Below is a list of all of the Senate Candidates for Western
Australia; unfortunately, I have not had time to look into the independents
this year. I have tried for each to list three policies or positions, though
this was not always possible. I’ve done my best to make these the three most
important issues to the party, so you can expect there will be little room for
compromise if elected. This often involves a lot of guesswork. Where it was
particularly speculative, I have explained why I have chosen these three policy
areas. Links are provided to the source of the three policy headings, not necessarily
the policy detail which may come from multiple sources.
A Pauline Hanson's One Nation (PHON)
One Nation's controversial policies are well known and their
recent scandals involving the US NRA are still fresh. I can't find any guidance
on which of their policies to prioritise on their site, and the list is alphabetical.
I note that in Google, however, special mention is given to Climate Islam and
Education. Whether these are topics One Nation considers priorities or not,
it's the best I have to go on.
Climate Change
Simply put, One Nation has dedicated an entire
"policy" page to climate change scepticism, claiming there is no
global warming, increase in extreme weather events or polar ice cap melt. In
terms of policy, PHON wants to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord.
Radical Islamic Terrorism
PHON insists the majority of terrorists are acting in the
name of Islam (which surely depends entirely on your definition of terrorism)
and proposed a 10-point policy including a Trump-style travel ban (their
comparison, not mine), penalties for racism of any sort (as a cause of
alienation and thus radicalisation), and cutting funding to groups like the
Bankstown Poetry Slam which they describe as "a forum for hateful Islamic
ranting"
Higher Education
The full policy text is "Support higher education for
every Australian, at a reasonable cost. Availability should be given to
Australians first, before foreigners. We oppose the privatisation of our
universities. Students requiring assistance with fees should be assessed on an
individual needs basis and not according to their parents’ income and
assets."
B Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Part (IMOP)
"IMOP has three PRINCIPLE PLATFORMS which I couldn't
find further details of (and nor is any detail really needed, as they're
reasonably self-explanatory). Inevitably state in all caps, these are:
NO FORCED MEDICATION
NO COMPULSORY OR COERCED VACCINATION
NO FLUORIDE IN OUR WATER
It should be noted, however, that the party's position on
any other subject is not stated and as with any single-issue party this makes
them something of a gamble."
C Liberal Party of Australia (LIB)
As one of the major parties the Liberals have a very wide-ranging
policy platform. To isolate three talking points, I have referred to their
"our plan" which after championing several past achievements
identified four key areas: tax relief, infrastructure, family services and
border security. Of these, family services was omitted from my summary due to
its broad and loosely defined scope which includes childcare, education, health
and numerous other distinct policy areas that cannot be summarised concisely.
Tax Relief:
Ignoring the large portions of the Liberal policy pages
dedicated to establishing Labor as a tax bogeyman, the main points are that the
party will reduce personal income tax, reduce the company tax rate from 30% to
27.5% and eventually to 25%, and they will expand the availability and size of
the instant asset write-off which allows the full deduction of business assets
individually worth under $30,000.
Infrastructure:
The list of infrastructure projects on the Liberal website
is too long to effectively summarise, but includes $100 billion in transport
and congestion solutions including road upgrade and expansion, rail expansion
and electrification, public transport and car parking projects, bridge
construction, heavy vehicle accommodation and new airports/airport access.
Border Security:
The essential planks of Liberal border protection policy
are: assessing refugee status in offshore centres rather than in Australian
borders, granting temporary protection visas to ensure refugees cannot become
permanent citizens, turning back boats where it is deemed safe to do so,
cancelling visas for criminals and most controversially revoking citizenship of
dual nationals involved in terrorism.
D The Greens (GRN)
According to their policy page, the Greens "champion
big, evidence-driven solutions to the major problems we’re facing now: economic
inequality, increasing cost of living, environmental destruction and climate
change." I think it's fair to say the party's stance on environmental
destruction and climate change are well known, so I have merged them to give a
broad environmental policy here.
Economic inequality
The party supports public ownership and opposed
privatisation, including reversing past privatisations, creating a
non-for-profit bank and not-for-profit renewable energy company, capping power
prices and opposing selling the NBN. The Greens' plans also include increased
funding for temporary and emergency accommodation to combat sleeping on the
streets along with more long-term allocation of money for more rental
properties and tenancy advocacy services as well as phasing out tax incentives
that favour investors over home buyers. Greens policies for economic equality
extend more obliquely to include "closing the gap" with Indigenous
people through treaties, ensuring equality for women in the workplace,
increasing accessibility for disabled people and fully finding the NDIS
Increasing cost of living
The party's not-for-profit companies and caps on power
prices are factors here too, along with rewriting workplace laws and increasing
wages, investment in science and research in preparation for future industries
and support for more than 2 million small businesses.
