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FCP Australia is a place for thoughtful writing and podcast conversations shaped by lived experience, conscience, and a concern for how decisions made at a distance affect ordinary Australians.
For most of my life, I was focused on family, work, faith, and getting on with life. Like many people, I trusted that our institutions broadly worked as they should. That changed during the COVID era, when policies began to touch children, vulnerable people, livelihoods, and conscience in very real ways.
The Accountability Gap
Governments routinely ask citizens to consent to medical treatment. During the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, Australia publicly affirmed a standard requiring consent to be voluntary, informed, and free from undue pressure. This article examines whether the conditions under which vaccination decisions were made consistently met that standard, drawing on regulatory records, parliamentary evidence, transparency requests, and the government's own published guidance.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
Jul 1021 min read
The Check We Never Built
Madison built three checks on power. He assumed a fourth: an informed public capable of judging government action. This essay asks what happens when the information environment itself begins to weaken that capacity, and whether democratic accountability can survive without it.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
Jun 1718 min read
Christ at the Centre: Christian Political Philosophy and Australia's Forgotten Foundations
What happens when a nation forgets the foundations on which its freedoms were built? Drawing on the Political Philosophy Masterclass with Dr Christopher Reynolds and Steven Tripp, this article explores the Christian roots of human dignity, constitutional government, individual liberty, and the questions Australia has largely stopped asking.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
Jun 933 min read
A Measuring Stick for a Shrinking Freedom: The Australian Christian Freedom Index
What happens when more than 10,800 Australian Christians are asked whether they feel free to live out their faith? The inaugural Australian Christian Freedom Index provides a sobering answer, combining survey data, legislative analysis, and documented case studies to measure the state of Christian freedom across Australia.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
Jun 36 min read
Who Targets the Church? How International Philanthropy Is Influencing Religious Freedom in Australia
Who is driving the push to remove religious protections from Christian schools and organisations in Australia? This article traces a documented pathway from international philanthropy and advocacy networks to legislative efforts in South Australia, examining how law, policy, funding, and institutional influence have converged in the ongoing debate over sex, gender, and religious freedom.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
Jun 218 min read
From Philosophy to Federal Court: The Redefinition of ‘Woman’ in Australia
How did an academic philosophy framework become embedded in Australian law? This essay traces the path from university gender theory to parliamentary advocacy and Federal Court rulings, examining the growing legal redefinition of “woman” in Australia through a Christian, philosophical and institutional lens.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
May 2615 min read
Unequal Scales: Power, Stewardship and the Erosion of Australian Trust
Australians aren't demanding perfection from their leaders. They're asking something simpler: do the people making the rules still live under them? From indexed parliamentary pensions untouched by means tests, to negative gearing promises broken within a year of re-election, to regulators moving swiftly into the industries they once oversaw, this piece documents what the public record shows. No conspiracy required. Just attention.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
May 2119 min read
Dr Bruce Paix: The cancelled Military Doctor Who Beat the System and Refused to Break
Dr Bruce Paix is a decorated military doctor, anaesthetist, and frontline responder whose life was defined by service in war zones and crises. During COVID, he became a target, stripped of roles, visited by police, and taken to court—for asking questions and defending informed consent. This is the story of a principled Australian who refused to bow when truth collided with authority.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
Apr 1113 min read
South Australia Election 2026: A Christian Perspective on Labor, Liberals and Voter Shifts
A reflective Christian analysis of the South Australia election, exploring Labor’s return to government, Liberal fragmentation, the rise of One Nation, and what shifting voter behaviour reveals about faith, culture, and political responsibility.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
Mar 228 min read
Net Zero Governance Loop: A briefing document for Councillors.
A practical guide for councillors on understanding the Net Zero Governance Loop, and how to assess energy proposals grounded in real-world constraints, costs and community outcomes.
Guest contributor
Mar 176 min read
When Voting Becomes Compulsion: A Question for South Australia’s Electoral System
When voting becomes compulsion: examining South Australia’s preferential voting system and whether voters should be required to rank candidates they oppose
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
Mar 115 min read
Who Gets to Debate? Public Broadcasting and Fair Electoral Contest in South Australia
Should a publicly funded broadcaster limit election debates to only two parties? Examining debate access, media visibility, and democratic contest in South Australia.
Mark Neugebauer - FCP Australia
Mar 105 min read
These annexures are shared for transparency and historical context. They reflect my thinking at the time they were written, not necessarily my current conclusions.
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