War hero arrested

Ben Roberts-Smith is Australia’s most decorated soldier. He served in the SASR with multiple tours in Afghanistan and East Timor, earning the Victoria Cross for Australia, after storming multiple enemy machine-gun positions under heavy fire as patrol second-in-command, disregarding his own safety to protect his patrol and neutralise threats.

This morning he was arrested in front of his 15-year-old daughters for committing war crimes - the result of an investigation that has spanned 10 years and costed $300 million taxpayer dollars.

Well first of all, this feels like a waste of money. This guy is a war hero who defended his country. It’s also important to understand the fog of war - decisions are made under extreme pressure in life-or-death situations, split-second judgments can look very different when dissected years later in a courtroom. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said “soldiers shouldn’t be judged by peacetime standards.” Nevertheless, Ben has denied the allegations and will likely plead not guilty. We will see what happens.

The Greens are having a great time saying “no one is above the law” which seems hypocritical for a group who routinely glorify illegal road blockades, climate protests that disrupt ambulances and commuters, and other forms of civil disobedience when it suits their agenda.

Fuel

Trump criticised Australia for “not helping” enough in the Iran conflict, essentially saying we didn’t do our part as an ally. A reporter asked Albanese about that and he sort of just ignored it. Although I can't help but find Trumps comment a little stupid. We shouldn’t be sending our troops and resources to police the Middle East.

Queensland

In the midst of Australia’s ongoing fuel crisis triggered by the US-Iran conflict disrupting 90% of the country’s imported refined petroleum, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli visited the Taroom Trough (a large potential oil and gas region) in central Queensland. The Crisafulli government wants to fast-track drilling and development there to produce oil domestically. Good! Producing our own oil means we avoid being at the mercy of foreign suppliers and global shocks. The problem is right now we have excessive federal red tape and environmental regulations holding it up.

The Nationals

Nationals leader Senator Matthew Canavan delivered a high-profile address at the National Press Club, pushing a “patriot agenda” – including slashing net zero, investing in energy (INCLUDING nuclear), cutting migration and many other things. Great!

The Greens

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather commented on using “progressive populism” to counter One Nation’s polling surge among voters deserting the major parties. We’ll see how that goes.

EV's

Also, new car sales data showed Australians bought a record number of electric vehicles in March 2026.

War Hero