Picture this: the year is 2035 and the Greens are in government. Don't be alarmed! Patriots are in control. After years of major party failure, voters were fed up with the corporate control of our politics and voted for real change. Let's imagine how that would look. Life could be affordable again. Groceries would be cheaper, with publicly owned supermarkets breaking up the duopoly and introducing some much-needed competition into the supermarket sector. Coles and Woolies would be unable to price-gouge consumers, with a stronger competition watchdog and better rules against monopolies, and—this is good—Palantir would be banned from spying on you at the checkout. Energy prices would be near zero, with publicly owned, 100 per cent renewable energy powering every household. Not only would we have taxed gas exports, getting a fair return on our resources, but we would also eventually phase out fossil fuels completely. We would end the fossil fuel industry's stranglehold on our politics and end the wasteful subsidies and government handouts. Instead, we could invest in community batteries, massive solar and wind projects and electrification to achieve cheap, clean, sustainable power.

Rents and mortgages would be stable, with a government owned developer completing a big build of public housing. This would end the runaway price increases that have put homeownership out of reach for so many. It would make housing a human right for everyone rather than a wealth accumulation vehicle for private developers and rich property investors, and it would make our beautiful communities affordable for people of all generations. Our cities would be even more liveable and sustainable, with proper urban planning and decent, frequent and free public transport. Utilities like telecommunications, water and our national aviation carrier would be publicly owned once more, ending the failed privatisation experiment. And why not aim for high-speed rail too? Why not aim for high-speed rail, too? People could finally afford to go to the dentist with Medicare expanded to include dental and mental healthcare. Child care, and primary, secondary and tertiary education would be free—guaranteed to every young person as an investment in Australia's future. Aged care and disability services would operate and be funded properly, giving everyone the dignity that they deserve.

In the 2035 Greens utopia, young people and families can afford to live near their parents and grandparents, near their jobs and near their communities. They can afford to eat, to power their homes and to go to the dentist. They have a four-day work week, with three days for the beach—the good life for everyone. Sounds alright to me.