Dear ,

I’m going to start by being subversive: Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Recently appointed US Supreme Court judge Neil Gorsuch used this greeting on prime time TV in the US and social media was incandescent with outrage. So I realise I am running a risk.

But running a risk is what think tanks are all about, and I’d like to say thank you to you all for being risk takers with us.

We’ve had a pretty good year developing policy and pushing our views to politicians, the media and the public. We’ve concentrated on housing, tax and energy issues, with media and social media forays into political commentary, climate change, political funding, and political correctness.

We’ve also stepped-up the number of functions we run, instituting a once-a-month Fridays on Logan Road event in our offices at Woolloongabba, on top of marquee functions like the McIlwraith Lecture (this year with Trevor St Baker), and other events like our Queensland budget panel, and the screening of The Rise of Jordan Peterson, as well as the semi-regular book launches, joint with Connor Court.

As I noted in my analysis of Boris Johnson’s election win, the wind is under the wings of our side of the argument (although when you look at some of Boris’s policies even our side needs a good talking to about what constitutes sound policy). We need to capitalise on this momentum as the other side has infected the public institutions, and this needs to be treated. (Applying more Westminster solutions to a corrupted wounds is not necessarily the right treatment either).

Next year’s functions line-up is looking just as good, if not better than last year. At the moment Fridays on Logan Road has Ross Elliott, Chair of the Suburban Initiative Board of the Brisbane City Council speaking in March, and I have a guest speaker tentatively lined-up for February on block chain.

In March we will be hosting prominent USA free market Liberal, Larry Reed, who will be doing the Asia Pacific launch of his latest book, Was Jesus a Socialist, at a function we will be running on March 15. Next year’s McIlwraith Lecturer will be Professor Perry Bartlett, the founder of the Brain Institute at the University of Queensland, and a medical visionary.

We are recording as many of our functions as we can so that even if you are not there you can still get the benefit of them. If you haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channel yet, you should.

Of course functions are only one side of it – the other is doing hard policy development, and we will continue to focus on tax, housing and energy, to which you can also add water security.

I should thank my fellow directors for the year we’ve had, and the one we’re about to have. Bob Tucker, our chair, and Dan Ryan, Campbell Newman, Rowena McNally, Jane Prentice, Graeme Haycroft, Roderick Schneider and Glenn Ferguson all contribute tremendously to our success.

Then there are the people who don’t necessarily feature on our website. There’s Nicholas Umashev, our Economic Researcher, David Drake and his committee who organised the McIlwraith Lecture, Lyn Brazil, who shares his premises with us at Woolloongabba, the various sponsors who underwrite the whole operation, Andrew Smith who videos the McIlwraith, Edwin Davis who’s recording our in-house functions and editing audio-visual for YouTube Channel, Nat Hodges, who rustled-up 14 people for the Jordan Peterson movie, the lawyers who’ve given us legal advice, and many others, many of whom prefer to remain anonymous.

There are two elections on in Queensland next year – local government and the state government – and elections are a great time to get purchase over the political process. We have plans to play our part, and you’ll hear about them soon. That includes upgrading our website so it is an effective ecommerce and campaigning tool. I’ll write to you about that separately as I need to raise $5,000 to get it done – I’ve got $2,000 earmarked, and am looking for the other 60%.

Have a restful break over Christmas, whether you’re doing the whole church thing like me, or just sinking into heathen hedonism with family, friends or on your own, by the sea or elsewhere. If you’re in a fire zone rest might need to be deferred, and we’re thinking of you.

Thanks for all of your support and trust. On behalf of myself and the board, we’re looking forward to repaying it with interest in the New Year – that’s the free market way.

Regards,

Graham Young
Executive Director