Fifteen years ago, on this day, June 9th, 2010, an Australian billionaire took part in a political protest. True story.
Australian billionaires take to the streets for tax protest
It was, by any measure, a most unusual rally. Many of the placard-waving protesters gathered in a Perth park wore suits and ties, and impassioned speeches were delivered from the back of a flat-bed truck by two billionaires, including Australia’s richest woman.
Marks, K. 2010. Australian billionaires take to the streets for tax protest. The Independent, 10 June.
Some video footage here – Axe the tax rally Perth – Kevin Rudd
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 392.3ppm. As of 2025 it is 430ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The broader context was extractivism has been Australia’s “thing.” First via imported species (beef, sheep) and then later mining – coal, iron ore, latterly natural gas.
The specific context was that desperate failure Kevin Rudd (Prime Minister at the time) had torched his reputation and the hopes of millions of Australians with a truly moronically cowardly “Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme” which was killed off by Tony Abbott (and Rudd). Too spineless to call a double-dissolution election, Rudd pivoted to a tax on miners (which is, of course, not a bad idea in and of itself).
The miners responded. Of course they did. This was one very small gaudy part of it. Far more important was the TV adverts etc.
What I think we can learn from this
As human beings is that we don’t live in functional democracies.
As “active citizens” money talks. Choose your “leaders” wisely.
What happened next. Rudd was toppled by his deputy, Julia Gillard, who uncharacteristically lost her cool after being smeared in the Sydney Morning Herald by a journalist who clearly had been briefed by Rudd’s henchman. That set in train an unstoppable leadership challenge (Rudd was absolutely despised by most of the parliamentary Labor Party). Gillard then ran up the white flag and the miners did not, in fact, pay more tax.
Gillard then called an early election, which she probably would have won but for these mysterious anti-Gillard leaks – “the calls are coming from inside the house.” Who could have had means, motive and opportunity for doing that? I guess we’ll never know…
What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.
You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.
What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.
If you want to get involved, let me know.
If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).
Also on this day: