The Lucky Country has become the Lucky-If-You're-Rich Country

The following message will be sent to all NSW prisoners before the March state elections. Thanks to Justice Action, the Sydney-based group that represents people locked in prisons and hospitals, defending human rights in the hardest places. For more information on Socialist Alliance's election campaign platform click here.

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Banks and big corporations are ripping us off. Their profits are soaring while wages are falling. The richest 1% now own more wealth than the bottom 70% combined.

Poverty has increased and has been criminalised. More people are being imprisoned, often for minor crimes on on remand while they await trial. Prisons are being privatised and there are big profits to be made from locking people up so we can expect prison numbers to keep rising.

The Socialist Alliance strongly opposes the "law and order" bidding war between the major parties. We oppose prison privatisation, cuts to prisoner services and rights.

Leaving the big decisions "to the market" has destroyed the Lucky Country and made it impossible for Australia to face up to the climate crisis.

The Socialist Alliance says enough is enough.

We need to break away from the grip of corporate greed and build a new society based public ownership and democratic control of the main resources of our country. For a start we should nationalise the banks and bring the energy industry back into public hands. We should raise the taxes on the billionaires and big corporations and stop the cuts to health, education and welfare. We should create good and well-paying jobs through major public investment into re-fitting Australia for a climate-safe, 100% renewable energy future.