Our lives are worth more than their profits

Our lives are worth more than their profits

The Socialist Alliance 2019 federal election campaign

 

Australia is a wealthy country. We have the resources to guarantee everybody a decent life and to take genuine climate action.

But inequality in this country is extreme and getting worse and climate action is desperately needed but not on offer from the “parties of government”. It is time for a change.

The Morrison government stands discredited before the Australian people but the Labor “opposition” is offering at best only token change.

Labor is not promising to stop the Adani mine. They are not promising to end boat turnbacks or free the refugees on Manus or Nauru. They are not promising to raise the pitifully low Newstart allowance. They are not promising to create public sector jobs or to abolish anti-worker laws (such as restrictions on the right to strike). They are not promising to tackle the scourge of intimate partner violence and harassment of and assault against women in workplaces, families and communities around the country.

Liberal and Labor governments have been serving corporate interests and not that of the ordinary people. We deserve better than what is on offer from either of the establishment parties

It is time for big corporations to pay their tax. It is time to ensure justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. It is time for a democratic transformation so that ordinary people can take charge of our own lives. We need to effectively challenge the corporations that are out of control.

The Socialist Alliance is running in this election to help build a movement for people power not corporate power. We seek your support as a step towards achieving the profound change that is not only needed. It is possible.

What we stand for

Tax the corporations and the rich — no GST
Tax the corporations and the rich — no GST

Scrap the GST;

For a progressive tax system where the wealthy pay their share;

Introduce a wealth tax for the super rich;

An immediate rise in company tax to 49%;

Tax the big polluters;

End the billions in public subsidies to mining corporations banks and energy companies; and

End rampant tax evasion by multinationals.
Public ownership
Public ownership

Nationalise the mines, banks and energy companies, under community and workers’ control;

Take back the wealth so that it can be used for social and environmental purposes;

Oppose and reverse the privatisation of public assets and services; and

Provide government assistance to communities for the formation and maintenance of co-operative banks, at low interest rates.

 
Real climate action
Real climate action

A planned shift to 100% renewable energy within 10 years via public investment and emission reduction targets;

Bring the power industries under public ownership and democratic control;

Stop Adani and all new coal mines;

Stop fracking and all unconventional gas mining;

Tax the corporate polluters and billionaires;

Make the shift from coal and gas to renewables with a just transition for workers;

Justice for climate refugees and those displaced by climate change;

Ban the logging of old-growth forests;

Begin an urgent program of reforestation, sustainable farming and biodiversity protection; and

Enforce the rehabilitation of mine sites by companies; and

Institute a national heat health strategy.
Democracy, not corporate dictatorship
Democracy, not corporate dictatorship

Participatory democracy which empowers people and communities;

Proportional representation at all government levels;

Election campaigns for all candidates publicly funded to a fixed amount;

End careerism and rorting — put politicians on an average worker’s wage;

All government positions subject to recall; and

Scrap the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights

Negotiate treaties to respect sovereignty and land rights;

Repeal the Stronger Futures/NT Intervention laws;

Abolish racist welfare quarantining and compulsory income management;

No uranium waste dumps;

Close the gap in Aboriginal health, education, employment and housing;

Implement all the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody;

Fund language and culture programs and bilingual education in schools;

Aboriginal control of Aboriginal affairs — not tokenistic Constitutional recognition; and

No closure of Aboriginal communities.
No crime to seek asylum
No crime to seek asylum

End boat turn-backs;

Abolish Border Force;

Offer asylum to all refugees and asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru;

Protect the rights of medical, teaching and security staff to speak out about abuse in detention;

Reaffirm Australia's commitment to the Refugee Convention and and honour Australia's UNHCR obligations;

Close offshore and onshore detention centres and end mandatory detention;

Restore all Australian territories to the migration zone; and

End deportations and end ASIO security veto of refugees.
Against racism, defend our civil rights
Against racism, defend our civil rights

End the racist targeting of Muslims;

Defend anti-discrimination laws;

Scrap ‘anti-terror’ laws;

Abolish ASIO and all spy agencies;

Repeal data retention laws;

Put the police under community control; and

Adopt a Bill of Rights.
Workers’ rights
Workers’ rights

Scrap all anti-union laws;

Recognise workers’ right to strike and organise in law, including solidarity actions;

Increase the minimum wage;

Restore penalty rates;

Recognise the right to secure work for all — reverse casualisation;

Full industrial, residency and citizenship rights for all migrant workers;

Expand apprenticeship programs; and

Guarantee retirement and access to the pension for all at age 60.
Industry and jobs
Industry and jobs