Environment
The Greens aren't just known for their environmental
policies, they're named for them: opposition to coal seam gas and fracking,
deforestation, gas exploration in the Great Australian Bight; legislation to
protect marine parks, the Barrier Reef, the Murray-Darling; support for
electric vehicles, 100%renewable energy, and coal workers during the phase out
of fossil fuels.
E Fraser Anning's Conservative National Party (FACN)
Fraser Anning shot from relative obscurity among elected
politicians due to his highly controversial and conservative views. His party's
policy page has only one policy link (Veterans' Policy) but also lists 21
numbered items, topmost on that list being (1) that Australia was founded as a
"as an English speaking, predominantly European Christian
Commonwealth", (2) that immigration needs to prioritise "those best
able to integrate and assimilate" (i.e., presumably, English speaking,
predominantly European Christians) and (3) opposition to same-sex marriage and
abortion. So do not assume this party is a single-issue one simply because
there is only a single policy to expand upon.
Veterans
The party supports marking the drivers' licenses of veterans
or issuing veterans ID cards, military appointments to veterans affairs, military
membership on tribunals for all claims on the department of veterans' affairs,
re-establishment of a defined benefit superannuation scheme for ADF members,
the right of any former serviceperson to demand accommodation at military
facilities and a retirement village for veterans in Townsville.
F Pirate Party Australia (PPA)
The Pirate Party has many lists of ideals and policy headings
to pick from, but I have chosen this line from the PPA constitution: "The
basic tenets of this movement are free culture, civil liberty and intellectual
rights reform."
Free Culture
PPA would provide $500 m to support libraries, repeal
lockout laws and allow pubs to determine their own hours, expand tax exemptions
for cultural organisations, and protect public broadcasters.
Civil Liberty
The party stands for freedom of speech, privacy, bodily
autonomy (including euthanasia, abortion and sex work), the repeal of any legal
authority over marriage and instituting civil unions as the only legally
recognised institution, and net neutrality. The party also wants a Bill of
Rights.
Intellectual Rights
The PPA desires a complete overhaul of copyright law, with
copyright extending only 15 years from publication, only limiting commercial
uses of intellectual property, and allowing copyright to be bought and sold.
G Australian Labor Party (ALP)
Labor's policy page is obviously comprehensive. So I didn't
look at that. I looked at their campaigns page, which allows you to search
specifically for two themes: education and health. To this I will add climate
change, as that has been a huge focus in the campaign.
Education
Labor will subsidise 700,000 preschool places,
"uncap" universities to provide funding for 200,000 more places, and
waive fees for 100,000 TAFE places including at least 50,000 female students,
20,000 students of disability and aged care and 10,000 students of early
education. They have also set the target of 3% of GDP to be spent on research
and development projects. Spending commitments also include $3.2 m to assist
rural students into tertiary education, $300 m for a University Future Fund and
an extra $14 b for public schools.
Health
One of Labor's earliest major commitments was around cancer
treatment: the party will spend $2.3 b on this, including $125 m in research,
$600 m to fund cancer scans and $433 m to cover consultation costs. Partially
overlapping with this Labor will invest $2.8 b in hospitals, $200 m in
headspace plus to combat mental health issues, develop a National Rural Health
Strategy and regulate drug and alcohol treatment.
Climate Change
The party's target is 50% renewable energy by 2030 and net
zero pollution by 2050. Specific programs include rebates to support 100,000
new solar/battery installations in homes, 10 community power hubs (including
wind farms) and $1 b in projects to support hydrogen power.
H Western Australia Party (WAP)
Easier than summarising it myself…
I United Australia Party (UAP)
"Despite Palmer's ubiquitous advertising campaign,
particularly online, the policy page is rather sparse. I quote it below:
“Party Officials should not be Lobbyists, thereby taking a
strong position on Paid Political Lobbyists, saving tax payers dollars and
introducing Fair Policies
Revising the current Australian Government’s Refugee Policy
to ensure Australia is protected and refugees are given opportunities for a
better future and lifestyle
Creating Mineral Wealth to continuously contribute to the
welfare of the Australian community. This will be achieved by utilising mineral
resources from Queensland and Western Australia, and incentives from the
Commonwealth of Australia to establish downstream processing in the States of
Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia; and exporting products at a
higher dollar value, thereby creating more revenue, jobs, tax and more
facilities.
Establishing a System where people create wealth in various
parts of the country and for that wealth to flow back to the Community that
generates the wealth. For example, if a particular region creates wealth, a
significant percentage of that wealth should go back to the region.”
J Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party (HEMP)
HEMP is a single-issue party supporting the
decriminalisation of cannabis for use as food, fuel, fibre, medicine, cosmetic
and a recreational drug. It is probably a safe assumption based on previous
alliances and the general focus of this party that they will vote in a
generally left/progressive direction on other matters, but this is always the
risk with single issue parties.
K Australian Christians (AC)
It's hard to believe such a predictably named party would
need an "about us" section, but it has one which begins with "WE
BELIEVE Australian Christians are called to unashamedly fight for the rights of
families, our freedom of expression and the sanctity of life. " I guess
that saves me some effort, then. Thank you "about us" page; you were
very useful after all.
Family
CA supports a repeal of same-sex marriage, opposes domestic
violence, wants to promote post-divorce mediation for families and encourages
mentorship as a remedy to fatherlessness
Freedom of expression
The party wants only race and gender [i.e. biological sex]
to be protected under the Discrimination Act [and not gender identity, sexual orientation
or relationship status], that religious schools be free of government
regulation, supports prayer at the start of parliament, defends the right of
priests to refuse to marry same sex couples and rejects religious
discrimination generally.
Sanctity of life
Interestingly, the party identifies its anti-euthanasia
policy, and not its anti-abortion policy, as the key pro-life message. But, of
course, they hold both positions strongly along with restricting IVF to
marries, heterosexual couples and prohibition on embryonic research
L Animal Justice Party (AJP)
Reasonably self-explanatory, and without much for me to add
since the party divides its policies into those for humans, animals and the
environment. Despite the breadth of policies, it's not inaccurate to describe
the AJP as a single-issue party, so their vote on non-animal-related issues is
unreliable.
Animals
"The AJP's proposed reforms for legislation relating to
animals is quite lengthy, but includes:
- Establishing an Independent Office of Animal Welfare with prosecution powers and “a definition of personhood to replace the current property status of animals”.
- Ensuring a “fairer” (presumably lower) burden of proof for prosecuting animal cruelty cases.
- Phasing out all animal farming and industries, but starting with factory farming techniques.
- Banning live export.
- Banning the use of stray animals in research.
- Phasing out funding the use of animals in experimentation, “except where there are net benefits to the animals concerned”.
- Banning horse jump racing, greyhound racing, recreational hunting, game fishing, rodeos and horse-drawn carriage rides.
- Banning the use of animals in circuses and marine theme parks.
- Banning zoos or transitioning them to sanctuaries and conservation parks “which exist solely in the service of animals”.
- Limiting breeding of animals to licensed breeders.
- Phasing out sale of pets except from shelters and rescues.
- Subsidising pet desexing.
- Making desexing a requirement for the sale of pets.
- Making it illegal to prevent pet ownership of tenants.
- Ensuring domestic violence shelters have facilities for animals.
- Supporting non-lethal population control methods for introduced species and threats to native wildlife."
Environment
The AJP supports
transitioning to a vegetarian lifestyle to minimise human impact on animals and
free up land for reforestation. They also support the use of recyclable and
upcycled materials, protect forests and marine habitats from destruction, and
the use of clean energy. The AJP argues that coal seam gas and other sources of
natural gas be reduced and phased out within 20 years, that fossil fuel usage
not increase, that a carbon tax be placed on coal use and agricultural
industries, and that Australia "rapidly transform to a carbon free energy
infrastructure"
Humans
Most of the human policies are health policies, and most of
the health policies are derived from perceived benefits of a vegetarian
lifestyle. They would promote this dietary shift through education, cutting
subsidies to the red and processed meat industries and a "phase out [of]
subsidies to intensive animal industries because they are both cruel and
provide a breeding ground for new diseases which pose large public health risks".
The AJP also advocates for an end to drug research for "diseases best
managed by simple lifestyle choices" and the overuse of antibiotics which
increase the rise of drug-resistant diseases. Other policies include opposition
to gun ownership (based on the use of firearms in pest control), that domestic
violence shelters include shelter for pets, and that work places should allow
animals to be present.
