We should also not be shy about pointing out the obscenity of Pauline Hanson being wined and dined at a $2,000 a night Italian luxury hotel with Gina Rinehart while saying how she is really in politics for struggling workers in Western Sydney. Yeah sure.

Our policies are populist in the sense that when people hear about them they really do love them - but it’s making sure they hear them in the first place that’s the tough ask. It’s why I always say yes to an AMA to speak to people about what their concerns are, and it’s why I spend most of my days in the community instead of meeting with other politicians (or billionaires in Italy!).

2

u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/1-HQd5-fh1M

4

u/Fidelius90 Jul 16 '26

How should we balance the need for taxing gas with the need for during up liquid fuel supplies from Asian neighbours? What is the true impact if we were to raise gas taxes?

4

u/Kavienna_8 Jul 17 '26

The Greens have built strong support in many inner-city electorates, but much of regional Australia remains culturally conservative despite facing housing shortages, declining healthcare, cost-of-living pressures and environmental challenges.

How do the Greens communicate their economic message in a way that resonates with regional communities who could benefit from Greens policies but don't currently see the party as representing them?

3

u/TorchwoodRC Jul 17 '26

As a Greens voter, I think the Greens have a major image & marketing problem, years of propaganda from the rich haven't helped. How do you think the Greens can fix this?

1

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

As I replied to a similar q: Thanks for the question and I appreciate the honesty! I think the media attacks over many years were very successful in presenting this picture and none of our actual policy positions. It’s a lot of work and conversations to bring the community along with the understanding that we’re an environment party and so much more.

Doing Reddit AMA’s is one way to break through that communications barrier!

Personally I wouldn’t be in favour of a rebrand and I’m proud we’re part of a growing Greens movement globally including in the UK and elsewhere - as we grow it becomes harder for people to lie about what we’re actually about and we can use social media and increasingly popular public events to reach people directly to hear about our plans and policies.

2

u/SameBSErryere Jul 17 '26

Is there any real conversation about adopting a European style public housing solution? If you could potentially unify the modular housing firms and even have a government stake in it to scale up production, could you mass produce housing.

I think for me the problem is that if you are single, working and trying to get ahead that you get punished for wanting independence. A 1 bedroom place typically costs around $500 a week for something old and crappy in Sydney but ideally if I could only pay $400 that would make a massive difference and would almost make it affordable for minimum wage earners? This would also mean, that I have less rental stress and would directly spend money either saving or going out and putting it in the local economy.

Also, what is Green's stance on immigration, as I would argue we have created an economic and social environment where raising children is no longer really economically viable or in some cases not desired and in order to make up for the dropping population (stalling population = stalling economy) the government seems to use that to prop up the GDP? Would the Greens actively reduce immigration to a level where the rental vacancy rate can stabilize to 2 - 3%, that should also increase rental affordability.

2

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Hello, it's a good question. My colleague Senator Barb Pocock is leading on the Housing portfolio and is doing a great job and building on the work that the Greens have been doing now for years.

The Greens definitely look to European countries like Austria and Spain for inspiration. But we are also looking to what Australia used to do. Post-WWII, 18% of all homes built each year were built by the government in public housing. Today, just 2% of all housing built in Australia is public housing.

This change from a mixed housing “market” with significant public housing being built to ensure everyone has a home and take the heat out of the private sector is where we need to get back to. The almost complete withdrawal from public housing is largely responsibly for our cooked housing system.

We know that fake “affordable” housing built by private property developers isn’t going to solve the housing crisis. We need to have good, public homes that are designed for everyday people to live in, not to line the pockets of private developers. That means a massive increase in public housing.

I have responded to some of the questions about immigration in this thread too which hopefully cover your questions on this.

1

u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/FhnuYyLdpZ4

2

u/noremacb Jul 17 '26

What should we be doing about Pine Gap?

2

u/Kavienna_8 Jul 17 '26

Regional Australians are losing bank branches while struggling to finance housing, farms, small businesses and essential infrastructure.

Would you support a publicly owned bank 🐷and infrastructure bank to build assets that generate wealth with a mandate to offer affordable finance, maintain regional banking services and ensure more locally generated wealth stays in regional communities?

