Soft-spoken David Pocock has big ambitions – but first he wants politicians to ‘double down’ on kindness

Independent senator’s goals ‘much bigger’ than prime ministership, he reveals in first speech to National Press Club

He’s six foot tall and full of muscle, but David Pocock’s real strength is often sounding like the most sensible, commonsense voice in the room.

At his first speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, he said he wasn’t launching a bid for prime minister – no matter how much some people might like the softly spoken senator to have more say in federal politics.

A 25% tax on gas exports, which he said could fund anything from boosting welfare to health reforms and aged care.

A 5% levy on datacentres to capture more benefits from the AI boom.

Transparency reforms to shine a light on lobbyists, secret meetings with politicians and vested interests.

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Thousands march in Greece over public education failures as Macron blasts ‘stupid’ commentary on French protests – as it happened – The Guardian

  1. Thousands march in Greece over public education failures as Macron blasts ‘stupid’ commentary on French protests – as it happened  The Guardian
  2. Thousands of Greek students, teachers protest over education, pay  Reuters
  3. Thousands of students and teachers march through Greek capital to protest high cost of living  AP News
  4. Syntagma Square tent protest over housing crisis, on eve of student march  eKathimerini.com
  5. Inspired by France, Greek students protest as rising costs affect education  Baltimore Sun
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Kremlin warned Germany after Leipzig airport sabotage that it won’t be the last attack, WSJ reports – Meduza

  1. Kremlin warned Germany after Leipzig airport sabotage that it won’t be the last attack, WSJ reports  Meduza
  2. Exclusive | Airfield Attack Marked Opening Shot in Putin’s Stepped-Up Sabotage Campaign  WSJ
  3. Russian Strikes Rise Across NATO’s Eastern Flank  Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
  4. A Failed Drone Attack Unmasked Russia’s Secret Army of Accidental Spies  Popular Mechanics
  5. Leipzig Was Only the Beginning—Putin Reportedly Orders New Sabotage Campaign Against NATO  UNITED24 Media
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A viable path to peace in Ukraine – Asia Times

  1. A viable path to peace in Ukraine  Asia Times
  2. Opinion | The U.S. is pushing for Ukraine peace talks. Is Putin interested?  The Washington Post
  3. Rosenberg: US diplomatic push offers little hope for imminent Ukraine peace  BBC
  4. The political calculus of peace in Ukraine  The Kyiv Independent
  5. Kiev and the United States are ready to compromise, but Moscow has all the trumps — an overview of the situation and a forecast  EADaily
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Witkoff to present Putin with peace proposal after talks with Zelensky – Axios

  1. Witkoff to present Putin with peace proposal after talks with Zelensky  Axios
  2. US envoy to meet Putin in Russia as Zelensky says intelligence sharing 'works now'  BBC
  3. US envoy Witkoff arrives in St Petersburg for talks with Putin  Reuters
  4. Zelenskyy meets with Trump envoys as U.S. blasts ‘scandalous’ accusations about withdrawn support  NBC News
  5. US envoy Witkoff arrives in Russia for talks with Putin  RTE.ie
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