Soft-spoken David Pocock has big ambitions – but first he wants politicians to ‘double down’ on kindness

Independent senator’s goals ‘much bigger’ than prime ministership, he reveals in first speech to national press club He’s six feet tall and full of muscle, but David Pocock’s real strength is often sounding like the most sensible, common-sense voice in the room. At his first speech to the national press club on Wednesday, he said he wasn’t launching a bid for prime minister – no matter how much some people might like the softly-spoken senator to have more say in federal politics. a 25% tax on gas exports, which he said could fund anything from boosting welfare to health reforms and aged care; a 5% levy on data centres to capture more benefits from the AI boom; and, transparency reforms to shine a light on lobbyists, secret meetings with politicians and vested interests.