Peter Costello, Chris McDiven, my parliamentary colleagues and my fellow Australians.
This campaign, more than any other that I have been involved in, is very much about the future of the Australia we know and the Australia we love so much.
The one single, irrefutable question that must be asked and answered by the Australian people on the 10th of November is who is better able to lead Australia over the next three years into difficult, challenging but times and circumstances which ought not to be daunting.
And in making that judgement they must do three things; they must examine what we have done and not done over the last five and a half years and they should examine what the Labor Party has done and not done over the last five and a half years.
They must also ask themselves who is better able to lead this country in the dangerously different strategic and economic circumstances in which the country now finds itself.
And finally they must make a judgement about the plans and the hopes and the aspirations that we have and our opponents have for the future of Australia.
I will turn in a moment to some of the things that will influence the judgement about us over the last five and a half years.
But first I want to talk a little about the many plans we have about the future of this country.
And I intend to announce in the course of that presentation a number of new initiatives which deal with essential areas of Australian life.
We all know that Australia is the best country in the world in which to live.
Our aim over the next three years is to make it an even better country in which to live.
We know that in the process of doing that we will face some unexpected difficulties, that’s the challenge.
But the good news is that because of the great work that we have done over the last five and a half years this country is better placed than most to deal with a stagnating world economy.
This nation is stronger and better prepared to withstand the impact of that.
And over the last year we have announced plans that will come into effect over the next three years that will add immeasurably to the strength and the resilience of Australian society and the Australian economy.
In the important area of defense alone, our defense white paper has made the greatest ever additional provision for the future defense needs of Australia of any government in more than a quarter of a century.
Over the next ten years we will invest an additional $32 billion in the defense of Australia.
And how proud I am to say to you that when we came into government in March of 1996 and we found not withstanding what Mr.
Beazley had told us during the election campaign that our budget was $10.
5 billion in deficit, that we’d accumulated as a nation $96 billion of federal government debt, the one restriction I put on Peter Costello and John Fahey in getting the budget in shape was you will not cut any money out of defense.
And not only didn’t we cut any money out of defense we in fact increased defense expenditure, and just as well because in that five and a half year period we’ve had the demands of East Timor, of Bougainville, and now the commitment to the war against terrorism which is as much our war and our fight and our struggle as it is for the people of the United States.
We’ve heard a great deal from the Labor Party about science and innovation or ‘noodle nation’ or ‘knowledge nation’, whatever description you choose, they’ve talked about it, we have done something about it.
Over the next few years our $3 billion science and innovation plan unveiled at the beginning of this year, which is the greatest ever single provision for science, technology and innovation made by any Australian Government.
It’s going to double research grants,
it’s going to add thousands of more places to Australian universities,
it’s going to endow centers of excellence,
it is going to, through the Federation Fellowships,
it is going to bring back and retain the brightest and the best of our scientific minds
and it’s going to continue to allow this nation to do something it has always done and that is to punch above its weight in the area of science and research.
And the good news is that that plan is up and running, it is being implemented
and over the next three years the full measure of the value of that policy launched at the beginning of this year will become apparent to the Australian people.
In the area of welfare reform, over the next term we’ll invest $1. 7 billion to reform Australia’s welfare system.
Isn’t it interesting when we ran for office in 1996 we were accused by the Labor Party of wanting to destroy the social security safety net.
We were accused by the Labor Party of wanting to weaken the financial position of the poor in our community.
The reality is that after five years of Coalition Government the safety net for social security is stronger and better than ever.
The gap between the rich and the poor has not, contrary to their mantra and their rhetoric, widened
and particularly as a result of the reforms under tax reform, low income families’ financial position is now vastly better and strengthened compared to what it was when we came to office in March of 1996.
So it will be the Coalition under Amanda Vanstone’s leadership and assisted by Tony Abbott that will blaze the trail of welfare reform over the next three years, of reducing welfare dependency,
of giving people an incentive to be in work and not be in welfare.
Of reconnecting mature age workers with the work force.
In other words giving to Australia a modern, progressive social welfare system, the goal of which is to involve people in the community rather than to leave them wasting on welfare dependency.
Then there is the area of primary, secondary and tertiary education.
An area talked about so much by our opponents over the last few years.
An area whose standards have been derided quite wrongly by the Australian Labor Party
because the reality is that according to international measures, apart from pre-school, which is the exclusive responsibility of states, the standards in primary and secondary and tertiary institutions in Australia are above the industrial world average.
In our roles in education we have continued to argue for improved standards and benchmarks and measurements.
Better education is not only more dollars,
it’s better standards,
better philosophies of education,
better teaching
and better attitudes to the orthodox rigorous of learning.
The great attack of the Labor Party of course has been that we have impoverished and weakened the government schools of this country to the benefit of the so called wealthy independent schools.
Well let me say as a very proud product of a government high school in Sydney, that this Government has been a faithful and generous supporter of the government education sector in this country.
Let me remind you that since 1996, the amount of federal money going to government schools in Australia has risen by 43% while the enrolments in government schools around Australia over that same period have risen by only 1.3%.
Now they are hardly the figures of a government or a response of a government that is intent on doing damage to the great public education system of this country.
The truth is 69% of all Australian children go to government schools and those schools receive 78% of total government funding.
Once again, hardly the proportions of a government that has some kind of philosophical commitment against government schools.
The truth as distinct from the Labor fiction is that we believe in excellence in both government schools and independent schools.
The truth is that we genuinely believe in the absolute freedom of parental choice when it comes to the education of children.
We believe that it is the right of every parent to decide the education for their children
and we believe that governments should support and facilitate, not frustrate and deny the exercise of that freedom of choice.
Let me sound a warning to the parents of children at all independent schools: Labor’s hit list of independent schools is merely the thin end of the wedge.
There will be one group this campaign, there’ll be another group in the future if Labor is elected because their union masters, the education union’s ultimate goal is to remove all government assistance to all independent schools.
Meanwhile, as well as having given record funding increases to government schools, we’ve also been very successful in lifting standards
and I want to thank and congratulate David Kemp for the wonderful job that he’s done in lifting standards of literacy and numerical within Australian schools.
In 1995, 27% of children could not properly read, now that figure has fallen to 13%.
That’s the kind of education policy Australian parents really want.
That solid practical achievement that’s not rhetorical abuse based on the politics of envy.
In the area of health I’ve long held the view that despite its undoubted weaknesses and despite the need constantly to add to and improve Australia’s health system, it is better than any I have seen or read of anywhere else in the world.
And over the time that we have been in government we have done two things, we have revived from its death throes private health insurance.
Private health insurance was allowed to bleed to death under Labor because they didn’t believe in it.
And never let it be forgotten that when, after the 1998 election and we put up the bill for the 30 per cent tax rebate, the Labor Party voted against it.
They voted against it and it was only passed through the Senate with the support of Brian Harradine.
They may now say they are in favor of it but once again don’t listen to what they say, remember what they did.
What we have done with that rebate is to lift to 45 per cent the number of Australians in private health insurance,
and that has taken the load off public hospitals,
as well as enabling many people to assume responsibility for the health care of themselves and their own families.
We’ve massively increased the money going to the states under the health care agreements.
In the current five year period the money going to the states is 28 per cent higher after inflation, that’s 28 per cent higher in real terms than what it was in the last year of the Keating health care agreements.
That is hardly the policy or the approach of a government that is trying to starve the public hospitals of Australia of their necessary resources.
In recent years we’ve added a special $500 million country health program that’s going to bring more doctors to rural areas.
Proudly we have doubled the amount of money going to health and medical research, we’ve doubled that as a result of the recommendations of the Wills Report.
And can I applaud the work of Michael Wooldridge in the preventative health area.
If you want a real outcome in health, if you want something that really matters for the future listen to this.
Our childhood immunizations rates in 1996 were 53 per cent, that was a disgraceful third world standard.
As a result of Michael’s policies that figure is now more than 95 per cent.
And in this campaign we’ve announced a $306 million program for outer-metropolitan doctors,
for more after hours clinics,
for new funds for the fight against cancer and arthritis
and for palliative care.
And later in the campaign I’ll be announcing some policies of benefit to carers within the Australian community.
I don’t think, ladies and gentlemen, Australia has had a better Minister for the Environment then Senator Robert Hill.
He’s negotiated a great position for Australia at two very difficult international conferences.
He’s presided over the introduction of the Natural Heritage Trust.
And there’s going to be a five year extension of that trust which will run through our next term and hopefully the term afterwards.
And that’s been the largest and the most successful environmental restoration in Australia’s history.
There are 400,000 volunteers involved in it
and on top of that for the first time because of federal leadership we have an agreement between the states and the Commonwealth to do something about the problem of water quality and salinity.
I mean it is a disgraceful thought that if we don’t do something about this the drinking water for the people of Adelaide in 20 years time will be unfit for consumption in three out of five days of the week.
Australians want a global agreement on greenhouse gas emissions.
But we’re not going to ratify the Kyoto Agreement until the full cost to Australia of that ratification is known.
Unlike Mr. Beazley we’re not going to sign away Australia’s freedom of action until we know the full cost to Australian industry and Australian jobs of that particular action.
Everyone in this area who thinks about it knows that the only way you can have an effective international arrangement on greenhouse gas emissions is to include the United States of America and also the developing countries.
So ladies and gentlemen they are some of the many policies for the future which have been announced by the Government during the last 12 months.
But I now want to turn to a number of areas which are also very important to Australia’s future and particularly important to Australia’s families in different aspects of their lives.
Strong, stable, united, loving families is still the most prized asset that this nation has.
Without them we have no real soul,
without them we have no real hope as a community for the future.
And every arm of government policy should be directed towards assisting and strengthening Australian families.
That is why low interest rates are so important.
Just remember a few years ago when you were paying 17 or 18 per cent, if you were lucky to get a loan, in order to buy a home.
And in that one area alone the average homebuyer is paying $350 a month less as a result of the policies of this government and as a result of the fall in interest rates.
Our health policies are of great benefit to families,
and of course families receive very major benefits as a result of taxation reform.
And it’s clearly demonstrated in recent independent research the great bulk of those additional benefits went to low and middle income families, they didn’t go to the big end of town, they didn’t go to the well-off, they went to the great family mainstream of the Australian community who were genuinely in need of that assistance.
So assistance for families has always been a hallmark of this government and it’s been amongst our highest priorities since our election.
We gave $2 billion to the family tax initiative in 1997,
and quite apart from the tax cuts another $2 billion of family benefits in last year’s new tax system.
And today I’m committing a future Coalition Government to further improvements in the tax system so far as it relates to families.
I have outlined during the year some of the government’s priorities in a broad sense for its third term.
One of these is the ongoing challenge of the balance in our lives between work and family.
I guess of all the many discussions around the community and neighborhood barbecues, that particular balancing act for so many families with young children probably comes up more frequently then any.
One of the things therefore that we have thought of in formulating our policies is precisely that.
And we know that one of the hardest times for families comes on the birth of their first child, when typically the family, a couple, loses one of its two incomes for a period of time during which the mother or father gives up or reduces paid employment to care for the child.
This means for example that a mother who might have been earning $30,000 when her first baby was born and then leaves the workforce for the first four years of the child’s life would pay over $5,000 in tax while someone receiving the same $30,000 earned evenly over the same five year period would pay no tax at all.
This issue of fluctuating incomes has been dealt with in the taxation system in our provisions to allow farmers and artists for example to average their income to smooth out these peaks of taxation liability.
The Coalition therefore believes that it is fair to have similar provisions to cover fluctuations that occur on the start of a family when the first child is born
and in addition of course assistance with family formation is very much in Australia’s long term interests.
Therefore if elected the Coalition will introduce the First Child Tax Refund.
This proposal will repay to parents who act as a prime carer after the birth of the first of their babies, born after the first of July 2001, the tax they paid on their personal exertion income in the year or the year prior to the birth of the child.
It will be repaid in full over five years if the parent stays out of the paid workforce, or in part if they return to work at a reduced income.
This means that the refund is available for the first child born to a couple after the first of July 2001, whether or not they have other children.
The tax refund will be paid after the end of each year as part of the parents’ assessment.
It will be capped at $2,500 a year,
if the baby is born during the year of assessment the benefit will be paid pro-rata based on the baby’s date of birth, but the benefit is payable for the full five year period.
The Coalition is aware that some families do not have the challenge of losing a substantial part of their income when perhaps the mother or father was not in paid work prior to the birth.
But they still face increased expenditure on the birth of their first child.
We will therefore under this plan guarantee a minimum payment of $500 for each full year for a parent who earns less than $25,000 in the relevant assessment year.
The proposal will benefit about 240,000 families in the first year and as payments continue for five years after the baby is born the families covered by this proposal will peak at about 905,000 at the end of the five year period.
The Coalition also wishes to use the First Child Tax Refund to promote a wider spread of national savings
and we will be releasing further proposals in our savings policy later in the campaign.
Can I say ladies and gentlemen that when we looked at our position and our capacity in relation to taxation it was very clear that with the prospective budget position across the board income tax reductions would not have been plausible over the next few years.
We have therefore decided to target that income tax relief at the very point in the experience of a couple’s lifecycle, that is the birth of the first child when the maximum economic pressure is being experienced,
and I believe that this measure, quite new, quite different, quite innovative, this measure will go a long way towards providing significant financial relief for young couples in middle Australia wanting to start having a family.
Thank you.
Can I now turn to an issue that is important to all of us and it has been something that has always helped to define what kind of society we are and that is the care of the elderly within our community.
Once again, it’s something we have heard a lot about from the Labor Party over the last few years.
But as I think I will demonstrate in a few moments the package that I am announcing in this election campaign goes a lot further than anything that has been proposed by the Australian Labor Party.
And let us first of all remind ourselves that when we came to office Labor had run down aged care homes by cutting capital funding by seventy-five per cent in the last four years to only $10 million a year.
The Coalition in the time it’s been in government has increased spending in the sector by 68% and our other reforms are working.
Building and care standards have improved
and a capital stream of some $8.5 billion has been generated over the ten years to 2008.
In this campaign we are announcing a $416 million package of additional funding to provide more places, more capital funds and better care.
As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister last week, the Coalition will provide $100 million over four years in additional capital funding for aged care homes in rural, remote and urban fringe areas of Australia.
In addition, the Coalition will provide $200 million over four years to assist providers to meet the nursing and other staff costs of our higher standards.
We will also hold a review of the price and costing arrangements underpinning residential care substance.
Under the Coalition’s policies, the total number of available aged care places will grow from about 168,000 today to almost 200,000 by June 2006.
That’s an increase of 30,000.
21,000 of them are residential places and 9,000 are the very popular and sought after community care packages.
And on that score can I remind you that when we came to office there were only 4,000 community care packages.
They are the packages where the services are taken in the home so that the elderly person can stay in his or her home environment much longer.
And we have dramatically increased that so that under our policies you will have a total of about 34,000.
In contrast to this, in contrast to this the Labor Party offers capital loans.
They say they are not grants.
Lower support for operating costs than our $200 million commitment and in reality a phantom 12,000 additional beds because there has been no provision made in their costing for ongoing funding.
In addition, recognizing the critical need to attract more nurses into this sector and into other sectors, the Coalition will provide $28 million over four years to encourage more people to enter or re-enter aged care nursing,
especially in rural and regional areas.
This initiative will offer 250 scholarships worth up to $10,000 a year for students undertaking appropriate courses at rural and regional university campuses.
Our new accreditation standards require continuous improvement in care standards
and the Coalition will provide $20 million over four years to fund the training of up to 10,000 care staff in small aged care homes to help them meet these standards.
Ladies and gentlemen, that $416 million package by its size, its scope and its emphasis on the areas of real need in the aged care sector goes infinitely further than has the Labor Party in dealing with the challenges of this most important part of our social welfare responsibility.
One of the many things that I have been very proud to have been associated with as Prime Minister and in which I have taken a relentless personal interest is the ongoing campaign against the scourge of drugs within the Australian community.
Our Tough on Drugs program which has already led to the Commonwealth Government committing a record $516 million is the largest single initiative ever undertaken in this country to fight the drug program.
It fights it on three fronts.
On education and law enforcement and rehabilitation.
And there is solid evidence despite the negative doomsayers who want to run up the white flag and throw up in surrender and give up the fight.
Over 5,800 kilograms of illicit drugs with a street value of over $2 billion has been seized.
There has been a dramatic and pleasing reduction in the number of deaths from heroin overdoses
and can I take the opportunity of thanking both Amanda Vanstone and Chris Ellison, my two parliamentary colleagues
and also let me thank the magnificent men and women of the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Customs Service and the State police services for the work, the dangerous work but the crucial work that they have been doing on our behalf in this very important area.
Under Tough on Drugs we have already allocated $98 million over four years to the Australian Federal Police and $70 million for the Customs Service,
$60 million to 133 community based treatment programs to rural and regional Australia,
$27 million under the National School Drug Education strategy
and $110 million to provide, with the states a national system of diverting drug users into compulsory expert assessment and onto education and treatment as an alternative to being caught up in the criminal justice system.
Today I am announcing a $109 million package to expand the Tough on Drugs strategy further with particular emphasis on more funds for community treatment and prevention.
We will invest a further $60 million over four years in the non-government organizations treatment grants program.
In allocating funds from this new commitment we will continue to take advice from Major Watters of the Salvation Army and the Australian National Council on Drugs.
We will provide another $14 million to the community partnerships
and in an important new initiative we will also spend $28 million over four years to develop and introduce retractable needle and syringe technology into Australia.
Evidence suggests that this will reduce the risk of needle stick injuries that can transmit blood borne viruses.
Australian industry will also benefit from the research and development that this initiative will generate
and I daresay many parents of young children whose great fear when their children are out playing in the park or on the beach are needles, will welcome this initiative very warmly.
We will also provide another $4.7 million to expand the National Heroin Signature program to track the origins of cocaine and amphetamines.
And we will provide an additional million dollars to the Croc Festivals which do such wonderful work in building self-esteem, confidence and shared enterprise and those festivals of course support indigenous communities.
And finally, unlike the Labor Party we will oppose and give no aid and comfort of any kind to either heroin trials or heroin injecting rooms.
I think it is fair to say ladies and gentlemen, that despite the efforts of so many thousands of men and women in the police services of the Australian states, law and order, the increasing vulnerability that people feel in relation to possible personal injury or theft of property and the sense that Australia is not quite as safe as it was to live in a generation ago,
although it is still infinitely better and safer than any other country in the world, I think that is a prevalent view within the Australian community.
The simple answer for a federal government of course is to say, well that’s just a matter for the states.
And can I acknowledge that the constitution does give the power of day to day policing to the states.
Commonwealth law enforcement and security activities are really at a national and international level.
But it’s got to be borne in mind that international crime and terrorist groups have no regard to state or national borders, yet their activities now and can in the future affect all Australians
and our law enforcement agencies must be able to act quickly and powerfully when responding to organized crime and terrorism.
Under the Coalition the Australian Federal Police has had its role massively enhanced,
it’s been given for the first time in its history the resources to do the job of a true national police force.
And later in the campaign we’ll be announcing further measures to significantly strengthen the capacity of the Australian Federal Police.
But can I say whilst acknowledging the cooperation that does exist between federal and state agencies, I believe that the current environment calls for far greater coordination and a much clearer definition of the role of the Commonwealth in the area of day to day law enforcement.
And also I am not satisfied as prime minister that our cooperative arrangements and institutions work as effectively for the national interests as they might.
Therefore if I am re-elected I intend to call a special summit of state and territory leaders to develop a new national framework to focus on international crime and terrorism, the reformation or replacement if necessary of the National Crime Authority,
and also importantly a reference of constitutional power to the Commonwealth over these areas of law enforcement.
Some further details of that initiative will be released during the campaign.
So ladies and gentlemen they are some of the new plans we have for Australia’s future.
They build on the other things that were announced over the past 12 months that will take effect over the next few years.
But I now want to bring my remarks very much to the context of this election campaign.
I said in Perth during the week that this campaign and all the individual things that are being said in it, are being fought against the background of two overriding issues.
They are the issue of national security and the issue of economic management.
We are as you all know in a new and dangerous part of the world’s history.
The tragic events of the 11th of September have changed our lives, they have caused us to take pause and think about the values we hold in common with the American people and free people around the world.
That was an attack on Australia as much as it was an attack on the United States.
It not only claimed the lives of Australians but it assaulted the very values that we hold dear and that we take for granted.
So therefore a military response and wise diplomacy and a steady hand on the helm are needed to guide Australia through those very difficult circumstances.
National security is therefore about a proper response to terrorism.
It’s also about having a far sighted, strong, well thought out defense policy.
It is also about having an uncompromising view about the fundamental right of this country to protect its borders.
It’s about this nation saying to the world we are a generous open hearted people taking more refugees on a per capita basis than any nation except Canada,
we have a proud record of welcoming people from 140 different nations.
But we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.
And can I say on this point what a fantastic job Philip Ruddock has done for Australia.
What a contrast with the Labor Party.
The morning, well the day I made the announcement that we had to board the motor vessel Tampa I was told by the Leader of the Opposition that the last thing I wanted or Australia needed was a negative carping opposition.
But in four and a half hours he was accusing me of engaging in wedge politics and fanning Hansonism.
He voted against the Border Protection Bill, he ultimately voted for it although it covered a wider area and while the debate was going on in the Senate many of his colleagues were darkly muttering if we win the election we’ll change it.
We have had a single irrevocable view on this, and that is that we will defend our borders and we’ll decide who comes to this country.
But we’ll do that within the framework of the decency for which Australians have always been renowned.
I want to place on record my gratitude as I did when I spoke to some of them in Western Australia earlier this week, my gratitude to the men and women of the Royal Australian Navy who have not only been protecting our borders but saving lives in the process of doing it.
Now that’s the face of Australia to the world.
We will be compassionate, we will save lives, we will care for people but we will decide and nobody else who comes to this country.
And then there is the issue of economic management.
You can promise, you can express a hope, you can speculate, you can plan, you can do anything you like in any area be it health, education, roads, anything you like, but unless you have a strong growing economy you do not have the capacity to deliver.
The foundation of the delivery of all of our aspirations in these important social welfare and human services area is a strong and growing economy.
If you don’t start with that you can’t even get to the top of the hill in restoring and adding to human dignity.
Unless you have as your launching pad a strong growing economy you can never realize these wonderful dreams.
In that area I can look back over five and a half years and say what a difference the Coalition has made during that five and a half year period.
And particularly what a difference it’s made having Peter Costello as Treasurer of Australia.
It’s not an easy job, I know, I once had it.
But it’s such a responsible job and I can’t think of anybody in the time that I’ve been in public life who’s done it better than Peter has done and I congratulate him for it very warmly.
But Peter and John Fahey, whose role as Finance Minister I warmly acknowledge as well, can I say both of you, working with your colleagues, have delivered to this country a level and a breadth of economic strength that give me hope in these challenging times ahead.
Just think where we would now be if we had not repaid $58 billion of the $96 billion of government debt that we inherited.
Think where we might be now if we were still struggling with 17% interest rates, if we were still struggling with 8%, or 9% or 10% unemployment, think where we would now be if we had not reformed Australia’s taxation system.
And when you think of that think of the way the Labor Party behaved towards our efforts to reform the Australian economy.
I have never forgotten that when I was in Opposition, I never forget that - no intention of going back to it either!
But the Labor Party put up some good ideas and they did occasionally in relation to economic change.
We supported it.
We supported foreign banks being let into Australia;
we supported tariff reform;
we supported, after Beazley said he wasn’t going to do it and then decided he wanted to do it, sounds like something else, the privatization of the Commonwealth Bank.
In other words we behaved in a consistent fashion.
By contrast at every turn the Labor Party not only refused to accept responsibility for the damage it had done but it endeavored to frustrate and to stop our economic reform.
And they not only left us with a $96 billion government debt, they tried to stop us paying it back.
Now that is a double political and economic crime.
But I’ll always be proud of the fact that this Government had the courage to tackle the two great areas of reform that were needed when we came into government.
This country needed workplace relations reform.
And can I say to you my friends that if we were to lose this election I’d grieve over a lot of things but the one thing I would grieve over most would be what would happen to the industrial relations reform because as surely as night will follow day if Labor wins federally you will have coast to coast Labor government, there will be an enormous return of union domination of the political affairs of Australia.
All of our workplace relations reforms will go by the board;
the secondary boycott protections will be ripped out of the Trade Practices Act;
no ticket no start on building sites will come all around Australia and not just in Western Australia;
Australian workplace agreements will be abolished;
union bosses will be allowed to barge into small businesses whether or not they’re welcome or any of the members of the workforce belong to them.
In other words ladies and gentlemen, the workplace relations reforms of the last five and a half years that have delivered such massive gains in productivity such that I can say as a Liberal Prime Minister of Australia in the last five and a half years real incomes for Australian workers have risen by 9%,
yet in the 13 years of Labor they rose by only 2.3%.
We had the guts to do that and may I record my great admiration to Peter Reith for the immense courage that he displayed in April and May of 1998 in that historic fight to reform the Australian waterfront.
They said it could not be done but it was.
So ladies and gentlemen they said that couldn’t be done.
The crane rates were then 16.9, the container rates 16.9 an hour.
They are now a fantastically competitive 27.
And that is something that for a generation we were told by the business community of Australia that sooner or later would need to be confronted.
Taxation reform of course has been more in people’s minds in recent years.
It was difficult but it was necessary.
I went to the Australian people in 1998, I stood on this equivalent platform in Parramatta in 1998, and I asked to be judged according to whether or not the Australian people wanted taxation reform.
They voted in favor of it.
I’m not saying that everybody loves it, not to say that now, but deep down people knew that this was necessary.
And deep down I believe out there all around our country people are saying well we may not have liked it but we did need to have it
and thank goodness Howard and Costello had the courage to do it.
Because it has made a difference.
We’ve had a fantastic exporting year and that’s because those exports are cheaper.
We’ve looked after low income families.
We’ve looked after people on fixed incomes.
We’ve protected the position of the pensioners.
The CPI affect has come and gone exactly as we predicted.
There were some difficulties for small business in relation to transition.
I acknowledge that and I thank the small business community of Australia for its patience and understanding in getting used to the new system.
But I would say to them that whatever concerns you may have had about implementation of the new taxation system just remember those up to 20% interest rates when Mr. Keating and Mr. Hawke were Prime Minister.
Just remember the union thuggery that abounded in many of your businesses.
Remember the efforts that we have made to reform the unfair dismissal laws and just imagine how those changes will be rolled back if Labor wins.
And just remember that the company tax rate under tax reform has fallen from 36 cents in the dollar to 30 cents in the dollar
and the capital gains tax has been halved for individuals.
So ladies and gentlemen, we do have a justifiably proud record in the area of economic management.
There can be no doubt that going back to Labor at this crucial period of time in Australia’s economic history will put at risk so much of what we have achieved over the past few years.
They were bad economic managers.
They now claim to be born again believers in budget surpluses.
Once again I ask you to remember what they did and don’t listen to what they say.
They left us with an horrendous debt legacy,
they drove interest rates to unconscionable heights,
they were insensitive to the plight of the average worker through levels of unemployment.
By contrast we’ve reduced interest rates,
despite their obstruction we’ve paid back debt,
we’ve generated 830,000 more jobs,
we have a wonderful story to tell, and that is the foundation of the strength of the Australian economy in the years ahead.
My friends, the last five and a half years has been an occasion of immense privilege and immense opportunity for me and for the members of my team.
And it has been and it always will be a team.
It’s a group of men and women beholden to no one interest group in Australia.
I remember when I stood in the then Wentworth Hotel in March of 1996 on the evening that we won the election and I pledged to give my all to work for the people of Australia
and I promised then that I would govern for everyone.
I said then that it was a proud boast of the leader of the Liberal Party that he was not owned by any section of the Australian community and that remains the case now.
We are believers in profitable businesses but we are not owned by business.
We are believers that the great mainstream of the Australian community holds within its hands the capacity to achieve even greater results in the years ahead.
I started by saying that this was the best country in the world in which to live and I’ve outlined some of the plans we have to make it even a better place in which to live.
Although I’ve been in politics now for a number of years I have never felt a greater sense of dedication, enthusiasm and energetic commitment to the task that lies ahead.
We do face unusual difficulties at the present time.
They will test me if I am re-elected, they will test my colleagues, they will test the Australian people.
But I am comforted by two great things.
I’m comforted by the fact that we have achieved an internal economic and social strength that enables us to face the future with conviction and strength.
But I’m also comforted by something even more powerful than that and that is the spirit of the Australian people.
The thing that drives me most in public life is the spirit of the Australian people.
Their great capacity to reach out to each other and work together when there is a common challenge,
their essential decency and their openness,
their willingness to have a go,
their willingness to look after those in the community who are genuinely in need of help
but equally to require of everyone that they do their bit for the common good.
And I have an unshakeable belief that we will see our way through as a nation these current great difficulties.
We’ll see it through because of our spirit.
I want to be part of that seeing through.
I want to lead this country in these very difficult and dangerous times because I believe my instincts, my energy, my experience, my successes to date, and my sheer commitment to the land I love best equip me for that job.
John Anderson  Leader of the National Party - Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Transport and Regional Services -  Federal Member for Gwydir.
Leadership  and Certainty  for Regional  Australia.
Campaign Launch.
Tweed Heads  22nd October 2001.
The Nationals are the party of regional Australia.
We are the party that provides leadership and certainty  to the seven million Australians who live outside our capital cities.
We are the party that bridges the  divide between urban Australia and the regions where our national identity was forged.
Eighty years ago, my great predecessor Earle Page founded the Federal National Party with a vision for Australia.
He had  a national vision of a safe and secure country
where democracy could flourish.
An economic vision founded on individual freedom.
And a social vision founded on enduring values.
Australia has changed dramatically since 1923, but the National Party's vision for our country is more  relevant and important than ever.
Recent events have shown that the first priority of the government must still be national leadership and  security.
We know that the only way to create economic prosperity is to rely on individual enterprise
and  we know that our future as a nation depends on having strong families and communities.
Australia cannot afford the risk of electing a Labor Party government that would flip-flop from one position  to another
the only constant direction being further into red ink, given Mr. Beazley's love of debt.
Australia cannot afford the risk of electing independents or fringe groups with no economic management  credentials and no-one but themselves to please.
You know where the National Party stands.
You know we stand beside the United States as an ally in these times of trouble.
But we are not  American.
You know we stand beside the Liberal Party as an ally in Government.
But we are not the Liberal Party.
You know we are the National Party and we stand for regional Australia - for the people and communities  and businesses outside our capital cities.
The National Party in government has worked with our coalition partners to take the hard decisions that  these times have demanded.
We are protecting our borders against the people smugglers.
We stood up  for the East Timorese people
and our leadership of the peacekeeping operation won Australia honor and  renown throughout the world.
In these dark times, we are standing with our historic allies
and have  committed Australia's military forces to the international coalition against terrorism.
The Coalition has taken the hard decisions that were needed to protect the Australian economy from the  downturn in Asia.
We eliminated Labor's budget deficit and reduced the Federal Government's debt.
We  can now spend more of our tax dollars on roads and schools, and less on interest repayments.
We are exporting more than we are importing, and overwhelmingly our farmers and miners are driving  Australia's economic performance.
Interest rates are now at their lowest level since Jack McEwen was the leader of the National Party.
Our  industrial reforms have created more flexible workplaces.
Real wages have increased,
there are 830,000  new jobs,
and our waterfront is internationally competitive for the first time.
The National Party and our coalition partners have delivered on our commitment to regional Australia.
Our country needs prosperous regions as much as it needs prosperous cities.
The sunlit plains that  Banjo Paterson wrote about are part of us all and have shaped our national character.
The Nationals in Government have invested $28.5 billion over the past five years in over 300 regional  programs.
I have already announced our Sustainable Regions program, which is a commitment of $100  million over four years to provide a toolbox to help regional communities achieve growth and  development.
Kim Beazley and the Labor Party have announced they would abolish our sustainable regions  package.
Have they told the people of the Tweed, Gippsland, the Kimberleys, the Atherton Tableland,  and the other regions identified for the program?
There is life again in the main streets of towns such as Ashford in New South Wales and Aramac in  Queensland.
In all, five hundred towns are taking part in the Rural Transaction Center program, which is  replacing the services that were lost during the Labor years.
Kim Beazley and the Labor Party has announced that it would scrap this program.
Many communities have used our Regional Solutions Program, which is helping towns to create new  business opportunities
and improve their access to services.
For example, the Urana Shire Council in  Farrer has received $120,000 to construct a new doctor's residence and surgery.
Kim Beazley and the Labor Party have announced they would abandon this program, as well.
The Coalition has already committed $6 million to place Small Business Assistance Officers in rural and  regional areas to provide small business operators with face to face assistance.
The Coalition will spend  $24 million to extend the initiative,
which will now include the development of greater trade and export  opportunities.
We are comprehensively addressing the shortage of doctors in rural areas
another legacy of 13 years of  Labor Government
and provided more opportunities for students to pursue a career in rural medicine.
We are opening nine new clinical schools across regional Australia, because students who undertake  their training in rural areas are likely to practice there.
The National Party is particularly concerned about the care of older Australians, and it is a very important  issue here in the Tweed, with its high proportion of retired people.
The Coalition has allocated over  41,000 aged care places in areas of need since 1996.
Almost 75 percent of the capital funding we are  providing for aged care homes and services is going to regional areas.
We have already announced that  we are spending more than $100 million over four years to improve rural nursing services
and the  Nationals will ensure that aged care nursing receives its share of government funding.
Experience has shown that smaller aged care homes in regional Australia can find it hard to generate  the required capital income because of the limited capacity of residents to pay accommodation bonds  and charges.
New Capital Funding.
I am therefore announcing today that the Coalition will provide $100 million in additional  capital funding over four years for rural, regional and some urban fringe aged care  homes.
Our funding will ensure that smaller regional communities can build, upgrade, and maintain aged care  facilities so their older residents can stay in the towns where they have spent their lives.
Regional Australia depends heavily on road transport.
The Coalition has reduced land transport costs  through the introduction of the diesel fuel grants scheme
and the abolition of indexation.
We have moved a long way towards upgrading road and rail infrastructure, including local roads through  the $1.2 billion Roads to Recovery program.
The Labor Party has described Roads to Recovery as a  'boondoggle'  one of Kim Beazley's prolix words that means a trivial or unnecessary expenditure.
I'm sure he hasn't been on a local rural road, or understands that local roads are vital to our social as  well as our economic interests, in a way that no city-centric political party could comprehend.
It's about  getting the kids to school after 30 points of rain, or to the doctor, or to the neighbors to play.
Many rural  people I have spoken to place it at the very top of their priorities.
We cannot be confident that Labor would keep Roads to Recovery, given the way they have flip-flopped  on the issue.
I will be releasing a detailed transport policy later in the campaign,
which will place special emphasis on  the needs of regional Australia.
The Nationals will hold the states and territories accountable for their  failure to ensure that regional communities receive equitable transport services, including bus services.
Despite our best efforts, the accident rate on rural roads is still too high.
Every year, almost a thousand  Australians die on rural roads.
These deaths are preventable, and often occur for the simplest of reasons  - soft shoulders, a bad curve, or a poorly marked intersection.
Black Spots Funding.
I am pleased to announce today that a re-elected Coalition Government will spend $180  million over four years to extend the black spots program, which provides funding to  improve dangerous locations on Australia's roads.
We will spend $90 million in regional  Australia.
The Coalition re-introduced the Black Spots program in 1996, after Labor abolished it.
Under the  program, we have reduced the risk of accidents at hundreds of locations.
The black spots program has  prevented more than 1,500 serious accidents since 1996.
Our promise today will save even more lives.
Regional airlines provide vital services throughout our vast country.
The Coalition has restored air  services to all of the 34 destinations that were served only by Ansett and its subsidiaries.
We have  provided about $12 million in loans and grants to replace regional routes and enable Kendell, Hazelton,  and Skywest to resume services.
The Coalition Government has already given an enormous boost to regional air services in New South  Wales by providing regional airlines with guaranteed access to Sydney Airport.
I will be making further  announcements about regional airlines services in the Coalition's transport policy.
The Coalition has put in place a new mobile phone network in regional Australia.
The CDMA system now  serves thousands more people than the analogue network that Labor gave away.
Only this month, new  CDMA towers were switched on at Ivanhoe in western NSW, and Texas in Queensland.
We have delivered untimed local telephone calls to the people of remote Australia for the first time, a  key National Party policy.
I can confirm today that a Coalition Government will not sell the remaining 51 percent of Telstra until both  we and the people of regional Australia are agreed that they have the services they need.
The Coalition will further bridge the divide between the television and radio services available in the cities  and the country.
Television and Radio Service.
The Coalition will extend SBS Television to all communities with between 5,000 and  10,000 people where spectrum is available at a cost of $6.5 million over three years.
Our  promise will benefit over 100,000 people across Australia.
In addition, we will provide up to $23 million to the Television Blackspots program to  fund alternative technical solutions for eligible communities where analogue  retransmission is not possible.
We will also establish a $6.5 million Radio Blackspots program to improve commercial  radio coverage in about 140 towns and communities.
The Minister for Communications, Senator Alston, will be announcing the details of these initiatives  tomorrow.
The National and Liberal Parties are a successful coalition.
It is a partnership built on common values  and the goals we share for our country.
However, the two parties have separate identities.
We are conservative.
We believe in supporting regional  Australia, because it is the heart of our nation.
We come from regional Australia, and we understand it.
We stand for families because they are the foundation of our society.
During our third term, my colleagues and I will be carrying out the policies that we are announcing with  the Liberals.
We will also be pressing our coalition partners to adopt our own third term agenda.
Natural resource management - water, land, and vegetation - is a core issue that must be resolved if we  are to continue to use natural resources to generate wealth.
We will continue our partnership with land users and regional communities to ensure that natural  resource management decisions are taken jointly with them.
We will not do as Labor proposes, and take  blanket decisions from a centralized position as is clearly demonstrated by Kim Beazley's land clearing  policy.
Responsible farmers and irrigators recognize that their management practices must change due to the  community's changed environmental expectations.
New South Wales irrigators, in particular, know that in many areas water resources have been  over-allocated and that adjustments have to be made.
Moreover, they are prepared to make the  adjustments based on a proper scientific assessment.
There is no argument about the need for production sustainability and its matching twin, environmental  sustainability.
The question is how farmers and their local communities will cope with what is likely to be  a period of massive adjustment.
If the community, to meet its environmental expectations, requires management changes that devalue  farm assets, or reduce the productive capacity of those asset, then the whole community must share the  costs involved.
