CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
A 30-something entrepreneur, who has found himself in the crosshair's of Treasurer Jim Chalmers most recent CGT changes, is not only furious but also deeply concerned about the direction this country is heading in.
Until the 2026 May Budget, Kyle Mercer (33) had not engaged in politics since he was tuning into the Premier's daily COVID briefings during the pandemic.
Having not grown up in an overly political household, he's never really bought into the 'us and them' approach to Federal politics. This makes him a prime candidate for civic engagement, given his ability to weigh up policies.
At each election, he tends to vote for whichever party is less negative about the future of Australia. That means he's always been a swing voter.
Since turning 18, his voting record is Turnbull, Morrison, Albo, Albo.
However, after having built a small to medium business enterprise, Kyle is now aware of the nuances in Australian politics - mostly because of his own self-interest.
But he's also very aware that it's not just him that's going to suffer as a result of these CGT changes for Australian business acquisition - he's actually quite alarmed that future entreprenuers wouldn't bother taking the risks he's taken in business.
He's smart enough to realise simply jumping on board to support Pauline Hanson probably won't help his predicament, because from he's seen in countries like Argentina and America - right-wing populism doesn't seem to be very sustainable - or consistent.
Kyle is now realising he is what used to be described as a 'Liberal Moderate' - and that people like him haven't really had a political home since Scott Morrison drove the Coalition into the ground.
But he's also a millennial who has grown up with an iPhone in his hands, which means he's naturally unwilling to go outside and take part in actual politics.
With Labor now free to do what they want with a massive parliamentary majority, and the Opposition self-destructing at the hands of an outdated Liberal membership base of angry old boomers who watch too much Sky News - Kyle is starting to worry about the state of Australian politics.
He realises the Liberal Party needs to avoid following One Nation down the rabbit-hole of culture wars, and actually deliver innovative and inspiring economic policies that differentiate themselves from Labor.
He can also see they desperately need to start appealing to a broader voters base, specifically young people.
But he doesn't know who could possibly step in and help guide the party back to being an electable alternative - or else the country faces the prospect of a decades-long Labor Party reign.
"I dunno" he says.
"Hopefully they can sort themselves out"