M Australian Conservatives (CON)
The Australian Conservatives are reasonably
self-explanatory, but I couldn't find any objective way to pick the three most
important policy areas. I can't even take the top three on their policy page,
because they are ordered alphabetically and don't necessarily reflect their
importance to the party. So I've done it subjectively instead, and I apologise
if my personal bias has influenced me.
Society and Culture
The party recognises Australia's Judeo-Christian heritage;
supports freedom of thought, expression, association and equality; has pride in
the Australian flag and history; believes "traditional marriage" is
the foundation of civil society and champions individual rights and freedoms
Immigration and Citizenship
The Conservatives have vowed to halve immigration, never
resettle refugees, withdraw from the UN Refugee Convention, reform all classes
of visa, eliminate permanent residency and require ten-year residency (with 7
years of tax payment) to become a citizen
Energy
The Conservatives' website still hosts a video titled
"Climate Doomsday Alarmism is a Hoax". It is unsurprising, therefore,
that the party describes itself as "technology agnostic", does not
support renewable energy targets and plans to withdraw from the Paris Climate
Accord. The party also supports nuclear power.
N Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
Liberal Democrats are a libertarian party. This means
minimal government control on social issues (typically 'left') and economics
(typically 'right'). Their policy page divides policies into two streams
(liberty and prosperity) and 'our philosophy' identifies four headings of
principles, but first notes "The Liberal Democrats stand for greater
freedom, smaller government and personal responsibility." These are the
three headings used below.
Freedom
Freedom for the LDP includes legalisation of marijuana and
other drugs less harmful than tobacco; freedom of speech including defamation,
public indecency and intimidation; allowing gun ownership for self-defence, and
not requiring registration of long-arms or prohibiting semiautomatics; and
allowing assisted suicide and most abortions.
Small government
Policy positions include end-dates on legislation,
protection for whistle-blowers, bodies established to review government,
privatise immediately the NBN, ABC, SBS, Postal service, Electricity, Public
Transport, and eventually TAFEs, Universities, Public schools and hospitals.
Personal responsibility
The LDP would enable business owners to allow smoking in
their venues, non-late-term abortion, pornography, sex work, euthanasia, all
personal-use drugs and victimless crimes (including not wearing a seatbelt or
bike helmet, and BASE jumping).
O Citizens Electoral Council (CEC)
CEC's header on its 2019 election page lists three policy
areas
Stop 'bail-in'
Bail-ins, according to the CEC are
situations where banks in debt delete your savings and instead issue you with
shares in the bank without permission. How real this threat is I won't comment
on, but the CEC is outraged at this secret international conspiracy.
Break up the banks
TO summarise, the CEC wants all banks to be split into
commercial banking (loans and deposits) and investment banking (including insurance,
stock broking, financial advice, wealth management and superannuation) to
separate the public's savings from the volatilities of the investment markets
Rebuild the country
"The CEC advocates a massive public infrastructure
development program for Australia of major nation-building projects in water,
power, and transportation, which will open up all of Australia to economic
development and population. We reject and will scrap public-private
partnerships (PPPs), and use a national bank to publicly fund projects to be
kept in public ownership. This program will address the infrastructure deficit
that has been built up through decades of under-investment, and reindustrialise
the economy by stimulating industries, including steel-making and cement manufacture."
P Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (SFF)
There are a number of policies I could draw from here
regarding foreign affairs, economics, recreation and environment. But it seems
to me the three that deserve priority are the three F's linked to the party's
very identity: Firearms, Fishing and Farming & Land Management.
Firearms
This party wants to relax gun restrictions including a
review of the 1996 gun laws, removing Federal limits on firearm imports, expand
self-defence rights, support for gun manufacturers and funding for 'Shooting
Australia'
Fishing
Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the fishing policy concerns
increasing commercial and recreational fishing opportunities, cutting restrictions
and opposing international fishing operations
Farming & Land Management
SFF opposes the current extent of foreign land ownership and
wants to make further foreign investment more difficult. They also want
"right-to-farm" legislation giving absolute rights to farmers for
example to prevent sale of minerals under the owned land, plan to expand live
exports, oppose cheap imports and review the Murray Darling Basin Plan to
recognise farmers' rights.
