Our lives are worth more than their profits: 2019 federal election campaign

2019 Australian federal election

(02) 8070 9331

Socialist Alliance candidates are activists who are involved in the movements: they are workers; trade unionists; students; environmental campaigners; refugee rights activists and community organisers.

All Socialist Alliance candidates pledge, if elected, to take an average worker’s wage, and to donate the rest to the movements for change.

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.

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.

Note: In Victoria, the Socialist Alliance is participating in this election as part of the Victorian Socialists electoral alliance.

Download our platform

Policy platform

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
End rampant tax evasion by multinationals

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

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 contro
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
Enforce the rehabilitation of mine sites by companies
Institute a national heat health strategy

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
Scrap the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)

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
No closure of Aboriginal communities

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
End deportations and end ASIO security veto of refugees

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
Adopt a Bill of 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
Guarantee retirement and access to the pension for all at age 60

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

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
Restore the universal right to the aged pension
Abolish the Job Network and reestablish a Commonwealth Employment Service with a service provision (instead of punitive) focus

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
Funding to First Nations and feminist advocacy services

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
Full adoption 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
Provide safe injecting facilities and pill testing

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
No police involvement in industrial disputes

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
End public funding to private schools, tertiary institutions and training colleges

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
Target housing provision for at-risk youth

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
Legislate to support people’s choice to die with dignity

Public transport in public hands

Make public transport frequent and free
Boost investment in suburban and high-speed intercity rail
Reverse the privatisation of public transport services

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

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
Shift to open source software use by government bodies

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
Independence for West Papua