Indeed, out of the challenge that confronts us we have to ensure that we use science, innovation and  strategic investment to build stronger, not weaker, regional economies.
In the meantime, water is the immediate problem, because both NSW and Queensland State  Governments have moved to reduce irrigation allocations without proper compensation.
The National Party will not accept that position.
We will not accept that the whole cost of meeting the  nation's environmental requirements should fall on farmers and their local communities.
After all, they were told for 200 years to maximize their production and wealth from the land.
They were  told to clear it or lose it; to use their water licenses or see them withdrawn.
To provide equity we must establish:
properly and clearly defined water property rights, separate from land property rights;
security of property rights - so they cannot be removed or impaired without just compensation,  and can be used reliably as security by lending institutions;
and  recognition of the need for adjustment assistance for affected communities.
For the past several months, I have been working with farmer and irrigator bodies to secure these  principles.
It is not enough to simply acknowledge that water property rights should exist and leave the  detail for later - that's the mistake Labor made in the original CoAG water agreement.
The definition and  the character of the right has to be firmly established,
and it has to be a national definition.
It requires national leadership.
The issue will need to be resolved by the Council of Australian  Governments, because the states and territories have constitutional responsibility for land and water  management.
Accordingly, the National Party is proposing that the Government should convene an early  meeting of CoAG to resolve the natural resources issue with the states.
I do not pretend it will be an easy process.
The states do not want to accept the principle that they  should pay proper compensation for environmental decisions - because it will of course cost them  money.
This is an issue the National Party must pursue, and must push until it is satisfactorily resolved,  because the people who will suffer if it is not resolved are people in our seats, National Party seats.
The National Party stopped the proposed changes to Family Trusts and only a Coalition Government  with the National Party in a strong position can prevent the ALP and the Democrats from doing away  with them.
We will not allow the reintroduction of entities taxation legislation that impacts on Family  Trusts.
The Coalition has announced that we will undertake an independent review of the competition provisions  of the Trade Practices Act .
Our announcement delivers on a key initiative that the National Party has  pursued in Government.
Many small businesses, such as newsagents, have raised concerns about the Trade Practices Act with  Senator Ron Boswell and me.
Their concerns center on the disparity between small and large businesses when they negotiate terms,  conditions, and prices.
The disparity is reinforced by the Trade Practices Act.
When a large corporation or chain negotiates with its suppliers, it does so with the bargaining strength  conferred on it by its large number of retail outlets.
In effect, it is collectively bargaining on behalf of many retailers.
However, when local small businesses negotiate with their suppliers, they bargain for themselves alone.
The Trade Practices Act prevents them from bargaining collectively with their suppliers - unless they  obtain a special authorization, which is complex, expensive, and time-consuming.
Consequently, in the main streets of our towns there is a competitive imbalance between stores that are  located next door to each other.
The first task of the review into the Trade Practices Act must be to produce practical and  workable recommendations to redress the imbalance.
The National Party has always stood for strong families and communities, because we know that they  are the foundation of our country.
We have fought against the easing of pornography laws and the  infiltration of gambling into the home through the internet.
Many communities in regional Australia are now under threat from social problems such as drugs,  gambling, and youth suicide.
Domestic violence - the most vivid demonstration of failed relationships - is  too common in regional Australia.
Too many of us and focused on our rights and what we want rather than our responsibilities, especially  with regard to the children we bring into the world
- children who will need every opportunity to develop  their emotional and relationship skills and indeed their very moral fiber as they face an uncertain world.
It is possible for governments to help build strong communities our Tough On Drugs strategy and the  Stronger Families package of measures are excellent examples.
Over the last three years, the Coalition has revolutionized the relationship between the Government and  the regions by helping local communities the skills they need to find their own solutions to their  economic problems, and the help they need to put those solutions in place.
It is a partnership.
I believe we can use the same partnership concept to help create a renewed sense of community in  country Australia.
I have already asked the Regional Women's Advisory Council to prepare a report on how existing  Government programs can be used more effectively to deal with the pressing social issues in regional  Australia.
They are scheduled to report by mid-2002 with an action plan.
Working in partnership with regional communities to strengthen their social and community  fabric will be a vital task for the National Party representatives in the next Parliament.
We cannot carry out these tasks, however, without the efforts of National Party members everywhere  and the support of regional Australia on the tenth of November.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2001 election presents regional Australia with a choice.
The Labor Party does  not understand regional Australia and would reverse the gains we have made since 1996.
The  independent and minor party candidates can only offer talk - they cannot hope to govern and cannot  hope to lead.
The Nationals are the only party that can bridge the divide between urban and regional Australia.
In  coalition with the Liberals, we are the only parties that can provide the certainty and stability that  Australia needs.
Authorized by Gaye White, National Party of Australia, 7 National Circuit Barton ACT 2600.
Australian Greens
Policy Snapshots
www.greens.org.au
Welcome to this snapshot of the policies of the Australian Greens. Here you will find highlights from our broad-ranging policies. To see our policies in full, visit www.greens.org.au
Health 3
Forests 4
Biodiversity 5
Water, Rivers and Wetlands 5
Education – Investing in the Future 6
Higher Education 7
National Security 8
Peace, Security and Iraq 9
Economics for People and the Earth 10
A Fair Tax System 10
A Sustainable World Economy 11
Climate Change and Energy 12
Genetic Engineering 13
Sustainable Agriculture
Nuclear Issues 14
Transport 15
Work & Industrial Relations 16
Social Welfare 17
Indigenous Australians 18
Welcome to Refugees 19
Democracy 20
Women’s Rights 21
Sexuality and Gender Identity 21
Young People 22
Animal Welfare 23
Arts and Cultural Activities 23
Cover images:
Tarkine Forest, Tasmania
The cover picture is a Myrtle tree in coupe FY055C in the Tarkine forest, northern Tasmania. It is scheduled for logging.
Health
The Greens believe that everyone has a right to timely, high-quality health care, regardless of their income.
The fairest and most efficient way to achieve this is through the public health system.
We strongly support Medicare, and propose an increase in the Medicare levy to cover essential services that are not presently covered.
These services include dentistry, physiotherapy, certain areas of mental health, and alternative and complementary therapies that have been proven to be effective.
The Greens will abolish the $2.5 billion per annum Private Health Insurance Rebate.
The money saved will be redirected to where it is most needed – public health (including preventative healthcare and hospitals)
Our approach to health care is holistic.
This means focusing on eradicating the causes of ill health, such as poverty, inadequate housing, over-work or lack of work, and air and water pollution.
The link between poverty and disease and premature death is well established.
The most obvious example in Australia is the appalling health of Indigenous peoples.
Redressing this is a priority for the Greens.
Forests
The Australian Greens are committed to protecting our old growth and high conservation value forests.
We need to establish a comprehensive reserve system that represents all forest types – from rainforests and tall wet forests to dry forests and woodlands.
These forests play an important role in water, soil and biodiversity conservation.
We would immediately end the export of woodchips from native forests.
Our plan for the timber industry moves wood production away from native forests into plantations (which already supply over 75% of our wood needs) on cleared land.
It promotes paper recycling
and incorporates retraining and other assistance to workers.
Tasmania’s internationally renowned forests are being destroyed at the greatest rate in history.
Tasmania exports more than twice as many woodchips as all the other states combined.
The old growth and high conservation value forests of Tasmania – the Styx, Tarkine, Blue Tier and Western Tiers – must be protected.
Across Australia, the Greens are working to protect forests and wildlife threatened by logging and woodchipping.
These areas include Victoria’s Otways, Central Highlands and East Gippsland, Western Australia’s southwest and areas across NSW.
The Greens would also safeguard the savannahs and tropical forests of the north and arid woodlands that span Australia’s heart.
Biodiversity
The Greens will work for an immediate end to broadscale landclearing, which destroys the habitat of native species and causes major land degradation problems such as salinity.
We seek a halt to illegal landclearing and the closure of loopholes that allow ongoing clearing of remnant vegetation.
We support the creation by 2012 of a national system of Marine Protected Areas representing all marine ecosystems.
At least 30% of each Protected Area should be ‘no take’ (fishing prohibited).
Quarantine measures need strengthening to prevent the introduction of exotic plants, animals and diseases which increasingly threaten Australia’s native species and ecosystems.
Water, Rivers and Wetlands
Australians are the world’s highest per capita users of water.
Most of this water is used for irrigation (75%); urban and industrial use accounts for 20%.
Between 1985 and 1997 total water use increased by 65% and it is increasingly evident from stressed and degraded rivers, floodplains and wetlands that we are using water well beyond sustainable levels.
The Greens aim to protect our remaining natural rivers,
to restore freshwater ecosystems to health by giving them enough water at the right times,
to share extracted water fairly
and to use it more efficiently.
As a priority we want governments to commit to providing a minimum additional 1500 GL per annum for environmental flows to the Murray River.
We will campaign to keep all major water resources and infrastructure in public ownership.
Education – Investing in the Future
The Greens believe that a strong public education system is the key to creating a fair, successful and cohesive society,
and that everyone has the right to free, high-quality public education and training.
To achieve this, we would massively increase funding for all levels of public education.
Early Childhood
The Greens are committed to providing free, public early childhood education and childcare places for all Australian children in the year preceding compulsory schooling.
We believe that delivery of early childhood services should be better regulated, with minimum standards of care and education
and greatly improved pay and conditions for early childhood professionals.
Schools
The Greens want to stop the growth in public funding of private schools
and increase funding for public education.
Specifically, we wish to improve pay and professional development opportunities for teachers and reduce class sizes.
We believe that public money used to fund the wealthiest elite private schools should be redirected to a national program to support disadvantaged public schools
The Greens want a public inquiry, to work out a fair replacement for the Australian Government’s inequitable private school funding formulae,
and ensure that non-government schools receive public funding only if they meet standards for transparency, accountability and educational standards.
TAFE
The Greens are working to significantly increase Commonwealth funding of TAFE, to restore the breadth and duration of courses, and to provide better conditions for teachers and students.
Higher Education
High quality, comprehensive, public education should be free to students at all levels, including university.
The Greens believe that higher education funding is an investment in the future and not a cost.
Every government dollar invested in higher education brings a return of more than $2 to Australian society.
The Greens are committed to:
• Abolishing university fees and the HECS system.
Abolition of HECS would only cost around $2 billion each year - less than the total value of the $4 a week tax cut delivered in the 2003 budget.
• Significantly increasing university funding to maintain the quality of teaching and independence of research, to reduce class sizes, to increase the total number of students, and to eliminate reliance on corporations for sponsorship
• Improving student income support
• Preserving compulsory student association fees to keep university life affordable and supportive for all students
• The freedom for staff to organise collectively, to pursue research that is in the public interest and to be represented by their union
National Security
The war on terrorism isn’t working.
Following George Bush’s foreign policy has made us less safe.
We are contributing to the growing anger towards the West across the Middle East and the Islamic world.
Only by addressing the causes of terrorism, not the symptoms, can we hope to live in a safer world.
The first step is developing fair and just international relations with other peoples and governments around the world.
By working for peace through justice we can create genuine security for Australia.
The Greens are committed to:
• An independent foreign and defence policy
that opposes pre-emptive strikes
• An aid program targeted towards the elimination of poverty as the primary objective
• Rejection of international trade agreements that undermine poor countries
• Ending nuclear warship visits,
removing bases which might contribute to nuclear war,
and dropping support for the dangerous national missile defence which threatens a new arms race
• Democratisation and strengthening of the United Nations
We cannot defend freedom at home by removing those freedoms – denying civil rights only diminishes our democracy.
The Greens are also committed to:
• Repealing new ASIO powers and other laws that diminish civil rights
• Reasonable measures such as increased airport security and the use of the criminal law to prosecute terrorist crimes
Peace and Iraq
The end of the Cold War has not brought peace.
The pursuit of military and economic dominance by the United States at the expense of international law and human rights is destabilising the world.
We need a new relationship with the United States, including one that ends Australia’s role as Deputy Sheriff in the Asia-Pacific.
The illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq is proving a failure and a disaster.
Military occupation is the problem, not the solution.
The Greens believe Australian troops must be brought home now
and Iraqis allowed their self-determination.
Instead, Australia should commit funds for a genuine reconstruction of Iraq,
under the control of a democratically elected Iraqi government.
The Greens would:
• Immediately withdraw Australian troops from Iraq
and provide significant aid for Iraqi national reconstruction
• Cancel arms contracts that further entrench the Australian defence forces within the US alliance, such as new tanks, expensive fighter aircraft and new warships
• Support a real peace process for Israel and Palestine as a prerequisite for peace across the Middle East
• Require parliamentary approval before any overseas military deployment
• Reduce the levels of defence spending
while maintaining an adequate defence force
Economics for People and the Earth
Australia needs a new style of economic management, where people and the environment matter.
Currently, more than two million Australians live in poverty — a national disgrace.
To restore government control of the economy, we will halt wholesale privatisations and keep essential services in public ownership. The Greens will also:
• Use government bonds to finance public infrastructure
• Increase the regulation of banks, insurance companies and auditing
• Stop companies gaining monopoly control of markets
• Ensure companies fulfil their obligations to their workers by introducing a compulsory government-run employer levy that will guarantee workers’ entitlements
A Sustainable World Economy
The global economy is increasingly volatile, with currencies fluctuating wildly, many countries suffering from crippling foreign debts and nearly half the world’s population living on less than $US2 per day.
The Greens support:
• Fair trade not free trade – we reject the Free Trade Agreement with the USA
• Radical reform of the World Trade Organisation, World Bank and International Monetary Fund to make them more socially and environmentally responsible
– and their abolition if this can’t be achieved
• Cancelling all Third World debt
• Introducing a Tobin tax on currency transactions
A Fair Tax System
Australia’s tax system is increasing the gap between the haves and have-nots.
The Greens want to see the system made fairer
and used to provide excellent public services in health, education and other areas.
We also wish to protect the environment, by taxing waste and pollution.
The Greens will restructure the tax system to:
• Ensure that high-income earners pay their fair share
• Bias income tax rates to provide relief to low income earners
• End the tax rorts that apply to investments in Australia
• Reintroduce inheritance taxes on estates (excluding charitable bequests and inherited farms) worth over $2 million
To ensure that companies pay their fair share of tax, we will increase company tax rates to 33%
and limit the tax deductibility of executive payouts.
The Greens is the only major party that has consistently opposed the GST.
We will phase it out and replace it with fair taxes.
The Greens will hold a Royal Commission into the distribution of wealth in our country,
and will introduce a genuine progress indicator (incorporating social and environmental sustainability) into Australia’s national account statistics.
Climate Change and Energy
Climate change is upon us.
Nine of the ten hottest years on record have been since 1990, and the Earth is expected to warm by a further 1-5°C this century.
The consequences of climate change will include rising sea levels and more extreme storms, floods and droughts.
In Australia, burning coal for electricity is the biggest single source of greenhouse gas pollution.
By conserving energy and switching to renewable energy, we will create jobs and radically reduce Australia’s contribution to global warming.
We should ratify the Kyoto Protocol immediately
and make Australia an international clean energy leader, reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.
Measures to reduce emissions would include:
• Introducing mandatory targets for reducing emissions
• Ensuring that buildings and appliances become rapidly more energy efficient by introducing mandatory standards and labeling
• Establishing a ‘Sun Fund’ to help farmers and others in rural and regional Australia take up energy conservation and renewable energy
• Phasing out coal-fired electricity in Australia by 2050, as part of the switch to renewable energy
• Introducing a carbon levy to finance investment in energy conservation, public transport and renewable energy
Sustainable Agriculture & Genetic Engineering
The Australian Greens have a vision for a uniquely Australian agricultural landscape, in which profitable and ecologically sustainable agriculture sustains vibrant rural communities.
We are campaigning for ecologically sustainable agriculture that:
• Expands Australia’s organic farming sector
• Has no significant negative impacts on Australia’s soils, water quality and biodiversity
• Minimises the use of non-renewable energy, agrichemicals (including pesticides and fertilisers) and irrigation
• Ensures sustainable use of groundwater resources
• Takes into account natural climate variability and potential climate change
The Greens will offer financial assistance for implementing ecologically sustainable farming systems and conservation on private land.
We will also remove public funding which supports degrading practices.
We oppose genetic engineering (GE) of food and fibre crops as unnecessary and unsafe.
The health risks associated with eating food produced using gene technology remain poorly understood, but the environmental risks are clear - the use of GE in farming risks irreversibly contaminating natural and agricultural gene pools.
There are also economic risks - our farmers rely on their crops’ GE-free status to maintain sales in key Australian export markets including Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Nuclear Issues
The nuclear fuel cycle creates long-lived radioactive waste and almost permanent environmental contamination.
The Greens believe that society must exercise extreme caution to ensure the protection of all life forms from the effects of radiation.
Australian Greens policy is to:
• End uranium mining and the export of uranium from Australia
• Close the nuclear facility at Lucas Heights
and prohibit the construction of any new reactors in Australia
• Oppose a radioactive waste dump in South Australia
and store existing nuclear waste above ground at a single storage facility in each state or territory so it can be monitored continuously
• Close Australia’s ports and territorial waters to nuclear-powered vessels
• Promote an effective international nuclear weapons convention banning the development, production, stockpiling, use and threat of nuclear weapons
• Encourage states that currently possess nuclear weapons to dismantle them
Although medical radioisotopes are currently produced in nuclear reactors, some can now be produced using non-reactor technologies.
The Greens support more research into the use of such technologies.
Transport
The Greens propose a 10-year $14 billion Renew Australia plan to upgrade Australia’s ailing public transport services, financed by government guaranteed Green Bonds.
We would spend $4 billion on modernising and upgrading the interstate rail system,
helping to shift freight from road to rail, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and accidents.
We would spend $10 billion on urban public transport to upgrade and extend urban rail and tramways,
connect train and bus services,
give buses and trams on-road priority,
and provide safe and continuous bicycle and pedestrian networks.
This would be coupled with service improvements such as integrating bus and train timetables and increasing their speed and frequency.
We would reduce demand for car travel by encouraging the co-location of amenities and services with key points in the public transport network and by:
• Ending tax subsidies for company cars and putting an import duty on off-road vehicles
• Investigating socially equitable forms of congestion charges and other innovative user pays mechanisms
• Restoring indexation of fuel tax and converting it to a carbon levy
• Closing the loopholes that have allowed the Commonwealth to fund urban freeways
The Greens oppose new airports near residential areas.
A new airport for Sydney should be built outside the Sydney Basin (not at Wilton)
and should eventually replace Kingsford Smith Airport.
Work & Industrial Relations
The Australian Greens have a vision for a society where everyone can balance work, family and leisure.
We support:
• The goal of full employment
• A legislated shorter working week
• Fair pay and conditions
• The recognition of unpaid work, such as caring for children, elderly people and people with disabilities, done outside the formal economy
In the workplace, we support:
• Equal opportunity programs and fair treatment for every employee
• The role of unions as the democratic expression of working people
• The right of unions and workers to take industrial action to protect and promote their legitimate interests
• The highest standards of occupational health and safety
• Permanent jobs not casual jobs
• The traditional conciliation and arbitration role of the Industrial Relations Commission
We propose a national parental leave scheme comprising:
• 18 weeks of paid replacement earnings up to the average federal wage (but no less than the federal minimum)
• A further 34 weeks of unpaid leave
• A right to return to work part-time
This would provide replacement earnings for most women;
cover many people working as casuals, on contracts, in seasonal work and the self-employed;
allow partners to share the period of leave;
and cover adoptions.
Social Welfare
Social justice is one of the four principles of the Australian Greens.
We seek to ensure that all Australians can live with dignity by:
• Eradicating the causes of poverty
• Sharing the nation’s economic wealth fairly
• Investing in public services that benefit everyone
The current social welfare system fails to recognise that there is not enough paid work for everyone
or that there are other useful ways to contribute to society.
The Greens support the investigation of a guaranteed adequate income (GAI) scheme.
It would be set at a level that allows people to fully participate in society
and would be designed to encourage recipients to earn income.
It would get rid of the poverty traps that occur when people receiving income support move into paid work.
The Greens support reforming the current social security system to simplify and align all payments for adults and young people,
link changes in payment rates to increases in average weekly earnings,
and replace punitive activity tests with incentives for participation.
We will work for the adoption of a commonly agreed benchmark to measure poverty in Australia so that income support and other government programs can work effectively to prevent poverty, social inequity and exclusion.
Indigenous Australians
The Greens recognise that Indigenous Australians, as First Peoples, have a specific and unique cultural relationship with this country.
We support self-determination, reconciliation and justice.
To achieve these aims, Indigenous people need to control their own affairs.
Self-determination
The Greens support Indigenous self-determination.
Indigenous peoples and their communities are best equipped to develop and implement appropriate mechanisms for self-determination and governance.
Indigenous people must have the right to determine how services such as health, education and housing are provided,
and these services should be adequately funded by governments.
Reconciliation
We must recognise and address the wrongs of our past and present.
The Greens are committed to an apology to the Stolen Generations and dealing with unfinished business.
Australia must acknowledge the truth of our history and build a shared story to move forward.
Government must support the preservation and revival of Indigenous language, law and culture.
Justice
The Greens are committed to addressing social justice for Indigenous Australians.
This requires political will to implement the many recommendations from past inquiries, including the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody.
The Greens are committed to increasing the Land Acquisition Fund
and implementing a Social Justice package for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
We will work collaboratively to improve health, education and employment opportunities.
Welcome to Refugees
The Greens do not label asylum seekers “illegal immigrants”.
Many asylum seekers have had no opportunity to apply to immigrate through official procedures.
Those fleeing oppressive regimes take enormous and courageous risks, and deserve to be treated humanely and fairly.
The Australian Greens support a fair go for asylum seekers:
• No mandatory detention once medical, identity and security checks are completed
• House asylum seekers in reception centres where entry and exit are unrestricted
• Provide access to high quality and culturally appropriate legal, education and health services
• No excision of any part of Australia from the Australian Migration Zone
• Abolish the temporary protection category of visa
• Grant permanent resident status to all those currently holding a temporary protection visa
We believe that the presence in Australia of people of many cultural backgrounds enriches our society.
Our immigration policy is non-discriminatory on the grounds of race, nationality, religion, language, gender, sexual preference, disability, age and wealth.
The relationship between people and environments is complex.
The Australian Greens support a population policy based on respects for human rights and social justice as well as ecological limits.
Democracy
Australia’s system of democracy needs an overhaul to bring it into the twenty-first century.
The Greens would amend the Australian Constitution to:
• Acknowledge the prior occupation and ownership of Australia by Indigenous people
and provide for a treaty of reconciliation
• Remove the barriers which prevent millions of Australians from standing for Parliament, including public servants and holders of dual citizenship
• Incorporate a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
• Give the Commonwealth explicit responsibility for issues of national and international importance, including the environment
We would move quickly to establish the Republic of Australia, with a two-stage decision-making process:
• First, a non-binding plebiscite asking whether Australians want a republic with an Australian head of state
• Second, a series of conventions and discussions to develop models and devise a broad program of constitutional innovation, followed by a referendum to determine the form of the Australian republic
We would revitalise our parliamentary democracy by:
• Getting rid of corporate donations and their corrupting influence by improving public funding of elections
• Introducing proportional representation for the House of Representatives
• Giving young people between the ages of 16 and 18 the option to vote and the right to hold public office
Women’s Rights
Advances for women, won as a result of struggles over many decades, have suffered alarmingly in recent years.
The Greens want to see programs and services for women restored and strengthened.
The Australian Greens will strongly defend women’s access to affordable and safe abortion services.
On average, one in five women will experience sexual assault at some time during their life.
The Greens will ensure sufficient funding for educational programs, beginning at an early age for both boys and girls, on sexual violence and relationships.
The Greens recognise women’s right to equal pay,
safer communities,
freedom from sexual exploitation
and the right to undertake the career path of their choice.
Sexuality and Gender Identity
Freedom of sexuality and gender identity are fundamental human rights.
We are proud of our track record in fighting for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people and people with intersex conditions (LGBTI) everywhere,
and we will continue to fight for equal access to adoption, fostering, artificial insemination and in vitro fertilisation procedures.
We will also continue to support the right of all people to assume their self-identified sex and gender, make fully informed choices about their lives and access appropriate medical intervention if required.
The Greens’ Same Sex Relationships Bill before the Parliament would ensure people in same sex relationships have all the same rights as people in heterosexual relationships.
Young People
The Greens are committed to ensuring that young people have secure and meaningful employment, access to affordable housing, good public transport, quality public education and financial support, and social opportunities that enable them to lead creative and sustainable lifestyles.
We will work to remedy the extreme social and economic disadvantage faced by many young Indigenous Australians and young people of non-English speaking backgrounds.
We will ensure that employment and social services meet the needs of regional and remote communities, where youth unemployment is especially high.
We support preventative strategies which stop young people from being unnecessarily entangled in the criminal justice system,
and high quality care for young people who are victims of abuse, neglect or exploitation.
We will research and implement measures which have been effective in reducing youth suicide in other countries.
The Greens support a greater voice for young people in Australian politics.
We will give young people aged 16 and over the option to vote and the right to hold public office.
Animal Welfare
Animals are now exploited on an unprecedented scale due to expansion of the world’s human population, new technologies for the mass production of animals and animal products, and the increase in demand for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Australian Greens policy calls for:
• Protection, restoration and extension of natural habitats for Australian native animals
• Prohibition of live animal exports for consumption
• Phasing out of intensive animal farming practices which do not treat animals ethically
• Abolition of the use or display of wild animals in circuses
• A compulsory labelling system to allow consumers to identify cruelty-free products
Arts and Cultural Activities
Arts and artists are vital for our society and economy, yet with governments basing policies on narrow economics, they struggle to survive.
The ABC is one of the most important producers and disseminators of culture and information in Australia and must remain an independent and comprehensive national broadcaster.
The Australian Greens support:
• Increased funding to the arts and artists,
including Indigenous artists
• Protection for the property and moral rights of artists
• Exemption of the arts from free trade agreements
• Increased funding for the ABC and SBS
• Increased local content in broadcasting and new media
and support for community radio and TV.
“The Greens offer an optimistic alternative to the major parties.
We need strong voices in our Parliament for the environment, social justice and peace.
Vote Green and help us achieve a fair, independent and sustainable Australia.
A vote for the Greens is double value.
By voting 1 for the Greens, you send a powerful message in support of our humanitarian and environmental policies.
If the Greens candidate is not elected, then your vote will flow on at full value to your second choice.
So, whoever is elected will know that you preferred the Greens’ policies.”
Senators Bob Brown & Kerry Nettle
Australian Greens
Taking the Pressure off Families
Mark Latham
Speech
Transcript - ALP Campaign Launch, Brisbane - 29th September 2004
Check Against Delivery
My message today comes straight from the people of Australia.
It's a message to the people, drawn from the strength and wisdom of the people.
From the Australians I've been privileged to meet, across the vast suburbs and regions of our nation, over the past 10 months.
And the millions of their fellow-Australians they represent.
Today I want to speak on their behalf.
I want to talk about opportunity, responsibility and honesty - the key themes of this great campaign for a new Labor Government.
This message comes from the heart - the big heart of the Australian people themselves.
It's from the people - and all that I have learned about their concerns, their needs and their aspirations for the future - that I see a real urgency in this campaign.
The urgent need to change now.
The urgent need for an Australian Labor Government.
Unless we change now, it will be too late to save Medicare - too late to increase bulk-billing and improve our public hospital system.
Unless we change now, it will be too late for the fairness of our education system - too late for needs-based funding in our schools and new opportunities at TAFE and university.
Unless we change now, it will be too late for the families under financial pressure - too late to solve the family debt crisis and deliver tax relief for all Australian taxpayers.
Unless we change now, it will be too late for the security and safety of our nation - too late to shift policy and resources to our part of the world, getting it right in Asia in the fight against terror.
And unless we change now, it will be too late for the basic decency and honesty of government in this country -
too late to restore truth in government and end the deceit and buck-passing of the Howard years.
Australia needs these changes.
And Labor is ready to make them, before it's too late.
I have listened to the Australian people, and now I have the privilege of speaking for them - in presenting the key elements of Labor's plan for the future.
Our plan for a stronger, safer and fairer Australia.
Our plan to grow the Australian economy
by investing more in skills and education,
by creating incentive and rewarding hard work,
by reforming the Trade Practices Act
and helping small business.
Our plan to use this prosperity well, to ensure that the hard work and enterprise of the Australian people delivers a social benefit: the world-class health and education services we need for the future of our children.
Our plan for uniting the Australian people around a sense of common purpose and participation in the whole work and life of the community.
Our plan for new opportunities for all Australians.
Our big ambition for this great country of ours.
And given the size of these tasks - saving Medicare, lifting educational opportunity and securing the nation - Australia needs a Prime Minister fully committed to the long haul.
We need a Prime Minister who trusts the people, who tells them the truth about the great issues of war and peace.
And when things go wrong, a Prime Minister who is big enough to take responsibility and not blame others.
We need a Prime Minister who will take the people into his confidence, not least about his own intentions.
It's urgent to bring a new energy, a new accountability to Australia's biggest job.
And that's the difference between Labor and the Liberals.
We've got a great public plan for the future.
Mr Howard's got a private plan for retirement.
I'm ready to lead.
He's ready to leave.
I have a simple goal: to give Australia a government as good as the Australian people themselves, to bring new drive and ideas to the leadership of the nation.
Mr Howard, too, has a simple goal: he wants the electorate to help him beat Bob Hawke in the Guinness Book of Records.
That's the big difference in this campaign.
Mr Howard sees it as a lap of honour.
I see it as an honour to serve, to muster all my passion and commitment for the long-term service of the Australian people.
I say: if you truly love this country, if you truly respect its people, no one could run to be Prime Minister with anything less than a full commitment to the job.
I couldn't do it.
And I don't know how Mr Howard can claim to believe in Australia when he refuses to be honest and open with the Australian people themselves.
Saving Medicare
But perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on him.
There is, of course, one promise Mr Howard has kept in full.
There's one goal he and his Coalition colleagues have pursued relentlessly for eight years - and that's the destruction of Medicare.
This has been one of the great ding-dong battles of Australian public life.
A battle of principle on health policy.
Labor investing in public health care.
The Coalition pursuing the privatisation of health - a system based on private insurance and private care.
Labor investing in one tier of quality health care for all Australians.
The Coalition preferring a two tier system - private health insurance for the top tier and a second class service for everyone else.
That's what they believe in.
Last year Mr Howard was asked about his preferred health policy.
And he said that he liked the system we had at the beginning of the 1970s.
None of us should forget what he was talking about.
That was a time when a large number of Australian families had no health insurance - public or private.
They had to make that terrible choice in life between food on the table and the health care of their children.
It's the reason why Labor Governments introduced Medibank and then Medicare - to provide a decent level of public health insurance for all Australians.
A health system based on the medical needs of the patient, not the size of their bank account.
John Howard has opposed Medicare ever since.
When he first led the Liberal Party he said that he wanted to ''take a scalpel to Medicare''.
Last month his Deputy John Anderson said that country people wanted and needed a two-tier health system.
Well, that's what this election is all about.
It's a referendum on the future of Medicare.
Do we want the Coalition to take us further down the American road of privatised health - a two tier system?
Do we want to give John Howard another chance to put his scalpel into Medicare?
Or do we want a Labor Government with a plan to save Medicare?
Just one tier.
One world-class health care system for all Australians.
We set up this system, we're proud of it and we're going to bring it back to its full health.
Labor believes in Medicare.
It's good public policy.
But it also says something special about who we are, about the things that make us uniquely Australian.
It says that in our country, if you get sick then someone will care for you.
It says that the Australian people look out for each other.
That we help our mates and those in need.
No one gets left behind.
No one gets left without decent hospital care, without the availability of a bulk-billing doctor.
That's what makes it Medicare.
And that's why Labor believes in it.
It's universal.
It's for the many, not just the few.
The Liberals talk about a safety net.
But you don't need a safety net unless you've turned the health system into a highwire act and families are in danger of falling off.
Labor doesn't believe in a safety net.
We believe in Medicare.
And we'll never surrender, we'll never give up on increasing the rate of bulk-billing.
We want to get it back to a national rate of 80 per cent.
That's why a Labor Government will: Immediately increase the patient rebate by $5 for every bulk- billed consultation;
Provide incentive payments of up to $22,500 for doctors who reach bulk-billing targets;
Introduce Medicare After-Hours - GP clinics and services that stretch well into the night;
And we'll train thousands of extra doctors and nurses around Australia.
In communities where bulk-billing has collapsed, we'll provide Medicare Teams - salaried doctors and nurses to deliver bulk- billing services.
Labor will also work with the States to upgrade our public hospital system.
When the Coalition finds an extra dollar in the budget, they spend it on private health.
Labor's top priority is public health - investing in public hospitals, reducing out-of-pocket expenses and cutting waiting lists.
The Howard Government has taken almost a billion dollars out of public hospital funding to the States.
Labor will put it back in.
We'll invest an extra $350 million in capital improvements for emergency departments - clearing the backlog, getting the patients off trolleys and into hospital beds.
We'll also provide an extra 2.4 million specialist treatments for outpatients in public hospitals, free-of-charge.
This is Labor's vision for the health system.
Families who can find a bulk-billing doctor.
Patients who move quickly through emergency departments and then have available to them the best doctors, nurses and medical technology - services free-of-charge in public hospitals.
Quality health care for all.
Medicare Gold
To make this vision real, we always need to do more.
Mr Howard is waging war on Medicare.
I want to build a fortress around it.
In particular, we must do more for our senior citizens.
I can't stomach a system where elderly Australians are left on hospital waiting lists for long periods of time.
Our senior citizens have served this country well.
They've defended it during times of war.
They've won peace and built our prosperity.
The measure of our civilisation, the test for Australians of my generation, is how we treat them in return.
You know, I'm part of the lucky generation.
We've fought no world wars.
We've seen no depressions.
We've enjoyed a national dividend of peace and prosperity secured by older Australians.
Surely now, it's time to say thank you.
And to treat our senior citizens as they have treated us.
With honour and respect.
And the best way of honouring their service to Australia is to give them the world's best health system.
To get them off waiting lists and into hospital beds as quickly as possible.
Today I can announce the greatest extension in Federal responsibility for hospital care in this country since the introduction of Medibank 30 years ago.
A Federal Labor Government will take full responsibility for the hospital costs of Australians aged 75 and over.
We will ensure that they can access a hospital bed - public or private - straight away.
No more delays.
No more waiting lists for our oldest Australians.
This is an important extension of the universal coverage of Medicare.
We call it Medicare Gold.
In some parts of Australia, our senior citizens can wait up to 12 months for hip, knee and eye operations.
Medicare Gold will give them a hospital bed straight away.
Public hospitals will receive additional funding to improve the services they provide for Australians aged over 75.
Labor will also pay for private hospital beds, under agreements finalised with the private hospital system.
As a result, senior Australians will no longer need to take out private health insurance for hospital care.
The costs will be covered by a Federal Labor Government.
Medicare Gold is a great advance for our national health system.
It ends the old, inefficient divide between public versus private hospitals and Commonwealth versus State funding.
It will also deliver significant benefits for Australians under 75 - taking the pressure off public hospitals and reducing the cost of private health insurance.
People aged 75 and over make up five per cent of the private insurance pool, but account for 23 per cent of hospital benefits paid out by the private funds.
Under Medicare Gold, these costs will be met by the Commonwealth, allowing the funds to reduce their hospital insurance premiums by at least 12 per cent.
Labor will regulate to ensure these savings are passed onto the public.
That's the advantage of Medicare Gold:
Extending Medicare into universal hospital coverage - public and private - for Australians aged 75 and over.
Reducing hospital waiting lists for all age groups.
And providing better value for money with private hospital insurance - savings of more than 12 per cent.
It's a gold-plated Medicare system - Medicare Gold.
And only a Labor Government will deliver it.
My fellow Australians,
There's another waiting list we must also confront.
Another service we must provide to our senior citizens.
Currently there are more than 500,000 Australians, most of them elderly, waiting for months and years, just to have their teeth fixed.
Mr Howard axed the previous Federal program and said that the States had to look after dental care.
I say: it's a national responsibility,
part of the care and consideration we owe our senior Australians.
That's why a Labor Government will create a national dental program: a $300 million investment with an extra 1.3 million dental treatments for aged pensioners and health card holders.
This will clear away the existing backlog and give our senior citizens what they deserve: the care of a civilised society in getting their teeth fixed up.
They've served our country well.
Now we must honour and serve their needs, through Medicare Gold and a national dental program.
Ease the Squeeze
When I became Labor Leader I said that I would listen to the Australian people.
I said that I would open up the political process - a new politics of community forums and consultation.
I promised to reform politicians' entitlements, starting with the parliamentary superannuation scheme.
And I delivered.
Many of the people coming to our community forums have been senior Australians.
Age pensioners have told me how they're struggling financially under the Howard Government.
Their incomes are fixed, but the cost of living keeps on rising - with higher health costs, bank fees and the impact of the GST.
They're frustrated that the government only adjusts their pension twice a year.
I say: six months is too long to wait for assistance.
It's too long to wait for a cost of living increase in the pension.
I've listened to these concerns and now I want to deliver a solution.
A Labor Government will increase the pension four times a year.
We'll introduce quarterly indexation - increases in June and December, in addition to March and September.
These new arrangements will start on June 20 next year, with an increase in the fortnightly pension of around $5 for singles and $8 for couples.
The cost of living doesn't stand still for six months between pension increases.
The pension shouldn't be frozen either.
Labor will index it every quarter.
We'll ease the financial pressure on Australia's pensioners.
Our policy will benefit Age Pensioners, DVA Service Pensioners, Carer Pensioners, Disability Pensioners, Sole Parent Pensioners, Wife and Widow Pensioners.
There's another group of senior Australians who have been coming to my community forums.
They're grandparents who, late in life, have taken care and custody of their grandchildren.
Having moved into retirement, they now face the renewed challenge of raising young children - with all the costs and pressure this involves.
These grandparents deserve our support.
They're providing love and devotion to children in need.
The Australian Government needs to provide them with new forms of financial support.
Today I can announce that Labor will introduce a new Grandparenting Allowance, worth $20 per week for each child.
This will benefit over 27,000 grandparents around Australia who have primary care of their grandchildren.
And I say: they deserve every cent of it.
They're unsung heroes in our society.
This is one of the great goals of Labor's campaign: lifting the financial pressure on the families and senior Australians doing it tough.
Just four months ago, on Budget night, these were the forgotten Australians:
The hard workers on 30, 40 and 50 thousand dollars a year who missed out on a tax cut.
The pensioners and self-funded retirees who were also ignored.
Well, Labor hasn't forgotten them.
