About

As a Senator for South Australia, I am committed to a particular cause: to continue building the future of our great nation, making it even better, safer and more prosperous.

I hope that my children, and yours will inherit a world they can be proud of - one that nurtures their dreams and offers the incentive and ethic required to make them real.

Achieving this is not an abstract proposition, it depends on the conviction of the Australian people, and on the decisions our leaders make on their behalf.

Community service, a sense of goodwill and mutual respect - these facets of society simply do not exist without effort. Their preservation and growth is a primary reason for my political involvement.

My work is framed by a commitment to some essential principles that I believe can help build a better future. These principles are in many ways timeless - ones that generations have returned to, and will continue to return to, as the best way to run a nation. These include:

• Recognising and supporting families as the most important unit of society
• A commitment to personal and economic freedom - including lower taxation and smaller government
• Supporting Judeo Christian values as the framework on which our nation has been established.

I appreciate your interest in my work as a Senator and trust you will find the information on my website of interest.

About This Blog

I am a straight talker so I need to get one thing clear right from the start. This is a personal blog site and is not the official Senate site detailing my responsibilities as a Senator for South Australia.

It's an important distinction to make because the news, views and ideas published on this site are my own - except for any reader comments.

So why have I got a blog?

It's pretty simple really. I like writing and sharing my perspective on all manner of subjects with others. I also like knowing what others have to say about particular issues.

In 2008, I began emailing my comments to a group of about 20 people. A few months later I had several thousand subscribers (including most of the parliamentary press gallery) and my original mailing system struggled to cope. I needed an industrial strength solution and the result is this blog which was launched in June 2009.

Naturally, while there is a political focus to much of what I write, I try to cover a range of subjects - some serious and some not serious at all.

You see, I believe that politicians need to take their job seriously but shouldn't take themselves too seriously. After all, we are only temporarily occupying an important role that will continue long after we vacate the office.

So, if you believe that politicians shouldn't have an opinion on anything outside of politics, can't have a sense of humour or that somehow real life's experiences don't happen to them, then you are probably in the wrong place.

If, on the other hand, you want to get inside the mind of a conservative who is willing to actually speak his mind, loves engaging in the battle of ideas and enjoys a laugh, you might like what you find.

Most importantly, whether you agree or disagree with my musings, I'd like to know what you think.

Comments Policy

All comments on this blog need to be approved prior to publication. I have a general rule that courtesy is contagious and if your comments are considered and coherent, they will most likely be published.

If your comments are rude, abusive, contain bad language or might invite legal action then they probably won't.

Have no fear about disagreeing with me or challenging my contributions - you'll get your side of the story published as long as you stick to the basic premise of relevance and respect.

I won't edit comments for spelling or content, they'll either be published or they won't so take care with what you write.

One other thing...

In case you are interested, this site was established and is operated through personal funds. I am sure that puts your mind at ease ;-)