Saxon Davidson

Research Fellow
Saxon Davidson is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs.
He feels most strongly about liberty, freedom of speech and the Australian way of life, and how these values have declined rapidly due to government policies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Saxon loves sport and was the Life Saving Victorian beach sprint gold medallist in 2019.
He has represented Victoria in National Surf Life Saving competitions in 2020 and 2022. Saxon is a tragic fan of the Essendon Football Club and Australian cricket.

25 May 2023
Latest Default Market Offers Confirm Net Zero’s Cost
“The astronomical rise in Default Market Offers is a direct result of net zero policies that hit Australian households hard, as unreliable renewables continue to push reliable and affordable baseload power generation off the grid,” said Saxon Davidson, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs. Today, the Essential Services Commission announced Victorian residential customers will see household bills rise

24 May 2023
Andrews Government’s ‘Astonishing’ Financial Mismanagement Has Come Back To Bite Them – And It’s Hard-working Victorians Who Will Foot The Bill
Tuesday’s Budget is yet another missed opportunity in the task of restoring Victoria by eliminating the toxic culture of spending, borrowing, and higher taxation “If the Victorian Government does not address the budget deficit and rising debt levels, Victoria could face a debt trap in which even more drastic action is required.” That was the key warning from research the

12 May 2023
Submission to the Select Committee on Cost of Living
Dear Committee Secretary, The purpose of this letter is to share research and analysis conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs (“the IPA”) with the Select Committee on Cost of Living (“the committee”). The findings contained in this submission are based on wide-ranging analysis published in numerous IPA research reports over the past 12 months regarding issues relevant to the

26 April 2023
Albanese Is Making Life Harder For Mainstream Australians
While Australians were ensconced in the Easter long weekend, the Albanese government announced that would not be extending the low- and middle-income tax offset (LMITO) in the upcoming budget. LMITO was stage one in a three-phase tax reduction plan legislated by the previous government. This revelation should not come as a surprise as the current policy agenda of the federal

28 March 2023
Labor’s Safeguard Mechanism Reforms Are Gambling Australia’s Energy Future In The Pursuit Of Fringe Green Policy
The energy policy deal struck by the Greens and Labor is purposefully handicapping our ability to trade while there’s a massive gap in the global gas market. The deal struck this week by the Federal Government and the Greens to pass safeguard mechanism reform through the Senate has ratcheted up the risk of domestic gas supply shortages and further undermined

21 March 2023
Failure on the Horizon
The consequence of Daniel Andrews’ constitutional ban on gas is about to catch up with Victoria’s energy supply, to the detriment of every Victorian household and business. In a recently released report analysing gas transmission network planning, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) predicts Victoria will be a net importer of gas from 2027. And worse, Victoria’s loss of energy

24 February 2023
Anthony Albanese Must Come Clean On His Pension Entitlements If He Wants To Prove We All Get A ‘Fair Go’ In Retirement
If our analysis about how the Prime Minister could be eligible for a pension in excess of $400,000 per year for the rest of his life is so wrong, he should prove it The “fair go” has been a favourite go-to phrase of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese since he was elected to federal parliament in 1996. The phrase’s egalitarian notion

16 February 2023
Energy Crisis: Households Pay For Safety Mechanism
The energy crisis that became real for many Australians in 2022 is at severe risk of becoming the norm. Last month, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released their latest gas inquiry report which gave a stark warning to Australia’s leaders about the perilous state of the east coast’s energy security. The report stated that investment in gas production is

7 February 2023
Cost-of-living Crisis To Cross The Nullarbor
The Net Zero agenda is fuelling the cost-of-living crisis that mainstream Australians are facing as household energy bills and everyday expenses continue to rise at a rapid rate, particularly along the east coast. Thus far, Western Australia has been able to avoid much of the energy crisis engulfing the eastern states, thanks in part to their vast gas reserves and

2 February 2023
Submission to the Inquiry into Safeguard Mechanisms (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2022
Dear Committee Secretary, The purpose of this letter is to share research and analysis conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs (“the IPA”) into Australian energy policy with the Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications (“the committee”) as it conducts its inquiry into the Safeguard Mechanisms (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2022 (“the bill”). Attached to this are three research reports,