Introduction

So often, the biggest obstacles to real change aren’t technical — they’re cultural, familial, and societal.
From an early age, we are conditioned to accept existing systems, taught not to question structures, and told to “work within the rules” even when those rules no longer serve us.

I often use the metaphor that our conditioning is like wearing layers of heavy coats, passed down through generations of our bloodlines. 
Coats woven from family expectations, cultural norms, and societal fears.
We wear them without even realising how much they weigh us down, how much they limit our movement, our creativity, and our vision for what’s possible.

These layers don’t just shape our personal lives, they shape our economies, our communities, and our politics.
When leaders argue only over minor tweaks instead of daring to rethink the structure itself, it’s not because better ideas aren’t available — it’s because the coats of conditioning have become too heavy to allow them to see clearly and think outside of the box.

Real empowerment, whether personal or collective, means having the courage to take off those old coats —
to see ourselves, and our systems, with fresh eyes.

Today, I want to share a bold idea about how, if we step outside our conditioned ways of thinking, we could create a simpler, fairer, stronger Australia — and in doing so, help more individuals and communities truly thrive.

A Note on This Concept

What follows is not a fully costed policy document; it’s a conceptual model designed to challenge the way we think about taxation, fairness, and opportunity in Australia.

I haven’t completed detailed economic modelling around exact percentages or thresholds. Those figures would need careful research, forecasting, and consultation to fine-tune.

But that’s not the point today….

The point is to show that by thinking differently, by stepping outside our conditioned frameworks, we can imagine structures that reward effort, empower communities, and rebuild fairness at the national level.

I invite you to engage with the spirit of the idea, rather than get caught up in defending the limitations of the old system.

The Concept: A New Australian Tax System

For Individuals:

  • The first $40,000 you earn each year is tax-free.
  • After that, a simple 25% flat tax on every dollar earned.
  • For non-residents: a 35% flat tax from dollar one.
  • No deductions. No salary sacrifice tricks. No offsets.

For Companies:

  • The first $50,000 of profit each year is tax-free.
  • After that, a 30% flat tax on profits.
  • Foreign companies operating here pay a 35% flat tax.
  • No franking credits. No deductions. No complex games.

For Regional Growth:

  • Businesses setting up outside major CBDs get big rewards:
    • 5% tax rebate in inner regional areas,
    • 10% rebate in outer regional areas,
    • 15% rebate in remote Australia.
  • Real incentives for decentralisation and national resilience.

Why It Matters

Under this system:

  • People keep more of what they earn.
  • Small businesses can grow without being crushed by tax or complexity.
  • Regional communities are revitalised with real jobs and real investment.
  • The economy grows because effort and innovation are rewarded, not hidden behind tax dodges.
  • The black economy shrinks because taxes are low and fair enough that hiding income isn’t worth the risk.

Rewarding Effort, Not Punishing It

One of the biggest hidden cruelties of our current tax system is how it punishes people for trying to get ahead.

  • Want to work a second job?
  • Want to do extra overtime?
  • Want to start a side hustle or create an extra income stream?

Currently, you’re often taxed at the highest marginal rate for those efforts, losing up to 45–47% of your extra earnings.
In other words, the system tells you it’s not worth it.

Under a simple, flat tax system, that changes.

Every extra dollar you earn is treated the same,
No second job tax penalty.
No “bracket creep.”
Just clean, honest effort, rewarded fairly.

Work harder? Earn more. Keep 75% of your effort. Fair and square.

That’s how you build a stronger, more aspirational country.

Tackling the Housing Crisis, Too

And there’s one more massive ripple effect:
By rewarding companies to decentralise and create jobs outside our crowded cities, we also ease the housing crisis.

Right now, people are forced into Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane simply because that’s where the jobs are, pushing house prices and rents through the roof.

If good jobs are available in regional towns,

  • People will move where housing is affordable,
  • Pressure on city housing markets eases naturally,
  • Regional communities grow sustainably.

We don’t need rent freezes, endless rezoning battles, or massive taxpayer-funded building booms rushing and cutting corners to build properties to tick a box on a government department’s list.
We need to spread opportunity more fairly, and this system would do exactly that.

Facing Reality: The Challenges

Of course, this idea threatens some powerful vested interests —

  • Big corporations that benefit from offshore tax tricks.
  • Wealthy individuals who can afford armies of accountants.
  • Industries built entirely around navigating tax complexity.

They won’t like it.
They’ll tell you it’s “too simple” or “unrealistic.”
(Translation: it threatens their free ride.)

But here’s the truth:
Australia doesn’t belong to tax advisors and corporate lobbyists.
It belongs to the people who build it.

Conclusion: The Choice Before Us

We can keep patching a broken system and rewarding tax minimisers, or we can build something better:

  • A system where work is honoured.
  • A system where small businesses thrive.
  • A system where regional towns rise again.
  • A system where housing becomes affordable again.
  • A system where tax is simple, fair, and trusted.

Simpler. Fairer. Stronger.
Building Australia for Everyone.

The question is:
Are we brave enough to demand it?

Final Thoughts

Just like we inherit old coats woven from family, culture, and society, we also inherit the systems we live under.

Some of those coats have become so familiar that we don’t even notice their weight anymore.

Real change — whether personal or collective — starts by noticing.
By asking:

Does this still fit?

Does this still serve me — or us?

We have the power to rethink the systems that shape our lives.
We have the courage to take off what no longer fits and imagine something better — for ourselves, for our communities, and for future generations.

Thank you for reading.

I invite you to take a moment to reflect:
What coats are you still wearing?
What possibilities are hidden underneath?

Want a safe space to explore your own coats?

Book a 1:1 counselling session where we can explore your unique story, patterns, and the fears that might be limiting who you are.

Whether you’re curious about counselling, self-discovery coaching, or simply want a safe space to reconnect with you, let’s have a conversation.

📍 Based in the Hills District of Sydney, offering both in-person (by request) and online sessions.
💌  Book a free 15-minute clarity call.

You don’t have to do it alone. The journey to discovering your own patterning and conditioning starts with one conscious step.

Much love

Lyndal…

xx