Our Tax and Family Plan will ease the squeeze on middle Australia.
It will put incentive and reward for effort back into the Australian economy.
Under Labor all those Australian taxpayers earning under $52,000 a year (including self-funded retirees) will get a tax cut of up to $8 a week - $416 a year.
With the rising cost of buying a home and raising a family, people earning over $80,000 a year also need incentive.
That's why Labor will lift the threshold for the top marginal tax rate.
Plus we'll help families with a better family payments system.
Combining payments into one, simpler scheme and raising the point at which the means test starts from $33,000 to $50,000.
For a typical middle Australian family, this means an extra $70-80 a week.
We'll also overcome the family debt crisis which has harmed 1.4 million Australian families.
We'll end the nightmare of having to haggle with Centrelink about undeserved debts to the government.
And a Labor Government will introduce income splitting for the benefit of single income couples - two tax free thresholds to help families where one partner stays at home.
For 30 years Mr Howard has been talking about income splitting.
But now, only Labor will deliver.
For the disadvantaged, our plan offers new opportunities in life.
We need to confront the problem of 800,000 Australian children growing up in jobless households.
We know what this leads to: poverty, poor health, increased crime rates and, worst of all, lack of hope.
This is the national shame we face as citizens under the Howard Government.
There are three answers to this problem: participation, participation and more participation.
By offering incentive and services, we can bring more people into the labour market,
and give our young people the best example they need in life - parents who work.
So if you want to know what our tax policy means in one line, it's this: fairness,
aspiration
and participation.
A fairer go for Australian families.
Our plans for the nation are fully costed and fully funded.
We're the only party in this campaign that's been making budget savings.
The only party willing to respect the budget surplus.
The only party putting downward pressure on interest rates.
For me, that's not just a policy.
It's a personal commitment.
Janine and I have got a great, big mortgage.
We live in a mortgage belt street.
We come from a mortgage belt community.
We know the importance of responsible economic management, of keeping interest rates low.
The Howard-Costello Government is the highest taxing government in Australia's history.
There is no shortage of funds flowing into Canberra.
Our task is to make better use of this money: to cut waste and mismanagement, to reorder priorities.
And that's what Labor has been doing.
So far, we have identified more than $27 billion in savings, with another half-a-billion announced this morning.
Responsible economic management.
Budgets are about choices.
And Labor's choice is to cut bureaucracy and wasteful spending to make way for our investments in education and health.
That's our priority: cutting at the centre of government and delivering new programs and opportunities for families and communities on the edge.
It's good economic policy,
and it's good for the fairness of our society.
Education
There's another area where the Howard Government has followed a user pays approach - the education of our children.
The Liberals and Nationals always run down the education system. Always.
It's only Labor that believes in opportunity for all.
And sees education as the greatest of all opportunities.
We believe in the next generation of young Australians.
And a Labor Government will invest in their future.
Reading books to our infant children - building literacy when it really matters, early in life.
Plus we'll extend the principles of public education into our child care and preschool systems:
A free day of learning for three and four year olds.
Something more than child minding - early childhood development.
And when our children go to school, we need to give them a fair funding system.
So that every Australian school can be a high-achievement school.
You know, I'm a very different person to Mr Howard.
But the biggest difference is this.
He sees a school like Kings in Sydney, with its vast resources, its boat shed and its rifle range, and he says: ''that's the sort of school that needs a 200% funding increase''.
I see schools in this country that haven't even got libraries or computers.
And my response: engage in any debate, take on any political fight, do whatever it takes to give these schools a fair share of funding.
Give them a library - books to read and computers to use.
Give these students a life full of opportunity and social justice.
For me, it doesn't matter whether they are government or non- government schools.
Our policy is about the fair funding of schools, not who runs them.
Under Labor's new system, all schools will be funded on the basis of need.
We will bring every Australian school up to a high national standard of resources and achievement.
The overall funding level for non-government schools will be maintained,
but with a fairer pattern of distribution.
Needy Catholic, Christian and Independent schools will receive an extra $520 million, at the expense of wealthy schools like Kings and Geelong Grammar.
Labor will also provide an extra $1.9 billion for government schools - lifting them up to our national standard of resources and results.
For the most disadvantaged parts of our society, they have one great hope in life: the neighbourhood government school at the end of their street.
It's their passport out of poverty.
As Prime Minister, I won't rest until that hope is fulfilled.
Until we can give every parent - not just some, but every parent - the most important guarantee and choice in life: no matter where they send their children, they will find a quality education.
Under Labor's plan, 19 out of 20 students will be better off - increased funding for 9,500 schools.
That's what I call equity in action.
And at the end of the school years, I don't want any talented child who has worked hard and studied hard to have to pause for a moment to see if they can afford a higher education.
It goes against the great Australian principle that rewards in life should flow from talent and hard work, not your bank balance.
That's why Labor will create 20,000 new university places and 20,000 new TAFE places, without the need for higher fees and student debt.
Before the last election, Mr Howard denied he was planning to create $100,000 degrees.
Now there are nearly 50 courses that cost that much.
You know, it must have been a non-core promise.
There will be no $100,000 university degrees under Labor.
We'll stop the Howard Government's 25 per cent increase in HECS and abolish its full-fee system.
And my fellow Australians, let's not forget that the skills and quality of our society relies on more than a good education system.
It relies on the quality of all our public institutions, especially our national public broadcaster.
That's why Labor will restore the independence of the ABC,
and restore its funding - an extra $105 million.
Plus, we'll run Australia's telecommunications system in the public interest.
That means keeping Telstra in majority public ownership.
There'll be no Telstra privatisation on my watch.
The Environment
And as we look to the future of our children, let's not forget the greatest intergenerational challenge of them all - saving our planet.
Australia must play a role in the international struggle against global warming.
Our national icons are at stake:
The coral bleaching and destruction of the Great Barrier Reef.
The flooding of Kakadu National Park with salt water.
No responsible leader could stand by and watch these things happen.
That's why Labor will ratify the Kyoto Protocol
and establish a carbon trading regime.
We need to be part of the lucrative international trade in carbon emissions.
It's good for the environment and good for the economy.
In this campaign, Labor is the party of sustainable development:
Increasing the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target from two to five per cent - giving clean industries like solar and wind power a future in this country.
Investing $1 billion to save the grand old river system, the Murray/Darling, with improved water efficiency and water flows.
And our commitment to halt land clearing, to protect our beaches and coastline and to lock away forever our greatest rainforest, the Daintree.
In the coming days of this campaign, I'll also be announcing Labor's plan to save the mighty Tasmanian forests, conserving one of our greatest natural assets for future generations.
National Security
Two days before this election, there's an historic anniversary: 7th October 1941, when John Curtin became Australia's Prime Minister.
Curtin's priority was the Defence of Australia - securing our country, in our part of the world.
In putting Australia first, he had to stand up not only to Winston Churchill but President Roosevelt as well.
But that didn't stop John Curtin building a new alliance, a new partnership with the United States.
And he built that partnership on the only worthwhile basis - mutual respect between two sovereign and independent people.
The Alliance is not the property of any Australian party or any particular American administration.
It belongs to our two great peoples.
I want to render the United States the best service any Australian Prime Minister ever could.
And that is to help the United States develop its true role of world leadership, based on respect, understanding and the cooperation demonstrated so powerfully after September 11, but undermined so tragically by the mistakes in Iraq.
Most of all, the impact of those mistakes in our region.
When Mr Howard sent Australian troops to the war in Iraq he knew, on advice, that his decision would make Australia less safe in the war against terror.
Now he says that he'll keep Australian troops in Iraq until they have finished the job.
But he can't tell them what the job is.
The real job for Australia is in our region,
working with our neighbours and with the United States.
And as Prime Minister, I'll sign up for that job, for as long as it takes.
This is where our permanent interests lie, not on the other side of the world.
This is where Labor will dedicate our resources in the war against terror - to our region, to our part of the world, to the real security of the Australian people.
Conclusion
My fellow Australians, Labor's plan for Australia's future draws its strength from four great sources: From the voice of the people themselves.
From the hard work of the Labor team I am honoured to lead.
From my pride in Labor's historic achievements for Australia.
And from my deepest convictions about a better way ahead for the country I love.
And those convictions, in turn, come from my community, the people who believe in me and my work, the people who have given me so much help, every step along the way.
When I was young, my mother taught me to believe in ambition and aspiration.
She gave me the best advice of all: study hard, work hard and live your life in the service of others.
The community I grew up in taught me to believe in Australia and the possibilities of progress.
A place called Green Valley gave me a passion, a belief in opportunity for all.
And now in my life and in my home, Janine and the boys have taught me the power of caring, of our love and time together.
They have made me a better man.
A man strong enough to know that he can lead this nation well.
That he can unite our people, not divide them.
That at 43 years of age - in the prime of my life - I have something to offer our country: the beliefs and values of a good society.
That's the Australia I believe in:
No matter where you come from, you should have the same chance to succeed in life.
A society where we look out for each other, not just ourselves.
And if someone falls, we pick them up and give them a second chance in life.
No one gets left behind.
I believe in governments helping people.
I believe in opportunity.
But I also know that the people should be enabled to help themselves - to work hard, to exercise responsibility.
There is no way out of poverty and disadvantage without having a go, without effort.
I want to lead a government that will free up the Australian people to have a go, by giving them all a fair-go.
This is what I mean by the ladder of opportunity - all Australians climbing upwards.
Making a better life for themselves and their families,
knowing that at the same time, they are making Australia stronger and fairer.
Only in this way can we end the drift into division and ever- widening inequality.
Only in this way can we restore a shared sense of purpose, every Australian participating in the life, work and future of the nation.
Making Australia truly prosperous and secure,
no longer growing apart, but growing together.
My fellow Australians, Australia needs, and needs now, a new government.
A government with optimism and energy:
A government, a Prime Minister with fire in the belly.
A Prime Minister in touch with the Australian people.
A leader who believes in the people and always trusts in them.
That's Labor's goal - to give this nation a government every bit as fair and warm-hearted as the Australian people themselves.
A government as big and generous in spirit as the country we love.
A government with the plans, the leadership, the will and the energy to take Australia forward.
A government for the people, not just the powerful.
A government that cares about the needy, the sick and the frail.
A government that gives real life expression to the great Australian ethos of a fair go for all.
A government for the many, not just the few.
That's why I'm asking for the support of the Australian people on the 9th October - to achieve these goals: our mighty crusade for a stronger, safer and fairer Australia, through the election of an Australian Labor Government.
Circuit, Barton ACT 2600.
26-Sep-04
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER
THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP
ADDRESS AT THE COALITION CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
BRISBANE
E&OE
Deputy Prime Minister, my fellow Australians.
Eight and a half years ago it became my immense privilege and honour to become the Prime Minister of this wonderful country of ours.
And over the eight and a half years, I have shared the hopes and aspirations and the dreams and the achievements of my fellow Australians.
I have tried to feel the pain and the grief of those of my fellow Australians left saddened through the loss of loved ones in tragedies such as the murder of 35 people at Port Arthur and the terrible deaths of 88 fellow Australians during the Bali attack and other disasters.
I have tried to understand and feel for the plight of struggling farmers, year after year gripped by drought, an undeserved lot, and the pain of seeing their crops wither and their hopes denied.
I’ve shared the exaltation that so many of us feel with the success not only of our sportsmen and women but also our scientists and our actors and our businessmen and women, who do Australia proud around the world.
Every day has been a new experience for me, everyday has been a reminder to me of the great character and decency and special nature which is the Australian way.
Every day has reminded me of that unique blend of toughness and compassion which is in reality the real Australia.
Yes, we can be tough and direct and laconic and resilient.
But when need arises we can be warm and embracing and outpouring and compassionate and care for those that need assistance.
It has been a great experience, it has been a humbling experience.
It has been a journey to reinforce my values as an Australian.
It has been a journey in which I’ve been accompanied by some wonderful colleagues and may I particularly mention the contribution along that journey of the Deputy Prime Minister, my friend, the leader of the National Party John Anderson.
And may I also mention the wonderful contribution that the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and Treasurer for the last eight and a half years Peter Costello has made to that journey.
Without them and all of my other colleagues we would not have achieved what has been achieved over that last eight and a half years.
I’ve had the values of Australians reinforced over that time.
I’ve also learnt that they want certain things from their Government but there are some things they don’t want from their Government.
They want their Government to create a climate of stability and security and reassurance but they don’t want their Governments to tell them how to live their lives.
They don’t want a behavioural policeman as a Prime Minister.
They want a Prime Minister who understands them
and will let them get on with their lives
and will give them freedom and choice and opportunity.
Like all elections, the election on the 9th of October is about a choice.
It’s about who can better secure Australia’s future as a nation.
It’s about who can better secure the future of Australian families.
When I called the election I asked a series of questions and they are as relevant today as they were then.
I said who do you better trust to keep living standards high and the economy strong?
Who do you better trust to keep your interest rates low?
Who do you better trust to lead Australia in the fight against the peril of international terrorism?
Who do you better trust to keep the budget strong and in surplus so that we can better afford to spend more on health and education and defence.
They are the issues, they are the questions that the Australian people will ask
and the answers are emphatic.
The journey of the last eight and a half years has involved many difficult decisions.
We inherited a $96 billion government debt.
We have repaid $73 billion of that.
I hear Mr Crean and Mr Latham saying that Labor Governments will stay in surplus.
As Peter Costello frequently says, never listen to what Labor says, remember what Labor did.
The last five Labor budgets alone produced cumulative deficits of $70 billion.
So the last time they had a go at getting a budget in surplus, they had five goes at it and they were in deficit each time and the total deficit was $70 billion.
And they talk about taking pressure off interest rates in government.
Just remember what they did when they last had a go.
Over the last eight and a half years we have embraced many reforms.
We have reformed our industrial relations system.
In 1998 after years of hesitation we finally had a Government with the courage to take on the Maritime Union of Australia.
We broke the back of union power on the waterfront
and the result has been higher productivity,
and the produce of Australia’s hard-working farmers no longer rots on the wharves of Australia.
We have reformed the taxation system.
We have reformed the welfare system.
When we brought in Work for the Dole, the Labor Party attacked it as a mickey mouse solution.
They now quietly claim that they are going to keep it.
These reforms, most of which were tenaciously opposed by the Labor Party from the very beginning.
Not only did they leave us with a huge deficit, they tried to stop us fixing it up.
But now, of course, they’re very happy to help themselves to surpluses that they could never generate in Government.
Our reforms and our efforts have yielded great results.
Our interest rates are the lowest in 30 years.
Our taxes are lower.
Unemployment is lower.
Our wages are higher.
I have no prouder claim as Prime Minister than to say that over the last eight and a half years real wages in this country have risen by between 13 to 14 per cent
against a miserable 2.6 per cent in the 13 years of Labor Government.
The Coalition has been a better friend of the workers of Australia than Labor could ever dream of being.
In 1996 there were 35 federal electorates in Australia that had double digit unemployment or worse, now there are only four.
These are the great human dividends of good economic policy.
Running the economy well only has a purpose if it delivers a human dividend, if it delivers things for the Australian people.
That has been our goal and that has been the outcome of our economic policies.
Australia stands proud and tall around the world.
We are respected for what we have achieved with our economy.
We are seen as a nation prepared to take a stand on difficult international issues.
We are a true and trusted and reliable friend.
When I became Prime Minister in 1996, I along with the other 20 million of my fellow Australians could not have imagined what lay ahead on the international scene.
We were not to know that the world would change forever on the 11th of September 2001
We could not foresee the terrible attack in Bali in 2002.
We did not know that we would be called upon and proudly able to do, to liberate the people of East Timor, and in many ways fulfil a debt that this nation, particularly the generation of World War II, owed to the wonderful people of Timor.
Terrorism has cast a dark cloud over the world, but it is a challenge that must be repulsed, and a challenge best repulsed by us being determined to live the lives of a free and democratic society.
It will be a long fight and a difficult fight, and we must do it in cooperation with our friends all around the world, and most particularly here in our region.
But whether popular or not, I will never hesitate to do what is right and necessary, whatever is right and necessary, to protect Australia and the Australian people against the threat of terrorism.
Our defence alliance with the United States is the cornerstone of our national security.
I support the American alliance because it is in Australia's national interest to do so.
We could never forget our history and we should understand the power realities of today.
But we have demonstrated, despite what our critics predicted, that we have been able to build ever-closer ties with the United States
and also grow closer to the nations of our region.
Only a Coalition Prime Minister could have been host to President Bush and President Hu Jintao on successive days as they addressed joint sittings of our National Parliament.
The growth of our trade relationship with China has been one of the great successes of the last eight and a half years,
and we have continued to build and strengthen our relations with other countries in the region such as the traditional markets of Japan and Korea.
It is never necessary in foreign or trade policy to choose between your history and your geography.
We can remain faithful to our traditional allies and allegiances
while building and strengthening our partnerships in the region.
Foreign policy often carries difficult decisions, and no decision that I've had to make in this area over the last eight and a half years was more difficult than our decision to join the Coalition in Iraq.
That decision was the right decision.
If I had my time again, I would take the same decision.
The world is a better place, the Middle East is a better place, without Saddam Hussein.
Australian forces will stay in Iraq until they finish their job.
We will not cut and run before Christmas or any other arbitrary date.
My friends, we all prize the financial security of our families.
Let me say this, and it's not just my view, but it's a view frequently expressed to me as I move around this country talking to Australian families.
Nothing threatens that security more directly than the prospect of rising interest rates.
Rising interest rates dominates everything else when it comes to family security.
Just a tiny upward movement in interest rates more than devours a few dollars of taxation relief or additional family benefits.
There is no economic credential for office more crucial than a capacity to keep interest rates low.
I claim very directly that interest rates under a Labor Government would always be higher than under a Coalition Government, and that claim is based on two things.
It's based on the historical record of what happened when they were last in government.
Nobody will ever forget the 17 per cent housing interest rates, the 20.5 per cent small business interest rates, the 22 or 23 per cent Bill rates that many farmers had to pay.
Nobody will forget that.
If the interest rates that obtained in 1996 had continued, the average borrower in Australia would now be paying $500 a month more on their housing loan.
That is the dimension of what they did when they last had charge of the Government of this country.
My claim that interest rates would be higher under Labor is also supported by the impact of their industrial relations policy.
They will run an industrial relations policy where wages will rise not based on productivity, because they will take productivity out of the equation, and if wages go up not based on productivity, they become inflationary.
And inevitably if you have inflationary wage rises, the Reserve Bank will retaliate by lifting interest rates.
That is my case, that is my charge, that is my argument.
That is why I assert unconditionally that interest rates will always be higher under a Labor Government than a Coalition Government.
Our budget, thanks to the magnificent work of Peter Costello and his colleagues, is strong and in surplus.
They are the surpluses generated by the Coalition in the face of fierce opposition from the Australian Labor Party.
As a result, we have been able to invest record amounts in health, in education, in roads, in defence, and to give taxation relief and additional family benefits.
The Coalition and the Labor Party are divided in this election campaign on many issues.
But there's one issue on which we are not divided.
Both sides of politics in Australia are committed to the maintenance of Medicare.
There is no argument between the Labor Party and the Coalition on Medicare.
In fact, the Coalition has strengthened Medicare by the introduction of a Medicare safety net.
But Labor would abolish the Medicare safety net.
Labor would take away a measure that has already provided invaluable support to 600,000 Australians and their families.
We have a strong and prosperous economy, but our goals for the future must be to further strengthen and to preserve that strong economy for the benefit of ourselves and our children.
That can only happen if we are prepared to tackle head on the major challenges that must be faced over the next decade and beyond.
We must maintain and strengthen the productivity gains of recent years.
We must further entrench the entrepreneurial culture within the Australian nation.
We must address the ageing of our population
and we must balance our need for economic growth with protection of our precious environment.
So much of our economic growth to date has been based on productivity improvements.
There are two threats to this.
The first of those threats, which I have outlined, is that of Labor's industrial relations policy.
Labor would return control of industrial relations to the union movement.
Only 17.5 per cent of the private sector workforce in this country belongs to a union, yet Labor wants to give 100 per cent control of that system to the trade union movement.
Labor will abolish Australian Workplace Agreements.
Labor will adopt a double standard in relation to secondary boycotts under the Trade Practices Act.
Labor will give unions a special deal, Labor will bring back preference clauses.
The cover was blown on that by the CFMEU on Friday.
Labor will require anybody who makes a contract with the Federal Government to disclose the identity of the subcontractors.
Labor will go back to the 50s and 60s when it comes to industrial relations
and that will inevitably produce inflationary wage rises with all the consequences for interest rates that that entails.
The other great challenge is of course our shortage of skills and in a way this has been a consequence of our very economic success and I will therefore have something to say about that issue in a moment.
But I have some policy initiatives to outline to you today including one in relation to skills.
Let me say that all of the initiatives that I outline today reflect very directly the values and attitudes which have shaped me all the years that I’ve spent in public life.
First and foremost a belief in the central role of the family in the Australian community.
A belief that the family is the greatest source of emotional support and inspiration that an individual can ever have.
As the son of a small business owner an unshakeable belief in the role of dynamic small business as an engine of economic progress and personal self-fulfillment.
A passionate belief in flexible workplaces free of rigidity in the industrial system and unwanted union interference.
And a firm commitment to strong budgets as the way to keep interest rates down
and underpin a capacity to spend more in areas of human services.
There’s a golden thread that runs through so many Coalition policies and that is that great principle of choice.
Greater choice for families to choose how they will balance their work and their family responsibilities.
Greater choice for entrepreneurial Australians to start and expand their small business.
Greater choice and opportunity for young Australians to develop their talents to the full.
And importantly, greater choice for Australian parents to decide how and where their children will be educated.
I also want greater choice in health and education
backed by an unyielding commitment to universal high standards.
Australia should never be a nation defined by class or envy, but rather a nation united by mateship and achievement.
Australia is facing a national skills shortage in traditional trades such as carpenters, welders, auto-electricians, motor mechanics, brick layers, chefs and hairdressers.
This is in part a product of our great economic success.
It’s also the legacy of some bad decisions we made a generation or more ago.
This country made a big mistake 30 or 40 years ago when it turned its back on the old system of having technical skills.
Those skills taught earlier generations to be tradesman and women.
We now must reinvest in the future of the 70% of young Australians who do not go directly to university when they leave school.
I want an Australian nation in which a high quality technical education is as prized as a university degree.
And what is more – so do millions of Australians.
We have already announced a number of measures in this area, including the funding of tool kits for 34,000 new apprentices
and the establishment of an Institute of Trade Skill Excellence.
But today, I announce the centerpiece of our drive to tackle skills shortages and to revolutionise vocational education and training throughout Australia.
A re-elected Coalition Government will establish 24 Australian Technical Colleges to accelerate national skills development in traditional trades.
These select high achievement colleges will provide tuition in a given year for up to 7,200 students in years 11 and 12 and will offer both academic and vocational education to students.
These colleges will be located in regions suffering serious skills shortages and high rates of youth unemployment and which are supported by a significant industry base.
They will be based all around the country, from Darwin to Northern Tasmania, across to Adelaide, to Perth and right here in Queensland.
New colleges will be located in Northern Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Gladstone and Townsville.
These colleges will operate independently of the State education system.
They will be run by the principals, and teachers will be recruited on the basis of performance based pay.
They will send a powerful signal to young Australians that trade skills offer a proven path to a rewarding career.
To further encourage skills excellence we will also introduce Commonwealth Scholarships for New Apprentices in priority trades after their first and second year of apprenticeship.
And importantly we will extend the Youth Allowance to apprentices thus putting them on the same footing as university students.
This will be of particular help to many low income families.
And also the Coalition will further invest in skills by allocating a portion of the money spent on defence equipment and maintenance towards additional skills training.
This will represent an investment of an extra $200 million over 10 years for skills development and training.
A re-elected Coalition Government will invest more than $100 million to build an Australian Network of Industry Careers Advisers.
We will do this by significantly expanding the role of some 216 community partnerships across Australia especially as a vehicle for partnering industry with professional career advisers.
We aim at nothing less than assisting all young Australians from age 13 to 19 to make a successful transition from school to an enduring career.
My friends, one of the things our network of career advisers will do is to give young Australians greater exposure to local role models running their own businesses.
Small businesses are the heart and soul of the Australian economy.
There are 1.2 million of them, employing almost 3.5 million Australians.
They are dynamic.
Many new small businesses are started by women.
Many operate from home.
They represent the new face of innovative Australia.
The new face of entrepreneurial Australia.
We must do more to encourage them, to entrench that culture, and to bring on more.
That’s why I’m especially pleased to announce a series of measures at furthering entrenching the enterprise culture within this country.
A re-elected Coalition Government will further reduce small business taxes,
consolidate our flexible industrial relations system
and provide emphasis and impetus to further small business growth.
First, we will extend the Simplified Tax System to include businesses accounting on an accruals basis.
This will permit more businesses, including in particular, many in the farming sector to take advantage of the concessions associated with the Simplified Taxation System and that will give tax relief of over $330 million to small businesses over a period of three years.
Secondly, and importantly, we’re going to provide extra incentive and encouragement to small business growth through the introduction, from the 1st of July next year, of a new 25% Entrepreneurs Tax Discount.
Small businesses that are in the Simplified Tax System, and have an annual turnover of $50,000 or less, will be eligible for a 25% discount on their income tax liability in respect of their business income.
This initiative is, in essence, a kick-start, a special, upfront incentive for enterprising Australians, especially many of the micro or home-based businesses in the critical, early days of a business when they need that extra help to get a start.
The discount will begin to phase out when the turnover passes $50,000.
The new discount will provide significant relief of more than $900 million over a period of three years.
We’re also determined to further improve the regulatory environment for small business.
Today I announce that stemming from the recent review of the income tax self-assessment system, if re-elected, we will reduce, from the current four years to two years, the amendment period in which the Australian Taxation Office can audit and adjust the tax assessment of businesses within the Simplified Taxation System.
It’s an understatement to say that that will significantly reduce the record keeping compliance requirement, and therefore, add to the peace of mind of many men and women in small business.
I also want to announce another measure – geared towards the burgeoning home based business sector.
About 785,000 Australian entrepreneurs operate from home, or largely from home, many more want to start up at home.
But one of the problems is that many councils impose restrictions on the types of businesses allowed to operate from home, on floor space, and placement and size of signs, employee numbers and the like.
Some councils however, have adopted a more flexible regulatory approach, a framework that allows small businesses a little more freedom.
So to further encourage the local government sector to help the small business sector the Coalition will introduce a Regulation Reduction Incentive Fund
and it will be established with an initial amount from the Commonwealth of $50 million and local governments will compete for payments from the fund based on their proposals to reduce red tape and regulatory complexity and compliance requirements for the home-based business sector.
Of all of our reforms to small business none of course have been more important than our crusade to improve industrial relations, to give them more freedom and flexibility at the workplace level.
And today I want to announce that as a result of the ever increasing contribution that independent contractors make to our economy, a reelected Coalition Government will establish separate legislation to enshrine and protect the status of independent contractors.
There are more than a million independent contractors in Australia, including owner-drivers, which includes taxi drivers, sole traders, building sub-contractors and cleaners and the list goes on.
They opt for freedom and flexibility but they are always under attack from unions.
And Labor Governments would seek to frustrate them and to get them into the industrial relations net.
That’s why a re-elected Coalition Government will legislate to protect the rights of independent contractors
and stop unions looking to restrict their freedom to choose how they want to work.
A new Independent Contractors Act would ensure that freedom of contract for independent contractors is enshrined and preserved, that they have a firewall built around them to protect them from the deprivation of unions and unfriendly Labor governments who would seek to impose limits and constraints on their freedom to contract.
Our commitment to small business is strong, consistent and enduring.
But so, of course, is our commitment to the Australian family, an unshakable belief that it really is the centre of the life of this nation
and a belief that the role of government is not to tell parents how to bring up their children, not to tell parents where they should be educated, not to tell parents whether one or other should be at home full time when the children are young.
But rather to create policies and a climate in which parents can decide because they are the best people placed to make that decision – how their children will be raised, where they will be educated and who will care for them and for how long each day.
Unlike Mr Latham, I respect those mothers, and in some cases fathers in Australia, who decide that the best thing for them is that mum or dad should be at home full time while the children are young.
I will never lead a Government that punishes and penalises stay at home mothers.
How dare Mr Latham say to a single income family on $35,000 a year with three children that that family should be $461 a year worse off.
We have brought the principle of choice to all of our policies and importantly, I bring a new dimension to our policies today in relation to childcare.
We have spent more than $8 billion on childcare in the six years from 1996 to 2002, more than double that in the last six years of the Labor Government.
Our policies have seen an 84 per cent increase in the number of childcare places
and as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting parental choice in relation to childcare,
I announce today that if the Coalition is re-elected, we will introduce a new taxation rebate of 30 per cent on parents out of pocket childcare expenses.
This new rebate recognises that childcare costs faced by families vary enormously across the country, and providing a rebate on the out of pocket cost, supports families choosing the childcare service which best suits their needs.
At the same time, to ensure complete fairness of treatment for families where one parent makes the choice to stay at home full time, we will provide an appropriate increase in the rate of Family Tax Benefit B.
That is the benefit paid to parents who are at home full time caring for their children.
We also, I believe, need these days to be more responsive as a society to the special needs of grandparents who are called increasingly to look after grandchildren as a result of family breakdowns.
They are heroic people.
They’ve spent their lives raising their own children and suddenly they find they must do the same thing again for their grandchildren.
And they do it out of the love they naturally have for those children.
And to give grandparents caring for their grandchildren greater support, a re-elected Coalition government will improve access to child care through a relaxation of the eligibility requirements and greater access to higher benefits.
We’ll waive the work study training test for access to child care benefits and that will enable grandparents to access full time childcare at 50 hours a week if required.
We’ll also make child care more affordable for grandparents in receipt of income support, by enabling them to have access to special rate child care benefit.
Earlier this year, with Brendan Nelson, I announced that the Coalition would invest a record $31.3 billion in Australia’s schools over the next four years.
That was an increase of $8 billion over the previous 4 years.
We will continue to drive high national standards in Australian schools including through our flagship literacy and numeracy programmes.
We are ensuring that students benefit through greater national consistency and from values programmes
and we’ll ensure that parents receive plain English language reports, so they know how their child is performing against national benchmarks.
We will maintain our unwavering commitment to the right of parents to decide where their children will be educated.
The Coalition has an unconditional commitment to parental choice in education.
There will be no hit lists under the Coalition.
Hit lists never shrink, they only grow.
Consistently over the years, the Commonwealth has looked in dismay at the failure of State Governments around Australia to match the funding increases for their own government schools, at the same rate as the Commonwealth has increased its share of the funding of government schools.
This, notwithstanding the growing revenues that State Governments are receiving from the GST.
I am no longer prepared in the face of this to do nothing further, because I believe that there are some areas of assistance both in relation to government schools and the poorer resourced independent schools that need some assistance.
Our strong budget position means that we can now afford to make an additional capital injection into those two categories of schools.
A re-elected Coalition government will invest over a period of four years, an additional $1 billion over its existing funding, to upgrade classrooms, libraries, basic amenities and grounds of government and poorly resourced non-government schools.
In relation to the government schools, we're going to do things a little differently this time.
We're not going to pay the money to the State Governments.
We're going to deal directly with the parent bodies.
We're going to ask the parent bodies, in conjunction with the principals, to submit their plans directly to the Federal Government.
And of the billion dollars, $700 million is going to be allocated to government schools and $300 million to the poorer resourced Catholic and independent schools.
And pity help any state government that tries to get in the way of the local P&C getting their share of this new programme.
I said earlier that there were many issues that divided the Government and the Labor Party, but one of them was not Medicare.
In Australia, we're very fortunate to have a strong network of general practice as the first line of treatment for illness and injury.
And our goal is to ensure that as many people as possible have access to quality and convenient GP services when they need them.
Earlier in the campaign I announced 100 per cent Medicare, which from the 1st of January next year will increase GP Medicare rebates to 100 per cent of the Medicare fee.
Today I am delighted to announce Round the Clock Medicare, the Coalition's plan to increase Australians' access to after hours General Practitioner services.
This programme will extend the benefits of these initiatives to weeknights and weekends.
While it is relatively easy to find a GP in most parts, not all parts, in standard hours, it's more difficult to find GPs providing services after hours - weekdays and evenings and weekends, Saturday afternoons and on Sundays.
And this new programme - Round the Clock Medicare - invests in after hours GP services in two ways.
Firstly by giving GPs greater incentives to practice after hours by increasing Medicare rebates on after hours GP services by $10 from the 1st of January 2005.
This loading will be over and above the other benefits of strengthening Medicare and 100 per cent Medicare.
And secondly, investing in much needed after hours GP infrastructure by providing recurrent operating subsidies to up to 30 after hours GP services in areas of high demand; providing startup funding to up to 30 new after hours GP services, and providing recurrent supplementary assistance to up to 100 after hours services in outer suburban and regional areas to ensure their viability.
Labor's preferred solution is after hours GP clinics co-located with public hospitals, but this is a partial and limited approach.
The Coalition's after hours plan will encourage a range of models, including GP cooperatives, mobile medical locum services, and dedicated free standing after hours clinics.
And I repeat, so that there is no misunderstanding.
We will retain the Medicare Safety Net, Labor will cut it out of the heart of Medicare.
My friends, the Coalition has a vision for a world class system of aged care
that recognises the individual needs of older Australians.
The Coalition understands that if older Australians need care, they want choice in when, how and where it is delivered, and increasingly they want it delivered to them at home.
We also recognize the profound effect that dementia has on those living with the condition, their carers, their families and their other loved ones, and indeed our community as a whole.
A reelected Coalition Government therefore will allocate $200 million over a period of four years to support a major dementia initiative.
First, we will invest $52 million over the next four years to assist people with dementia by making dementia a National Health Priority.
This will provide a focus for collaboration between governments and other organisations for monitoring, reporting on and developing strategies to improve health outcomes for people living with dementia.
Second, we'll provide $127 million for an extra 2,000 extended Aged Care In the Home packages, specifically targeted to people with dementia.
And third, we'll provide $20 million to expand the Carer Education and Workforce Training project.
This will provide dementia specific training for up to 8,000 community care staff and residential care workers, and up to 6,000 extra carers and community workers such as police and transport staff.
This is a necessary response to a growing health challenge that affects a growing number of people in the community, and I want it to be one of the major health priorities of the Government in its next term.
My friends, the initiatives I have outlined this morning underpin our commitment to a stronger economic future for our nation.
They have been made possible only because of the economic success of the last eight and a half years.
Promises made in an election campaign mean nothing if you don't have a strong economy providing the wherewithal to make those promises affordable and achievable.
Without a strong economy, you cannot sustain the automatic indexation of the aged pension.
Without a strong economy, you cannot sustain a growing investment in health and education.
Without a strong economy, you cannot sustain a growing investment in roads.
Without a strong economy, you cannot afford to adequately defend the nation.
Without a strong economy, you cannot deliver security and certainty to Australian families so that they can live their lives in peace and plan carefully for their future.
The greatest legacy that this Government has given the Australian nation over the last eight and a half years is the strongest, best performing economy that we have seen since World War II.
It has not happened by accident.
It's not a fluke.
It's not been done by signing pieces of cardboard.
It has been done by hard work and difficult decisions.
And again let me remind you, it's been done in the teeth of tenacious opposition from the Labor Party to virtually every fundamental reform that we have tried to bring about.
They tried to stop us getting the budget back into the black, they opposed our industrial relations reforms, they opposed our taxation reforms, they opposed many of our welfare reforms.
They have been not only a failure in government in terms of budget policy, but they have been a negative force in Opposition.
My friends, Australian families want security and the greatest security that we can give them is the assurance that their interest rates will be kept as low as possible.
Nothing threatens their security more than the prospect of rising interest rates.
Nothing is more certain than if economic policy is allowed to slip into the hands of those who, when they last had control of it, delivered five budget deficits in a row, that there will be massive upward pressure on interest rates.
My friends, there is much to be done.
The journey of the last eight and a half years has been a journey which has brought us a stronger, prouder, more prosperous, more respected Australia.
An Australia bound together by the common bonds of egalitarianism and mateship, an Australia made up of people proudly drawn from the four corners of the earth - all of them making a wonderful contribution to our modern nation, a modern nation which is proud of its history, proud of its traditions, but ready to change and adapt in the face of changing world circumstances.
We Australians have many characteristics.
We are tough when it's needed.
We're warm and soft and compassionate when that's needed.
But we're also adaptable.
Australians are great improvisers.
We adapt to change.
It must have something to do with our bush background and the need to innovate and be ready for changed circumstances and to get by in a difficult situation.
And our workplace has changed over the last 20 years.
We understand that we live in a globalised economy and that we must relate to that if we are to survive and we are to prosper.
It's because of those things, that only the policies of a Coalition Government, with its rejection of the rigidities of the old industrial relations system, that can guarantee a continuation of the productivity and the growth that has brought us this distance.
My friends, we do face that simple choice on the 9th of October - a choice between a Coalition which has demonstrated a capacity to deliver security to the nation and security to the nation's families.
A Coalition that has demonstrated a capacity to project the policies for the future that will guarantee a continuation of our productivity and all the other changes that are needed to deliver us even greater prosperity.
And the alternative is a Labor Party which is still locked in its trade union industrial relations past, that despite all of the changes of the modern world, still believes that individual Australian workers cannot be trusted to make a decision on their own as to their employment conditions, that still believe despite the dwindling trade union membership in this nation, that 100 per cent of decisions in relation to industrial relations should be given to the trade union movement.
My friends, it has been an immense privilege to be the Prime Minister of this wonderful country over the last eight and a half years, a privilege I have shared with some wonderful colleagues, and a privilege which all of us want to go on sharing so that we can re-dedicate ourselves to the service of the Australian people and the great cause of the nation we love so much.
Thank you.
SPEECH TO COALITION CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
By John Anderson
Deputy Prime Minister
Leader of The Nationals
Brisbane, 26 September 2004
Mark Vaile and I, as Deputy Leader and Leader of The Nationals, are delighted and honoured to be here in this great city in this great State to launch the Liberal-National Party Coalition’s campaign for re-election, jointly with the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and of course the Leader of the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister of Australia.
It is our unshakeable belief that the government we are privileged to help lead is the stronger because it is a Coalition.
And we are equally unshakeable in our belief that the team you see, together, before you today is the better team to take our nation forward over the next three years.
Peter Costello – let me say how much I’ve enjoyed working with you in government over the past eight-and-a-half years.
Let me record my respect for you, for your competency, and your commitment to Australians, and let me acknowledge the crown you’ve surely earned as Australia’s best-ever Treasurer.