Q Socialist Alliance (SA)
The party's policy website claims "Socialist Alliance
candidates will use their positions to be a voice for the majority, against the
power of the wealthy minority, to build campaigns and empower communities, to
shine a light on injustice, exploitation and cruelty, and to strengthen the
movement for system change." The last of these points is vague; the other
points are expanded as follows:
Economic reform
Unsurprisingly from a socialist party, higher taxes on the
wealthy are advocated to benefit the poor and there is a push to reverse
privatised assets and nationalise all mines, banks and energy companies. The
party wants the company tax rate to be set at 49%, additional taxes on
"big polluters", end subsidies to mining, banking and energy
companies, an end to tax evasion by multinational companies, an end to the GST.
Communities
Among the broad spectrum of policies that falls within this
scope are the creation of a 30 hour week, immediate public investment in jobs
in housing, schools and health, an end to compulsory income management,
universal basic income, funding for community-based aged- and child-care, free
education at all levels, emergency assistance for farmers, funding for and
democratisation of the boards of the ABC and SBS.
Expose injustice
This policy includes electoral reform for proportional
representation at all levels and reducing politician wages to that of an
"average worker"; negotiation of treaties with first nations;
implementing all recommendations of the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
commission; ending boat turn-backs and offering asylum to all refugees on Manus
and Nauru; allowing medical/teaching/security staff to speak about conditions
in detention centres; Adopting a bill of rights; scrapping ASIO, spy agencies
and data retention laws; outlawing discrimination against LGBTI people without
religious exemption; publicly-funded gender transition; end imprisonment for
not paying fines; decriminalising drugs; fully funding legal aid; and
increasing foreign aid.
R The Great Australian Party (GAP)
The GAP believes, among other things, that the government is
acting ultra vires, and specifically in violation of the constitution. This is
a very serious claim, but I couldn't find any details of what they consider
this violation to be (and perhaps one shouldn't take the politico-legal
analysis to seriously from a party that thinks Australia has a former PM called
"Julie Gillard"). Their other policies are numerous and hard to
whittle down to something concise. Fortunately, they've done this for me.
S Yellow Vest Australia (YVA)
The only thing this party has changed since 2016 is its name
(formerly the Australian Liberty Alliance). For this reason, I have also not
updated this summary
Citizenship and Integration
The ALA dedicates most of this platform to its aims to
"Stop the Islamisation of Australia", which is focused on preventing
Sharia law being "imposed" upon Australians, banning immigration of
Muslims from the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,
prohibiting face coverings in public spaces, and mandatory labelling of
products and services from companies that have taken out halal certification.
They also oppose dual citizenship, and consider Australian citizenship a
privilege rather than a right - which may include revoking the citizenship of
current Australians.
Health
In the party's health policy are aims to end universal
healthcare for "those who can afford to contribute more and foreign
nationals", support the NDIS, but after a gradual introduction and on a
sound financial basis, and requirements for children’s' health checks and
immunisation before parents receive child benefits. This policy also includes
tentative opposition for abortions after the first trimester (excluding
exceptional circumstances) a somewhat firmer stance against assisted suicide
and euthanasia. Oddly, the "health" policy also includes opposing stereotyping
and disadvantages for homosexual couples, but reject also a rejection of same
sex marriage and same-sex adoption.
Foreign Affairs
The ALA considers the UN Charter on Refugees to be outdated,
and remove Australia from the charter. They promote resettlement only in
countries from a similar region and culture to the one they have fled, insist
aid be restricted to nations "subscribed to the UN Charter on Human Rights
and who guarantee gender equality and protection of religious minorities"
and would limit foreign investment in Australian real estate to nations with a
reciprocal agreement with Australia. They also fully support the rights of
Israel in the Middle East, in particular to have undivided control of
Jerusalem.
T Health Australia Party (HAP)
HAP essentially has five core pillars found repeated across
their website: Healthy People, Healthy Economy, Healthy Environment, Healthy
Democracy and Healthy Society. The most extensively discussed in their policy
document are People, Environment and Society, so those are the three I have
focussed on below. The party also provides a handy reference guide comparing
some positions to the Liberal, Labor and Greens' stances
here.
Healthy People:
HAP is pro-vaccine, pro-natural remedies, pro-euthanasia,
pro-homebirth and pro-(Australian grown, non-GMO, pesticide-free, organic) medicinal
cannabis, including the legalisation of growing up to 6 plants at home. They
are also against fluoridation of the water supply. Primarily the party is
concerned to shift the Australian Healthcare System from "disease
management" to "health creation" and will fund research and
programs to place pharmaceutical and natural medicine on an equal footing.
