Forrest.Chat/SoapBox

Introduction
Some attribute to Plato the saying “The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” My personal experience is that ignoring politics is like dropping our kids at the swimming hole and going to the pub, you know there will be trouble! That’s not to say the people in government are bad, it’s to say that if we as Australians do not keep an eye on what is happening we cannot get what we expect from our elected governments.
Welcome to Forrest.Chat Soapbox!
Join me, Paul van der Mey, to find out what is going on in Forrest that can affect you, your prosperity, your lifestyle and your safety.
What we will talk about?
On Forrest.Chat Soapbox we’ll talk about what is happening that will affect people living in Forrest! Since September 2024, the Australian Federal Electorate of Forrest (https://www.aec.gov.au/profiles/wa/forrest.htm) is the combined area of six local government councils. From the northern end they are:
1. the Shire of Harvey,
2. the Shire of Dardanup,
3. the City of Bunbury,
4. the Shire of Capel,
5. the City of Busselton, and
6. the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River.
In Australia there are three levels of governance, that affect you and your ability to do anything and everything. We’ll talk about what the levels of government have on their meeting agendas that affect you, and we’ll talk with people elected to these levels of goverment and we’ll talk with people who have issues or questions or opinions about what is going on.
Will we get answers? Maybe, we’re here to have conversations that can move the needle.
Forrest.Chat Soapbox Philosophy
Many people have heard sayings like “never talk politics or religion”. It may have started in good faith to stop arguements, but as it turns out, we need to communicate to reach solutions. Two things need to happen (1), first we need to separate aggression from conflict and second we need to collaborate.
This Forrest.Chat SoapBox’s philosophy is kindly worded by Jon Harari, he says “Talk politics at all times, with everyone, just do it in the right way” (2).
(1, page 97, Quinn, Robert E., et al. BECOMING A MASTER MANAGER: A COMPETING VALUES APPROACH, SIXTH EDITION, Wiley, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/.../mur.../detail.action....)
(2 https://jonharari.com/never-talk-politics/)
So what is expected from guests?
From guests, we want to hear about their experiences and what they found that landed them at their current thinking. Few people want to do harm, though sometimes they do harm by not understanding the unintended consequences of their choices or not choosing what people need to thrive.
We’ll ask hard questions: Is this good for Australia, and is this good for Australians? We’ll take the view that the prosperity, culture and wellfare of Australia and Australians is paramount and we want to see how that will play out in Forrest.
One of the drawbacks of government meetings is the formality and time constraints that limit open discussion. Watching council meetings and parliament live-streams they have strictly enforced timeframes and one at a time speaking through each presentation. Strict timelimits on speaking suggest every topic has the same weight and ability to be described appropriately within the same time limit. Forrest.Chat Soapbox will allow people to speak and for some back-and-forth till guests are comfortable that they have described their point or position.
What will not be tolerated is personal attacks. Remember, we’re here to talk politics the right way, and that is without aggression.
How do guests get on this podcast?
Ask, or by invitation.
If you are in the Forrest electorate and you have a view that you want to present then send an email to hello@forrest.chat and outline the topic or issue you want to discuss, please include your name and a phone number for timely communications.
I will invite people to talk about their experience in governance roles or topics they have shown they are interested in. Where topics are discussed without a representative from a relevant governance role present I will invite them to respond in a later episode.
When will live-streams happen?
There is no set schedule for live-streams, politics happens all the time and availability of guests will determine most live-stream dates and times. Subscribe to the email list at Forrest.Chat and select Forrest.Chat/SoapBox to receive notifications of scheduled live-streams.
During the live-streams you can watch, comment or ask questions. Go to:
* http://www.youtube.com/@ForrestChat/streams, or
* https://www.facebook.com/forrest.chat.soapbox.
How can you support the show?
1. Watch episodes live or on demand
1. Comment, tell us which perspective you support. On FaceBook use @Highlight in your comment. In line with Forrest.Chat Soapbox’s philosophy, comments with personal attacks may be deleted without warning and repeat offenders may be reported or blocked without warning.
2. Like
3. Share
4. Subscribe on social media
5. Subscribe at Forrest.Chat to receive email notifications of scheduled live-streams
2. Tell people about Forrest.Chat/SoapBox
3. Suggest topics and guests - email details to hello@forrest.chat.
4. Be a guest and share your opinion or propose a solution - email details to hello@forrest.chat.
5. Donate to financially support Forrest.Chat/SoapBox via PayPal at hello@forrest.chat
Transparency
Paul van der Mey ran as a candidate for Forrest with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in the federal election on 3 May 2025. He continues to be a member of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
Donations subject to any conditions will not be accepted or they will be returned.
Donations will be used to fund the following items (examples in brackets):
1 services used to deliver this podcast (recording, streaming, website, email, domain, promotion);
2 hardware to deliver this podcast (cameras, computers, microphones, studio);
3 time required to deliver this podcast;
4 promotions to spread the word about Forrest.Chat (merchandise, adverts, events, markets), and
5 other associated costs (risk mitigation).
Closing
There’s plenty going on in Forrest. Join me, Paul van der Mey, to find out what is going on in Forrest that can affect you, your prosperity, your lifestyle and your safety.