The outstanding economic management of the past eight and a half years - the lowest inflation in decades, the lowest interest rates in decades, the lowest transport and waterfront costs ever in real terms - has been totally critical to the survival of countless farms and small businesses during the worst drought in 100 years.
As Warren Truss points out, serious as it has been, the damage wreaked by this drought has been much less serious than the devastation of the 90s drought, when farmers and small businesses in the country were paying more than 20 percent interest rates.
Remember them?
Don’t ever forget who gave them to you.
In those days the major tenant in the main streets of our regional towns was someone called “For Lease”.
Over our time in office no less than 440,000 new jobs have been created in regional Australia.
Unemployment is down from 9.3 percent in March 1996 to 6.1 percent today, compared with 5 percent in the cities.
We aim to bring it down still more.
Country Australians will never be forgotten Australians while we are in government.
We’ve not forgotten them as we have tackled big policy issues like water and transport infrastructure and trade and the future of agriculture.
The National Water Initiative coupled with the $2 billion water package announced by the Prime Minister and I in Adelaide two weeks ago restores certainty and security in water management for the environment and for water users.
The money will help us do so much more, so much better, on the driest inhabited continent on earth, where the residents use more water per year than anyone else in the OECD.
Australia will see the equivalent of two Snowy Mountain Schemes in road and rail nation building over the next five years.
We can invest $12.5 billion because we have managed the economy properly.
Mark Vaile’s work on the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement sees him earn his place with John McEwen, who secured the Australia-Japan Pact in 1957.
Like Black Jack, Mark Vaile could see the jobs that his trade agreement would bring
– while the Australian Labor Party was blind to the opportunities.
Warren Truss with the Agriculture Advancing Australia initiative, through programmes like Farm Management Deposits, FarmBiz and his vital sugar assistance package, has developed clear pathways for the future for those who grow our food and fibre.
We went into office in 1996 with a vision.
It’s a vision that we still hold to now:
• to restore the regional services that had withered under Labor;
• to encourage new businesses and industries into our regional towns and cities;
• to help rebuild regional communities so they were once again places where we could not only bring up our children in safety, but also offer our young adults a secure and rewarding future; and
• to give the people of regional Australia the power to make their own decisions about what is best for them and to give them the tools to do it.
And because we are practical people in The Nationals, it has been a practical vision – with practical outcomes.
We found a new way to give country people an effective mobile phone service,
after the Labor Government’s disastrous and cynical decision to close the analogue mobile phone network.
We have helped small centres restore the government, financial and community services lost in the Labor years by helping them set up rural transaction centres.
And we have made sure that local people – not bureaucrats in Canberra – choose the services that local people get.
We have ensured that universities take more country kids into their medical schools, because we know that country kids are more likely to return to the regional Australia they grew up in, and become country doctors and nurses.
We have made sure that Australian Government money to improve local roads is paid direct to local government, so that local councils can apply their own local priorities.
And we rewrote the rules for regional development programmes to forge a partnership between Commonwealth and community, because we know that the best solution to a local problem is the solution that local people find and support.
There is now a real sense of resurgence in many country towns and communities.
The “For Lease” signs are coming down and being replaced by new business names as people are encouraged by a stable and growing economy to get out and have a go.
There are new industries, more jobs, better jobs, and towns are again looking neat and proud and their business centres more vibrant.
The revitalisation of regional Australia is also encouraging people to stay in regional Australia.
Three weeks ago, I met a young couple living and working in Gladstone.
They have just bought their first home with the help of this Government’s first-home owners’ scheme,
and are planning a family.
Buying a house is a big commitment and for this couple it is not just a financial commitment, but a commitment to Gladstone as well.
They have made a decision to stay in their regional city.
The low mortgage interest rates flowing from this government’s policies played a big part in their decision to buy a house; and their confidence in the economic future of Gladstone underwrites their decision to stay.
They have a lot at stake.
Gladstone and Charters Towers here in Queensland, Murwillumbah and Ballina in NSW, Sale and Bairnsdale in Victoria – the whole of regional Australia – has a lot at stake in this election.
Because all the good work and progress that this government has achieved for regional Australia is under threat from a Latham Labor government.
The Nationals have achieved a lot for regional Australia because we have been a strong and hard-working responsible coalition partner with the Liberal Party.
I know how coalitions work, and I know what can be done.
What concerns me is the possibility of the future of regional Australia being in the hands of a different sort of Coalition – an alliance between a Latham Labor government and Bob Brown’s Greens.
This is an alliance that would remove the certainty of economic management that underpins Australia’s low interest rate, low inflation economy,
and would drive up the cost of home ownership and business investment in every regional city and country town.
It is an alliance that would be held hostage to radical green environmental agendas, and would undermine the investment in our minerals industries that is the basis of regional economies like that of Gladstone –
where our young couple is about to start a family.
It would blame farmers for growing food,
and rob them of the water they use to provide our cities with the freshest and best value food in the world.
Labor states and territories would feel free to plunder the Commonwealth purse to prop up their own failed budgets
while continuing their mismanagement of our public hospitals and public schools
- or, in the case of regional Australia, to simply close the hospitals and schools and walk away.
And it is an alliance that would undermine the family and social values that country people – I believe most Australians – hold dear, by dangerous social experimentations in drug policy.
Ladies and gentlemen, Labor’s pronouncements in this election campaign have shown that a Latham Labor government would be one that has forgotten what governments should be about:
. to ensure the country is secure,
.. to manage the economy properly,
.. ensure that the needy are cared for
.. – and then to get out of the way and allow Australians families and businesses to get on with it.
This is a truth that The Nationals and the Coalition have not forgotten, and will not forget.
My particular vision for a fourth term in government, and the task I give my party as a partner in Coalition with the Liberal Party, is to ensure that our regional cities and country towns and communities obtain the services and infrastructure they need to build on their renewed foundations and realise the promise of their future.
This vision presents us with significant challenges but The Nationals are determined to meet them.
This will be a term when we will complete the business of ensuring that city and country people have comparable services.
We should never accept – and The Nationals will not accept – that the answer to the problem of providing services to regional Australia is to give up: to either remove services or to simple not offer them in the first place.
All too often, that has been the solution applied by Labor state governments.
That must not be our answer, because that means there would be a great divide in our nation:
. a city Australia enjoying all the benefits of a successful and growing modern economy;
.. and a regional Australia constantly lagging behind
and deprived of the proper rewards for its contribution to the nation.
The real answer lies in two parts.
The first is to work with regional communities in identifying specific problems and finding specific answers.
On Friday, I announced a substantial expansion to our regional policy.
We continue to listen to regional Australians and to put their needs into action.
We have listened to the needs of families in isolated and remote areas who are struggling with the growing cost of educating their children, and will provide significant additional help with the costs of hostels, remote education, and boarding fees.
And we will help small rural communities to build medical centres, and expand Medicare so there are more practice nurses carrying out preventive health checks
– particularly for rural women.
The second part of the answer for regional Australia is to continue to get the national economy right.
The best policies any government can give regional Australia are:
• Low interest rates,
• Low inflation, and
• Low unemployment
In this uncertain world, I would add a fourth to that list: national security.
On all counts, this government and this Liberal-National Coalition has performed very well in delivering these policies for regional Australia.
Rebuilding and securing Australia’s national economy has not been an easy task and, particularly in the early years, has required tough decisions that have not always been popular.
My Nationals team has stayed the course, because we knew how vital it was to get the job done
It has required dedication and teamwork from National and Liberal Ministers, Members and Senators.
It could not have been achieved without a strong Coalition partnership – and it could not have been done without the understanding and support of the man I am about to introduce.
This is a man of great leadership, a man of conviction, with the courage to do what he knows is right rather than just what happens to be popular – and the determination to see it through.
He is a man who takes counsel readily, but brings his own wisdom and sound judgement to the matters of the day.
A man who doesn’t flinch when the going gets tough.
Australia is fortunate to have such a man leading this government, and it is my great pleasure to invite him forward: the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard
Greens Policy Snapshots for the 2007 Federal Election
Climate Change and Clean Energy
The Greens have recognised that climate change is serious and urgent for more than a decade, but governments and industry are yet to take real action.
If global warming of 2°C above pre-industrial levels occurs the impacts will be too severe and the risks of runaway climate change too great.
Urgent action to stop the growth in greenhouse gas emissions must start now.
The Greens recognise that energy efficiency and renewable energy options present huge opportunities to create new jobs
and export dollars in clean technologies.
The Greens will:
· Base all climate policy on constraining global warming to less than 2°C
· Introduce binding, science-based targets to reduce emissions by 30% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% by 2050
· Put a price on carbon
· Introduce energy efficiency targets and standards for appliances, buildings and infrastructure
· Significantly increase renewable energy production by boosting the current 2% target to 15% of our electricity by 2012 and 25% by 2020
· Provide a long-term price guarantee for renewably produced electricity
· Redirect massive subsidies for fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency
· Plan to help coal communities move to sustainable industries as coal use and exports are phased out.
· End logging of our old growth and high conservation value forest carbon stores
· Ratify the Kyoto Protocol, and lead the negotiation of a strong, legally binding second phase.
Nuclear is No Solution
The Greens are the only parliamentary party opposed to all aspects of the nuclear industry.
Nuclear power is directly linked to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Future generations must not be burdened with its toxic waste for which there is no safe disposal.
When renewable energy and energy efficiency can reduce emissions faster and cheaper, nuclear power is just a dangerous distraction.
The Greens will end the mining and export of uranium
and oppose the establishment of nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel processing, enrichment facilities and radioactive waste dumps.
Fair Workplaces
The Howard Government’s WorkChoices regime is extreme and unfair.
WorkChoices makes life tougher for working families,
makes it harder for young workers to get ahead
and increases the pay gap for working women.
The Greens believe in creating a fair and equitable industrial relations system
which protects the internationally recognised rights of all workers.
The Greens are committed to restoring the work/life balance which is under increasing pressure for so many Australians.
The Greens will:
· Repeal the federal WorkChoices legislation in its entirety
· Abolish Australian Workplace Agreements and guarantee the right to collectively bargain
· Establish a strong expanded safety net of minimum conditions, and restore the award system
and restore the award system
· Provide universal access to unfair dismissal laws
· Return conciliation and arbitration powers (including setting minimum wages) to the independent Australian Industrial Relations Commission
· Protect the rights of employees to take industrial action and protect legitimate union activity
and protect legitimate union activity
· Introduce national industrial manslaughter laws.
Family and Community Life
Working people are finding it increasingly difficult to balance work with family, care and community responsibilities.
We are in danger of sacrificing our quality of life and becoming a less caring and friendly community.
The Greens are concerned with the happiness and well-being of all Australians,
and are committed to introducing laws and policies that support balanced lives.
We believe that accessible, affordable, high-quality childcare is essential for supporting family and community life.
The Greens will:
· Provide a government funded parental leave scheme based on 18 weeks of paid leave and 34 weeks of unpaid leave
· Introduce a right to flexible working hours for caring responsibilities, including a right to return to work part-time after parental leave
· Increase childcare payments to low and middle income families
· Replace the Child Care Tax rebate with a Child Care Benefit Guarantee
· Prioritise funding of community based not-for-profit childcare centres
· Provide incentives for workplaces to offer not-for-profit childcare in-house
· Provide greater support and assistance to family carers.
Environment
Protecting our environment and conserving the diversity of life are essential for the wellbeing of all life on Earth.
Habitat loss and fragmentation, together with the spread of invasive species, pose serious threats.
Loss of this biodiversity makes our ecosystems less resilient to climate change.
The Greens have a long-term commitment to protecting our environment.
We take a comprehensive approach to conservation that recognises the interconnectedness of land and marine ecosystems.
The Greens will:
· End broad-scale land-clearing and clearing of remnant vegetation
· Fund and enforce recovery plans for threatened and endangered species
· Ensure a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of protected areas
· Support landowners to protect and restore nature conservation values on their land
· End the logging of old growth and high conservation value forests
· Introduce an Oceans Act to ensure the sustainable use of our marine and coastal resources
· Support a comprehensive international ban on commercial and “scientific” whaling.
Forests
The Greens are the only party campaigning to protect the great ancient forests of Tasmania and South Eastern Australia from logging and burning.
The tremendous conservation value of these forests is increased by the fact that they are huge ‘carbon banks’ in the fight against climate change.
In 2006, Bob Brown won a landmark victory when the Federal Court found the Commonwealth environment law, which should protect threatened and endangered species, did not do so.
The court ordered the Wielangta forest and its endangered species be protected.
This has huge implications for logging native forests throughout Australia.
Health
The Greens believe that everyone has the right to timely, high quality health care.
The fairest and most efficient way to achieve this is through a strong and well-resourced public health system.
The Greens will divert funds currently going into the privatisation of health care back to public health.
We will focus on health promotion and illness prevention as the most cost effective way to spend on health.
The Greens will:
· Develop a National Health Care Strategy
· Redirect the $3 billion private health insurance rebate to public health and hospitals
· Protect and extend Medicare
· Ban junk food advertising on children’s television
· Establish 24 hour community mental health services
· Support harm minimisation strategies for drug users
· Protect women’s access to affordable, safe abortion and reproductive health services including genuine pregnancy counselling
· Establish a taskforce to plan for the health impacts of climate change
· Maintain the integrity of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and restrict pharmaceutical advertising
and restrict pharmaceutical advertising
Dental Care
Access to dental care is fundamental to good health and wellbeing.
Decades of neglect of the public dental system has left 650,000 people on waiting lists.
The Greens’ goal is for Australians to have universal access to primary dental care, including preventative checkups every two years.
We need a properly resourced, trained and located dental workforce to make this happen.
The Greens will re-introduce a Commonwealth Dental Health Program for low income earners and concession cardholders as a first step towards establishing a Denticare scheme for universal dental cover for all Australians.
We will reinstate a proactive school dental program, with matched funding from Commonwealth and state governments.
Water, Rivers and Wetlands
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, yet Australians are among the world’s heaviest water users.
We need to use our water wisely and plan for a sustainable future in a drying and increasingly uncertain climate.
Climate change means that we cannot rely on runoff-dependent energy-hungry solutions such as new dams, mega-pipelines and desalination plants to secure our future water supplies.
We should embrace water sensitive design principles,
meet water efficiency targets,
and capture and reuse storm water.
The Greens will:
· Ensure that all future land-use planning addresses climate change
· Keep all major water resources and infrastructure in public ownership
· Set water efficiency standards for new developments and appliances
· Provide incentives to retrofit existing buildings with rainwater tanks and grey water systems
· Support the recovery of 3500 GL of water to restore Murray Darling ecosystems and Commit $3 billion to buy back permanent water allocations in the Murray Darling
and commit $3 billion to buy back permanent water allocations in the Murray Darling
· Ensure that development in northern Australia protects our wild rivers and does not repeat the mistakes of the south
· Support water recycling and demand reduction initiatives.
Education
The Greens believe that a strong public education system is the key to creating a fair, successful and cohesive society.
Everyone has the right to free, high-quality public education and training.
The Greens will:
· Increase funding for all levels of public education, including TAFE and university
· Fund at least two years of public preschool education for all Australian children
· Freeze current private school funding and review current inequitable arrangements to prioritise public education
and review current inequitable arrangements to prioritise public education
· Redirect subsidies for the wealthiest private schools into equity funding for public schools
· Incorporate the Australian Technical Colleges into the state-funded TAFE system
· Abolish university fees
and forgive HECS debts
· Provide a living allowance for full-time tertiary students
· Support a vibrant student life by repealing voluntary student unionism.
Economy
Australia is a rich country that is growing richer each year.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is now more than $1 trillion per annum.
The Greens believe that the role of government is to ensure economic activity is sustainable.
For example, much is made of the importance of the coal mining industry to Australia's economy, but it contributes less than 1% of GDP.
Fast growing sectors such as the IT industry hardly existed in Australia a decade ago, yet employment in IT already dwarfs the 22,000 people employed in mining coal.
The Greens will:
· Ensure the benefits of economic growth are directed towards achieving the goals of equity and sustainability
and sustainability
· Reform the Australian taxation system to eliminate perverse tax breaks and subsidies to polluting industries
· Support the development of the renewable energy industry
as a way to simultaneously create new high skill jobs in the manufacturing industry
while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Accountability and Honesty in Government
The Greens believe in doing politics differently.
We do not accept political donations from big business,
and we support public election funding as a way to end the practice of buying political influence.
The Greens believe that there should be more women in politics and we practice what we preach.
Of all the Greens Senators to date, six out of seven have been women - a record unmatched by the other parties.
The Greens will:
· Stand up for the principles of honesty and accountability in government
· Require all government advertisements to publicise the full cost of the advertising campaign
· Overturn the changes to the Electoral Act that make it harder for young people and the homeless to get on the electoral roll
· Support the right of people from the age of 16 years to vote.
Peace, Security and International Relations
The Greens want an independent Australia
with a constructive relationship with the rest of the world.
Following George Bush has made Australia less safe and a target for terrorism.
The military ‘war on terror’ is not working, and by participating we are contributing to the growing anger towards the West across the Middle East and the Islamic world.
Only by addressing the causes of terrorism, not just the symptoms, can we hope to live in a safer world.
The first step is to create just relationships with other countries
and work towards ending global poverty.
The Greens will:
· Immediately withdraw Australian troops from Iraq and Afghanistan
· Provide significant aid for Iraqi national reconstruction
· Support a real peace process for Israel and Palestine
· Require approval by Parliament of any overseas military deployment
· Reduce defence spending while maintaining an adequate defence force
while maintaining an adequate defence force
· Support an independent foreign policy
that opposes pre-emptive strikes
· Increase our aid budget to at least 0.7% of GDP by 2010
and target aid to eliminating poverty.
Iraq
The illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq is a disaster built on a lie
and Australia's ongoing military involvement is making it worse.
Thousands die and many more are wounded every month.
The majority of Iraqis want the coalition troops to leave but John Howard has tied Australia’s decision to the views of the White House.
The Greens have led the campaign for peace in Iraq.
We would bring the troops home.
Caring for Communities
The Greens believe that fair, just and sustainable societies provide a guaranteed adequate income for all their citizens.
We believe everyone should have access to good quality health care, housing, income support and other support services when they need them, to allow them to participate in our society.
The Greens will:
· Repeal the punitive assessment and work requirements in the Welfare to Work Act
· Develop, implement and monitor a plan to eradicate poverty in Australia
· Simplify pensions and allowances into a universal guaranteed adequate income scheme
· Support disadvantaged individuals and communities through improved public health, housing, education and transport
· Ensure access to education and training, with a focus on areas of emerging need
· Increase disability support payments, services and assistance to family carers.
Affordable Housing
The Greens believe that everyone should have access to stable, secure, affordable housing.
Australia has a housing crisis, with a severe shortage of affordable rental properties and many people excluded from the housing market.
Low income households can’t find affordable homes to rent and struggle to pay for essentials as rental prices skyrocket.
As a result, more than 100,000 Australians will use homeless crisis centres this year.
The Greens will develop a national housing plan to expand the availability of low-rent housing.
We will increase funding to rebuild the public housing sector and grow community housing.
We need progressive planning guidelines similar to those in Europe that require a social mix of housing, with 20% low cost and public housing for new developments.
Refugees, Immigration and Multiculturalism
The Greens welcome the presence of people from many cultural backgrounds.
Multiculturalism has enriched Australia.
The Greens believe refugees should be treated fairly, with compassion and with dignity.
We oppose the cruel and unnecessary policies of mandatory detention and offshore processing.
The Greens will:
· Abolish mandatory detention
· Assess claims for refugee status while people live in the community
· End offshore processing on Nauru or Christmas Island
· Abolish temporary protection visas that leave refugees in limbo
· Support, promote and strengthen multiculturalism
· Oppose divisive citizenship tests
· Establish a new climate refugee visa to help those displaced by climate change.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
The Greens recognise that Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people have a unique relationship with the land, and believe that their rights and obligations as custodians must be respected.
We recognise that, regardless of whether living in urban or remote communities, they are the most disadvantaged group in our society.
We acknowledge the injustice of their dispossession, the removal of their children and the wages and benefits that were stolen from them.
We commit to listen, and to move forward together to address injustice and disadvantage.
The Greens will:
· Back the plan to reduce the gap in life expectancy
and achieve equality of health and wellbeing within a generation
· Support a treaty that recognises the prior occupation and sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
· Make a formal apology to the stolen generations
and increase support to Link-Up and counselling services
· Support fair compensation where property has been taken or wages and benefits withheld
· Make Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children's health and education a funding priority
· Fund a 10 year Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing plan
· Support the formation of representative bodies elected by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Justice and Human Rights
Substantial legislative changes are needed to reaffirm Australia’s commitment to universal human rights and the rule of law.
The ‘war on terror’ has undermined the civil rights of all Australians.
The Greens oppose laws that allow people to be detained indefinitely.
Access to justice for all Australians relies on fair and affordable legal advice.
Legal aid funding needs to be boosted
to ensure equality before the law.
The Greens will:
· Replace Australia's 'counter-terrorism' laws, with laws that respect universal human rights
· Repeal sedition laws
· Protect Australian citizens subjected to mistreatment by foreign powers
· Oppose secret detention, torture and mistreatment
· Oppose the death penalty and support campaigns for its abolition
· Support a Bill of Rights.
David Hicks
After five years of detention without trial, David Hicks has finally been returned to Australia but his ordeal is not over.
Locked up in solitary confinement until after the election, the Howard Government has made sure he cannot tell the real story on his treatment at Guantanamo Bay.
David Hicks has not received a fair trial.
His guilty plea came after many years of isolation due to the failure of our government to stand up for his human rights.
The Greens have opposed David Hicks' detention without trial from the beginning, and have campaigned consistently for his return.
Sexuality and Gender Identity
Diversity of sexuality and gender identity is a part of our community, and our laws should reflect this.
The Greens have a strong track record of defending the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.
We believe all members of our community are entitled to equal treatment before the law and by the community.
The Greens will:
· Remove discrimination on the basis of sexuality or gender identity from legislation
· Support equal and legal recognition of gay marriages
· Promote equal parenting rights regardless of sexuality or gender identity
· Allow people to make fully informed choices about their lives
and access appropriate medical intervention if required.
Arts and Culture
The arts, creative artists and the cultural experiences they provide are vital to our social wellbeing, economy and cultural life.
The Greens believe in supporting and promoting Australian artists
and protecting their work.
The Greens recognise the opportunity and the challenge posed by the arrival of digital media and will consult with the artistic community to determine the appropriate balance between protection and creative freedom.
The Greens will:
· Ensure that the intellectual property and moral rights of artists (including the specific rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists) are appropriately protected, taking into account the challenges of new media and the digital age
· Protect the arts from any negative impacts of free trade agreements
· Increase direct funding to the arts and artists
· Increase public funding for the ABC, SBS and community radio and TV,
and keep the ABC free from commercial advertising
· Increase local content requirements for broadcast and new media
· Ensure access to the arts and cultural events in rural and regional areas.
Regional Australia
Social and economic changes, a drying climate and declining terms of trade are making it tough for our rural communities.
Climate change represents our greatest emerging threat, and governments have a responsibility to reduce its impacts and promote adaptation strategies.
The Greens have a vision for an Australia in which profitable and sustainable agriculture supports vibrant rural communities.
We recognise that many land managers are pursuing sustainable practices and face complex technical challenges and significant costs.
The Greens will:
· Develop a national plan to address the impacts of climate change on rural communities and regional industries
· Support an integrated approach to weeds, salinity, water quality, soil degradation and habitat fragmentation
· Support the development of new, green industries that make productive use of native species
· Offer financial incentives for sustainable farming systems
· Remove public funding which supports environmentally destructive practices
· Enact a five-year moratorium on the release of genetically engineered organisms
and protect our GE-free market status
· Promote organic agriculture.
Transport
The Greens believe that effective transport infrastructure is integral to our environmental, social and economic wellbeing.
Climate change, the decline in cheap oil supplies and decades of neglect mean a major upgrade in public transport,
investment in on-road freight infrastructure
and conversion to renewable energy sources are urgent priorities.
The Greens will:
· Remove the GST from public transport
· Reform the national transport plan and shift funding from road to rail
· Enact stringent fuel efficiency standards for new petrol and diesel cars
· Promote alternative fuels
· Abolish Fringe Benefits Tax concessions for company and leased cars
· Promote local manufacturing to reduce our reliance on imported goods
· Upgrade our urban public transport and rail freight infrastructure
· Increase the tariff on imported four-wheel drives from 5% to 10%
except for primary producers.
Where the parties stand in June 2007
Policy Checklist
Keep Australia free of nuclear power
and oppose uranium exports
No new coal mines or expansion of existing mines
Cut emissions by 30% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% by 2050
Abolish individual workplace agreements (AWAs)
Universal access to unfair dismissal laws
Save all high conservation value forests from logging and burning
Re-allocate $3bn private health insurance rebate into the public health system
Provide public dental care for all low income Australians
Prioritise public education with appropriate funding
Remove HECS from university education
Harm minimisation approach to drug users
End all subsidies for the mining industry
Bridge the life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians within a generation
Bring Australian troops home from Iraq
How will the Greens fund these initiatives?
In the last two budgets the Howard government has announced tax cuts that cost more than $65 billion.
The government also spends more than $10 billion per year on subsidies to industries that harm the environment.
The Greens have different priorities.
If Australia can afford $65 billion in tax cuts then it can afford excellent health and education.
Federal Labor Campaign Launch Speech - 14th November 2007
Kevin Rudd Campaign launch speech — Brisbane
November 14, 2007
Welcome to my home state of Queensland.
Welcome to my home town of Brisbane.
And welcome to my local community here on Brisbane’s southside.
It is great to be among people who are passionate about our country’s future.
On November 24, Australians will face a stark choice: a choice between the future and the past.
Today the case I put before the Australian people is that if we are to secure the future for our families, for our communities and for our nation - the government of Australia must now change.
After 11 years, Mr Howard has lost touch with working families.
He has become so used to being in office that he no longer understands what fairness actually means.
After 11 years Mr Howard has become stuck in the past.
He simply doesn’t understand the new challenges that we face in the future.
The challenges of climate change and water.
The challenges of the digital economy.
The challenge of the rise of China and India.
The challenge to fix our hospitals, once and for all.
And above all, the challenge to transform our education system.
Mr Howard has no plans for the future because he’s not going to be there to deal with the challenges of the future.
It’s official — Mr Howard’s retiring.
And we all know that Mr Howard’s chosen replacement Mr Costello wants to take WorkChoices even further.
The way forward for Australia is to elect a new Prime Minister and a new government with fresh ideas to meet the challenges of the future.
A new Prime Minister and a new government who understand and respect the values upon which our nation has been built.
Values of decency.
Values of fairness.
Values of respect.
A new Prime Minister and a new government who believe that the great Australian value of a fair go for all has a future — and not just a past.
Friends, Australians are a decent people.
We don’t ask for a whole lot.
We want to have incentive to go out there and innovate, to build new businesses, to build our families and to build our lives.
We’re competitive, hard working and independent.
But also want a workplace where everybody gets a fair go — not just so me.
Australians are a decent people — but Mr Howard’s WorkChoices laws are not decent laws.
Mr Howard claims he was upfront with the Australian people before the last election about how he would change our workplace laws if he won.
Mr Howard is just not being fair dinkum.
· When did Mr Howard tell working families they would be put on AWAs or lose basic rights to penalty rates, overtime, shift allowances and redundancy pay without any right to compensation?
· He never did.
· When did Mr Howard tell families that their kids and grandkids would be left to negotiate their wages and conditions on their own with their boss under these new, unfair AWAs?
· He never did.
· When did Mr Howard say he would remove the no disadvantage test so that wages could be lowered?
· He never did.
In bringing in these extreme industrial relations laws, Mr Howard betrayed the trust working families placed in him at the last election.
Mr Howard lacked the decency to even mention WorkChoices at all during his 4,400 word policy speech on Monday.
WorkChoices has become the industrial relations law that now dare not speak its name.
WorkChoices embodies so much of the differences between the values of our party and those of our opponents.
We believe in rewarding hard work, achievement and success.
We believe in protecting those who can’t stand up for themselves.
We believe in a decent safety net and a decent standard of living for all working families.
We believe in helping those who fall on hard times.
Helping people like Bernie Banton and his struggle to get justice for working families who have done it tough.
But WorkChoices under mines all these values.
WorkChoices is an assault on all these values.
WorkChoices says ‘go out’, ‘fend for yourself’, ‘you’re on your own’.
Growing up in country Queensland, I saw what happens when people don’t have a decent safety net.
When I grew up, we were taught the value of community — looking out for one another when times are tough.
That doesn’t seem to matter to Mr Howard.
He is happy to see the fair go disappear out the back door.
To me, WorkChoices is just plain wrong.
That’s why on November 24 we must say no to Mr Howard’s WorkChoices laws.
If elected, we will abolish WorkChoices.
If elected, we will abolish AWAs.
And if elected, we will ensure flexibility and fairness at work.
Friends, you can’t have a plan for Australia’s future if you have lost sight of such basic Australian values.
Mr Howard’s government has lost touch with working families.
After so long in office, Mr Howard has forgotten what fairness actually means.
Mr Howard says “working families in Australia have never been better off”.
Mr Costello says there is no housing affordability crisis.
Mr Brough says there is no childcare affordability crisis.
How out of touch can you get?
For Labor, fairness is in our DNA.
We understand that working families are under financial pressure and they need every bit of help we can offer.
That’s why we have also put forward a national housing affordability strategy — so that we can keep alive the great Australian dream of one day owning your own home.
· We have put forward policies to help with the family budget.
· We will increase the Childcare Tax Rebate to 50 per cent.
· We will introduce a 50 per cent Education Tax Refund.
· We will extend dental care to teenagers through the Medicare system.
· We will establish a Petrol Price Commissioner
and a national inquiry into grocery prices to make sure working families aren’t ripped off.
None of these represent a silver bullet.
But they do offer practical help to working families under financial pressure.
Financial pressures which Mr Howard no longer understands.
Friends, Australia needs new leadership with fresh ideas for the future.
With barely a week to go of this election campaign, Mr Howard’s government has put forward no new ideas for the future.
It has run out ideas.
It has run out of energy.
And it has run out of time.
I am offering new leadership with a plan for the future - Mr Howard is offering no leadership, other than a plan to retire and handover to Peter Costello.
At Mr Howard’s policy launch on Monday there was nothing on climate change.
Nothing on water.
Nothing on hospitals.
Nothing on infrastructure.
And whatever amount of money Mr Howard may yet throw at these long standing challenges over the next ten days, it just not going to be real.
The truth is, it’s all just too late to be believable.
Remarkably as interest rates rose yet again last week, we now find Mr Howard running up the white flag on inflation, and running up a huge bill in a desperate bid to get re-elected.
A bill he is happy to leave for us all to pay — once he heads off into retirement.
Monday’s feeding frenzy of expenditure would actually make inflationary pressures worse.
Mr Howard spent nearly $10 billion on Monday.
Trying to buy his way out of political trouble.
And he did so little more than an hour after the Reserve Bank of Australia issued its monetary policy statement warning of rising inflationary pressures.
How irresponsible can you get?
Mr Howard has already presided over ten interest rate rises in a row.
Six interest rate rises since the last election when he promised working families they would remain at record lows.
A broken promise now costing first homebuyers nearly $3000 a year more on an average mortgage.
He has ignored 20 separate Reserve Bank warnings on Australia’s skills shortages and infrastructure bottlenecks.
And now with this latest irresponsible and desperate pre-election splurge, Mr Howard is putting his own interests ahead of working families by risking further increases in their mortgage rates.
I have no intention today of repeating Mr Howard’s irresponsible spending spree.
· Unlike Mr Howard, I will heed the warnings of the Reserve Bank.
· Unlike Mr Howard, I will not place in jeopardy households already struggling with mortgages.
· Unlike Mr Howard, I don’t stand before you with a bag full of irresponsible promises that could put upward pressure on inflation.
Today I am saying loud and clear that this sort of reckless spending must stop.
I am determined that any commitments I make are first and foremost economically responsible.
That’s why the commitments I announce today will cost less than one quarter of those Mr Howard announced on Monday.
Furthermore, the commitments I am making today are exclusively directed at tackling the skills shortage, tackling infrastructure bottlenecks and acting on Australia’s environmental and economic challenges.
I have said I will spend less than Mr Howard. I have said I will not match his spending dollar for dollar.
And I have said I am an economic conservative.
Today, I deliver on each of these undertakings.
Mounting inflation and rising interest rates are a scourge on working families.
And I believe governments must do everything in their power to place downward pressure on inflation and protect family budgets from rising interest rates.
Because family budgets right around Australia are already under pressure from WorkChoices.
Of course, Mr Howard will continue his fear campaign on interest rates — while always forgetting to remind us that interest rates hit 22 per cent when he was Treasurer during the 1980s.
We’ve learnt from the experiences of the 1980s.
But it seems from Mr Howard’s irresponsible spendathon on Monday he has now forgotten them.
It is not just that Mr Howard has no plan to fight inflation.
He has failed to advance any credible plan to deal with the future challenges our nation now confronts.
On hospitals, we have put forward a national plan to end the buck-passing between Canberra and the States.
I have a long-term plan to fix our nation’s hospitals.
I will be responsible for implementing my plan, and I state this with absolute clarity: the buck will stop with me.
Mr Howard, by contrast, has put forward no new plan.
He prefers to continue buck-passing to the States, instead of taking responsibility for fixing the system.
Australians are fed up with this tired, old game.
Australians want a long term solution for our hospitals.
They are sick and tired of short term excuses for not fixing our hospitals.
· We will deliver 2,000 extra aged care beds to take the pressure off acute hospital beds.
· GP SuperClinics around Australia to take the pressure of accident and emergency departments.
· A national fund to eliminate elective surgery waiting lists beyond clinically acceptable times.
· A massive national investment in the war against cancer.
· And 10 years after Mr Howard abolished it, we will re-establish a Commonwealth Public Dental Program.
Mr Howard has spent a decade in denial on the critical challenge of climate change.
Even now, Mr Howard still opposes Kyoto.
I make this commitment: If we are elected, I will immediately ratify Kyoto.
Mr Howard has opposed carbon targets and emissions trading.
If elected, I will implement a 60 per cent carbon target and establish Australia’s first national emissions trading scheme.
Mr Howard has opposed boosting the renewable energy target.
If elected, I will implement a renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020 so that Australia can have a solar future.
I'll establish clean coal innovation fund.
And today I announce that if elected I will set up a major new renewable energy fund to develop, commercialise and deploy renewable energy technologies across Australia.
We need to harness our enormous potential in solar, wind, geothermal and wave power.
This fund will support projects that take renewable energy technology from the lab to the grid.
I am determined to make Australia part of the global climate change solution — not just part of the global climate change problem.
Mr Costello has said the national government has no role in urban water.
I fundamentally disagree.
Climate change has made urban and rural water supplies a matter of national significance and therefore a matter of national responsibility.
That’s why if elected we will establish a National Desalination and Urban Water Recycling Fund.
It is irresponsible for any national government of Australia to stand idly by while our major cities are threatened by the insecurity of water supply.
This national fund is designed to deliver new desalination and water recycling projects right across Australia.
To help support projects in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane — and other cities - which provide long term security of water supply.
For 11 years Mr Howard’s government has failed to provide leadership in developing our nation’s infrastructure.
If elected, I will provide that leadership.
I will establish Infrastructure Australia - to tackle the nation’s infrastructure bottlenecks.
I will establish a Building Australia Fund.
And as one of our first nation-building investments, in partnership with the private sector, we will build a state of the art, fibre optic to the node, National Broadband Network.
Mr Howard’s government offers a second rate, two-speed network — one for the capital cities and one slow and unreliable system for the rest of Australia.
Labor, by contrast, will deliver broadband for the entire nation.
Nation building requires vision.
And the cornerstone of my vision for Australia’s future is an education revolution.
I spoke about Australia’s need for an education revolution in my very first speech to Parliament nearly 10 years ago.
I have been speaking about it all year.
Because I believe passionately in the power of education.
I believe education is the engine room of equity.
The engine room of opportunity.
And the engine room of the economy.
I would not be standing here before you today were it not for the encouragement, instruction and opportunity provided to me by the teachers who shaped my life.
They made it possible for a kid like me from country Queensland to finish school, go to university, become a diplomat and stand here today seeking to lead our nation into the future.
I know the difference a great education can make.
I want every child growing up in Australia to have the opportunity of fulfilling their potential.
My vision for Australia is to build the best education system in the world — so that we produce the most innovative, the most skilled and the best trained workforce in the world.
The sad reality is that over the last decade Australia has been falling behind.
Falling behind in early childhood education, in trades training and in our national funding for universities.
The economies we are competing against are making huge new investments in education.
They know that knowledge intensive economies will be the wealthiest economies of the future.
We must take decisive action now.
We need nothing less than an education revolution now.
A revolution in the quantum of our national investment across the entire education spectrum.
And a revolution in the quality of those investments — to improve radically the performance of the education system.
Right now, Australia’s investment in early childhood education is the lowest of any advanced nation on earth.
That’s why we announced in chapter one of our education revolution that we will provide 15 hours a week for 40 weeks a year in pre-literacy and pre-numeracy play-based learning for every four year old in the country.
In chapter two we announced we will introduce a 50 per cent Education Tax Refund to enable parents to claim a refund for their investment in the modern tools and resources of their children’s education.
In chapter three we announced we will tackle the chronic shortage of maths and science teachers by halving HECs for those disciplines at university,
and we’ll halve it again for those graduates who go on to teach maths and science in our schools.
In chapter four we announced we will introduce comprehensive Asian language education across the school system to equip the next generation of Australians with the languages of the major economies of the future.
In chapter five we announced we will build state of the art Trades Training Centres for each of Australia’s 2,650 secondary schools.
Today I announce three further chapters in Labor’s education revolution.
Australia at present is suffering an acute skills crisis that is driving up inflationary pressures.
The government itself projects that Australia will suffer a shortage of qualified workers of more than 200,000 workers by 2010.
Today I announce a plan to tackle the skills crisis head on.
Over the next four years, a Federal Labor government will fund an additional 450,000 training places across Australia.
Within this, we will support up to 65,000 more apprenticeships over the next four years.
We will act on the repeated calls from small and large businesses for more skilled workers, higher level skills training and for the training system to be more responsive to their needs.
Two-thirds of the new places will be allocated to training people who need to update or lift their skills.
One third of these additional places will be allocated to people currently outside or marginally attached to the workforce - to equip them with the skills they need to gain employment.
