David Pocock on Life before politics, gas, gambling and taking on the major parties

David Pocock is a former Wallabies captain turned independent Senator for the ACT. Born on a farm in Zimbabwe, he arrived in Australia at 14 after his family lost their land in the seizures of the late 1990s, found his feet through sport, and went on to represent the Wallabies before swapping the ruck for the red benches of the Senate.

I sat down with David for an honest conversation about where he came from, how sport shaped him, and why he decided to take on the major parties as an independent.

We speak about:

• Growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe and the violence that forced his family out
• Arriving in Australia at 14 and finding belonging through sport
• The rugby road from Western Force at 17 to captaining the Wallabies
• Why he ran as an independent and what shocked him most about Parliament
• The widow's tax and how his team found the flaw the major parties missed
• His push to rein in gambling advertising and what it is doing to young Australians
• A 25% gas export tax and the question of who our natural resources really belong to
• The squeeze on small business and how government procurement could back Aussie firms
• Why he thinks Parliament needs a lot more long-term thinking

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