Retool Australia’s manufacturing sector for the production of renewable technologies, public transport and other socially useful projects;

Immediate public investment to create jobs in providing better public housing, schools, hospitals and health facilities; and

Create jobs by introducing a 30 hour week, with no loss of wages.
Social rights
Social rights

Reverse the attacks on sole parent pensions;

Scrap "Work for the Dole" schemes;

No compulsory income management and other forms of welfare quarantining;

A guaranteed, basic income for all;

Lift all welfare payments above the poverty line and index them to maintain real value;

Boost funding to community-based aged and childcare services;

Expand disability services and access; and

Restore the universal right to the aged pension; and

Abolish the Job Network and reestablish a Commonwealth Employment Service with a service provision (instead of punitive) focus.
Women’s rights
Women’s rights

Reverse the gender pay gap — for equal pay;

Enshrine the right to publicly-funded abortion and contraception and ensure safe access zones across the country;

Restore and expand funding to women's refuges and community anti-violence programs;

Employer-funded, paid parental leave; and

Funding to First Nations and feminist advocacy services.
LGBTI rights
LGBTI rights

Make all discrimination against LGBTI people illegal – no support for religious exemptions;

Full rights for trans and intersex people, including easy change of identity documents;

Full, publicly-funded medical services for gender transition;

Fully-funded school programs for non judgemental sex education and anti violence campaigns; and

Full adoption rights.
Youth rights
Youth rights

Right to vote at 16;

Boost funding to youth services;

Full pay for young people — no youth wage!;

Expand youth housing programs;

Expand apprenticeship programs;

No fees for TAFE and University;

Restore Austudy and Youth Allowance to a living wage; and

Provide safe injecting facilities and pill testing.
Justice
Justice

Abolish imprisonment for non violent offences of poverty and non payment of fines;

Decriminalise drugs and address domestic violence, corporate tax evasion, and other corporate crimes including environmental vandalism;

End mandatory detention;

For prevention programs, community-oriented rehabilitation schemes and alternatives to imprisonment;

Fully fund legal aid;

Make police accountable to local communities;

Put all corrective services in public hands — reverse the privatisation of prisons; and

No police involvement in industrial disputes.
Education for all
Education for all

Reverse the funding cuts to public education;

Make public education free at all levels;

Expand the public education sector and massively increase funding to vocational education and TAFE; and

End public funding to private schools, tertiary institutions and training colleges.
Housing for all
Housing for all

Tackle homelessness and the housing shortfall with a large-scale expansion in quality public housing;

Cap rents and mortgage repayments at 20% of income;

Expand emergency accommodation services; and

Target housing provision for at-risk youth.
Free healthcare for all
Free healthcare for all

Restore free, universal health care – end the back door co-payments;

Boost funding for preventative care and chronic disease management;

Free dental care;

End subsidies to private health insurers;

Expand community-based health care networks, reproductive and sexual health clinics;

Boost funding to public mental health services;

Legislate for aged-care staffing ratios; and

Legislate to support people’s choice to die with dignity.
Public transport in public hands
Public transport in public hands

Make public transport frequent and free;

Boost investment in suburban and high-speed intercity rail; and

Reverse the privatisation of public transport services.
Rural and regional
Rural and regional

Emergency assistance to struggling farmers, including for sustainable farming and farming cooperatives;

Restoration and rebuilding of transport links;

Housing, education and employment assistance in regional areas;

Just transition from fossil fuels to sustainable jobs; and

Remove water subsidies to industries and mining companies that are contaminating water resources and clearing forests.
Animal welfare
Animal welfare

End live exports;

Abolish the cruel and inhumane use of animals for sport, recreation or entertainment;

Tighten standards for free-range farming;

Implement alternatives to culling and netting of sharks.

Media and communications
Media and communications

Massive increase in funding for ABC and SBS – democratise their boards;

Reject privatisation of public broadcasters – no corporate advertising on SBS;

Increase funding and licences for community media;

Support a publicly owned NBN with fibre-to-the-premises;

Bring telecommunication companies back into public ownership;

Reject privatisation of Australia Post;

Support net neutrality, online privacy and a bill of digital rights; and

Shift to open source software use by government bodies.
International aid, not war and occupation
International aid, not war and occupation

Bring back all military forces from Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East;

No participation or support for imperialist interventions;

Isolate apartheid Israel;

End ANZUS and US military bases in Australia;

Cut military spending and boost development and climate change aid to poor countries;

Reverse the cuts to Australia's overseas aid programs — for a massive increase in Australia's aid budget;

End Australia’s interference in the affairs of countries in the Asia Pacific; and

Independence for West Papua.

Election platforms