Under Skilling Australia, new skilled training places for those outside the workforce will be available from April 2008.
This will ensure that some of these courses could be completed as early as June 2008 — thus stimulating immediate increased participation in the workforce.
To lift workforce participation now and to have an immediate impact on our skills shortages and inflationary pressures, we must get those on the margins of the workforce back into the workforce.
Another key to fighting inflation and delivering long term economic growth is investment in 21st century infrastructure, such as high-speed broadband.
Right now high-speed broadband is transforming economies all round the world.
The economic impact of the broadband revolution could be greater than the industrial revolution two centuries ago.
The problem again for Australia is that we are falling behind other nations.
We have one of the slowest, most expensive broadband networks in the developed world.
We must turn the corner now.
It starts with rolling out a genuine high speed National Broadband Network.
And it carries on to the next chapter in our education revolution: linking this network to our schools.
I announce today that if elected we will connect Australia’s more than 9,000 primary and secondary schools to our National Broadband Network - at speeds of up to 100 megabits per second.
And our most remote schools will be provided with alternative high speed systems, where fibre optic can’t physically be delivered.
The next step is to make sure that the students of tomorrow are properly trained in the technology of tomorrow.
Not simply word processing skills.
Not simply computing skills.
But using broadband - through individual computer terminals - to deliver education programs right across the school curriculum.
Today I announce that if elected, Federal Labor will undertake a ground-breaking reform by providing for every Australian secondary school student in years nine to 12 with access to their own computer at school.
This is an education revolution.
I want to turn every secondary school in Australia into a digital school.
I want to provide every secondary school student with the foundations to move into the digital economy of the future.
This will not just be a one-off investment.
And we will fund the replacement of these systems to keep them at the cutting edge.
For those schools who have already provided computers for each or most of their students, our plan will enable those schools (government and non government) to upgrade what they already have.
Our National Secondary School Computer Fund will help students in all subject areas — such as technical students who use computer aided design as a key part of trades projects including furniture making, carpentry, metals and electronics.
It will turbo-charge the effective teaching of foreign languages by providing pronunciation drills online.
And it will deepen and broaden the study of chemistry, physics, biology and the hard sciences.
Mr Howard seems to believe that providing our young people with computers is exotic.
Mr Howard just doesn’t get it.
Around the rest of the world, providing young people with computers isn’t exotic — it’s mainstream.
Mr Howard seems to believe that providing our young people studying the trades with computers is also exotic.
Once again, Mr Howard just doesn’t get it.
If you visit one of the country’s best tech blocks, or best automotive workshops, you will see how much computers are now increasingly integrated into what we once called the traditional trades.
I believe that for Australia’s future a trade certificate will be just as important as a university degree.
The final step in the broadband revolution is to link school networks to students at home.
For some students, this happens already.
However for many, it doesn’t.
And one of the purposes of Labor’s Education Tax Refund is to encourage parents to invest in computers and internet connections at home.
Because Labor understands that in the 21st century, information technology is not just a key subject to learn, it is now the key to learning all subjects.
Universities are critical to the education revolution that Australia so urgently needs.
Australia is the only country in the OECD to have disinvested in our universities in the past decade.
This has got to stop.
It has got to stop now.
Otherwise the brain drain will continue to see us lose many of our brightest young people overseas.
Undoing the damage which this government has done to our universities will not be easy.
But this challenge begins today.
I announce that if elected, an incoming Labor Government will double the number of national undergraduate scholarships to a total of 88,000 by 2012.
I also announce today that if elected an incoming Labor Government will double the number of post graduate scholarships to nearly 10,000 students across Australia by 2012.
And if elected we will create for the first time in Australia 1000 high-value mid-career research fellowships, valued at $140,000 each, to help reverse the brain drain.
This will help retain Australia’s most talented academics at home.
It will encourage the return of some of our best and brightest from abroad.
This is critically important economic policy.
Australia cannot survive as a knowledge economy if we do not help our universities attract and retain our best scientists, innovators and researchers into the future.
Today I have announced three new chapters in Labor’s education revolution.
And we will be building on these chapters into the future.
I am intensely proud of Labor’s plan for education.
It’s core business for Labor.
It’s core business for me.
And it’s a core part of our nation’s pathway to the future.
Friends, it’s good to be back in Brisbane today where I began this election campaign a month ago.
It’s especially good to be back home with Therese and the kids.
And for the record Therese, I haven’t forgotten that today’s our 26th wedding anniversary.
Friends, if we are elected in ten days time, I want to be a Prime Minister for all Australians.
A Prime Minister for Indigenous Australia.
A Prime Minister for rural Australia, where so many of our fellow Australians are going through such tough times with the drought.
A Prime Minister for our regions that stretch so far beyond our magnificent cities.
If elected, I also want to ensure that Australia once again has its own voice in the affairs of the world.
I want Australia to lead, and not just follow, in dealing with the international challenges of the future.
I want Australia to be a leader in the global fight against poverty, disease and underdevelopment — starting right here in our own region, our own neighbourhood, our own backyard.
And I want Australia to be a leader in the global negotiations on climate change — rather than Australia being excluded from the negotiating table.
And on Iraq, the time has come to implement an exit strategy for our combat forces — forces who are needed much closer to home.
I approach this election with a passionate commitment to Australia’s future.
The values I bring to leadership are the values instilled in me by my family.
They are also the values that are intrinsic to this great party.
I understand that life is sometimes harsh.
But I believe that as a community we have a responsibility when one of us falls down, we must help to lift them back up.
That’s what decency and fairness is all about.
Another thing I have learnt is the absolute value of hard work.
Of not being wasteful.
And the importance of planning for the future.
For me, these are enduring values.
The values that have built Australian families and communities throughout our history.
And these are the values that as Prime Minister I would bring to our nation’s future challenges.
I stand before you today as a candidate for the Prime Ministership of Australia.
I am proud of the plan we have put forward for Australia’s future.
And I am proud of the team that I lead — the team that will work with me implementing this plan.
The nation now needs new leadership for the future.
The nation now wants new leadership for the future.
And today, I stand before you ready to deliver that new leadership for Australia’s future.
Mon, 12th November 2007
Coalition Campaign Address
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER
THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP
ADDRESS TO THE COALITION CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
QUEENSLAND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, BRISBANE
Deputy Prime Minister, Treasurer, my Lord Mayor, my Ministerial and Parliamentary colleagues, my fellow Australians.
I want first of all to say how proud I am to be delivering this speech on behalf of a great and strong and enduring Coalition between the Liberal Party and the National Party.
Our two great parties have shared 11 and a half years in office and we have fought for the best interests of the Australian people, wherever they might live, and the speeches you heard earlier from Peter Costello and from Mark Vaile represent the great talent and the great strength of the team that I lead.
There are many things that distinguish the Coalition from the Labor Party, but none is more dramatic than the strength of the Coalition team.
It’s a blend of the experience of myself and Peter and Alexander who’ve held our positions for 11 and a half years and the great contribution of three successive National Party leaders in Tim Fischer, John Anderson and Mark Vaile, and then in recent times the great contribution being made by new faces in important areas of responsibility and I can think of none better than that because I’m here in Queensland than the great contribution that Mal Brough has made as Minister for Indigenous Affairs.
I want to talk to you today, my fellow Australians, about the years ahead of us.
This election is about the future of our great nation, not the past, great though that past is, important and treasured it is as it is to all of us, but this is really about the future of our nation and I want to tell you why I believe the Coalition should be returned.
I want to tell you why I want to be Prime Minister of this country again.
I want to share with you my hopes and my dreams for a better future and in the process I hope crystallise very clearly the important choice that must be made on the 24th of November, a choice given new and greater urgency and intensity because of some of the rising challenges on the economic front, both domestically and from abroad.
I want to be Prime Minister again so that we can build an even stronger and greater Australia.
We in the Coalition believe that the best years of this nation lie ahead.
I want to complete the transition of this nation from a welfare state to an opportunity society.
I want to pursue with relentless vigour the goal of full employment.
Only the Liberal and National Parties talk about jobs for Australians anymore.
Our opponents have given up talking about jobs,
except the jobs of the union bosses in a future Labor government.
I want to keep inflation low,
I know that Australian families want to do more than just get by on their pay packets, they want to get ahead.
The Coalition wants to keep taxes as low as possible.
Peter Costello and I unveiled a bold plan - five days later, 91.5 per cent of course was adopted by the Australian Labor Party - a bold plan to cut taxes and to encourage Australians to work harder and to re-enter the workforce.
I want to be Prime Minister again to carry forward my principles and those of the Coalition on education.
Australia does not need an education revolution, whatever on earth that might mean; Australia needs an education system that teaches its children to read, to write, to spell and to add up as well as sharing all the technological enhancements that are part of the great learning experience.
I want to be Prime Minister again to continue my unconditional, my uncompromising and my unrelenting opposition to the scourge of illicit drug-taking in our nation.
Under the Coalition, we will always have a zero tolerance attitude towards drug-taking.
We seek your mandate to maintain the strength of Australia,
to maintain the strength of our alliances,
to continue the protection of our borders,
to continue to decide who comes to this nation,
to continue the great duality of Australian foreign policy over the last 11 and a half years where we have built ever closer relations with our Asian neighbours, yet still remain the great friends and allies of the United States and our other traditional friends.
We want your support and your votes and your mandate to get the balance right on climate change.
We need to have a lower carbon future,
but we need to do it in a way that does not destroy jobs,
does not weaken the great coal industry which is so important to the state of Queensland
and ensures importantly that all nations of the world pull their weight and play their part in contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
I want to make sure in the future that this is a compassionate nation as well as a prosperous nation.
I want us to share the benefits of our prosperity to all of those who might otherwise feel excluded.
I want rural Australia, our beloved bush, to be an enduring part of the fabric of this nation not only economically but socially.
I’ve said before and I’m proud to say it again, I can’t imagine an Australian nation without the bush being an integral part of what it means to be an Australian.
We in the Coalition want a health system that is more responsive to the needs of families and to local communities
and finally, I want to be Prime Minister again so that we can achieve a lasting recognition in our constitution of the first Australians, the indigenous people of this country.
The Northern Territory intervention has been a veritable watershed in the history of this country.
It has brought an end to 20 to 30 years of failure in the area of indigenous policy,
and it offers us the great thing that indigenous people need and that is the opportunity, whilst preserving their special place in the affections and the history of our nation, the opportunity to share its bounty by becoming part of the mainstream of the Australian community.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve tried in my own words to express to my fellow Australians why it is I’d like you to support the Coalition and why it is I’d like to be Prime Minister of this great country again.
We do have a bright future, but that’s not something that can be taken for granted.
There are stormclouds gathering on the horizon when it comes to economic management, and if we get it wrong, the prosperity we’ve enjoyed over the last 11 and a half years can be severely compromised.
If we elect the wrong people, if we put the Government of this country in the hands of a Ministry 70 per cent of whose members will be former trade union officials, if we choose a Party, the Australian Labor Party that has spent the last ten months smothering all the beliefs and ideals and values it once argued, and turn our backs on the tried and true policies of experience and strength that have brought us the prosperity we now enjoy, our future could be very seriously compromised indeed.
We need to continue the leadership that has delivered more than two million new jobs, that has proudly brought Australia’s unemployment rate to a 33-year low, that has seen wages grow by 21 per cent over and above inflation, that has seen the level of industrial disputes fall to the lowest they’ve been since 1913.
And I have no hesitation in saying to all of you that I believe our industrial relations reforms have made a mighty contribution to the low unemployment, the low level of strikes and the high real wages that Australians now enjoy.
I will, whenever I’m Prime Minister, I will not inflict upon the small businesses of Australia the unfair dismissal laws that will come back if Mr Rudd is elected Prime Minister.
And my friends, it isn’t by accident that housing interest rates in Australia today are still only half the notorious peak of 17 per cent that they reached under the former Labor Government.
These achievements have been no fluke.
They’ve been the result of hard work, a consistent policy commitment and a hard-working talented team.
And I want to pay particular tribute to the magnificent job that Peter Costello has done over the last 11 and a half years, because he’s been the principal architect of that economic achievement.
We have a plan to continue prosperity, we have a plan to drive unemployment even lower.
The other side of politics, the Labor Party, has nothing more than a PR script, a script where the people who once opposed tax cuts now support them, the people who once opposed and it was the first thing Mr Rudd voted against when he entered Parliament, a tax break for private health insurance, now supports it, they once opposed the Medicare safety net but now they support it, they once opposed parental choice in education, they now support it, they once opposed Budget surpluses, they now support them.
I think you all get the idea, although Peter Garrett didn’t seem to on one occasion.
It’s a script for a fairly hollow Labor Party led by a man whose core beliefs are obscure and unknown to the Australian public and perhaps to he himself.
I said at the start of this election campaign and I say it again here in Brisbane, love me or loathe me, the Australian people know where I stand and what I believe in.
I believe in the individual,
I believe in the family as the cornerstone of our happiness and of our nation,
I believe in free enterprise and reward for hard work,
I believe in the values of the old Australia as well as sharing the excitement and the adventure of the new Australia,
I believe very much in the vital role that small business plays in our economy, the two million small businesses that employ some 3.7 million Australians and that the Labor Party wants to return to the clutches of union power.
Queensland is the quintessential small business state of Australia.
Small business makes up 98 per cent of all businesses in Queensland, a Rudd Labor Government on top of a Bligh Labor Government would be lethal for small business here in Queensland.
I believe in an outward-looking ambitious self-confident Australia in the world,
I believe in the achievements of the last 11 and a half years, and I want to pay special tribute to the skill and diplomacy and guidance and hard work of Alexander Downer our longest-serving Foreign Minister.
Families are the building blocks of a good society and the policies that we’ve developed over the last 11 and a half years, the family tax benefits, the baby bonus and many others, have supported families at every stage of life expanding the horizons of their choices.
My opponent talks a great deal about working families, he utters the phrase just about every time he does an interview, but he never seems to talk about what is the source of economic security for working families and that’s work.
For dad or mum or both in whatever combinations they choose nothing can replace a steady job with rising wages as the basis of family security.
Today is a very different Australia than the one we inherited when we came to Government 11 and a half years ago.
We’re not only talking about the employment opportunities for middle aged and older Australians, for mum and dad.
One of the great experiences I’ve personally had in this campaign, and I had it again last Friday in Penrith in Western Sydney, was to talk to scores of young people who’ve just finished school and are literally bubbling over enthusiasm about getting into the labour market knowing that they can confidently not only get a job but also get the job they want.
What has struck me is this great sense of optimism, this 33-year low in unemployment.
I just feel so tremendously proud that I’m privileged to be the Prime Minister of a country that has given them that opportunity.
I think of how people 15 and 20 years ago in that same age cohort left school with hesitancy and pessimism and with little hope about getting a job, let alone the job that they wanted.
And I don’t think there is anything more important for all of us than to preserve that sense of hope and enthusiasm and optimism amongst our young for years into the future.
Today I want to talk about a number of initiatives that are part of the next chapter of our plans to put more power into the hands of individuals and families rather than governments and bureaucracies.
It’s a plan that speaks to Australians of all ages,
while recognising that each generation faces unique challenges in their own time.
It evokes the timeless hopes and dreams that transcend generations of Australians.
They include the desire for a good job, the impulse to raise a family and to give one’s children the best possible start in life, the urge to self-improvement, to education and the desire ultimately for a place called home.
The home being an almost sacred part of the Australian Liberal creed stretching back to Menzies’ memorable evocation of homes material, homes human and homes spiritual in the forgotten peoples speech of 1942.
And what unites our creed of optimism is the belief that the Australian people do not need governments instructing them about virtue.
They are more than capable of charting their own course towards a good life for themselves and for their families.
And today I want to announce three new measures that go to the decisions that matter most to families: the care of children in early years, parents’ investment in their children’s education and the dream of home ownership.
In 2004, we introduced the childcare tax rebate to provide extra financial help for families covering 30 per cent of out of pocket expenses.
Today, families can claim up to $4,354 per child a year for out of pocket expenses.
We have continued to look at how we can ensure the amount of money parents have to pay upfront is reduced and so, a re-elected Coalition Government will pay families childcare tax rebate in advance to the childcare provider ensuring fees are reduced before parents pay.
This should cut the upfront cost for families by 30 per cent.
As a result, more than 500,000 families will have their current childcare costs dramatically reduced, and families will see the benefit of reduced fees from the first of April 2008.
We will also increase the number of childcare places in areas of greatest need.
We will provide capital funding to local governments of up to $1 million to build or extend childcare centres in the areas where there are no vacancies.
Together with our goal of full employment, building a culture of savings and home ownership is a big part of Australia making the transition from a welfare state to an opportunity society.
The Coalition is committed to Australia remaining a great home-owning society, indeed one of the greatest in the world, where the dream of home ownership remains at the heart of the Australian experience and within reach of each successive generation.
Today I announce new measures to assist Australians looking to get a foot in the door of their first home.
This is a comprehensive plan to make home ownership more affordable for young Australians by boosting their capacity to save for a home.
From 2008-09, a re-elected Coalition government will introduce tax-free home savings accounts for all Australians who have yet to own their first home.
Contributions of up to $1,000 a year will be tax deductible, all interest and earnings from the accounts will completely free of tax.
Under our plan, as it applies to Australians under 18 years of age, parents, grandparents and others will be able to contribute up to $1,000 between them each year to a tax-free home savings account for children.
Savings will be accessible to purchase a first home once the account holder turns the age of 18.
For Australians aged 18 and over, a maximum of $10,000 a year can be contributed to a tax- free savings account for adults with only the account-holder eligible to claim a tax deduction of up to $1,000 for their contribution.
Child accounts will become adult accounts when the account holder turns 18.
In the case of adult accounts, the account holder will be able to withdraw their account balance to buy their first home at any time after the age of 18.
I can also announce today that a re-elected Coalition Government will, subject to economic conditions and the state of the Budget, look to make contributions from future Budget surpluses to these tax-free home savings accounts.
These accounts will help young Australians to develop the habits of saving and managing money
and today we are also releasing a policy to build on the fine work of the Financial Literary Foundation chaired by Paul Clitheroe to give all Australians access to accurate independent information on money matters.
Evidence from around the world shows that a culture of saving and home ownership, even among families on modest incomes, is associated with an orientation towards the future: household stability, stable marriages, steady employment, educational attainment, healthy lifestyles and local civic involvement.
This is the essence of the opportunity society I want Australia to become, where people are encouraged to work hard, save and look after their families and contribute to their communities.
In addition, capital gains tax will be removed for Australians who share equity in a family member’s first home.
This will facilitate the desire of a lot of parents to assist their children in buying their first home through a shared equity arrangement.
To further assist with housing affordability in the near term, I am today announcing a series of new measures that tackle the supply problems of housing affordability.
A re-elected Coalition Government will expedite the disposal of Commonwealth land, totalling 961 hectares in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT, following the recent Commonwealth audit of land holdings.
A further impediment to more Australians owning their own home is State and local government infrastructure charges that inflate the price of house and land packages.
As a result, home buyers are often paying for infrastructure that benefits the wider community and should therefore be paid for by the wider community.
To tackle this problem, a re-elected Coalition government will commit $500 million over three years to fund on a 50/50 cost share basis with State and local governments common-use community infrastructure associated with new developments and urban consolidation.
This could include community halls, libraries and sporting grounds.
Funding will be on a competitive basis and subject to criteria, such as demonstrated improvements in approval processes.
Let me now turn to the crucial area of education.
The Coalition has a distinctive approach to education policy, with a clear focus on choice, high standards and greater national consistency.
Unlike our opponents, we have never had hit-lists of independent schools.
Unlike our opponents, we have always believed in the unconditional right of Australian parents to choose the nature and the quality of the education they want for their children.
We are unashamedly the parties of parental school choice.
The blossoming of low-fee independent schools in the last decade, which we have supported, has given many families for the first time real choice over the school to which they send their child.
Choice is a vehicle for driving better school performance across the board because it empowers the consumers of education services and that’s the students and the parents.
Today I announce a policy that will further increase choice and improve education opportunities by helping parents make the investments in their children’s future that matter so much.
I know that for many parents this is the most important investment of all but, of course, they face many competing pressures on the family budget and so a re-elected Coalition Government will introduce a new tax rebate for education expenses including, crucially, school fees.
This will apply for every student, beginning with preschool – that’s kindergarten in some States – until the end of secondary school.
Parents will be refunded up to $400 annually for each child at primary or preschool and they will be refunded up to $800 annually for each secondary school student.
This initiative has four key features.
First, it is broad.
It will apply to a wide range of education expenses including all school fees and the so-called voluntary contributions and levies that have increasingly crept into government education systems.
It will also cover school text books, uniforms, camps and excursions, as well as extra costs of elective subjects like music and drama.
And, of course, it will cover tools to help our children learn, like laptops and broadband connections.
Unlike Mr Rudd, I do recognise that the costs of education extend well beyond laptops and broadband connections.
Second, this rebate recognises that our children’s education begins before school.
The importance of early childhood learning to later life outcomes is well known, which is why we have deliberately structured this initiative to include the costs of children attending government, community and private preschools, or kindergartens in some States, in the year before they commence formal schooling.
Thirdly, this measure recognises the higher costs of educating older students.
This will be a refundable tax rebate of 40% for expenses up to a maximum of $2000 per secondary school student and up to a maximum of $1000 per student at primary or preschool.
And finally, let me emphasise that all Australian families will benefit from the full value of this rebate irrespective of their income.
This rebate is very much about practical assistance to help parents make the best possible choices for their children’s future,
so that Australia’s children can have the best possible start in life.
My friends, I commenced my remarks in speaking of how the choice on the 24th of November had very much crystallised around the issue of economic management.
The economy isn’t everything in life, we all know that, but a strong economy is central to the capacity of this nation to deliver the things that we all want.
I think back over the last 11 and a half years and I recall how we’ve been able to rebuild the defence forces of this country and how very proud I felt a few weeks ago to go to Enoggera, not far from here, and announce that the trigger point for the establishment of the second of the new battalions that we’re able to raise had been reached.
And how recruitment levels into the armed forces had grown despite the fact that we have a near full-employment economy.
And I’m very proud to say that one of the greatest achievements of this Government has been to increase by no less than 47% in real terms the amount of money that we spend on defence.
And we all know what a wonderful job the men and women of the Australian Defence Force have done for us over the past years and what tremendous service they render in our name and in the name of our nation in many trouble spots around the world.
But whether it’s defence, whether it’s roads, whether it’s education or whether it’s health, it’s all being made possible because we have built a strong economy.
Never forget what we inherited.
Never forget the $96 billion of debt.
Never forget the 8.2% of unemployment.
Never forget that interest rates reached 17% under the former Government.
Never forget that we were told by our opponents that the leaders of Asia would not deal with this country,
and yet eleven-and-a-half years later we have achieved what I call this remarkable duality in foreign policy - a close, enduring relationship with our great ally, the United States, but side by side with that we have built a constructive and enduring relationship with the fastest growing nation in the world, China.
The Australian Labor Party wants the Australian people to believe that the Australian economy is on autopilot, that it just happens automatically, it’s all due to the resources boom, it’s got nothing to do with the quality of the people in charge.
They want to sort of slip by unnoticed.
They want their past record to be consigned to oblivion.
They don’t want to be reminded that they opposed all of the reforms that have built the prosperity that we now have.
We have an obligation, we in the Coalition, not to let the Labor Party get away with that deceit.
And I want to say to all of my fellow Australians that the choice you face on the 24th of November has become more intense and more urgent because of some of the stormclouds that are gathering on our economy both domestically and internationally.
With the right leadership, the skill that people like Peter Costello have displayed over the last eleven-and-a-half years, we can continue to see it grow.
We can reach that great goal of full employment.
We can once again walk the shopping malls and the streets of this nation and meet enthusiastic young people bubbling with hope and pride and confidence about their future job prospects.
But if we get it wrong, if we hand it over to inexperienced people, a government dominated by 70% of former trade union officials, if we have a nation for the first time in its history with a Labor Government at every level, coast to coast, wall to wall without lead or hindrance, isn’t that a huge risk – isn’t that taking too big a risk with the prosperity that we have worked so hard to build?
My fellow Australians, it has been an incredible privilege to be the Prime Minister of the greatest country in the world, but there is much to do in the future.
There is much work ahead of us.
There are great responsibilities to be discharged.
I ask for your support and your votes to continue the great work of the last eleven-and-a-half years on the 24th of November.
The Nationals Campaign Launch
12-Nov-07
The Hon Mark Vaile MP
Deputy Prime Minister
Leader of The Nationals
Campaign Launch Speech
An Experienced Team for Australia's Future
Brisbane
Australia today is a nation of confident and optimistic people.
It hasn’t always been that way.
In the past 11 years, that confidence and optimism has grown under the strong management of our Coalition Government.
In that time, Australians have come to feel more secure.
- More secure within our borders.
- More secure within our economy.
- More secure within their jobs.
Now that we have a strong economy; now that we have more people in full-time work than at any other time in Australia’s history, we need to lock it in.
An optimistic and confident Australia now needs a strong plan for the future
– and we need to keep our nation in safe hands.
Our strong plan includes aiming for a full employment economy.
An economy where every Australian who wants a job can get one.
Our strong plan is about guiding our nation through the challenges that lie ahead,
while helping all Australians to share in the opportunities and benefits that come from a well managed economy.
We must ensure that these opportunities and benefits are available to all Australians, including the 7.5 million people living outside our capital cities.
Better health care for rural and remote communities
We know that families across Australia want better health care.
In particular they want better services from their public hospital system.
I want to reiterate our commitment to appointing local hospital boards.
We want public hospitals to be controlled by men and women who know the hospital staff and know the patients and have a personal commitment to the health of their community.
Local boards will have more control of their hospitals, making it harder for State Labor Governments to downgrade hospital services in rural and regional areas.
While we will give control of hospitals back to local people, Labor wants to replace the state bureaucrats running hospitals with federal bureaucrats who would be even more remote from doctors, nurses, and their patients.
The Coalition Government has worked hard to attract medical professionals to rural and regional areas.
One of the impediments is sourcing relief locums when specialists need time off or time to upgrade their professional skills.
The Coalition Government has put a scheme in place to provide locums for specialist obstetricians in rural areas.
The scheme was due to end in 2009.
I am announcing today that we will extend the scheme into the future, because it has been highly successful in helping specialist obstetricians to stay in the country where they are needed and where they want to practice.
The Coalition will also provide extra training support for doctors in rural areas who carry out medical procedures.
I am announcing today that we will commit $15 million to establish a new Rural and Remote Medical Training Equipment Fund.
The funding will purchase and distribute training simulators and support equipment that will be used to train doctors to treat conditions that they may only see occasionally in the day to day operations of their practice.
This programme will allow rural GPs to keep their skills up to date
and help deliver better services for rural people.
A better education
One of the best ways we can spread Australia's prosperity is to make sure that every Australian student gets a good education, including vocational training or university after they leave school.
It's good for the individual and it’s good for the country: we need more people with technical and vocational skills in our economy.
A re-elected Coalition will deliver a core national curriculum.
We will deliver certainty and national standards that all schools must meet.
Australians don’t want a risky “education revolution”.
It sounds like something that might happen in a Communist country.
We will make sure opportunities exist in both the country and the city.
Students in remote areas don’t need a revolution – they just need a bit of help.
These students often face an insurmountable barrier to continuing their education; it’s the tyranny of distance.
Their families cannot afford the cost of sending them to live in a distant city to pursue educational opportunities.
A re-elected Coalition Government will help these families.
I am announcing today that we will provide 1,000 students per year in remote Australia with $4,000 bursaries to help them participate in higher education – either university or vocational education and training.
Students will have to apply for the bursaries; they will be allocated to the 1,000 students who need them most.
The Remote Students Bursary scheme will start on 1 July 2008.
This is a key part of our strong plan for ensuring all Australians share in the prosperity of the nation.
A more compassionate Australia
Our strong economic management has given us the ability to take on the great challenges that Australia is facing, including the drought.
The Coalition Government has now committed $3.5 billion in drought assistance, which is helping more than 40,000 farming families and small businesses.
We have the strong plan and the safe hands to maintain Australia's strong economy.
We will spread its benefits to every street and every family.
We will ensure we share our prosperity with the people who have built this nation.
That’s why we will increase the utilities allowance for older Australians to help meet basic household bills like power and gas.
For the first time we will extend the utilities allowance to carers and disability support pensioners
and double the senior’s concession allowance to help self-funded retirees with cost of living pressures.
Transport for Australia's future
Our strong plan for the future includes an integrated vision for improving local roads and national highways to meet our future transport needs.
We have now committed record amounts of funding:
- to fix the nation’s highways
- to fix the major urban road networks
- to fix the strategic regional roads network; and
- to fix the local roads network.
At last we can afford to invest in infrastructure that will drive growth and create jobs.
Our plan will develop a safe and efficient transport network:
- a network that is safe for mums and dads doing the school run.
- a network that allows our industries to efficiently move goods around the country,
- and at the same time eliminate millions of truck movements from our urban roads.
Many Australian families today are concerned about the rising cost of fuel.
It's not only a problem for families: it's a challenge for our whole country.
The vast size of this nation means everything we do – from driving to work, to moving our exports to port has a transport cost.
The Coalition believes that we need to source more of our fuel from crops grown in Australia.
We believe we should be using more green fuel in Australia.
We have made a good start but there is a lot more to be done.
Australia's production of biofuels is expected to increase from 106 million litres in 2006 to 217 million litres in 2007.
It is on track to reach the Government's production target, which is 350 million litres per year by 2010.
We need to make biofuels available to more Australians.
Today, I am announcing a strong plan to increase Australia's biofuel production and to encourage more Australians to choose biofuels at the fuel pump.
The number of service stations selling ethanol blended fuel has increased from 70 in 2005 – just after the Labor Party had demonised ethanol as a green fuel – now we have 800 outlets across the nation.
We want to see more.
A re-elected Coalition Government will extend the Ethanol Distribution Programme until June 2009.
We expect that an extra 400 service stations will take up the $20,000 grants to help convert to selling ethanol blended fuel.
The Coalition's biofuel plan is good news for the family budget, because ethanol blended fuel is about 3 cents per litre cheaper than ordinary unleaded petrol.
It's good news for Australia, because it reduces our dependence on imported fuel.
And it's good news for the environment, because it reduces our greenhouse gas emissions.
That is why today I am also announcing that a re-elected Coalition Government will commit a further $5 million to work with the biofuels industry to make more Australians aware of these benefits and to drive demand.
More research into second generation biofuels
At the moment, ethanol is produced from food crops like wheat, corn and sugar.
But the race is on to find a way to make ethanol in commercial quantities from plant waste like sugar cane bagasse, crop stubble, and sawmill residue.
It's called lignocellulosic ethanol.
The Coalition Government will continue to support research into these second generation biofuels, by providing $5 million to support further research and development.
The Coalition will also fund a $6 million trial to test whether biodiesel meets heavy vehicle diesel standards – a key step towards driving a future biodiesel industry.
Heavy vehicles account for 40 per cent of Australia's diesel consumption and the trial will test whether the B20 biodiesel blend can meet the diesel fuel standard.
Australia needs an experienced team with safe hands.
We have a strong plan for the future
and the safe, experienced hands to deliver it.
The case for the re-election of the Coalition Government is compelling.
We have established the strongest economic platform this nation has ever stood on – a $1.1 trillion economy.
We have established the strongest employment platform this nation has ever experienced – 10.5 million people in work.
We have had an unprecedented 16 years of continuous economic expansion.
The Coalition has a strong plan for the nation’s future.
What Australia needs now is the right leadership with safe hands to guide the nation forward.
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
human beings are part of the natural world, and all forms of life on Earth deserve our respect.
human society depends upon the ecological resources of the planet, and we therefore must protect and maintain the integrity of its ecosystems.
Australians as global citizens have a duty of care to manage our unique natural environment and its resources, to ensure their ongoing sustainability for future generations, and to help protect the ecological integrity of our planet.
the precautionary principle must be adopted in order to secure the continued availability of the resources of the planet for present and future generations.
the cultural knowledge of the indigenous peoples of the world as the original custodians of land and sea must be recognised.
land and sea country rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples must be supported.
climate change is real, urgent and the greatest threat facing the global environment at the beginning of the 21st century.
climate change will increase the intensity and frequency of bushfires; scientifically-based,
ecologically appropriate use of fire is an important means to protect biodiversity and manage habitat effectively
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a society which lives within the ecological and resource limits of the planet.
a curtailing of the use of natural resources so sufficient resources are left for future generations.
an equitable distribution of global resources that delivers sustainable and meaningful prosperity for all current and future generations.
an improved quality of life for all Australians, with a reduction in the material consumption that contributes to the degradation of the planet.
to encourage the participation of local communities in the planning and implementation of strategies to protect and manage the environment.
to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to protect and restore our country.
a quantitative reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of sufficient scale to minimise climate change.
an effective and sustainable strategy for fuel-reduction management that will protect biodiversity and moderate the effects of wildfire for the protection of people and assets.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
use the Commonwealth‟s powers to protect and enhance Australia‟s environment and heritage.
establish a national Ecological Sustainability Commission to focus on issues of ecological integrity.
ensure that all responsibilities under international environmental treaties to which Australia is a signatory are clearly defined in national legislation.
promote globally sustainable development through support for a World Environment Organisation, combining the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
ensure that ecological and environmental principles are included in primary and secondary school curricula.
provide incentives to individuals and businesses to promote sustainability, while phasing out tax breaks, subsidies and other government policies that stimulate waste, pollution and environmental degradation.
ensure that Australia‟s reserve systems are comprehensive, adequate and representative of all of our unique ecosystems.
adopt a continent-wide approach to protection and restoration of Australia‟s natural environment, its rivers, wild lands and marine ecosystems, including the protection of old growth and high conservation value forests and their wildlife.
require Australian companies operating overseas to comply with Australian environmental standards.
phase out the use of persistent and bio-accumulative chemicals, and prevent the release of hazardous chemicals into the environment and rehabilitate affected environments where possible.
strengthen the system of biosecurity to prevent the introduction of pest plants and animals, and diseases.
implement shared management agreements with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to develop meaningful employment in natural resource management.
develop and adequately fund fuel reduction burning strategies based on the latest research on scientific fire ecology, fire behavior information and indigenous fire management practices, in consultation with experts, custodians and land managers.
increase funding for bushfire research to include the effective use of fire, strategies for controlling arsonists, and best environmental and fire risk minimization in building practices.
Biological Diversity
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem processes maintain Earth‟s life support systems, including the climate system.
the protection and conservation of biodiversity is essential for the wellbeing of all life on Earth, including human life.
the loss of Australia‟s biodiversity poses an unacceptable threat to human and ecosystem health, and dramatically reduces our ability to cope with major ecological threats such as climate change.
protected areas are vital to the preservation of Australia‟s biodiversity, and therefore to the health and wellbeing of all Australians.
habitat loss and fragmentation, together with the spread of alien invasive species exacerbated by climate change, are the greatest threats to the biodiversity of the planet.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
Australia‟s biological diversity (in ecosystem, species and genetic diversity) to be maintained.
a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of terrestrial, freshwater and marine protected areas (MPAs), including all remaining areas of high conservation value, managed primarily to protect biodiversity.
effective habitat management, including ecologically appropriate use of fire.
protection from accidental or deliberate introduction of exotic plants, animals and organisms which pose a threat to Australia‟s biodiversity, agriculture or human health.
10. protection, restoration and extension of the habitats of Australia‟s native animals including marine and riverine species.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
promote the application of ecologically sustainable development (ESD) and the precautionary principle.
introduce national measures to end broadscale clearing and incremental loss of native vegetation.
establish buffer zones in high conservation areas, and link and restore ecological fragments on public and private land.
fund and enforce recovery plans for threatened and endangered species and ecological communities.
fund and enforce threat abatement plans for nationally listed threatening processes.
increase funding to biosecurity services to anticipate new alien invasive species threats posed by climate change and expanded pathways resulting from globalised trade and travel.
increase funding for research into humane and sustainable means of controlling existing and potential threats to biodiversity from feral animals, weeds and pest species.
increase and enforce penalties for the killing and/or capture of nationally listed threatened and endangered species, and for deliberate habitat destruction.
support programs that work with private landowners to protect and restore nature conservation values on their land, including conservation covenants.
Marine and Coastal Areas
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
a cooperative national approach to coastal management is required to deliver clean and healthy environments, integrated ecosystems
and sustainable coastal communities.
the application of the precautionary principle is fundamental to sustainable management of marine, coastal and estuarine ecosystems.
fisheries must be managed as a part of a broader ecosystem which meets the needs of natural predators as well as humans.
the native title claims to sea country by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples must be acknowledged, including their right to sustainably access customary fishing grounds.
the health of Australia‟s estuarine, coastal and marine environment is dependent on land management that recognises the interconnectedness of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
ecosystems-based management is the most sustainable and appropriate model for the management of Australia‟s marine territories.
the health of Australia‟s fishing industries is dependent on adequate conservation and sustainable management measures that ensure the replenishment of fishing stocks.
sea level rise, ocean warming, acidification, and increased severity and frequency of storms as a result of climate change pose grave threats to marine and coastal ecosystems.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative (CAR) system of marine reserves in both Commonwealth and state and territory waters, to adequately conserve  and protect Australia‟s unique marine, coastal and estuarine biodiversity.
statutory ecosystems-based regional marine planning that enables the full range of uses and impacts to be identified and managed, and allocates resources across and within marine industry sectors.
a reduction in fishery by-catch and habitat damage from both commercial and recreational fishing and other marine activities, and the conservation of key target species.
a strengthened cooperative national approach to the identification, containment and eradication of introduced marine pests.
implementation by all levels of government of the National Framework for Integrated Coastal Zone Management.
protection of the habitat of all marine mammals.
a global ban on commercial and so-called scientific take or other killing of all whales and other cetaceans, except for sustainable indigenous subsistence hunting.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
introduce an Oceans Act that coordinates sustainability of ocean uses through a statutory National Oceans Authority, reporting to the parliament, and enforcing ecosystem-based regional management plans and targets.
as part of the Oceans Act, legally define Australia‟s exclusive economic zone as extending only to the internationally recognised 200 mile limit from the coastline, not the undersea continental shelf.
introduce new laws to address the full range of threats to marine mammals, protect animals from harm, and to conserve species.
in cooperation with the states and territories, review all offshore constitutional settlements to ensure consistent regulation across state and Commonwealth marine boundaries, and assess the need for a single National Oceans Authority administrative area for Australia‟s marine territory.
ensure that the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas program has legislated targets of a minimum of 30% „no take‟ areas per bioregion by 2012.
expand the Indigenous Protected Areas Program to include marine based proclamations and management and develop programs for using traditional marine law and customary tenure systems for ecologically sustainable marine management.
fund the next regional marine planning process with a requirement for its completion around Australia within 10 years.
require States to implement regional marine planning processes in State waters that complement national Regional Marine Plans.
introduce random mandatory vessel monitoring systems in Australian waters and increase mandatory observer coverage to at least 50% of all commercial vessels.
phase out the entry into Australian waters of all single skin tankers.
create a register of unsafe or inappropriate vessels (identified by flags, owners, charterers and survey societies) and prohibit these from entering Australian waters.
appropriately resource the monitoring and evaluation of the state of Australia‟s marine and coastal resources.
establish trilateral agreements and adequately resource the implementation of the National Framework for Integrated Coastal Zone Management.
work with the states & territories to reduce land-based sources of marine pollution, including pollution from diffuse urban and agricultural sources.
introduce national standards for the ecological health of beaches and coastal lagoons.
strengthen the management of introduced marine pests, and investigate the most effective means by which to prevent their introduction by international shipping.
support all appropriate sanctuaries and measures to protect marine mammals from hunting, except for sustainable indigenous subsistence hunting.
reaffirm support for a comprehensive international ban on commercial whaling, the abolition of so called „scientific‟ whaling, and an international ban on the sale of whale meat and byproducts.
restrict the use of seismic devices and other technologies that cause ecological harm, particularly to marine mammals.
restrict the testing of military and naval explosive devices in the oceans to minimise the impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems.
eliminate harmful and toxic waste dumping into Australian waters.
