FET #72: Jim Penman on zoning, politics and fertility

Most Aussie’s know Jim Penman’s face from the side of green trailers dragged through the suburbs as his franchisees mow lawns. But Jim is more than a businessman. He has written multiple books, has a PhD, and will run for election in Northcote, Victoria with the Libertarian party in November 2026. I wanted to find out what motivated Jim to run for politics, ask him about where he sees government waste and interference reducing our quality of life, and of course broach the topic of fertility, which he has a unique view on. It turns out that zoning and planning regulations are a big deal for Jim. Although we weren’t able to agree on much about this topic, we were able to break apart why our views differed.Find out more about Jim, his books, and try chatting with “AI Jim” at his website, jimpenman.com.au. Find him on X/Twitter here, and pre-order his new book Birth Rate Crisis here. Don’t forget about my upcoming Land and Housing Economics workshop on 9th and 10th June in Brisbane. Tickets here. PDF flyer attached belowAs always, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Thanks for your support. You can find Fresh Economic Thinking on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Theme: Happy Swing by Serge Quadrado Music—Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC 4.0Interested in learning more? Fresh Economic Thinking runs in-person and online workshops to help your organisation dig into the economic issues you face and learn powerful insights. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fresheconomicthinking.com/subscribe