Nationals leader Matt Canavan will use a National Press Club address to set out a five-point plan he has dubbed the Patriot Agenda for an Australian Economic Revival, challenging what he calls the "naive belief that open borders for goods and people are always and everywhere a good thing." In a draft speech seen by the ABC, Canavan will say, "I am proposing an Australian economic revolution, not a replay or a reset," signaling a departure from conventional trade policy and a focus on domestic industry protection and regional development.
The vision, described as "an Australia on steroids," comes as Canavan delivers his first major address since winning the Nationals leadership last month. The plan includes a domestic space industry, infrastructure development, manufacturing revival, and measures to boost regional populations through targeted policy reforms.
Infrastructure and Industry Protection
Canavan will argue for a national works program to build infrastructure projects including dams and roads, as well as seaports and spaceports. He will say, "Our continent is uniquely placed for rocket launches," pointing to the Australian Space Agency, which was previously established by the Coalition. He will say a renewed space age could help secure Australia communications, defence and national security interests and could also boost regional populations.
The Nationals leader will identify the steel industry as a sector worth protecting, saying it has fallen victim to overseas imports. He will say, "Australia is the largest exporter of coking coal and iron ore in the world, the two main ingredients to make steel." He will add, "We should not need to import foreign steel but, just like on fuel, we have become reliant on other countries for a basic material because we have not acted in response to their protective barriers."
Energy Policy and Manufacturing
Canavan will say scrapping the net zero plan is key to a successful manufacturing industry and domestic fuel security. In the speech, he will say, "To restore sovereign capability and unleash energy abundance, we must end net zero, scrap all carbon taxes and end all bans on energy production in Australia." He will also say, "A real Made in Australia agenda will only work when it is fuelled by all types of Australian energy," in reference to the Albanese government's multi-billion-dollar push to spur local manufacturing and renewables.
Population and Regional Development
Canavan will call for the borders to be closed to "mass migration" and will argue for measures to boost the birthrate, including favourable tax settings for dual-income households and promoting working from home. He will say these measures would help increase populations in regions and smaller towns. He will say, "In the past the opening of a new mine or factory could convince the whole family to move but today, unless the other partner has a job in their career, the family will likely stay and fly in and out instead." He will say promoting working from home in professional jobs and in the public services would help make regional relocations possible for families, and that "The public service should lead by example, and we should look at tax incentives or infrastructure concessions to encourage it in the private sector too."
Canavan will argue that growing and developing regional Australia would relieve strain on services in big cities and boost those in country areas. He will point to Albury Wodonga Health as an example of where service delivery has failed. The service has been beset by problems in recent years and its executive management was the subject of a no-confidence vote by doctors last month.
Water Security and the Farrer By-Election
Albury Wodonga Health is shaping up to be a major election issue leading into the May by-election, along with concern about the Murray Darling and water security for growers. The Coalition has already announced a commission of inquiry into the Murray Darling, and Canavan will argue that dam building and refurbishment are required to protect the foodbowl. He will say, "If we don't start planning now for their refurbishment we will lose our nation's food bowl."
The upcoming Farrer by-election is already being talked about as a litmus test for the new opposition leader and an ascendant One Nation, and will also be a measure of major party politics. Canavan will say, "We won't get revival by tinkering around the edges. Some of this will require the long-overdue slaying of sacred cows."
Why This Matters:
Canavan's Patriot Agenda represents a significant policy direction that prioritizes domestic industry protection and regional development over traditional free trade orthodoxy. The focus on manufacturing sovereignty, particularly in steel production and energy security, addresses concerns about Australia's reliance on foreign imports for strategic materials. The plan's emphasis on infrastructure investment, including dams and space facilities, signals a return to nation-building projects that could stimulate regional economies while addressing water security concerns critical to agricultural productivity. The proposed shift away from net zero policies and carbon taxes aims to reduce regulatory burdens on energy-intensive industries, potentially lowering costs for manufacturers and households. The combination of border controls on migration and incentives for higher birthrates reflects a focus on sustainable population growth that prioritizes regional distribution over concentrated urban expansion. For voters in the Farrer by-election, these policies directly address local concerns about health service delivery, water management in the Murray Darling Basin, and economic opportunities in regional communities.