Water and Inland Aquatic Environments
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
access to clean and adequate water is fundamental to life.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, and our freshwater resources are coming under increasing pressure as a result of climate change and growing human demand.
the health of our catchments, rivers, wetlands, groundwater systems and estuaries underpins the health of our environment and our communities, and the prosperity of our agriculture and industry.
we have a responsibility to protect Australia‟s rivers and freshwater environments as part of our natural heritage and future prosperity.
as a scarce and fluctuating resource, Australia‟s major water supplies must be publicly owned and must be managed through a system of regulated water allocation.
water efficiency and recycling measures must be considered before expensive, environmentally damaging and greenhouse gas intensive alternative water management strategies.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must have the opportunity to participate in water catchment planning and management where appropriate.
there should be no new large-scale dams on Australian rivers.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
legislation and regulatory systems which protect our catchments, rivers, wetlands, estuaries and groundwater systems.
healthy drinking water that consistently meets or exceeds World Health Organisation (WHO) and National Drinking Water standards.
public ownership and control of all major water supply, distribution, drainage and disposal systems.
sustainable water use planning to be required for all new developments and agricultural use.
national research and planning addressing the impacts of climate change on our catchments, rivers, wetlands, estuaries and groundwater systems.
all national water reform legislation, planning and agreements to strategically address the impacts of climate change on Australia‟s water resources.
15. sufficient water allocations for environmental flows.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
16  ensure that all major water infrastructure systems are in public ownership.
17  establish funding agreements with the states and territories based on per capita targets for  reduction in water consumption and increases in recycling and reuse.
18  encourage the states and territories to adopt Water Sensitive Urban Design principles and methods for both new and existing development and infrastructure.
19  work with the states and  territories to:
  review the impact of climate change on catchments, rivers, wetlands, groundwater systems and estuaries and ensure  that all future planning adequately addresses climate change;
  implement a Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative (CAR) system of reserves for Australia‟s unique and high conservation value freshwater ecosystems, and fully protect rivers that still have natural flow regimes;
  implement integrated catchment management planning and establish environmental flow targets for all catchments on a national basis;
  buy back water entitlements in severely degraded and over-allocated systems;
  permit extraction from groundwater systems that do not exceed recharge rates, as determined by a comprehensive hydrogeological assessment; //|and
  support the introduction of water recycling measures.
20  support a national review of the social, economic and ecological impacts of Australian water allocations and water trading systems.
21  ensure that any water trading systems are based on scientific studies of the hydrological systems involved (both surface water and groundwater), and that water trading boundaries and allocations are ecologically appropriate.
22  support whole of basin planning and management of the equitable use of the water resources of Murray Darling Basin that implements a cap on sustainable extraction, manages the health and resilience of the river and its ecosystems,
and supports sustainable food production and rural enterprises for the long-term viability and wellbeing of basin communities.
23  legislate to ensure the provision of environmental water flows in all catchments to sustain and restore our natural environmental heritage.
24  implement water saving efficiency measures for irrigated agriculture, and ensure pricing reflects the true cost of water use.
25  consult with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in integrated catchment planning and management, and support the recognition of Indigenous water rights and the allocation of water for cultural flows.
26  require a complete environmental impact assessment, prior to commencement, for schemes involving re-insertion of waste-water into an aquifer.
27  assist the states and territories to address processes that threaten Australia‟s freshwater systems such as land clearance, mining, erosion, sedimentation and pollution, by protecting and restoring native vegetation, and addressing point and diffuse sources of pollution and sediment runoff.
28  ensure that Australian drinking water supplies consistently meet or exceed WHO and National Drinking Water standards, and that catchment water quality is regularly monitored and publicly reported.
29  ensure that there are comprehensive minimum water efficiency standards for new buildings and industries as well as new domestic and commercial appliances.
Animals
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
1.  animals have intrinsic value, separate from the needs of humans who have a responsibility to ensure that animals‟ rights are respected.
we have a duty of care to minimise cruelty to animals resulting from human activity.
native animals and their habitats must be protected.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
the protection of native animals, and the restoration and extension of their current natural habitats.
the most humane and effective means available to be used in the control of introduced and pest species, including humane population management methods.
an end to cruel and unnecessary animal experimentation.
increased community understanding of the impacts of consumer choices on animal welfare and on the environment.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
strengthen national animal welfare legislation that prohibits cruelty and ensures that acts of cruelty are treated as criminal offences.
legislate to protect the welfare of agricultural animals, including conditions of transport and captivity.
end the export of live animals for consumption.
phase out intensive farming practices in meat, dairy and egg production.
develop an enforceable Australian standard for free-range farming practices for all agricultural animals.
ban the use of animals as experimental objects in military and industrial research, and in cosmetics testing.
ban genetic engineering involving animals, including reproductive cloning.
ban the importation of animal products produced by methods which do not accord with Australian standards.
ban the importation of animals for zoos, except where the importation will assist the overall conservation of the species.
ban the exportation of animals to jurisdictions where levels of legislative protection are below those of Australia.
work for improved global conservation of habitat for endangered species through Australia‟s trade, diplomatic and aid relations.
ban the use or display of wild animals, and phase out the use of domesticated animals, in circuses.
ensure that trade agreements do not undermine Australian animal welfare standards.
promote an accurate national labelling system that identifies products that are „cruelty-free‟.
support the research, development and implementation of more humane methods of introduced pest and introduced species management and control.
foster community education about the needs of animals and our responsibilities to them.
support a ban on commercial whaling in accordance with the Australian Greens Policy on Marine and Coastal Environments.
Waste
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
waste management policy should adopt a zero waste goal  to conserve natural resources for future generations, avoid the build up of toxic and noxious substances, conserve water and achieve deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
reducing, reusing and recycling are integral to achieving zero waste.
full social, environmental and economic costs must be taken into account in decisions about creating, managing and disposing of waste.
the transportation of hazardous waste must be minimised, and the Australian community must be fully informed about its location, disposal and transportation.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a comprehensive national waste strategy, addressing each stage of the production and consumption cycle, with mandatory targets for the avoidance, reduction and recycling of the different categories of waste.
to orient waste management policy on the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility.
active management of greenhouse gas emissions from current and legacy landfill sites
elimination of the incineration of materials producing toxic emissions.
strict enforcement of penalties for illegal dumping.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
in cooperation with the states and territories, regulate and fund hazardous materials collection and treatment facilities, with the aim of keeping all stockpiles and newly generated hazardous waste to a minimum.
phase out the use of toxic elements in consumer goods sold in Australia
regulate to phase out where possible non-recyclable plastics, composite materials, and arsenic treated timber
strengthen and independently verify the National Pollution Inventory to ensure it comprehensively documents all point source substances released to the environment
implement reporting systems to document the true volumes, generators and types of waste.
through the Council of Australian Governments, implement a national phase-out of the use of landfills for the disposal of unsorted waste.
work with states and territories to structure strong and consistent levy systems which act as disincentives for unsorted waste, with the monies raised directed to the provision of sustainable waste reuse and recycling facilities.
work to introduce national container deposit legislation.
introduce a system of Extended Producer Responsibility that obliges manufacturers, distributors and importers to take financial responsibility for the end of life recovery and recycling of the product, and requires them to use re-use and recycling strategies that meet minimum health, safety and environmental standards.
prohibit export of E-waste unless similar health, safety and environmental standards exist in the importing country..
work with states and territories and the industry sector to implement extended producer responsibility schemes for E-waste, tyres, batteries, compact florescent lights, packaging and gas bottles.
provide economic incentives for the use of 100% post consumer recycled and other products with a significant proportion of recycled content.
restrict the distribution of junk mail.
end the dumping of reusable building wastes in landfill and work with industry to develop a waste strategy for the construction sector.
support mandatory labelling of electronics and large manufactured goods that clearly indicates that they may not be placed in household waste or municipal landfill streams.
introduce a national green labelling scheme for products that are biodegradable, reusable or recyclable, and for products which are primarily made from recycled materials.
ratify Decision III/1 of the Basel Convention to stop Australia‟s practice of dumping hazardous waste on non-OECD countries.
Population
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
Australia must contribute to achieving a globally sustainable population.
our environmental impact is not determined by population numbers alone, but by the way that people live.
consumption patterns and levels, distribution of resources, agricultural practices for domestic consumption and export, levels and types of industrial activity, urban design and transport options determine the ecological footprint of a group of people.
there are complex issues involved in population policy, including:
  women‟s rights;
  unsustainable resource use; and
  inequitable distribution of wealth and power.
5.   Australia‟s population policy should be determined by its commitment to:
  ecological sustainability;
  both global and domestic social justice and equity;
  intergenerational equity;
  multiculturalism;
  international human rights obligations; //|and
  decent wages and  conditions for all workers.
population policy should not be driven by economic goals or to counter the effects of an ageing population.
an Australian population policy must consider the geographical distribution of human settlements rather than just concentrate upon population size at the national level.
Australia has an obligation to accept humanitarian migration including that resulting from climate change.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
reduction of Australia‟s use of natural resources to a level that is sustainable and socially just.
recognition that use of resources in production for export is as damaging to the environment as production for domestic consumption.
11.  human settlements which are:
  designed and built to minimise environmental harm and maximise social well-being; //|and
  located in areas where their ecological impact is minimised.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
support, through extensive community consultation, a population policy directed towards ecological sustainability in the context of global social justice.
work to achieve a sustainable relationship between humans and the environment by taking action:
  in Australia, including planning, consultation and a whole of government approach, toimprove equity in consumption levels and resource and technology use; //|and
  globally, to improve social and economic equity
and promote programs that empower women.
14. implement the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action as endorsed by the Australian Government, //|by:
  increasing our contribution to programs that empower women and increase their access to a wide range of safe family planning options; //|and
  increasing our overseas aid budget to 0.7% of GNP by 2010 as recommended by the United Nations, directed to the poorest, which often include women, with a focus on clean water and sanitation, education and high quality accessible health services, including sexual and reproductive health services.
ensure that Australian family planning programs, both domestically and overseas, are adequately funded to deliver services in the context of reproductive health programs which increase the power of girls and women to determine their own reproductive lives, and increase the understanding of men of their reproductive responsibilities.
prepare contingency plans for possible large scale humanitarian migration as a result of climate change.
Policy Category: B. Agriculture and Natural Resources
Sustainable Agriculture
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
the long-term sustainability of agriculture is essential for Australia‟s society, economy and environment.
sustainable agriculture is fundamental to supporting rural communities, which are a vital part of Australian society.
rural Australia faces complex agricultural, environmental and social challenges; many farmers and pastoralists are actively seeking sustainable practices, but struggle to contend with increasing financial pressures.
the combined problems of salinity, water quality, soil degradation and habitat fragmentation require an integrated approach at the farm enterprise, catchment and landscape scales.
ongoing research, development and extension are essential to both improve the sustainability of Australian agriculture and to maintain its competitiveness.
we must plan and manage for the likely impacts of climate change, increasing climatic variability and oil scarcity on Australia‟s agricultural industries.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
sustainable land management.
improved water efficiency, water quality and conservation within agricultural systems.
to work with the farming community to address the critical issue of soil degradation and loss of soil health facing Australian agricultural industries.
an end to broad-scale native vegetation clearing and, where possible, restoration of native vegetation and biodiversity.
the identification of damaged landscapes and those at risk, and the implementation of remediation strategies for these areas.
increased support for research into sustainable agricultural innovations and industries.
an increase in new sustainable industries, including biofuel and bioenergy production, provided that they do not endanger food security.
improved protection for pastoral and leasehold lands, waterways, roadsides, travelling stock routes and other key public assets.
better biosecurity through effective management of invasive species, pests and diseases.
prime agricultural land protected from urban developments and other encroachments, and support for community-based food production systems.
regional communities to be prepared for the impacts of oil scarcity, climate change and increased climate variability.
the promotion of Australian produce to the Australian community.
the protection and enhancement of crop diversity and resilience.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
foster cooperative partnerships between governments, agribusiness, landholders and managers, and communities, to implement sustainable agricultural systems, methods and industries, and to undertake landscape restoration.
revise and improve existing strategies for natural resource management at both farm and catchment levels.
work for community consultation and participation in policy and decision-making in agricultural landscape management, with legislation, where appropriate.
address climatic variability and climate change through risk management strategies that minimise the adverse impacts of weather extremes, and encourage the adaptation of agricultural processes to climate change.
extend incentive schemes to landholders implementing sustainable farming systems.
review exceptional circumstances criteria which permit the continuation of degrading practices.
strengthen national research and development coordination and funding for new industries that deliver environmental and community benefits.
structure tax incentives to encourage private sector investment in sustainable new agricultural industries.
regulate for sustainable use of irrigation water and groundwater, including transparent pricing to promote efficient water use.
ensure agricultural land zoning reflects land use capability and protects prime agricultural land.
support initiatives that increase local product quality and nutrition, local value-adding and local distribution, and promote Australian produce to the Australian community.
support further research into alternatives to, and fund the transition from, the use of nonrenewable energy, and agrochemicals such as pesticides and artificial fertilisers.
ensure better access for primary producers to services, expertise and technologies that improve the sustainability of their enterprises.
support food trading and processing practices that reduce transport, packaging and waste.
resource international and intranational biosecurity, pest, weed and disease control measures, to protect Australia‟s biodiversity, its agriculture, and people.
fund research into social and economic factors associated with changes in land use, transport and energy costs, and climate risk.
provide long-term funding for successful programs of sustainable landscape use.
promote ecologically sustainable approaches to land use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon in soil, and offer incentives for implementation.
seek and support fair trade and biosecurity in international trade agreements.
address soil degradation and soil health as key funding priorities for natural resource management programs.
promote organic agriculture.
Genetically Manipulated Organisms (GMOs)
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs), their products, and the chemicals used to manage them, pose unacceptable threats to natural and agricultural ecosystems.
the precautionary principle must be applied to the use of genetically manipulated organisms and the techniques for producing them.
GMO assessments must be broad, independent and scientifically robust, and any negative effects detected and addressed proactively.
as living organisms - plants, animals and micro-organisms -are not inventions, patents on life are unethical, against the public interest and should be banned.
the Australian government must ban plant GMOs with seeds made sterile by 'terminator' (Gene Use Restriction) technologies, so they will not germinate when planted, and advocate this policy in Convention of Biological Diversity negotiations.
farmers and consumers have a right to grow and consume food that is not genetically manipulated.
everyone has a right to know if foods contain any ingredients made using GM techniques, through the comprehensive labelling of those products.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a moratorium on the release of GEOs into the environment until there is an adequate scientific understanding of their long term impact on environmental and human health and animal health. (NB: most GM products are fed to animals)
mandatory labelling of all foods containing any ingredient, additives, processing aid or other constituent produced using GMOs.
a ban on patenting all living organisms - plants, animals and micro-organisms - and naturally occurring DNA code sequence information.
a scientific system which sets objective benchmarks, standards and quality assurance systems in advance, to mandate top quality, peer reviewed scientific evidence must be the only basis for assessing and licensing GMOs.
a strengthened, transparent, precautionary regulatory and monitoring system which prevents GMO contamination.
impact assessment research criteria and benchmarked processes that ensure GEOs are safe for the environment, and that derived foods are safe for human consumption.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
sign and ratify the Cartagena Biosfety Protocol (on the safe international transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms) so that Australia fulfils its responsibilities under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
review and amend the Commonwealth Gene Technology Act 2000 (as amended) to:
  ensure the precautionary principle is rigorously applied to all applications for the general or restricted release of any GMO;
  ensure that assessment processes are objectively and fairly conducted by independent scientists and community representatives with the power to influence the regulators decisions;
  ensure that the assessment process is objective and fair, and is by independent scientists and community representatives;
  ensure that assessment processes examine the potential benefits as well as the risks of any proposal to release GMOs, and not issue a license where the risks outweigh the benefits; //|and
  require economic, social, marketing and ethical factors to be part of the impact assessment processes.
put in place a moratorium on the release of any GMOs into the Australian environment for trial or commercial purposes.
remove as far as possible all GMOs from the Australian environment and food supply while the moratorium is in force.
require mandatory, accurate and comprehensive labelling of all foods and animal feed containing any ingredient, additive, processing aid or other constituent produced using GMOs.
require certification of all imported seed, food and other products as GM or GM-free and ensure facilities exist for stringent testing.
make balanced, accurate, complete and high quality information available to the interested public, on the environmental, economic and social aspects of the genetic manipulation of living organisms.
change publicly-funded agricultural research and development priorities and resourcing from genetic manipulation to sustainable production methods.
fund independent scientific research to investigate the risks, hazards and costs of GMOs (including the associated use of agrichemicals) to human health, the environment, society and the economy.
replace the existing ad hoc system of GMO assessment, licensing and monitoring with a scientific system consistent with our principles.
ensure that when regulators assess the risks of GMOs as manageable and issue a license, they specify the agencies or individuals responsible for the identified risks and mandate the management systems to be used.
Natural Resources
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
Australia‟s natural resources must be managed in accordance with the principles of intergenerational equity, biodiversity conservation
and respect for the traditional ownership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
the management of Australia‟s natural resources must ensure the sovereignty and independence of future generations.
resource extraction decisions must be guided by rigorous environmental and social impact assessment and by the precautionary principle.
climate change must be a central consideration in the management of forests, fisheries and mining.
Forests, Plantations and Wood Products
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
recognition of the essential role played by mature forest ecosystems in wildlife habitat, carbon storage and water supply.
a sustainable and productive wood products industry on public and private land that maintains or enhances the resilience of natural ecosystems.
a high value-adding wood products industry that creates long-term skilled jobs and social sustainability in regional communities.
an end to the destruction of old-growth forests and other forests of high conservation value.
tax arrangements which do not advantage plantations over other crops.
world‟s best practice certified farm-scale plantation forestry.
a diversity of species in plantations.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
end the export of woodchips and whole logs from native forests.
end the logging of high conservation value native forests and wildlife habitats.
end logging in native forests except, once export woodchipping from them is banned, in limited areas where small volumes of timber can be taken from defined areas under strict conditions and for specialty purposes.
prohibit the use of native forests for electricity generation.
nominate Australia‟s qualifying ancient forests for listing on the National and/or World Heritage registers.
abolish Regional Forest Agreements and replace the Commonwealth Regional Forest Agreements Act 2002 to ensure that forests, plantations and the wood productions industry are treated equally with other activities under environmental law.
implement a national wood products industry plan that will complete the transition from native forests to existing plantations, including retraining and other assistance for workers and the development of sustainable alternative fibre industries.
Fisheries
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
the management of recreational and commercial fisheries to maintain sustainable populations and fisheries, and to minimise the environmental impacts of fishing.
protection of fish nursery habitat.
environmentally benign aquaculture industries.
a strategy to maintain adequate, biologically representative „no-take‟ areas within each fishery and/or marine bioregion for the conservation of marine biodiversity and fish stocks.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
complete the independent ecological assessment of Australia‟s commercial fisheries under the provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
expand fisheries assessments to all Australian fisheries, including recreational fisheries, and develop and implement a national framework for managing recreational and charter fishing.
increase the number of Australia's marine reserves, particularly where these improve the resilience of vulnerable fish populations.
strengthen and continue Australia‟s proactive stance on illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing,
including assisting in the development of alternative employment opportunities for impoverished communities now relying on the illegal trade.
in cooperation with the states and territories, develop a nationally agreed framework for the assessment and regulation of aquaculture developments based on ecosystems management principles.
implement a moratorium on deep-sea bottom trawling in Australian waters and require by-catch reduction in all trawl fisheries.
maintain adequate, biologically representative „no-take‟ areas within each fishery and/or marine bioregion.
ban all factory-ship based fishing in Australian pelagic fisheries.
Mining and Mineral Exploration
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a viable mining and mineral exploration sector that meets stringent environmental protection standards.
all mining activity to be consistent with the desires and needs of affected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
ensure that environmental and social impact assessments are rigorously applied and implemented on all mining proposals and projects.
prohibit the exploration for, and mining and export of, uranium.
oppose the establishment of new coal mines and the expansion of existing mines.
prohibit mineral exploration and mining as well as extraction of petroleum and gas in terrestrial and marine nature conservation reserves, including national parks, wilderness areas and other areas of outstanding nature conservation value.
establish a national mining insurance fund, based on mining industry contributions, to provide resources sufficient to rehabilitate the environmental impacts of existing mining operations.
ensure that all new mining proposals include a fully costed and funded allocation for the restoration and rehabilitation of the impacted area(s) to world‟s best practice standards.
Policy Category: C. Climate Change and Energy
Climate Change and Energy
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
climate change poses the greatest threat to our world in human history and requires urgent local, national and global action.
we have only 10-15 years to use our collective human intelligence to address the crisis of climate change and to prevent catastrophe.
Australia is ideally placed to lead the world in this challenge and the Greens are committed to Australia taking that lead.
Australia needs to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, actively support international mitigation measures to reduce global emissions, and plan to adapt to climate change impacts which are now inevitable.
early action to reduce pollution is cheaper and fairer than delaying action.
the equity principle must be at the core of climate change negotiations and measures.
the cost of reducing greenhouse emissions and adapting to climate change must be distributed fairly, both domestically and between nations.
climate change will result in the displacement of people, creating environmental refugees and intensifying the threat of regional and global conflict.
Australia must use its diplomatic and economic influence to promote the development of alternatives to greenhouse gas intensive sources of energy.
energy prices should reflect the environmental and social costs of production and use.
renewable energy projects should be ecologically sustainable and governed by the same development guidelines as other investments of a similar scale.
the major refurbishment of existing coal fired power stations undermines the effort to increase end-use energy efficiency, demand management and renewable energy.
a safe climate will require a return to an atmospheric concentration of 350ppm or lower of greenhouse gases (CO2 equivalents)
Australia needs to plan for a future that does not rely on coal export and coal fired electricity
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
Australia to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as is feasible and by no later than 2050 with a minimum of 40% reduction on 1990 levels by 2020.
the reversal of Australia‟s growing demand for energy through demand management and increased efficiency of supply and end-use.
future energy needs to be met using sustainable, renewable energy sources.
all countries to develop and meet greenhouse gas emission targets.
actions to adapt Australia to the impacts of climate change.
Australia to be prepared for peak oil without resorting to the heavily greenhouse polluting options of shale oil or coal-to-oil.
the development and ratification of a global oil depletion protocol.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
take a leading role in negotiating a multilateral emission abatement treaty which includes binding emission targets for all countries.
establish binding national emission targets for 2010, 2020 and 2050 supported by a detailed strategy to reduce emissions from the energy, transport, industry, waste and land management sectors.
drive the equitable transition to a low carbon economy through a range of market-based and regulatory mechanisms reflecting the real costs of greenhouse gas emissions.
address the social impacts of the transition to a low carbon economy.
create a new ministerial position, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, to oversee the national response to climate change and the implementation of energy efficiency programs and standards.
establish a low greenhouse trigger in the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC), ensuring Federal oversight of developments which are liable to have a significant impact on domestic or global greenhouse emissions.
establish a national system of energy efficiency targets.
significantly increase the stringency of Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for products, buildings and infrastructure.
ensure that renewable electricity provides 30% of national demand by 2020 by increasing the renewable energy target (RET) and by introducing measures such as feed-in tariffs and regulations to support a range of prospective new renewable energy technologies.
reform MRET to exclude non-renewable sources including greenfields coal-bed methane, and new hydroelectric and native forest fuelled power stations.
reform the National Electricity Market to remove the bias towards centralised coal-fired generation, and encourage demand management and the development of distributed generation and renewable energy.
review national gas resources and their allocation to ensure that Australia has sufficient gas to produce on-demand electricity in the transition to a fully renewable economy.
facilitate the rollout of smart meters with real-time communications technology and information display with measures to ensure that people who are on low incomes, unemployed or aged are not unfairly penalised
transfer subsidies and government support, including funding for research and development, from the fossil fuel sectors to energy efficiency and renewable energy.
provide incentives, including any revenue raised from the above measures, to promote public transport, and to encourage research, development, and commercialisation of energy efficiency and renewable energy.
ensure that energy price subsidies are not used to attract or retain energy intensive industries.
oppose the establishment of new coal-fired power stations, new coal mines and the expansion of existing mines, as the technology to capture and store greenhouse gas emissions remains unproven.
ban public funding to refurbish any existing coal fired power stations.
develop a plan to assist affected communities in the transition from dependence on coal mining and coal-fired power stations, given that global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will inevitably reduce the demand for coal.
adopt the precautionary principle in relation to carbon capture and storage (geosequestration) by opposing public funding, and ensuring that companies are financially responsible for the risks of CO2 leakage.
phase in stringent fuel efficiency standards.
remove the GST on public transport.
reduce vehicle dependence and improve fuel efficiency by investing in public transport, providing housing with access to public transport and discourage urban sprawl.
use Government procurement policies to promote efficient passenger vehicles.
amend the Fringe Benefits Tax to remove the incentive to increase vehicle use.
phase out diesel fuel subsidies by removing energy credits.
support research, development and commercialisation of sustainable alternative fuels.
support the development and expansion of robust distribution networks for transitional and sustainable alternative fuels and charging facilities for electric vehicles.
increase community awareness about the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, about simple and cost-effective emission mitigation options, and about the need to plan for future climate change impacts.
help countries in our region to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and adapt to climate change through appropriate technology transfer and other forms of assistance.
Nuclear
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
there is a strong link between the mining and export of uranium, nuclear power and nuclear weapon proliferation.
the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, or of catastrophic accidents at, or terrorist attacks on, nuclear power stations, are so great that the risks are unacceptably high.
future generations must not be burdened with high level radioactive waste.
nuclear power is not a safe, clean, timely, economic or practical solution to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
Australia's reliance on the US nuclear weapons 'umbrella' lends our bases, ports and infrastructure to the US nuclear war fighting apparatus.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a nuclear-free Australia.
a nuclear-free world.
safe, long-term containment of Australia‟s existing nuclear waste.
the elimination of nuclear weapons through a Nuclear Weapons Convention.
the elimination of depleted uranium weapons.
safe, ecologically sustainable energy options.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
end the exploration for, and the mining and export of, uranium.
maintain the prohibition on the processing and enrichment of uranium in Australia.
prohibit the import and export of nuclear waste and fuel rods.
prohibit the reprocessing of Australian nuclear fuel rods.
promote the development of non-reactor technologies for the production of radioisotopes for medical and scientific purposes.
close the OPAL nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights.
ensure that nuclear waste is stored with minimal risk and is monitored above ground, in dry storage at or near the site of generation.
require uranium mining companies to meet enforceable standards to safely contain and to monitor their radioactive tailings wastes for at least 10,000 years.
require uranium mining companies to rehabilitate mining sites.
immediately close Australia‟s ports and territorial waters to nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed vessels.
prohibit the treatment of food with ionising radiation (food irradiation), and the importation of such food.
support compensation for the victims of British nuclear weapons testing in Australia.
support the creation of nuclear weapon free zones, municipalities and ports.
strengthen the radiation security and preparedness of Australia's airports and ports.
Policy Category: D. Care for People
Health
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
access to quality health care is a basic human right.
individual health outcomes are influenced by the inter-relationship of biological, social, economic and environmental factors.
governments are responsible for ensuring that all people have access to the resources and opportunities essential for good health.
preventative approaches, measures to alleviate social disadvantage, and universal access to an effective health care system are necessary to address inequities in health outcomes.
an effective health system must be based on primary health care and preventive health care, such as health promotion, disease prevention and early intervention, in order to reduce avoidable admissions and pressure on hospitals.
the public health system is the best way to deliver health services.
the interests of patients must be placed ahead of disputes over federal, state and local government responsibilities.
the health system must be focussed on individual and social wellbeing.
people have the right to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care.
an effective health care system is dependent upon a skilled, well-resourced workforce.
it is essential to plan now for changing disease patterns arising from climate change.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a universal public health care system for all Australians.
universal access to publicly funded primary dental care.
increased primary health care funding to ensure greater access to general practitioner services.
a health system which has strong, well-funded primary treatment and prevention options as well as acute, hospital based care.
primary treatment and prevention services that provide first contact, community-based care.
health funding that supports preventive care and health promotion, multidisciplinary teams and networks, and co-located services.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have health outcomes and life expectancy equal to other Australians.
increased funding for services and education for the prevention and early detection of mental illness.
health funding that meets the increasing demands resulting from climate change.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
develop a National Health Care Strategy, with a focus on primary health care, which ensures national coordination and shared responsibility in health care, research and evaluation.
support Medicare as a universal health insurance scheme funded from progressive taxation.
abolish the private health insurance rebate and redirect funds to the public health system, including public hospitals.
increase incentives for GPs and medical specialists to bulk bill.
increase the number of salaried GPs in order to increase access to GP services.
increase the number of well funded multipurpose community health care centres and services in regional, rural, and remote areas.
enact measures, including legislation, to protect and extend the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
ensure that the membership of regulatory bodies, such as the Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee, is made up of independent scientific experts, clinically based health care advisors and consumer representatives, in order to provide independence from undue influence.
fund preventive health programs which include appropriate screening activities and healthy lifestyle education.
introduce legislation to promote healthy choices, including a ban on junk food advertising on children‟s television.
continue restrictions on pharmaceutical advertising, and restrict pharmaceutical promotions to health professionals, including undergraduates.
ensure funding for health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that will raise their health status to a level comparable to other Australians.
work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and relevant agencies to deliver accessible, culturally-appropriate and community-controlled health services.
support and add to current innovations that facilitate the training of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and migrant health professionals.
introduce and fully fund a Commonwealth Dental Scheme for low income earners and their families, which provides essential dental care and a full dental examination every two years.
adopt mechanisms to increase access to primary dental services through Medicare.
increase funding to mental health services in collaboration with states and territories, particularly to prevention models, and hospital and community-based support, assessment and suicide prevention services.
establish properly resourced, strategically located 24 hour community mental health services, staffed by the full range of mental health professionals.
expand community-based support services and agencies to enable people with chronic mental and/or physical illnesses, and their carers, to live in and participate more fully in their communities.
increase student places in medical, dental and nursing schools, and allied health courses, to address the shortage of health professionals with commensurate funding for staffing and facilities to ensure high quality training and mentorship programs.
review and implement effective measures to attract health professionals to rural and remote areas.
legislate to enable people with long-term chronic illnesses to continue to access Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines at the concession rate when moving to low paid work and ceasing the Disability Support Pension.
ensure all women have access to legal, free and safe pregnancy termination services, including unbiased counselling.
ensure access to a full range of birthing services.
support improved labelling, and contents and nutritional disclosure, on all food sold in Australia, including country of origin.
work for more comprehensive enforcement of standards for food labelling and health and nutritional benefit claims.
support improved preparation for emergency responses to pandemics.
establish an ongoing assessment of, and management plan for, the health risks posed by climate change to Australians.
Drugs, Substance Abuse and Addiction
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
The Australian Greens do not support the legalisation of currently illegal drugs.
a harm minimisation approach is the best way to reduce the negative effects of drug use and drug regulation.
harm minimisation policies and programs are those directed towards reducing the adverse health, social and economic consequences of drug use, to the individual user and the community.
the use of illegal and legal drugs (including alcohol and tobacco), and some regulatory approaches, can have a wide range of adverse health, social and economic effects.
the regulation of personal use of currently illegal drugs is best addressed primarily within a health and social framework, with legal support.
imprisonment for personal use of illicit drugs, when not associated with other crimes, is not an appropriate solution to drug dependence.
a funding mix should be adopted to enable supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction.
information and education programs should be available to enable informed debate about the effects of all drugs, including prescription, non-prescription, legal and illegal drugs.
policy and programs should be adopted that are evidence-based and subject to continuous evaluation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities must control, to the greatest extent possible, the development and management of harm minimisation policies and programs in their communities.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a reduction in deaths, disease, crime and corruption resulting from drug use.
reduced consumption of illegal and legal drugs where this leads to a decrease in problems associated with harmful drug use.
the cost to government and the community of regulating drug use to be reduced with improved health and social outcomes.
improved efficacy of all management, treatment and other regulatory and judicial responses to drug use in the community, to maximise harm reduction, supply reduction and demand reduction.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
establish an Australian Drugs Policy Institute to undertake research trials and evaluation of policy and treatment programs.
provide free information on substance use, especially for young people.
ban all advertising and all sponsorship of tobacco products.
establish an independent body to regulate alcohol advertising.
ban donations from the tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical industries to political parties.
reform alcohol taxation so that the tax rate is based on alcohol content rather than beverage type, and allocate the income to fund alcohol and drug education and treatment.
reduce the effects of passive smoking, by introducing a ban on smoking in defined public spaces.
continue restrictions on the sale of alcohol and tobacco products to people under the age of 18.
prohibit advertising promotions for alcohol that encourage excessive drinking.
introduce the regulated use of cannabis for specified medical purposes, such as intractable pain.
support the comprehensive roll out of Opal non-sniffable fuel throughout regions of Australia where petrol sniffing and trafficking is a problem, with associated diversionary and rehabilitation programs.
support serious penalties for driving while under the influence of alcohol and other drugs that impair cognitive or psychomotor skills.
introduce a system of sanctions for personal use of illicit drugs, when not associated with other crimes, that include measures such as education, counselling and treatment, commensurate with specific cases and circumstances.
support criminal penalties for drug dealers.
increase availability of diversion to rehabilitation and treatment programs as a sentencing alternative for people convicted of crimes committed to support a personal addiction to drugs.
promote relationships between relevant agencies and local communities to address problems associated with illegal drug use.
make drug substitution treatments available under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and compensate pharmacists for costs of dispensing treatment.
extend the range of counselling and treatment programs covered by Medicare.
increase the availability of harm reduction programs, including needle and syringe exchanges and medically supervised injecting rooms and implement a rigorous scientific trial of prescribed heroin to registered users in line with the proposed 1996 ACT government heroin trial.
Education
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
universal access to high quality education is fundamental to Australia's prosperity, environmental sustainability, well being and social fulfilment.
all people are entitled to free, well-funded and high quality, life-long public education and training.
the government has a primary responsibility to fund all levels of the public education system early childhood education, schools, vocational education and training and universities - to provide high quality education to all students.
federal funding to the education system (public and private) should be on the basis of equity to ensure that all Australian children have the best opportunities to achieve the best educational outcomes.
federal schools funding policy should prioritise the public education system to ensure that public schools are able to provide the highest quality educational experiences and set the educational standards for the nation.
teachers, academics, student unions and parent organisations should have a significant role in setting directions, priorities, and curricula and in the administration of the public education system.
the salaries and conditions of teachers, early childhood and other educators should be set at a level that recognises the importance of their work, provides secure career structures, and encourages committed and capable people into the teaching profession at all levels of the education system.
teachers should have a career structure which provides opportunities for advancement and promotion based on skills, experience and teaching specializations. Performance payments are not an alternative to properly funded career path.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people‟s educational outcomes must match the rest of the Australian population.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities should determine their own educational opportunities and, together with students, must be centrally involved in determining their educational priorities and the design and delivery of education opportunities at all levels.
early childhood education is a critical component of lifelong learning and should be provided by government and accredited community organizations and not-for profit providers.
vocational education and training (VET) should be primarily provided through the public TAFE system while the community and not-for-profit VET sector should also be supported.
universities are places of learning and research where the needs of the whole community and the values of service to the public and scholarship take priority over sectional and commercial interests and academic freedom is protected.
fulltime university and TAFE students are entitled to a living allowance which enables them to study instead of having to find paid work during teaching semesters.
education unions are the appropriate industrial representatives in all educational matters.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a public school system that is recognised as among the best in the world.
every child in Australia to have access to at least two years of public preschool education.
schools funding to be placed on an equitable footing by reversing the excessive increases in Commonwealth funding to non-government schools in recent years.
increased funding to public education through funding models for all sectors of the education system to prioritise public education.
public education infrastructure to be adequately funded for capital works and maintenance to meet the highest environmental sustainability standards and remain in public ownership and control.
smaller class sizes throughout the public education system to ensure manageable workloads for all educators and best educational outcomes for all students.
higher teacher-student ratios in schools that suffer socioeconomic disadvantage, educate children with special needs and schools with a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
increased specialist teachers and support services for students and pre-school children with special needs, including those with a disability or a learning difficulty.
increased support for students from non-English speaking backgrounds, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
increased funding for training and professional development for educators in all sectors of the public education system.
a career path and salary structure for school teachers and other educators to encourage excellent teachers to enter and stay in the profession.
schools and curriculum material free from corporate influence including the use of sponsors‟ material or logos.
home schooling options for parents to educate their children if they meet requirements to provide a balanced education, core educational outcomes and social interaction with peers.