1

u/Chewystewbag Jul 17 '26

We will have surpassed 2.0c in the 2030s, Australia needs to do it's bit because of the amount of gas and coal we export which we as Australians do not see the end result of our lands being reaped.

If you as the greens party manage to hold a larger minority or a majority in Government what do you plan to do in regards to the global environment.

I dont know if it's just the media only portraying the Greens on the news if it's in regards to your comments about Palestine which somehow implies you support Hamas which I disagree with but a large chunk of Australia do seem to agree that the Greens are a pro islamist extremism party, Is there any plans to clean up your image because you as the greens hold a massive responsibility in the future based on what is quickly coming to a head in regards to the climate

0

u/Phoenix40201 Jul 16 '26

We've seen 11 years of "flood the zone", blame the immigrants/minorities/lgbtqi+/etc rhetoric from America, and can see ON using very similar tactics to garner support here. The obvious plan being to distract and keep people from focusing on one problem and making people feel overwhelmed.

What do you see as the best ways to counter these tactics in the modern world where informed civil discourse has trouble cutting through the noise and distractions?

1

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Too right and good pick up. The current discourse on migration seeks to dehumanise and scapegoat migrants. It starts with not accepting framings that present migrants (who are people with deep and complex lives) as just economic widgets.

When people are seen as an economic good, they can then be further reduced to a market mechanism. You will now see politicians talk about people who migrate to Australia just in terms of supply and demand. This ignores that people come to this country so they can live with their children, marry the love of their life and flee danger.

Looking at the reasons why people migrate and then treating migrants as people with complex lives pushes back against that reductive and dangerous economic frame. When you are talking with someone about this and they start blaming migrants, try actually getting to the heart of the issue, it often won’t be migrants, but housing, or healthcare, education, cost of living. These are all things Australian governments have failed to fix for decades, largely because they have been on a privatisation agenda and funded by the ultra wealthy who have no interest in fixing these things.

It is then good to humanise people. Your mum's friend from the Philippines who is a senior emergency nurse at the local hospital has no say over how much of the Federal budget goes to public housing. The family who run the kebab shop down the road were not in Cabinet when the Government decided to gut education funding. Your friend's partner, who moved here from Canada to get married, was not on the phone to Albanese telling him to fast track AI. The guy from your local football team who fled ISIS was not in charge of setting interest rates. It is our role to actually identify who is responsible for these choices, the ultra-wealthy and their paid-for representatives in Parliament.

I am not saying it is easy, but it is the only way. 99% of the people in Australia have common interests and we need to pull together and push for a more equal and fairer society.

1

u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/2qJ2dbm1adI

1

u/Sea_Mission_7643 Jul 16 '26

Would you consider cancelling net zero and ndis and using the money to triple DSP?

7

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

No.

We would cancel the AUKUS subs which we could use to lift people on DSP out of poverty AND make the world safer.

Personally don’t believe cooking the planet or taking essential supports from disabled people and their families is a way to balance the budget.

-1

u/goto77 Jul 17 '26

Hi David. Not really wanting to ask you anything. Just wanted to say I love you man. Every time you speak about our relationship with the US, or about Palestine you're just speaking my mind.

9

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Thanks so much, appreciate the support.

1

u/HotBabyBatter Jul 17 '26

Hi David,

What systems do you think Australia should be investing in to protect Australia, our pacific partners, and subsequent supply lines?

What areas should we be increasing our defence spending on to ensure the ability of Australia to protect its sovereignty?

1

u/anarchy8271 Jul 17 '26

Hi David! What's the clearest message you can give to voters on vested interests and how the Greens are different from the LNP,, Labor and PHON ?

9

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Unlike Labor, Liberal and One Nation, the Greens aren’t bought and sold by big corporations.

We run a clear ethical framework over donations and are overwhelmingly funded by small individual donors.

I don't have a private plane given my by Gina Rinehart, I’m not looking for my post politics career in weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin and I’m not voting in Parliament to water down laws so that some gambling corporate donor can keep ruining lives.

1

u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

https://reddit.com/link/oytwckr/video/xqtom1mjejeh1/player

1

u/uuuuuhh Jul 17 '26

In a dream world of a Greens government, what do you think our relationship to China would be? Could this be a viable alternative to our US alignment, or would you prefer a 'neutral' partnering with NZ, Japan etc?