Healthy Environment:
Wood chipping and pulping of old growth forests, import of
illegally forested timber, nuclear power, fire-based land clearing and perpetuation
of fossil fuel energy are all opposed by this party, which supports green
energy, government funded damming for water security, investigation into
claimed harmful impacts of radio waves, stringent environmental protections for
mining approval and a national agricultural policy which limits urban expansion
and encourages urban farming.
Healthy Society:
HAP believes a national curriculum must be tempered by
personalised approaches, subject to greater teacher autonomy and a shift from
instruction to play and enquiry. HAP also supports home-schooling and argues
that industry-funded grants for tertiary research must be phased out in favour
of independent/government funding. The party also supports the rights of
refugees to seek asylum; a strong, state-of-the-art defence force; active
participation in peacekeeping and diplomacy; optional "Swiss-style"
national service; an end to live export; rejection of the death penalty; and
prayer and meditation as part of a holistic approach to health.
U The Nationals (NAT)
"WA is the only state where the Libs and Nats are
running separately. I've had a look at the policy page, noted the large number
of double-digit-page “plans” and followed the old maxim “if you can't read all
the policies, click on the “what-we-stand-for” link and paste is wholesale into
your blog: “
We believe the future of regional Australia is critical to
the future of our nation.
Our priorities are building stronger regional economies and
secure communities, delivering opportunity and prosperity for all regional
Australians, and ensuring a sustainable environment.
Stronger, more secure, sustainable local communities that
provide the opportunity for everyone to prosper will deliver a stronger, more
secure and sustainable nation.
The Nationals commitment to the national interest does not
stop there. The Nationals provide a considered and common-sense perspective on
all elements of Government policy and a balance between Australia’s political
extremes.”
V Sustainable Australia (SA)
The policy page does my job for me. Which I guess is what a
good policy page should do? Priorities are identified as jobs, housing,
planning and environment, and the summaries are directly quoted:
Jobs
"Better invest in education and skills training for
local workers; Re-allocate our scarce economic capital (back into our
factories, farms and small businesses, to re-diversify our economy); A simpler,
fairer tax system; Re-invest in the regions; Fair trade with a level playing
field; Australian ownership and management of utilities, land and resources;
& more."
Housing and Planning
"Tax reform (end CGT/NG concessions); Stop foreign
purchases; Reduce population growth pressures; Increase investment in public
housing; Better bank lending practices; Greater renters’ rights; & more...
Give real power to local communities in planning decisions; Increased developer
charges for land value (rezoning) gains; Better public transport; Preserve or
plant corridors of biodiversity; Prioritise ecological design in housing;
Reduce population growth pressures; & more."
Environment
"Transition to renewable energy; Moratorium on all
fracking; Better manage our water security; Increase conservation management
funding and employment; Enhance biodiversity and native species programs;
Protect animal habitats from housing and farming land clearing; End old growth
forest logging; Minimise factory farming; Reduce waste production; Reduce population
growth pressures (so all of the above isn't undermined); & more."
W VOTEFLUX.ORG | Upgrade Democracy! (VFX)
VOTEFLUX.ORG has no policies. What it does have is an app,
and a promise that elected members will vote according to the results of polls
on that app.
UG1 PEGRUM Valentine-Clive (IND)
UG2 MULLINGS Ben/The Australian Mental Health Party (AMHP)
It's always a delight when the party does my job for me. On
the AMHP's website you will find their policies neatly portioned under three
headings and ready to be unpacked.
Smarter Economy
AMHP wants higher Newstart payments, simpler income tax, and
a minimum effective tax rate of 20% for big businesses.
A Caring Health System
Health, and particularly mental health, is a huge focus for
the AMHP. There simply isn't space to discuss this in detail, but even a skim
through the topics on their website gives a decent overview: Better Hospital
Care; Improve Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme; Better Access to
Psychological Care; Fairer Private Health Cover; More Safety and Security for
Electronic Health Records; A Sensible Approach to Drugs and Alcohol; Connecting
Research to Practice; Improved Primary Healthcare Networks (PHNs); Addressing
Men's Mental Health; A Positive and Proactive Approach to Aboriginal Mental
Health Care; Healthier Communities in Regional, Rural, and Remote Australia.
Education Made for People
Getting a good education helps us reach our full potential,
leads people to being well-informed and engaged citizens, and helps people
understand how we might better lives. The kind of education we need includes
more than just preparing young people to join the workforce.
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