VET funding priorities to balance between student needs, employment demand, and providing skills in satisfying and sustainable employment.
free university education for Australian citizens, permanent residents and refugees.
improved access to comprehensive tertiary education for rural and remote communities.
retention rates to Year 12 and enrolments and completions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at tertiary level to match the rest of the community.
internationally competitive conditions for academic staff.
enrolment for high-demand tertiary courses with limited places to be based on merit and not on ability to pay.
elected staff and student representatives on university governing bodies.
provision of an adequate means-tested living allowance for full time students in the tertiary sector.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
fund the construction of new public preschool facilities.
increase pre-service and professional development opportunities for early childhood educators.
develop improved career path, professional development   and pay structure for all teachers and other educators.
provide additional teachers and resources for students and preschool children with special needs and those from disadvantaged communities.
introduce the same accountability and transparency frameworks for government funding to nongovernment schools as applies to public schools and extend the anti-discrimination measures that apply in public schools to private schools.
ensure the viability and diversity of existing public schools is not endangered by the development of new private schools.
include the history, culture and contemporary experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is included in the school curriculum, and in the training and professional development of all teachers.
support schools in the provision of high quality, rich information to parents and the community and end the public ranking of schools in league tables.
support expert decision- making about curriculum, testing, reporting and teaching in consultation with teachers, parents, students and the community.
ensure that public funding of private providers of VET and businesses that supply training opportunities does not diminish the viability of public TAFE services, expertise or facilities.
phase out the public funding of privately provided VET where TAFE can provide the same educational and training outcomes.
abolish all fees and charges for educational services at TAFE institutions.
address the over-casualisation of TAFE teaching by introducing a benchmark of 80 percent of teaching by permanent staff throughout public and private VET providers.
increase the availability of apprenticeships, especially in rural and regional Australia.
ensure educators have a key role in developing and reviewing training packages.
provide an adequate mean-tested living allowance for full time students.
reject the use of education funding vouchers.
increase funding to the tertiary sector to provide sufficient student places to meet the demand of suitably qualified applicants.
legislate to increase democratic participation by academics, staff, students and community representatives in the decision-making processes within universities.
abolish fees for educational services at public universities for Australian students and forgive HECS debts and FEE-HELP debt incurred at public universities.
repeal voluntary student union legislation and support the role of student unions by the universal collection of student fees for amenities and services, by an elected student body.
support affirmative action entrance, residential programs and ongoing assistance to improve university entrance opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
increase and cost-index per-student funding of all public universities, and ensure adequate funding to all rural, regional and outer-suburban universities.
support the right of academics to develop and maintain a research career and increase funding to expand the research capacity of Australian universities and increase the proportion of research funding allocated to pure research and to research for the public good.
end the current arrangement for recurrent funding to non-government schools by no later than the end of 2010.
implement a new model for recurrent funding to non-government schools based on the following:
proper consideration of the resource levels of non-government schools and their financial capacity, including fees and other parent contributions;
an appropriate measure for indexation of the funding of non-government schools  that de-couples it from spending  on public schools; and
-non-government schools to be fully accountable to the parliament and therefore transparent to the public on their use of government funds and their financial situation, including all income and assets.
ensure that non-government schools in receipt of government funding:
-do not discriminate in hiring of staff or selection of students;
-have an admissions and expulsions policy similar to public schools including an obligation to enrol; and
-demonstrate social and community engagement and benefit by offering community access to facilities and/or a fee waiver for a percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or with special needs.
invest the money saved from ending public subsidies to the very wealthiest private schools into a national equity funding programme for public schools.
support the maintenance of the total level of Commonwealth funding for private schools at 2003-04 levels (excluding that re-allocated under previous clauses), indexed for inflation.
end government funding for schools that operate for private profit.
Housing
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
affordable housing is a human right.
the housing needs of low income Australians should be met through the provision of a mix of affordable options, including community housing, public housing, shared equity with social housing providers and private rental housing.
governments need to provide sufficient public and community housing to meet current need and projected demand.
new urban developments should be environmentally sound, close to employment and public transport,
and should facilitate community interaction.
public participation in the development of public and community housing, (including planning and in the assessment of development proposals) is a right, the exercise of which should be encouraged by planning authorities.
the housing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be met as a matter of urgency.
passive thermal heating and cooling (including solar) design must be mandatory as a building principle.
existing subsidies and incentives for property investment should be reviewed with a view to guaranteeing housing affordability across all tenure types.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
the elimination of housing-related poverty.
all Australians to have access to adequate, safe, secure, sustainable and affordable housing.
Australians who are unable to provide their own housing to be given housing assistance by the government.
minimal waiting times on public housing waiting lists.
adequate investment in public and community housing throughout the community to ensure its social and economic viability.
participation by tenants and homeless persons in decisions regarding their housing services.
a reduction in the environmental impact of housing, both during construction and throughout the life of the building.
priority given in town planning to recreational, cultural and social amenities that promote healthy communities.
greater diversity in housing to meet the accessibility needs of changing demographics an disadvantaged groups.
increased provision of emergency accommodation and transitional housing for people in need (including women and children affected by family violence, people experiencing homelessness, refugees and asylum seekers, migrants and people released from detention) with sufficient exit options to long term housing.
improved legal security of tenure
and reduced discrimination.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have access to adequate, secure, well maintained, safe and culturally appropriate long-term housing, wherever they live.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
develop a national housing plan, and significantly increase funding to public and community housing.
provide increased financial assistance to people unable to provide for their own housing.
urgently fund sufficient public and community housing, to minimise waiting lists.
ensure public housing is accessible, affordable, secure, habitable and in locations that provide reasonable access to employment, health-care, public transport, schools and other social facilities.
significantly increase funding to address the housing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
ensure subsidies and concessions for the provision of private rental accommodation are targeted at affordable housing for low-income households.
means test the first home owners grant.
require new buildings and retrofit of old buildings to meet high minimum standards of energy efficiency, noise insulation and water conservation.
develop national planning guidelines for new housing developments that require:
  a social mix of public and private housing with a target of 20% low cost and public housing, and housing that caters for diverse social needs;
  design for maximum energy efficiency meeting or exceeding a national six-star rating;
  privacy and noise controls;
  permeable road networks allowing for bus access;
  segregated bicycle paths and footpaths;
  landscaping, design and infrastructure for rainwater trapping and wastewater recycling; //|and
  at least 15% to be allocated to public open space in addition to community facilities.
  develop national building standards that:
  take account of climatic variation across the continent;
  strengthen disability access provisions;
  set high standards for energy and water efficiency; //| and
  specify minimum standards for non-toxic, low environmental impact construction materials.
31.  develop national urban planning standards that provide for:
  the location of high density housing and commercial buildings close to high capacity public transport; //|and
  the clustering of medium-density housing, community facilities and small-scale businesses around neighbourhood shopping centres and other social facilities (including health care and schooling) linked with public transport.
Women
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
women have the right to equal respect, responsibilities and rewards in society.
women have the right to equal access and participation in decision-making processes in all areas of political, social, intellectual and economic endeavour.
women have the right to freedom from violence.
women have the right to equal pay for work of equal value, and to have their unpaid caring responsibilities acknowledged and properly valued throughout their lifetime.
women have the right to make informed, supported choices about all aspects of their lives, including sexual identity, health, reproductive health processes, birthing and child-bearing, and how they balance participation in paid work with caring responsibilities.
social structures which disadvantage women must be changed.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
all public policy and legislation to be consistent with Australia's commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the UN Fourth World Conference on Women Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
equal representation of women and men in public life.
women to be able to live their lives free from violence.
equal pay for equal work that acknowledges and values women's specific interaction with the paid workforce.
women to have access to safe and confidential health and wellbeing services, including reproductive health services.
women to have equal access to appropriate well-resourced education services, from early childhood education through to higher education, which recognise the specific barriers women face in accessing education.
women to have access to safe and secure accommodation through a comprehensive housing policy and the provision of adequate crisis housing.
family-friendly workplaces and public spaces.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
legislate to remove sources of discrimination against women.
address the negative effects - physical, emotional and economic - of violence against women, through adequately funded, appropriate health and education programs.
further develop and support national anti-violence public education campaigns and programs, including family violence.
end the criminalisation of consensual adult sex work.
implement the National Maternity Action Plan.
ensure that all women have access to legal, free and safe pregnancy termination services including unbiased counselling.
improve women's access to crisis services, including housing, especially in rural, regional and remote areas.
ensure access to culturally appropriate crisis services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and wom|en from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
fully fund paid parental leave.
fund community-based affordable, accessible, quality childcare and provide incentives for onsite childcare facilities in workplaces.
recognise and give due weight to the work of those involved in homemaking, child raising, caring for the elderly or disabled and working for community organisations by including those activities in the calculation of national economic measures.
introduce an equitable retirement income system that effectively and adequately provides women with financial independence when they retire.
re-establish the federal Office for the Status of Women, including its position as part of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
develop and support programs to increase the skills of women as candidates and members of Parliament and to actively promote women to stand as candidates for election.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
the Australian Constitution must recognise the prior occupation and sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a strong cultural and spiritual connection with the land, and their rights and obligations as owners and custodians must be respected.
Australia must comply with international agreements that recognise the rights of indigenous peoples.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a right to self determination and political representation, and must be partners in the development and implementation of public policies, programs and services that affect them.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the right to retain, and benefit financially from, the Indigenous cultural and intellectual property and heritage rights invested in traditional knowledge
and in the biodiversity of their own lands and waters, in accordance withthe UN International Convention on Biological Diversity.
where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have been dispossessed from their lands and waters, they have a right to redress through measures that assist them to acquire, own and/or manage their land and waters in a way that enhances their social, cultural, spiritual, economic and environmental wellbeing.
all Australians, including those living in remote communities, have an equal right to essential government services such as health, education, training, housing, community infrastructure, employment support, and policing.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should have the same life expectancy and living standards as other Australians.
Australian governments must recognise the continuing effect of past treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and provide restitution to the stolen generations.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are particularly vulnerable to a wide range of climate change impacts.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a treaty that recognises the prior occupation and sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be enshrined in the constitution.
equality of access to essential services and development opportunities within a decade.
equality of outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on all major indicators of health, education, training, housing, employment and living standards within a generation, within a framework which acknowledges the diverse aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
the establishment of appropriate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative bodies elected by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
increased representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in all levels of government and other decision making roles.
all programs and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to employ qualified community members where possible, and to include training and capacity development.
culturally appropriate services and resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people based on local language, cultural aspects and community priorities.
qualified local-language and cultural interpreters available in courts, hospitals, clinics, and government meetings when needed.
youth programs to be treated as an essential service in remote communities.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be able to retain or reclaim language, heritage and cultural practices.
items of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage to be returned to their rightful owners and custodians.
22.  full implementation of the recommendations of the following:
  Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait  Islander Children from their Families (1997);
  The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody  (1991);
  The NT Coroner's (1998, 2002),WA Coroner's (2004) and SA Coroner's (2002, 2005)  reports on petrol sniffing  related deaths;
  The Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle  (Little  Children are Sacred) Report into the  Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse (2007)
  The HREOC Social Justice Report (2005) into achieving equality of outcomes within a generation;
  The Senate Community  Affairs Committee petrol sniffing report (2006); //|and
  Report on the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait  Islander Heritage Protection Act //|1984 (1996 ‟The Evatt Review‟).
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
increase resources in both community-controlled health services and mainstream services, through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Framework Agreements and Aboriginal Regional Health Plans.
fund a 10 year Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing plan, with a focus on appropriate housing and infrastructure, and with a component providing training and resources for ongoing maintenance, to address unmet need.
make Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children's health a funding priority, with a focus on community-controlled health services and additional community-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child-care services.
support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community initiatives and networks to address family violence and abuse, resource Aboriginal Women's Legal Services, establish safe houses in communities, and support initiatives to reduce substance abuse.
ensure that there is effective policing in remote communities negotiated with community elders, including infrastructure to ensure a live-in police presence, and ongoing funding for successful community night-patrol programs.
conduct a comprehensive study of opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment and enterprise development in remote, rural and urban communities, and implement the recommendations.
assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to adapt to climate change impacts, including increased risk of mosquito borne viruses and heat stress, and degradation of their economic base and cultural heritage associated with sea-level rise, altered seasonality, biodiversity loss and population displacement.
ensure continuity and security of funding for successful community programs.
resource youth programs as essential services in remote communities.
increase support for the development of language and cultural curricula in schools.
direct and resource the Australian Human Rights Commission‟s Social Justice Commissioner to report annually on progress against the recommendations of the reports listed in 4.21 above.
amend the Aboriginal and Torres Strait  Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984, and other applicable legislation, to:
  respect customary law restrictions;
  guarantee  access to significant sites by people with cultural connections to the site;
  establish independent cultural heritage bodies;
  ensure minimum protection standards under Commonwealth, state and territory laws;
  protect all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait  Islander heritage including intellectual property; //|and
  ensure that heritage decisions are made by the relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait  Islander people.
amend the Native Title Act 1993 to ensure consistency with international law and human rights undertakings.
restore the application of the Racial Discrimination Act and the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Act to Aboriginal communities affected by the Northern Territory Emergency Response.
revoke the quarantining of income support payments for Aboriginal people in communities proscribed by the Northern Territory Emergency Response.
lift policy requirements that make the provision of new housing in Aboriginal communities contingent on long-term leasing of the land to the Commonwealth and on handing management of housing from community organisations to State and Territory housing agencies.
enact the provisions of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Australian law.
fairly compensate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people where property has been taken from them or wages have been withheld.
repeal amendments to the Northern Territory Land Rights Act that disadvantage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
ensure the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to sustainably hunt, fish and gather native flora and fauna in line with traditional cultural practice.
Immigration and Refugees
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
the presence in Australia of people of many cultural backgrounds greatly enriches our society and should be celebrated.
Australian society, culture and the economy has benefited, and will continue to benefit, from immigration of people from around the world.
immigration must be non-discriminatory on the grounds of nationality, ethnic origin, religion, language, gender, disability, sexuality, age or socioeconomic background.
Australia has humanitarian and legal obligations to accept refugees and reunite families.
asylum seekers and refugees are no more of a threat to our borders or to society than anyone else and must be treated with compassion and dignity.
Australia must assess in good faith all asylum seekers who arrive on our mainland or any of our islands, without discrimination based on the method of arrival.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
an immigration program that is predominantly based on family reunions and other special humanitarian criteria as defined by international human rights Conventions.
all migrants to be given access to a full range of culturally sensitive, appropriate health services including a comprehensive medical examination on arrival.
services for new migrants to include appropriate English language classes, social security, legal and interpreter services, programs to ease transition to Australia's multicultural society, and post-trauma counselling where needed.
the elimination of the policies of mandatory detention, the „Pacific solution‟, temporary protection visas and other forms of harsh, punitive or discriminatory treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.
asylum seekers who arrive without a valid visa to have their claims for asylum assessed while living in the community.
planning for climate change refugees with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
ensure that potential immigrants are not unfairly discriminated against on any grounds.
increase the share of places for off-shore refugees and humanitarian entrants.
ensure that funding for public and community sector agencies providing migrant-specific services is increased to a level sufficient to provide adequate, effective and timely support.
ensure the development of networks, materials and programs that increase community understanding of the causes and benefits of migration.
abolish mandatory and indefinite detention of asylum seekers.
abolish discriminatory separation of refugees into permanent and temporary visa categories based on whether or not they arrived with a valid visa.
abolish the 'seven day rule' legislation whereby asylum seekers cannot gain a permanent protection visa if they have spent seven days in a third country.
restore the Australian migration zone to match Australia's territory and accept responsibility for processing all asylum seekers who seek Australia's protection within the migration zone.
ensure asylum seekers are fully informed of their rights on arrival and given immediate access to legal assistance.
restore asylum seekers' legal right to challenge decisions that affect them in the courts.
replace the current system of humanitarian visas (granted only by the Immigration Minister after rejection as a refugee) with an open, accountable humanitarian visa process incorporating a humanitarian review tribunal.
house asylum seekers who arrive without a valid visa in publicly owned and managed open reception centres, where entry and exit to these centres are unrestricted except where prohibited for medical or security reasons specified in clause 28.
ensure that initial assessment of refugee status is completed within 90 days.
grant asylum seekers an asylum application visa (AAV) and assist without delay their move into the community provided medical and security checks are satisfied or after 14 days has passed, whichever occurs first.
ensure asylum seekers living in the community while their claim is assessed will be granted an AAV which will entitle them to travel, work, income support and access to ongoing educational and medical services anywhere within Australia while their claims for asylum are assessed.
deny an AAV if security checks demonstrate the person poses a serious criminal threat to the Australian community or if the person has not remained housed in the reception centre while the medical and security checks were completed.
ensure that refusal to grant an AAV is reviewable at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
house those people refused an AAV in separate, appropriate, publicly owned and managed facilities close to urban areas.
ensure that, if refugee status is refused and the person cannot be repatriated, the AAV will remain in force until he or she can be repatriated.
ensure that the number of AAVs given to asylum seekers who arrive without a valid visa has no impact on the prescribed number of off-shore refugee and humanitarian entrants that Australia accepts.
support skilled migration programs that do not drain critical skills from other countries and do not substitute for training or undermine wages and conditions in Australia.
ensure that Australia adequately contributes to the funding of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
ensure that Australia adopts a definition of environmental refugee in its assessment criteria and works in the UN system for inclusion of a definition in the United Nations Refugee Convention.
ensure that no family unit is forcibly separated by the Australian assessment processes.
grant the families of approved asylum seekers permission to migrate to Australia for family reunions within a reasonable time, in accordance with the UNHCR humanitarian program.
Sexuality and Gender Identity
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
freedom of sexuality and gender identity are fundamental human rights.
acceptance and celebration of diversity are essential for genuine social justice and equality.
people have the right to assume their self-identified sex.
discrimination on the basis of sexuality and gender identity is a significant cause of psychological distress, mental illness and suicide.
the health needs of all Australians should be provided for without discrimination and with respect and equity.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
legal and social environments free from harassment, abuse, vilification, stigmatisation, discrimination, disadvantage or exploitation on the basis of sexuality or gender identity.
the legalisation of marriage between two consenting adults regardless of sexuality or gender identity.
de facto relationships to have equal status in law and government policy regardless of sexuality and gender identity.
access, regardless of sexuality and gender identity, to adoption, fostering, artificial insemination and in vitro fertilisation procedures.
the education system to provide age-appropriate information about the diversity of sexuality.
access to the full range of medical and health services required by people with needs related to their sexuality and gender identity.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
legislate to remove discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Intersex (LGBTI) people in federal legislation.
require governments and their agencies to consult with LGBTI communities and representative groups on the development of policies and programs that affect LGBTI people.
initiate national anti-discrimination public education campaigns.
legislate to allow marriage regardless of sexuality or gender identity.
introduce legislation to ensure fair and equal treatment under Commonwealth law of all relationships regardless of sexuality and gender identity.
support nationally consistent age of consent laws.
remove convictions for consensual homosexual acts from legal records.
end the inappropriate application of offensive behaviour, indecent behaviour, 'promotion' and incitement laws to non-heterosexual acts.
fund services to support and protect LGBTI youth, in particular suicide prevention, peer support, coming out, counselling, and housing services and programs.
establish intersex as a gender recognised by the legal system.
support the provision of accurate information, counselling and referral for individuals with, and parents and carers of, infants with intersex conditions.
support gender assignment for people born with an intersex condition being made only when they are able to express personal sexual identity.
support the granting of political asylum on humanitarian grounds to people persecuted in their own countries on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity.
Disability
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
all people have a right to independence, self-determination and choice in their lives.
there are a variety of medical, societal and environmental reasons why peoples' individual abilities differ; disability arises when society fails to accommodate these differences and creates, or fails to remove, barriers to equitable access for all.
people who experience disability, and their families and carers, should have the opportunity to actively participate in policy and service planning and delivery.
it is a primary responsibility of governments to ensure equality of opportunity, to promote attitudinal change, and to provide funding to ensure this in areas of education, health, housing, mobility, employment and sporting, cultural and social engagement.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
people who experience disability to be integrally involved in all levels of decision and policy making, including in their own service development and delivery.
people to participate fully in all aspects of life, including education, training and employment, regardless of disability.
people to have access, where necessary, to appropriate facilities and support personnel in order for them to be able to undertake their chosen activities.
the Commonwealth, State and Territories Disability Agreement to deliver clear and timely policy, funding and service delivery responsibilities and outcomes.
guaranteed decent incomes, support and services for people with disability and their carers.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
strengthen and provide funding for disability advocacy services, community education programs, and the removal of structural barriers to equality of access to education, training and employment.
ensure a guaranteed decent income by increasing Disability Support Pension payments to adequately cover medical, transport, equipment and accommodation costs.
restore the Disability Support Pension eligibility to the pre-July 2006 criteria as a minimum.
remove the punitive assessment and work requirement levels and job capacity assessments introduced in the Welfare to Work Act 2005 whilst ensuring sufficient places for all people seeking training.
provide meaningful employment and training opportunities which take into account the specific needs of people with disability.
allow full tax deductibility for any aids, devices, special equipment or services which directly assist people with disability in finding and maintaining employment.
remove GST and import duty from specialist aids, devices, appliances and services for people with disability.
provide parents, partners, relatives and friends who act as carers with eligibility for registration as professional carers and adequate support, including income and respite.
enact national standards to protect people with disability, where required, via monitoring, investigative powers and enforcement.
increase funding for appropriate, including age-appropriate, accommodation and support services for people with disability, including flexible accommodation models.
increase funding for high quality, age-appropriate institutional care for people with very high and complex care needs.
provide increased respite care services and facilities, in-home and emergency support, crisis accommodation and a range of supported accommodation options.
adequately resource pathways that support school leavers with disability to make the transition from school into meaningful employment, educational and vocational programs or other community-based activities.
support access to specialised employment support services for people with disability who choose to enter the workforce.
improve access to training, development and personal support to staff working in disability services, and adopt workforce measures to increase the professional mix of staff.
improve pay and conditions and career structures for providers of services for people with disabilities.
strengthen national disability access standards.
Social Services
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
a socially just, democratic and sustainable society rests on the provision of a guaranteed adequate income for all its citizens.
everyone has the right to access adequate resources to allow them to fully participate in society.
everyone should have access to social services when they need them.
every Australian has the right to access good quality health care, housing and income support.
community not-for-profit organisations fulfil an important role in the provision of social services and must be supported and funded accordingly.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
the eradication of poverty in Australia.
income equity and social justice.
equitable provision of basic services, at local government, state and federal levels, with particular attention to housing, health and education.
adequate and secure funding for not-for-profit welfare and advocacy organisations that work to alleviate poverty and improve social conditions in disadvantaged communities.
adequate funding for training and education programs to allow all Australians to access meaningful work.
high quality impartial agencies providing social services.
the establishment of a government agency with specific responsibility for the not-for-profit sector with oversight for resource and service delivery.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
adopt a commonly agreed, national benchmark to measure poverty in Australia.
reform the social security system to ensure an adequate income for all.
simplify the system of targeted pensions and allowances into a universal guaranteed adequate income (GAI) scheme.
support disadvantaged individuals and communities through specific public and community development housing, health, education and public transport programs.
conduct an ongoing evaluation program which measures the effectiveness of social welfare outcomes throughout Australia against public policy initiatives.
support an active not-for-profit sector that is able to provide direct advice to government on social services.
Older People
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
older people have the right to live with dignity.
the skills and life experience of older people benefit the whole community.
older people have an equal right to participate in the social, economic and political aspects of life and to maintain their independence to what ever degree they feel able.
all older Australians are entitled to a decent income.
the federal government must play a central role in the provision, regulation and support of aged care services.
access to high quality, appropriate health and aged care services should be on the basis of need and not the ability to pay or the place of residence.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a decent income for all older people.
a range of affordable and secure accommodation options, including public sector housing, to be available for all older people, including those in regional and rural Australia.
a high quality aged care system characterised by high quality support, nursing and personal care, with safe and comfortable surroundings for older people whether in residential, home or hospital care.
appropriate support services, including home modification, for older people who choose to remain in their own homes, the home of family or friends, and within their own neighbourhood.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
increase the age pension.
improve income support, tax options, and information and respite services to carers of older people.
improve existing community care programs aimed at supporting older people in their own homes.
increase the number of places for aged care and retirement living.
reinstate the Commonwealth Dental Scheme to provide free public dental care for older people on low incomes.
increase funding to enhance the numbers, skills and salaries of community health nurses and workers in the aged care sector.
establish a funded scheme to undertake minor home renovations and installation of communication technologies to enable older people to remain in their own homes.
ensure that appropriate aged care services are provided for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Children and Young People
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
children and young people should have access to resources and opportunities necessary for a full and healthy life.
children and young people must have greater opportunities to participate in decision making affecting their lives.
children and young people have a right to access appropriate services, regardless of their location.
children and young people have a right to a loving and nurturing environment which is free of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
funding programs, service delivery and decisions regarding child protection to be consistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
children and young people to be able to express their needs and aspirations at all levels of government, as well as in their own communities.
a system of regionally based, appropriately resourced and independent youth advisory committees.
greater coordination in youth policy formulation.
a decent and secure income for young people to enable full participation in education and employment opportunities.
improved education and secure, satisfying, employment opportunities for young people, including in remote, rural and regional areas.
affordable, accessible and secure housing options for young people.
a reduction in the high rates of suicide, mental illness and obesity in children and young people.
properly funded services that meet the needs of children in need of care and protection.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
support the right of people from the age of 16 years to vote.
re-establish a dedicated ministry for children and youth affairs.
re-establish a national youth affairs peak body with elected and representative members.
increase Youth Allowance to the level of a living wage to enable young people to study full time without recourse to casual work.
implement a national employment strategy for young people, with excellent labour market and training programs.
develop new, and improve existing, education and preventive health programs for children and young people.
adequately fund strategies to deal with youth suicide and mental health issues affecting young people.
ban the advertising of junk food during children's viewing hours.
conduct community awareness campaigns about the prevalence, prevention and reporting of abuse against children and young people.
support and fund high quality services for child survivors of abuse and neglect.
Childcare
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
all Australian families are entitled to access high quality, affordable childcare when they need it.
positive, interactive learning and socialisation opportunities offered by childcare can benefit children and the community by assisting a smooth transition to formal education.
all carers of children should have the opportunity to re-enter or maintain their engagement in the workforce.
childcare should be a not-for-profit service.
people working in the childcare sector should be fairly remunerated for the work they do.
families should have diversity in their choice of childcare alternatives within easy access, including via public transport, to the home and workplace.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
an end to escalating childcare costs exacerbated by increasing profits derived from government subsidies paid to private sector providers.
more publicly funded community-based and not-for-profit child care facilities, especially in areas of high unmet demand or growth and areas of high socio-economic need such as outer suburban and rural areas.
better directed funding to community-based and not-for-profit childcare centres.
an immediate increase in the pay rate for childcare workers, and the phasing in of much larger increases to reflect the skill level required in, and importance of, childcare work.
improved national standards of childcare based on the best available evidence from early childhood research.
increased access to publicly funded childcare for parents on low to middle incomes who are working or undertaking training or education.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
13. Improve the affordability of childcare for low and middle income families by:
  reforming the Child Care Benefit (CCB) and the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) to more accurately address the ability to pay, including substantially increasing the amount paid to low and middle income families;
  replacing the Child Care Tax rebate with a Child Care Benefit Guarantee;
  increasing the CCB benefit to more accurately reflect costs;
  increasing benefits in relation to under-2-year-olds to reflect the real cost of caring for them;
  increasing funding for children with special needs;
  increasing the funding available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children andchildren from other culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; //| and
  moving towards long term reform, including direct funding of child care facilities to replace the CCB.
expand the Job Education and Training childcare scheme to assist parents who are studying.
15.  provide incentives to workplaces which offer not-for-profit childcare in house and flexible  childcare, including  „childcare  credits‟, where workplaces assist parents to place children in childcare  close to home.
provide incentives for childcare centres to offer extended care to more reasonably reflect the flexible working hours of modern parents.
develop with industry an hourly unit-cost of providing good quality child care services, reflecting appropriate staff ratios, decent pay for accredited staff, and the cost of providing infrastructure.
establish a schedule of government-recommended fees for services.
explore funding and regulatory mechanisms to increase the proportion of community based and not-for-profit child care centres.
increase direct funding to not-for-profit and community-based childcare services particularly in areas of unmet demand.
pursue additional funding to community-based and not-for-profit childcare centres to pay for increases in childcare worker pay.
restore operational subsidies and capital funding to community-based and not-for-profit services.
establish a national planning system for childcare services, including a national demand model for childcare service planning.
establish nationally consistent childcare standards including carer-to-child ratios of at least 1:3 for children up to 2 years old and 1:4 for children older than 2 years old.
establish nationally consistent accreditation standards articulating the quality of the programs and activities needed to promote appropriate levels of child care and child development.
improve professional development opportunities and professional standards for childcare workers.
increase unannounced spot checks by the appropriate Australian Government agency as part of the national accreditation system to strengthen the current validation and accreditation process.
ensure penalties for non-compliance are predictable and consistent.
establish comprehensive and transparent reporting requirements.
Sport and Physical Recreation
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
sport and physical recreation are essential elements of the culture of many Australians.
sport and/or physical recreation are necessary for the maintenance of good mental and physical health.
participation in sport plays an important role in the development of social, organisational and communication skills.
community-based sporting clubs and associations are an integral part of our society.
government has a responsibility to ensure equitable access to affordable sport and physical recreation facilities and services.
government must ensure public access via television and other media to sporting events of national significance.
the staging of sporting events and the building of sporting facilities must minimise ecological impacts.
non-competitive sports and physical exercise are important for the wellbeing of all Australians.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
all schools to be funded and required to provide opportunities for appropriate sport and physical recreation for all school children up to and including year 12.
sporting events of national significance to be available on free to air television or other free media.
promotion of women‟s sport, including where appropriate support for the professionalisation of women‟s competitions.
a drug free sporting environment.
improved access to sport and physical recreation facilities for people with disabilities, and older Australians.
the promotion of sport and physical recreation as a key element of health policies.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
allocate funding in the health, welfare and social services areas to promote participation in sport or other physical recreation.
work with the Australian Sports Drug Agency to promote a drug free sporting environment.
support local government to continue to provide accessible well resourced and safe sporting and physical recreation facilities to the community.
use anti-siphoning legislation to ensure that all sporting events of national significance are available on free to air television or other free media.
ensure that anti-discrimination legislation and federal government funding deliver real accessibility to sport and physical recreation facilities and services for people with disabilities.
establish an office for women‟s sport within the Department of Communication, Information Technology and the Arts, to promote and support the development of women‟s sport.
facilitate the televising of top level women‟s sport.
work with stakeholders to ensure ticket prices at sporting events do not unfairly discriminate against people from low socio economic backgrounds.
reduce deaths by drowning of Australian children by guaranteeing access to swimming lessons for all children under 3 years of age.
promote and resource sport and physical recreation activities within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
support the adoption of codes of practice in sport which discourage acts of violent or antisocial behaviour, particularly directed against women.
prioritise funding for community facilities that encourage active participation in physical activities.
Multiculturalism
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
the diversity of Australians‟ cultural backgrounds greatly enriches our society and is to be celebrated.
people have the right to celebrate and express their cultural heritage within universally accepted human rights.
all people, regardless of ethnicity, culture, religion, language or place of birth, have equal rights economically, socially and culturally.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
Australia to be a cohesive community that respects and is accepting of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
all people to have equal opportunity of access to education, work, and services provided by all levels of government regardless of culture or ethnicity.
all Australians to have equal opportunity of representation and inclusion in local, state and federal government regardless of culture, ethnicity or dual citizenship.
barriers to social justice for every member of Australia‟s culturally and linguistically diverse community to be removed.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
support education and other programs that seek to eliminate racism, promote belonging and encourage connection between people.
ensure wide and inclusive consultation that respects cultural and linguistic diversity in devising policy and implementing programs.
when consulting communities take into account diverse views held by groups and individuals within these communities.
ensure services are delivered and programs implemented in languages other than English, when appropriate.
ensure fair and effective services, including providing interpreting and translating services and using bilingual and bicultural staff.
ensure cross-cultural training is made available for government staff and encourage crosscultural training for other organisations.
ensure data on cultural and linguistic diversity is collected and used to improve services and programs.
monitor access and equity outcomes for Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse community and include this data in annual reports and reports to Parliament.
ensure government information campaigns include appropriate communication to all people in Australia.
oppose any “Australian values” tests as a prerequisite for citizenship or entry to the country.
increase resources allocated to the teaching of English and community languages.
restore an independent office of multicultural affairs within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Policy  Category:  E. Human Rights and Democracy
Constitutional Reform and Democracy
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
citizens have the right and the responsibility to participate in the processes of government.
Australia's Constitution and democratic structures should help to build an ecologically sustainable and equitable society, with a global consciousness and an intergenerational perspective.
Australia's Constitution should express our aspirations as a community and define our rights and responsibilities as individuals and as members of the community.
Parliament is the central authority of representative and responsible government.
the composition of Parliament should reflect the diversity of opinion within society.
government decisions should, where possible and appropriate, be made by the level of government that is closest to the people affected.
Australia should become a republic with an Australian head of state.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
our rights and responsibilities to be set out in, and protected by, law.
constitutional recognition of Australia's cultural diversity,
and the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original and ongoing residents of Australia.
Parliament to be more democratic and representative of the Australian population.
a strong Senate that can always act as a house of review.
increased independence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate.
a stronger role for local government.
Australia to become a republic with an Australian head of state, who shall not have the power to dismiss the Prime Minister.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
enact a Bill of Rights.
initiate a three-stage process to establish a republic with an Australian head of state, consisting of:
  a non-binding plebiscite to determine whether Australians support a republic;
  a consultative process to determine a model for the selection of  a head of state; //|and
 a referendum to endorse such a model.
17.  support the following electoral reforms:
  all Australian citizens over the age of 16 to be eligible to vote;
 proportional representation in the House of Representatives and local government;
 fixed terms of Parliament;
  constitutional recognition of the powers and responsibilities of local government;
  reduced numbers of by-elections by allowing casual vacancies to be filled by a member of the retiring representative‟s party;
  amendment of section 44 of the Constitution to allow any public servant who has no conflict of interest to stand for election to Federal Parliament;
  amendment of section 44 of the Constitution to allow Australian citizens with dual nationality to stand for election to Federal Parliament; //|and
  public funding of elections to eliminate private funding.
support an amendment to the preamble of the Constitution to recognise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original and ongoing residents of Australia and their rights as such.
amend the preamble to the Australian constitution to recognise the prior occupation and sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the traditional owners of the land.
Community Participation in Government
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
the contribution of diverse groups to the political process is inherently valuable.
ongoing community participation in the making of laws and policy should underpin all government actions.
marginalised groups must be enabled to participate in policy debates.
community participation in decision making should be an ongoing process.
community groups and individuals must be provided with sufficient information to enable meaningful participation.
non-government organisations provide a vital democratic role as advocates and as providers of services.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
community organisations to be able to participate in public debate without fear of retribution.
support and resources for representatives of marginalised groups to participate in consultation processes.
government agencies to take account of the time and money spent by community groups' participation in consultation processes.
governments to provide free and timely information to citizens.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
strengthen Freedom of Information (FOI) laws and exempt community groups and individuals from fees for material gained under FOI.
strengthen whistleblower protection legislation.
increase parliamentary and public scrutiny of government funding programs to enhance transparency and accountability.
support innovative community consultation processes such as citizens‟ juries and citizens‟ assemblies.
Justice
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
all Australians have a right to a safe, peaceful and ecologically sustainable existence, free from crime and fear of violence.
the rule of law and access to justice are fundamental to a democratic society.
the separation of powers between the executive, the parliament and the judiciary is crucial to the maintenance of freedom and justice.
judicial independence is necessary to ensure the separation of powers.
equality before the law can only be achieved when there is recognition of the way in which cultural, social and economic issues structure choices and influence decisions.
the fundamental principles of criminal law, such as the right to silence, innocence until guilt is proven, and open courts, should be preserved and upheld.
access to justice requires policies and resources that seek to overcome social, economic and cultural inequalities to ensure equality before the law.
Australian law must acknowledge the particular cultural and social needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
courts and tribunals that are independent of the government of the day.
domestic laws that fully incorporate Australia‟s international legal obligations.
an end to inappropriate, politically motivated, law and order campaigns and the threat of terrorism being used to undermine or discard basic principles of law.
adequate funding of community legal centres and legal aid in both criminal and civil jurisdictions to ensure access to justice for all Australians.
a criminal justice system based on principles of restorative justice and the rights of offenders and victims.
a family law system that is fair and is based on the best interests of the child.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
ensure that judges, magistrates and tribunal members have tenure.
restore adequate funding to federal courts and tribunals to enable them to provide equitable access to the law.
implement the outstanding recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
uphold judicial discretion in sentencing, and repeal mandatory sentencing legislation.
allow customary law and other cultural or personal factors to be taken into account by judges in determining sentences.
implement alternatives to imprisonment, where appropriate, including restorative justice and diversionary programs.
work with the legal community to identify the level of funding needed to ensure adequate levels of legal aid.
increase funding to community legal centres as an adjunct to legal aid and private legal practitioners.
end the criminalisation of consensual adult sex work.
oppose attempts to restrict litigants' capacity to seek compensation under the civil law.
strengthen citizens‟ privacy protection, including opposing a national identification card.
prohibit the use of racial profiling, and the arbitrary use of racial descriptors by police or other government agencies.
prohibit the use of electroshock weapons and Tasers.
progress gun law reform, including prohibition of the possession and use of automatic hand guns in the community.
Human Rights
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
universal human rights must be respected and protected in all countries.
economic, social, cultural, environmental, civil and political rights are universal, interdependent, and indivisible.
cultural, religious, gender and other differences often give rise to specific needs and circumstances that must be taken into account in order to ensure equal rights for all.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
Australia to fully discharge its international human rights obligations, at home and abroad.
greater international respect for and protection of human rights.
stronger international machinery for the protection of human rights, such as the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations treaty bodies.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
adopt Australia's international human rights obligations into domestic law and enact an Australian Bill of Rights.
fully resource the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, expand its mandate to reflect the full range of Australia's international human rights undertakings and reinstate its capacity to determine Australian human rights complaints.
reform Australia's 'counter-terrorism' legislation, especially with regard to freedom of expression and association, freedom from arbitrary detention, legal due process, and privacy.
repeal sedition laws.
reform Australia's Migration Regulations, especially with regard to freedom from arbitrary detention, protection of the family unit, and other United Nations guidelines.
ensure that any decisions affecting human rights within Australia are necessary, proportionate, consistent with international human rights law, and imposed in a transparent and accountable manner.
progress legal and diplomatic efforts to protect Australian citizens subjected to mistreatment by foreign powers.
allow and encourage the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate alleged and potential human rights abuses in Australia, and comply with any recommendations.
engage with other countries to promote human rights, including the application of diplomatic and commercial pressures on regimes that violate human rights.
promote as a priority an end to secret detention, rendition, torture and other illegal and unconscionable acts.
support, through the United Nations framework, socially just reform, including democratic and economic reforms, in countries where governments are engaged in human rights abuses.
promote and protect the role of the International Criminal Court and encourage all nations, particularly the US, to ratify its statute.
ratify all United Nations Human Rights Conventions, including their optional protocols.
progress the conclusion of an optional protocol to facilitate the examination of individual complaints of violations of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
oppose the death penalty in all cases and support campaigns for its abolition.
