25th February 2021 | 33:38

Today we are doing what we do for each show. We talk to experts about hot topics and share their information. This is apparently inappropriate now with certain members of Parliament or certain topics.

In Australia, it’s the former Liberal Party’s Craig Kelly talking about early treatment of Covid-19. One of our interviews with Craig was removed by YouTube soon after it was posted. We immediately appealed this decision and received a two word answer. Appeal rejected. No reason. Just Appeal rejected.

That interview is available on the free speech platform rumble.com – look for Asia Pacific Today. I urge you to watch the interview and come to your own conclusions about the state of censorship in Australia. The Australian Government, and most of our leaders have apparently not woken up to the fact that Mainstream Media and Big Tech is flexing its muscles here and will soon be censoring others who say things they don’t like – including during elections.

By the way, Graig Kelly MP is now an independent, leaving a hole for the Morrison Government and a lot less backbone.

While politicians, public servants and many in big business have done well during the Pandemic, Government action has destroyed livelihoods of many in small business.

Aside from the human costs of the lockdowns, losses in trade exposed sectors such as Tourism and Hospitality, Higher Education and Agriculture have been smashed. This has been accompanied by a massive rise in Government debt to meet the costs of the Pandemic and support employment.

No great reforms – financial or economic – are on the agenda with yet another State election due and a looming Federal election. Despite some reprieve, Australia has much to be concerned about. The arrival of a vaccine will not avert future lockdowns and external restrictions remain, restricting growth and productivity and highlighting the lack of a plan to fight another round of this virus or another pandemic.

Is Bad policy, growing debt and big Government here to stay? We catch up with Robert Carling, a Senior Fellow in the Economics Program at the Centre For Independent Studies.

Robert has recently published an article “The Looming Iceberg: Australia’s post-pandemic debt risk”

As in Australia, there is little focus on debt and spending right now. Small businesses in the US has been hit hard by Government lockdowns and hundreds of billions have been made available to small and large business in several rounds of the Paycheck Protection Program.

The Biden Administration is seeking to pass it’s latest $1.9 Trillion Covid Relief Package, which contains further measures for small business and other Covid relief, making up just 9% of the package along with generous handouts to Democratic supporters and badly managed Democratic states.

We’re joined by Blake Christian, a Partner at Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt who discusses Biden’s Relief Package and the successful PPP program.