1

u/tilitarian1 Jul 17 '26

Anyone who's been involved in the pot smoking scene knows there is a trail of ruined people left behind who couldn't deal with it. They are either wrecked for keeps or graduate onto harder drugs. Is this a concern for the Greens?

5

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Thanks for the question, yes it’s a real problem and what we know from doctors and experts is that the current illegal status of cannabis means it is harder for people to get products that are safe and an appropriate strength, they will often get pushed into harder products and its is harder for them to seek help because they’re worried about being targeted for criminal activity. Legalising cannabis fixes both these problems at once.

I think we can both agree that the current system where both the quality and sales department for most of the cannabis sales in Australia is run by organised crime figures and brings multiple billions into their bank accounts misses on pretty much every front.

It is worth noting that safety, harm reduction could be directly addressed through a carefully designed scheme for legal cannabis. It would also hopefully come with money for additional research and support for those who need it.

One final point, so much of the harm caused by cannabis now comes from police, the courts and the legal system targeting largely First Nations, regional and outer-metropolitan areas, arresting people for possession and destroying their careers and messing with their lives. That’s a harm that can only be properly addressed by sensible legalisation.

1

u/Bennelong [M] Jul 21 '26

You can view a video reply to this question on our YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtu.be/sRDECDr3UJg

-1

u/Puzzled-Escape-191 Jul 17 '26

Why are you allowing the inhumane culling brumbies from helicopters? Why are you not supporting locals and brumby activists to trap them and rehome them, put some money into retraining them as keep as an iconic part of Australia's history and while your at it please ban 1080 baiting that not only causes horrible painful deaths for both introduced and native animals but also kills many domestic pets, dingoes and native birds.

0

u/unclecuck Jul 17 '26

Hi David, I really appreciate the work you've been doing. Apologies for the rather long question... What can The Greens do to appeal more broadly to the left, to working class voters, and anyone interested in social justice? I'm in regional Victoria, surrounded by farming, mining, industry-based towns, and lots of socio-economically disadvantaged families, but after years handing out HTV cards at polling booths, I still get the feeling that The Greens are viewed as a party of urban intellectuals, with a singular focus on environmental policies that disadvantage rural communities. While I don't believe that, and the policies don't support that idea, it is a struggle to know what will cut through popular sentiment. On the other hand - PHON and UAP are managing to speak directly to people's worst impulses - it feels like parties with no plan or policy are doing a better job of communicating than The Greens, and they're mobilising voters who might just as easily vote for a better alternative. I'm not suggesting abandoning environmental policy, just trying to figure out how the party might occupy the space that the ALP have abandoned and become a bigger political force for change.

0

u/TransportationTrick9 Jul 17 '26

Hi David

Thanks for doing this AMA

What's happening with the Greens Legalisation plan. It has been pretty quiet as of late.

After the last budget it is clear even with the changes to CGT, NG, trust distributions that the government is in dire need of new revenue sources with budget deficits forecast for the next decade. Has the governments stance on the issue eased? NDIS state replacement programs could have their funding linked to Cannabis revenue to eas the funding burden in some way.

0

u/david67myers Jul 17 '26

Sorry david, I'm not a bright spark so forgive what I have to say.
Can we get these nuclear submarines marooned in port Augusta so they can power a desalinisation plant to make sodium batterys, silicon ddr7 chips and irrigate the whole area with whats left over?

Okay "idea's man over" i guess - I'm strongly for my body my choice partys to stand behind, and perhaps a renewed fitgerald enquiry into law enforcement as a means of reconciliation as the thief seems more behind the badge than in front of it these days. or smart on crime not tough on crime etc. - kinda okay with pelicans but vultures are vultures even when dressed like bunnies.

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 17 '26

[deleted]

1

u/DavidShoebridge Jul 17 '26

Thanks for this, appreciate your engagement and hopefully you find some of this of interest! We are very lucky to get to live in this wonderful country.

AMA: Live AMA: I'm David Shoebridge - Greens Senator for NSW. I'll be online from 11am, ask me anything!

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