Global Governance
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
global governance is essential to meet the needs of global peace and security, justice, human rights, poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability.
effective means of global environmental governance are needed to halt and reverse the current trends towards environmental decline across the globe, especially with regard to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change.
the system of global governance must be reinvigorated.
major structural reform is needed to provide stronger, more effective and more representative multilateral institutions.
the leading role of the United Nations (UN) in the maintenance of international peace and security must be recognised and respected by all countries.
the international financial institutions that govern aid, development, trade, and transnational financial movements require extensive reform to enable them to provide global economic justice.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a renewed commitment by Australia to multilateralism as the means of addressing world problems.
extensive structural reform to democratise the UN.
a stronger UN capable of dealing with threats to international peace and security.
a commitment to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which calls for more women at every level of governance, and for women and gender issues to be included in all aspects of peacemaking and peace-keeping.
full support for, and adequate resourcing of, the International Criminal Court.
the development and upholding of international legal codes on the accountability of political and military leaders for human rights abuses and crimes against humanity.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
provide a commitment by Australia to support the work of the UN, to abide by its charter and resolutions, and to meet financial obligations to the institution.
14.  support consideration, by a UN reform commission, of structural reforms such as:
  phasing out the veto powers of permanent members of the Security Council;
  regularly reviewing the permanent membership of the Security Council and expanding the permanent and non-permanent member representation;
  restructuring the relationship between the Security Council and the General Assembly, including requiring General Assembly approval for the enactment of certain Security Council measures such as the enforcement of economic sanctions;
  establishing structures that provide a greater accountability to the peoples the UN represents;
  creating a consultative mechanism composed of representatives of civil society, including trade unions, environmental organisations, professional associations and other nongovernment organisations;
  creating an international council for conflict resolution; //|and
  making changes to UN decision making bodies to ensure that they more democraticallyrepresent the peoples of the world.
support the establishment, by the UN, of an international crisis prevention and response centre to address threats from terrorism and other conflicts, to provide rapid response peacekeeping forces, and to rapidly respond to humanitarian crises.
support the establishment of an international environmental court and an environmental council at the UN, with similar decision-making powers to the Security Council to deal with environmental issues of global significance.
support the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, and ensure that all nations are subject to its decisions.
work towards the creation of a clear code of international law for breaches of universal human rights within individual States.
19.  support the abolition of the IMF, World Bank and WTO unless radical reform can:
  make their processes transparent;
  ensure voting and other decision making processes are more democratic;
  allow full democratic participation of representatives from affected communities, including non-government organisations (NGOs) representing disadvantaged groups such as indigenous people and women;
  democratise and improve their dispute settlement processes;
  abolish IMF and World Bank structural adjustment loans;
  reorient World Bank loans away from large, capital-intensive projects; //| and
  bring them into the broader 'family' of UN institutions and provide checks and balances over their power.
International Relations
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
Australia must act diplomatically to promote democracy, peace and security,
ecological sustainability
and human rights.
Australian foreign policy should benefit both the Australian people and the people of the countries with which we engage.
the principles of the United Nations Charter and Declaration of Human Rights, and adherence to effective global environmental governance, must underpin foreign policy.
all peoples have the right to self-determination.
developing nations have the right to economic independence and to sovereignty.
lasting solutions to conflicts both between and within nations depend on delivering social, environmental and economic justice to the peoples involved,
and on ensuring they can exercise their civil and political rights.
lasting resolution of conflicts requires a commitment to non-violent means of political engagement.
use and promotion of violence against civilians, whether perpetrated by a state, an organisation or individuals, should be rejected as a means to achieve political ends.
women should be fully included in all aspects of international relations and peacemaking initiatives.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
peaceful, cooperative and long lasting relationships between Australia and the governments of other countries, based on mutual respect.
an independent foreign and defence policy for Australia.
increased accountability and transparency in foreign policy.
fair international relations with other peoples and governments in accordance with the United Nations (UN) Charter and international law.
all countries to act through the United Nations to prevent acts of genocide and to ensure that people‟s human rights are not violated by governments.
trading relationships with other nations which benefit both countries, ensure just rewards for local producers and help to alleviate poverty.
development models in Pacific countries based on sustainable, environmentally sound local development,
with the participants determining the pace of change.
closer involvement and cooperation with the countries of South East Asia.
the continued strengthening of the process of democratisation of Asia and societies throughout the world.
self determination for the people of West Papua.
Australia, the international community and the UN to work cooperatively with East Timor to complete the development and nation-building tasks.
a peaceful solution to the long running conflict between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples and lasting peace and stability to the Middle East as a region.
an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq and the expropriation of its resources.
the promotion amongst Australians of a broad understanding of the multicultural nature and history of countries in our region and the rights, needs and aspirations of their people.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
support the growth within our region of localised participatory democracy that can strengthen social cohesion and foster the active participation of disenfranchised communities, particularly women and young people, in decision making.
require trade agreements to be multilateral, reviewable by Parliament and to include clauses on the observance of human rights and labour laws, health and safety standards and environmental standards, to ensure that trade is not conducted at the expense of manufacturing and rural workers‟ or consumers‟ rights or of environmental sustainability.
ensure Australia acts decisively within UN supported operations to prevent acts of genocide and crimes against humanity and to bring perpetrators to trial in the International Criminal Court.
provide ongoing commitment to the Regional Non-Aggression Pact.
in conjunction with regional partners, develop a regional environmental protocol to protect the environment.
ensure that Australia applies the principle of equal but differentiated responsibility as enshrined in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in negotiating post-Kyoto Protocol commitments.
support the inclusion of a category for environmental refugees in the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Refugee Convention.
increase the number of places within the Humanitarian Migration Program to include environmental refugees.
provide access to Australia‟s labour market for Pacific island workers.
engage with the ASEAN group and Pacific Forum to work towards economic and health solutions for the region to assist those living in poverty and to improve their health care.
provide support for the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions and the work of regional and national human rights organisations, including Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
seek support within the United Nations for a democratic process of self determination under autonomous governance in the West Papua Region.
support the rights of the Palestinian peoples to statehood through the creation of a viable state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel, based on the pre 1967 borders
and the right of all peoples in the region to peace.
immediately withdraw Australian forces from Iraq and Afghanistan.
continue to provide aid for the task of reconstructing East Timor.
39.  support the right of developing nations to economic independence  and their  sovereignty over natural resources such as oil, including East Timor‟s sovereignty over oil and gas in the Timor  Gap.
Peace and Security
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
genuine security rests on cooperation, fair economic and social development, environmental sustainability, and respect for human rights, rather than on military capabilities.
non-violent conflict management is the most effective means of promoting peace and security in the international arena.
UN mandated military action should be a last resort and can only be justified if it is necessary either to avert a major violation of human rights or attempted genocide, or to counter the military invasion of a country.
civil society organisations, including ethnic and women's groups, should be fully involved in conflict prevention, peacemaking and post-conflict reconstruction.
the deployment of Australian Defence Forces (ADF) must be for defence and peace-keeping, and not for offensive action.
the deployment of Australian military forces must require the endorsement of federal parliament.
no nuclear armed or powered forces should be deployed within Australia's maritime boundaries.
premeditated acts of violence, directed at civilians, with the aim of intimidating others to agree to political, social, cultural or religious demands, are terrorism, and are to be condemned, whether they are carried out by individuals, organisations or governments.
to reduce the threat of terrorism, the social and economic injustices which contribute to terrorist actions should be addressed.
climate change represents the greatest threat to world peace and security.
environmental degradation caused by sea-level rise and other climate change impacts will increasingly result in the displacement of people, undermining global peace and security.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
the elimination of weapons of mass destruction.
all countries to sign, ratify and implement outstanding international human rights and disarmament agreements and strengthened nuclear non-proliferation treaties.
the role of the UN to be strengthened as a global organisation of conflict management, peacekeeping, and nuclear disarmament.
comprehensive international peacemaking capabilities to be developed in new regional institutions and through a reformed UN.
peacekeeping efforts aimed at reconstruction and empowerment of war ravaged communities to provide them with sustained peace and security.
action on economic, social and environmental grievances that play a major role in creating conflict.
a reduction in Australian and global military expenditure.
an ADF adequate to Australia's defence and peacekeeping needs.
a non discriminatory ADF that reflects the diversity of Australian society.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
support the convening of a UN-sponsored international peace conference on global nuclear non-proliferation and general nuclear disarmament.
advocate an international ban on the manufacture and use of arms that indiscriminately kill and maim, including landmines, cluster bombs and depleted uranium.
sign and ratify the Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.
make diplomatic efforts to curb the global arms trade.
ensure that Australia does not sell weaponry or components overseas.
end arms trade fairs in Australia and coordinate with neighbouring states on similar measures.
support the establishment of a permanent UN peacekeeping budget that enables the UN to fully resource its peacekeeping programs.
reinvigorate peace research in Australian universities and peace education in schools.
promote gender equality in peace processes, agreements and transitional governance structures.
ensure that trade embargos and other economic sanctions, are preferably conducted within a UN mandate, are used as part of a strategy of conflict resolution, and have minimal harm to civilians.
ensure that decisions on defence procurement are based on Australia's defence needs.
ensure that defence procurements do not restrict the operations of the ADF by increased reliance on any one country.
end the ANZUS treaty unless Australia‟s membership can be revised in a manner which is consistent with Australia‟s international and human rights obligations.
renegotiate a defence relationship with our allies that promotes Australia's independent role in our region.
end Australia's participation in the US Missile Defence program and pursue a global ban on the militarisation of space.
work towards a nuclear-free Asia-Pacific region.
close all existing foreign bases in Australian territory and end foreign troop deployment, training and hosting on Australian territory.
support the development of an Australian Coastguard to replace military personnel and equipment in coastal policing.
end training and joint exercises by the ADF with the armed forces known to have committed human rights abuses.
oppose military conscription.
oppose the use of the ADF personnel in strikebreaking activities or in policing public protest.
support the right of ADF personnel to conscientiously object to particular military actions, and support the rights of citizens to protest against such military actions.
support positive reform of the military justice system and measures to reduce discrimination and harassment amongst ADF members.
work for a Constitutional amendment to require federal parliamentary endorsement for the deployment of the ADF overseas.
Overseas Aid
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
Australia has a responsibility to contribute to both long term development aimed at eliminating global poverty and reducing climate change vulnerability, and to humanitarian emergency relief where people become vulnerable and suffer because of natural disasters or social conflict.
it is in Australia's interests, and the interests of the global community, to encourage positive and equitable change in the social, economic and environmental conditions for citizens of developing nations.
all long term poverty elimination programs should be economically and environmentally sustainable,
promote local participation
and gender equality,
and enhance the political, economic and social rights of the recipient communities.
aid should always be designed to directly benefit the poorest communities, rather than the wealthy elites in developing countries or donor governments and their aid-related commercial interests.
long term aid should be directed towards enhancing self-reliance in developing nations.
long term aid projects must be integrated with international trade, environmental and social policies in order to promote equity.
emergency relief to save lives and alleviate suffering of vulnerable people during social conflicts and natural disasters should be provided:
  with impartiality  and based solely on need;
  with neutrality, not favouring either side in any armed conflict;
  independent from the political, economic, or military objectives of the Australian government in the area concerned; //|and
  with full implementation of international humanitarian law, refugee law and human rights.
emergency relief in situations of armed conflict should be carried out by civilians and must be clearly distinguished from any military activities.
a direct role for military forces in the provision of relief should be restricted to situations involving natural disasters where ambiguity over the military role is unlikely to arise.
aid programs should not be used to influence the democratic preferences of any nation.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
Australia‟s aid program to focus on working with developing countries to realise the millennium development goals.
the level of Australian overseas aid increased to a minimum of 0.7% of GNP by 2010, as mandated by the United Nations, with provision for greater increases should natural disasters or conflicts requiring major humanitarian interventions occur.
the purpose and impact of all aid programs to be transparent and fully accountable, both to the Australian government and the communities and countries they are designed to benefit.
a non-commercial aid program; aid must not be used as a means of subsidising Australian business.
long term aid programs that combat climate change as an integral part of their poverty elimination strategy.
Australia to play a leading role in securing global contributions to UN and other international appeals for funding, expertise and logistical support to deal with humanitarian emergencies wherever they occur.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
establish AusAID as an independent department with its own minister, outside the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
require environmental, social and gender impact statements for all aid programs.
ensure that international aspects of Australian policies on trade, economic and social issues are consistent with, and contribute towards, global poverty alleviation goals.
ensure that „good governance‟ activities within the aid program promote governance structures and processes which serve the interests of those in poverty.
ensure that the valuable role of non-government aid organisations in providing critical analysis and scrutiny of the aid program is recognised and supported by the Australian government.
ensure an increased role for non-government aid organisations in implementing Australia‟s aid programs.
select implementing agencies for the aid program based on developmental effectiveness, participatory approach and cost effectiveness.
increase funding to deal with both prevention and the consequences of HIV-AIDS in all aid programs.
provide assistance, including funding to assist communities, particularly in the Asia Pacific, to adapt to climate change impacts so that they can remain in their own countries and maintain their cultural cohesion.
ensure that Australian Government agencies are organised, trained and resourced to carry out effective overseas relief work, and collaborate with Australian non-government organisations in building their emergency response capacity.
work with developing countries in disaster prone areas to reduce their vulnerability and the impact of disasters, enhancing the capacity of both governments and local non-government organisations.
Policy Category: F. Media, Arts and Science
Science and Technology
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
science is an important tool for developing a deeper understanding of the universe.
science has the capacity to enhance the wellbeing of people and to improve management of the natural environment and the resource base.
government has an important role to play in the development of scientific knowledge.
government has responsibility for developing the ethical framework in which scientific research is conducted.
science and technology, in particular information and communication technology, should be available to help maintain the viability of rural and remote communities.
environmental technologies are a powerful engine for the creation of national wealth and highpaying jobs.
innovation in advanced technology and methods are key elements for success for business and industry.
innovations in science and technology are essential if we are to meet the challenges of addressing climate change and the transition to a sustainable society.
the Government must prevent adverse environmental and social impacts of emerging technologies, including nanotechnology.
patent reform should promote technological innovation while avoiding excessive concentration of intellectual property within and across application categories.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a society where the acquisition of fundamental knowledge and the sustainable application of new techniques are valued in the education system and by Australian business.
a research and development culture that addresses national goals and prepares Australia for emerging challenges and opportunities.
a national focus on innovative technology and methods to address the challenges facing Australia and the world.
increased expenditure on research and development to at least the OECD average of GDP.
the CSIRO to conduct research that is in the public interest, is independent and is world class.
the Government to take a precautionary approach to the application of new technologies.
to support measures that will prevent or mitigate a 'nanotechnology divide' that magnifies existing global socio-economic inequities.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
institute a funding program for scientific research that specifically addresses community needs and national goals.
protect the right of academics to develop and maintain a research career.
increase funding to expand the research capacity of Australian universities.
increase the proportion of research funding allocated to pure research and research for the public good.
prioritise funding for research into alternative energy technologies with the aim of developing competitive energy techniques with zero carbon emissions.
require the role of Chief Scientist to be a full time position and any applicant to be subject to a stringent conflict of interest test.
increase funding to the Australian Research Council and abolish the capacity for the Minister to veto board decisions.
create a Sustainability Commission to develop and implement sustainable industry strategies across all industry sectors, including a review of the Environmental Industry Action Agenda program.
refocus the CSIRO and CRCs back to public interest research and restore sufficient public funding to the CSIRO to allow it to conduct world-class research.
regulate to ensure that chemicals which are manufactured in nanoparticle form are treated as new chemicals for the purpose of checking environmental and health safety.
require organisations producing or importing more than 0.1kg of manufactured nanoparticles in a year  to disclose information on the physical and chemical properties, toxicological data and methods of manufacture and use.
introduce mandatory labelling of consumer and industrial products that contain free manufactured nanoparticles.
ensure mandatory notification to all workers who may face occupational exposure to manufactured nanoparticles.
fund research into nanotechnology and its environmental and health impacts.
involve the community in decisions about the safe development of new technologies.
encourage government use of open-source software and require the use of open and publicly documented file formats.
regulate to ensure that network neutrality is maintained on the internet.
investigate opportunities to limit the growing concentration of nanotechnology intellectual property rights, especially in applications where knowledge is utilised for food production, or in humanitarian purposes (eg healthcare, water treatment).
Arts and Culture
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
creative artistic expression and cultural experience is a fundamental aspect of social wellbeing.
access to diverse, innovative artistic and cultural experiences should available to all Australians.
Australian artistic expression and culture should be protected and promoted.
creative artists play an essential role in Australian social life and should be fostered and supported.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and artistic work express unique cultures and heritage which must be supported, respected and appropriately protected through legislation, policy and funding priorities.
cultural heritage must be protected and preserved.
national libraries and collecting institutions are essential to our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world and must be maintained and developed as the repositories of cultural heritage.
specialist artistic education and training programs provide a unique learning environment for aspiring artists and should be promoted.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
Australian arts and culture to maintain its unique character and diverse nature through support and promotion of local content and the development of local projects for all forms of art and culture.
to promote arts and cultural events and access to those events with appropriate funding and support.
increased access to arts and cultural experiences in rural and regional areas.
the support and promotion of arts and culture that reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Australian population.
artists‟ intellectual property rights to be protected
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
recognise the importance of arts and culture to our society by promoting a national approach to policies and programs.
prioritise and safeguard public funding for our national artistic and cultural institutions.
support and adequately resource the Australia Council as the principal independent body for policy development and administration of arts grants programs.
increase funding incentives for artists and arts events to tour and/or establish in rural and regional areas.
reinstate the Community Cultural Development program as a discrete funding program in the Australia Council.
support the expansion of the Commonwealth Art Bank – Art Rental program with a focus on emerging artists.
sign and ratify the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2003.
ensure that any Trade Agreement or other international instrument does not adversely affect Australian artists and cultural expression.
introduce legislation to protect intellectual and artistic property rights.
ensure that  the national arts resale royalty program applies to all existing art works.
introduce a fixed term income support scheme for emerging artists.
enable emerging artists to access small business start-up grants and schemes.
provide federal funding to local and state governments to purchase venues for permanent community arts and cultural groups and organisations.
Media and Communications
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
freedom of the press and effective, affordable and accessible media and communications systems are integral to the functioning of a successful democratic society.
all Australians should be able to access a variety of affordable telecommunications.
media diversity in content and format is a right of all Australians.
strong, independent public and community media are an essential part of Australia‟s media sector
Australian content should be strongly supported and well funded.
Australia must have an independent regulatory framework for media, communications and advertising.
public ownership of essential communications infrastructure is in the best interests of a democratic society.
net neutrality is important for an open internet.
digitalisation of broadcasting and other services requires government support and a public education campaign
documents placed in the public domain by government should be accessible with free nonproprietary software, and public data should be made available in open, interoperable formats.
the government should lead by example and embrace open source and open standards.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
diversity of opinion and ownership of media across Australia.
our public broadcasters ABC and SBS to be leaders in the production of independent news, investigative journalism, analysis, entertainment and innovative programming and be free of advertising.
the ABC and the SBS to be governed by independent boards that include staff representation.
high quality Australian content across all media genres.
a vibrant and adequately funded community media sector.
Australian film, television and new media sectors which are dynamic and innovative.
all Australians to have access to community radio services that reflect geographical and cultural diversity.
affordable and reliable high speed internet connections available for all Australians.
independent regulation of media, communications and advertising.
Australia Post to remain a publicly owned monopoly provider of postal services.
the equitable installation of new communications infrastructure across Australia.
government information, both internal and external, to be made available in a format that is accessible by all, and is not restricted by the need to purchase additional software.
electronic government documents to be saved in an open document standard.
government to be an active proponent and contributor to open standard fora.
free and open publishing of publicly funded academic research within a 12 month period of initial publication.
a publicly funded research archive for all publicly funded academic research.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
repeal those parts of the Broadcasting Services Act which reduce diversity of media ownership and opinion within Australia.
ensure diversity of ownership and opinion by introducing a media-specific public interest test to guide Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) decisions on proposed mergers and acquisitions of media entities.
strengthen diversity of media ownership by giving the ACCC the power to enforce the divestment of merged media companies where those mergers fail a media-specific public interest test.
provide sustainable funding for community broadcasting, including the change to digital technology.
make funding to the SBS and the ABC comparable to current per capita funding models for public broadcasting in the United Kingdom.
require the online services of the ABC and the SBS to be major portal sites for the promotion of Australian content in all genres.
expand the services provided by the ABC, including digital on demand and additional networks.
ensure that appointments to the boards of public broadcasters are subject to approval by the Parliament rather than the Prome Minister and Cabinet.
reinstate the staff-appointed position on the ABC Board.
legislate to ensure truth in political advertising.
introduce a ban on junk food advertising during children‟s television viewing hours.
phase out alcohol promotions from times and placements which have high exposure to young people – including banning TV advertising of alcohol between 7am and 9.30pm.
ensure independent and transparent review of the ACMA website blacklist.
subject the installation of communications infrastructure, including mobile phone towers, to existing state and territory local government planning provisions.
introduce a nationally consistent approach to the regulated sale of X-rated material.
maintain the ban on parallel importation of books.
ensure free-to-air coverage of important sporting events, and other events of national and cultural significance.
legislate to protect individuals from vexatious and malicious defamation actions to ensure a wide range of participation in public debates.
legislate for the protection of anonymous journalistic sources to ensure press freedom.
increase research funding into the opportunities for Australian content and utilisation of new digital media.
ensure that alternative copyright and licensing schemes are given legal protection, and that clearer guidelines for fair dealing, crown copyright and public domain are created.
ensure that all public governmental data is released in open, interoperable standards.
amend the Copyright Act to create compulsory licenses for commercial reuse of news reports, to aid research, historical understanding and political discourse.
make the workings of the Australian Classification Board and OFLC more transparent and subject to public review.
ensure that regulation of the internet is transparent, accountable and protects freedom of speech, expression and access to information.
ensure that funding for Screen Australia is adequate to maintain a healthy Australian film industry.
ensure that the National Film and Sound Archives are adequately funded to ensure Australia‟s cultural media history is preserved and protected.
Policy Category: G. Sustainable Economy
Economics
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
human economies exist within, and are dependent upon, natural systems; resource management is, therefore, central to good economic management.
equity of access to the essentials of life and promoting equality are central goals for a civilised society.
the free market economy, by externalising the environmental and social costs of greenhouse gas emissions is creating the greatest market failure of all time, namely climate change.
the cost of addressing climate change now is far less than the cost of failing to do so.
timely and cost effective solutions to social, environmental and economic challenges can be achieved by a cohesive industry policy.
the fulfilment of human potential and the enrichment of lives is best achieved when people work together for common goals.
sustainable, equitable economic progress is best achieved by government ownership of natural monopolies and new government investment in strategic assets.
government finances must be sustainable over the long run; budget deficits and surpluses must balance each other over the business cycle.
long term government borrowing is the preferred mechanism for funding long term infrastructure investments.
governments have an important role to play in regulating markets and correcting market failures, but markets where they function well have an important role to play in the allocation of resources.
social, political and economic institutions must allow individuals and communities to determine their own priorities.
the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is unfair, regressive and places an unfair burden on individuals and small business.
progressive taxes such as income taxes are preferable to regressive forms of taxation such as the GST.
national governments must not allow the pressures from the globalisation of trade to override the democratic preferences of their citizens.
international institutions such as the World trade Organisation (WTO) the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank must assist countries to achieve their democratically determined priorities within ecological constraints.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
an economy that meets human needs without unnecessarily damaging the natural environment.
full accountability of government and corporations to the broader community.
an equitable taxation system that generates the revenue necessary to fund public services at the appropriate level of government.
international trade regulations that ensure human rights
and that protect the natural environment.
industry policy and major infrastructure decisions to be consistent with national environmental and social goals.
industry assistance, and the granting of tax concessions, that align industry development with national goals.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
Taxation
22. reduce inequities in the current personal tax system by:
  reducing tax breaks for high income  earners;
  removing  Fringe  Benefits Tax concessions which  promote increased use of motor vehicles;
  removing the  concessional arrangements for Capital Gains Tax;
  only allowing losses from an investment to be offset against income from the sameinvestment;
  abolishing the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate in order to increase  funding for public  hospitals;
  taxing family trusts in the same way  as companies;
  eliminating high rates of  effective marginal taxation for those on welfare benefits; //|and
  introduce a new top marginal tax rate of 50 per cent on incomes of $1 million or over.
introduce an estate tax with full provisions to protect the family farm, the family home and small business with a threshold of $5 million with idexation.
conduct an inquiry with a view to implementing changes to the tax system that address the negative impacts of the GST on:
  income distribution;
  environmental sustainability; //| and
  business administration costs.
oppose any increase or extension to the GST.
implement a gradual and long term shift in the tax system from work based taxes to taxes on natural resources and pollution including:
  a carbon tax levied on generators of mains-supplied electricity or gas;
  a national carbon trading  scheme; //|and
 other ecological taxes and charges at a level sufficient enough that their prices reflect the  full environmental cost of their production, use or disposal.
introduce a system of minimum personal and corporate tax legislation to reduce the opportunities for individuals and companies to use loopholes to minimise their tax obligations.
conduct a full review of the superannuation system with the aim of reducing its complexity and establishing progressive rates of superannuation taxation.
return the company tax rate to 33% and broaden the company tax base by reducing tax concessions.
limit tax deductibility for salaries & salary-related expenses for any individual employee to $1million per year.
end subsidies and tax concessions to environmentally harmful industries.
Economic Governance and Industry Development
implement triple bottom line accounting measures at all levels of government to incorporate social, environmental and financial impacts into policy development and assessment.
introduce broad measures of genuine national progress to supplement the current measures of GDP, including the production of a comprehensive national balance sheet that reflects this.
require all listed companies to report on standardised social and environmental indicators in their annual reports.
provide the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission with enhanced powers to prevent the formation of monopolies through „creeping acquisitions‟ and to divest monopolies and oligopolies of assets if they are abusing their market power.
direct industry assistance towards the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.
require major proposals to be subject to climate change impact assessment with the aim of reducing greenhouse gases.
Investment and Overseas Relations
strengthen the regulatory framework for banks and financial institutions to ensure that consumers and investors are better protected.
ensure that natural monopolies and other essential public services are under public ownership.
reduce Australia‟s foreign debt and foreign ownership through use of trade, financial and regulatory measures to ensure more productive use of foreign capital and strengthening of Australian manufacturing, recognising the need to support economies in developing countries.
require the Foreign Investment Review Board to broaden its assessment of the national interest to explicitly include Australia‟s long run energy security.
revoke sections of the National Competition Policy that seek to impose market values in public, social and environmental areas of Australian life.
Employment and Industrial Relations
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
Australia must have a fair and equitable industrial relations system for all workers.
all people have the right to pursue their well-being in conditions of freedom and dignity, economic security and equal opportunity.
Australia‟s future workforce must be highly skilled, highly trained and well paid; the existence of a safety net and the right to collectively bargain are essential to achieving these aims.
working people must receive fair and equitable remuneration for their work.
working people have the right to be involved in decisions about their work.
the right to be a member of a union, to collectively bargain, to collectively withhold labour and collectively organise in the workplace is essential to achieving a sustainable and democratic future.
free, independent and democratic unions are an essential pillar of a civil society.
people have the right to a safe workplace free from occupational hazards.
industrial manslaughter is a crime.
the objectives of profitability and efficiency should not override social and ecological objectives.
effective processes of conciliation and arbitration before an independent tribunal are a necessary element in any fair and effective industrial relations system.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
the Coalition Government‟s „Work Choices‟ regime, which attacks the working rights of all Australians, to be opposed and repealed.
an industrial relations system that protects and enhances the rights of employees and workers by:
  legislating a minimum standard for pay, annual leave and hours of work that protects all employees and workers;
  providing comprehensive industry-wide awards that give rights and entitlements in excess of the legislative minimums and which are determined by conciliation and arbitration before an effective and independent industrial tribunal;
  facilitating industry wide collective agreements that are union negotiated and exceed the Award standards; //|and
  ensuring that workplace and union-led bargaining is the primary tool for obtaining industrial outcomes by putting in place a sufficient threshold before any party can refer a dispute to conciliation and arbitration.
restoration and maintenance of strong state and national industrial relations systems.
the promotion of collective agreements as the primary means of regulating employment.
full protection of accrued entitlements of employees.
full employment, and job security for all who seek employment.
protection against the forced casualisation of work and greater protection for existing casual workers.
equal access to paid work based on ability and irrespective of gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, marital or civil status, family responsibilities, political affiliation, union membership, disability or religion.
elimination of the gender pay gap.
a fairer sharing of paid work through mandated shorter standard working hours and a reversal of current trends towards increased unpaid overtime.
a more equitable distribution of corporate income between management and employees.
a better balance between work and family, social and community involvement.
the costs and benefits to employees of workplace bargaining to be shared fairly among all employees.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
repeal the Coalition Government‟s WorkChoices legislation.
abolish Australian Workplace Agreements and protect any existing entitlements through common law contracts underpinned by relevant state and federal awards or collective agreement.
require employers to enter into collective agreements with their workforce unless a majority are demonstrably opposed to collective bargaining, with the Industrial Relations Commission to have the power to arbitrate if no agreement can be reached.
require employers to inform new and existing employees that they are entitled to join a union, and enable the provision of information about the unions responsible for the sector and industry.
repeal provisions against legitimate union activity (such as sections 45D and 45E in the Trade Practices Act 1974), and protect unions and workers against common law actions.
legislatively protect the right to strike, as recognised in International Labour Organization conventions No. 87 and No. 98, as a fundamental right of workers to promote and defend their economic and social interests.
abolish the requirement for secret ballots before industrial action.
32.   restore unions‟ right of entry to recruit members, inspect for and remedy breaches of occupational health and safety provisions, breaches of the Workplace Relations Act and relevant awards or agreements, and other activities relating to strengthening workers‟  organisations.
remove the restrictions on the right of trade unionists to have their dues deducted from their wages directly.
repeal any independent contractors legislation that strips employment rights from individuals.
limit the use of independent contractor arrangements to individuals who are genuinely running their own business.
create and enforce industrial and immigration laws that stop the exploitation of foreign workers, by ensuring they receive the same pay and entitlements as a local worker doing the same job.
establish minimum employment standards for trainees and apprentices.
ensure that relevant training and skills development is made available to all workers, including apprentices, trainees, part-time and casual employees, without loss of pay.
abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission and repeal the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act.
abolish the Office of the Employment Advocate and the Office of Workplace Services and reinstate the functions of the Industrial Relations Commission.
require the Commonwealth Occupational Health and Safety Authority (Comcare) to fund additional industry liaison staff, review provisions under Comcare so that workers receive fair treatment and benefits and are not disadvantaged.
introduce national industrial manslaughter laws.
restore the right of all employees, including casual, fixed term and probationary workers, to challenge termination of employment where it is unfair, with reinstatement to be the remedy except in exceptional circumstances.
repeal the current National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry.
repeal the higher education workplace relations requirements.
increase casual loadings to a minimum of 30% and introduce the ability for casual employees to convert to permanent part time work after 3 months of continuous employment, where employment is on a continuous ongoing basis.
provide a national parental leave scheme.
establish a National Pay Equity Standard to help correct the gender pay gap.
provide industrial tribunals with full powers to make orders to give effect to gender pay equity, on a workforce, industry or workplace basis.
establish industry trust funds for protection of workers‟ entitlements.
require the ABS to publish more meaningful monthly measures of underemployment and unemployment, with broader definitions of unemployment.
amend the Trade Practices Act to introduce a National Unfair Contracts regime.
use a combination of government job creation and industry policy to achieve full employment and job security for all who seek employment.
legislate for a mandatory minimum of five weeks paid annual leave for all employees.
limit the tax deductibility of any executive salaries to 25 times the minimum full-time adult wage.
Corporate Governance
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
corporations and governments operating in Australia have a responsibility to conform to the intent, as well as the letter, of Australian and international law.
corporations and governments must behave ethically in all transactions and work to prevent corruption.
laws governing corporations and business practices should promote social and environmental responsibility
and respect for human rights.
laws governing corporations and business practices, should reflect the concerns and interests of all stakeholders - shareholders, employees, business partners and society.
government-owned organisations have an added responsibility to demonstrate exemplary governance and high levels of social and environmental responsibility.
government-owned service delivery corporations should prioritise adequate, affordable and accessible service delivery over making profits.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a business environment that encourages businesses and governments to fulfil their corporate, social and environmental responsibilities.
more rigorous oversight of the conduct of Australian corporations operating internationally, and of multinational corporations operating in Australia.
decision-making processes in publicly listed companies that ensure real participation by shareholders.
widespread awareness of, and adherence to, the United Nations Global Compact and the principles it embodies.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
reform the Corporations Act 2001 to ensure that directors take account of the interests of the corporation, its shareholders and all stakeholders in the discharge of their duties.
establish an independent Corporate Responsibility Index, ranking the financial, social and environmental performance of businesses and corporations.
require publicly listed companies and government departments to audit and report annually their performance against economic, environmental and social criteria.
introduce accounting practices which clearly identify the financial, social and environmental consequences of, and risks associated with, business decisions.
require elections of boards of publicly listed companies to be conducted by an independent statutory body.
promote the inclusion of corporate ethics and responsibilities in all business and commerce course curricula at secondary and tertiary institutions.
strengthen consumer education initiatives in the areas of reduced and responsible consumption, consumer rights and responsible investment.
create tax incentives for socially and environmentally responsible initiatives, including participation in the United Nations Global Compact.
require the disclosure of documents relating to government tenders and procurement processes, once such processes are finalised.
strengthen and extend the powers of the Commonwealth Auditor General and the Commonwealth Ombudsman to examine the propriety of government tenders and procurement.
strengthen laws requiring Australian corporations operating overseas, or any corporation operating within Australia, to comply with Australian and international laws including those relating to human rights, environmental protection and labour laws.
introduce legislation to enable persons detrimentally affected by the operations of Australian corporations overseas to sue those corporations in Australia.
require all government-owned enterprises to take steps to ensure that their boards are representative of the wider population.
24.  amend the Corporations  Act 2001 to require:
  enforcement agencies to be staffed at realistic levels;
 that fines be set sufficiently high to deter corporations from committing crimes;
 the strengthening of the liability of directors and managers;
 the barring of repeat offender corporations from government contracts; //|and
 the delisting of corporations that flagrantly and persistently violate the public interest.
Global Economics
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
all peoples in the world have the right to sustainable economic development.
economic development must be compatible with, and subservient to, ecological sustainability.
global economic systems must be democratic, transparent and accountable.
global economic systems must promote and respect human rights, including the rights of workers, women and children.
global economic systems must enhance the right of communities to democratically determine their own future and priorities.
debt crises result from the actions of both debtor and lender nations; governments and international institutions should introduce policies to reduce both large deficits and large surpluses.
the inadequate response to the global challenges of climate change and oil depletion poses a grave threat to the global economy.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a global economic system that promotes environmental sustainability, human rights and a decent standard of living for all.
international institutions that are democratic and that promote even, sustainable development.
the elimination of poverty and an end to the exploitation of children and other vulnerable people.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
support mechanisms to promote sustainable international trade.
remove Australia from existing bilateral Free Trade Agreements, where possible.
enter into multilateral trade agreements, except where a bilateral trade agreement favours a developing country.
use multilateral international trade agreements and membership of multilateral finance organisations to promote human rights
and environmental sustainability.
at the international level, support the implementation of a currency transaction tax (Tobin Tax) to discourage global currency speculation and to provide an independent tax base for international institutions.
provide incentives for developing countries to pursue economic development strategies that encourage self-reliance and prioritise the sustainable production of goods and services from local sources.
prohibit the trade in goods that have been produced through the exploitation of children and other vulnerable people.
ensure that Australian companies operating internationally comply with international human rights, labour and environmental standards.
seek the creation of a UN sanctioned regulatory environment to govern the operation of transnational companies, tax havens and flags of convenience.
use Australia's involvement in international trade fora to advance the needs of developing countries.
use multilateral international trade agreements and membership of multilateral finance organisations to seek the cancellation of the debts of least-developed countries and the removal of punitive loan conditionality imposed on poor countries.
support abolition of, unless radical reform can democratise, the IMF, World Bank and WTO.
resist the development of international trade regimes that seek to extend the concentration of control over intellectual property.
establish mechanisms to prevent the debt crisis from recurring, such as introducing the potential for penalties for surplus as well as debtor nations.
Sustainable Planning and Transport
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
oil depletion and climate change make Australia‟s present way of life in car-dependent cities and regions unsustainable.
in response to climate change and oil depletion we have an urgent need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
the ecological impact of Australian settlement is unacceptable and must be reduced.
human settlements must be designed and built to minimise environmental harm and maximise social well-being.
Australia‟s transport system must function on principles of ecological sustainability,
equity of access,
and public ownership of critical public transport infrastructure.
transport planning must give high priority to environmental and social impacts.
a high quality national rail network is essential to a modern economy.
new urban developments must be environmentally sound, public transport friendly and must facilitate community interaction.
future urban planning needs must minimise urban sprawl and promote growth in rural and regional areas.
Development
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
future development that is environmentally sensitive, energy efficient and which ensures equitable access for all Australians.
the use of new environmentally sound technologies to minimise ecological impacts.
a nationally agreed sustainability charter with targets across all industry sectors.
integration of planning and transport.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
include ecological sustainability as a funding criterion for all federal development and infrastructure programmes.
establish a national report card for development targets and building standards to promote Australia's progress towards its ecological sustainability goals.
establish a Sustainability Fund to deliver funding to states and local governments to assist with implementing sustainability initiatives.
develop national urban planning standards that provide for the location of high density housing and commercial buildings close to high capacity public transport and the clustering of mediumdensity housing, community facilities and small-scale businesses around neighbourhood shopping centres.
Transport
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
a comprehensive, integrated public transport system, with critical components publicly owned and controlled.
a transport system, including roads, railways, airways and sea-lanes, that is safe, environmentally sound, efficient and reliable.
increased opportunities for the community to participate in transport planning.
a public transport system that is more attractive than private car use.
public transport services to be provided under community service obligations where demand is too low for economically viable services.
public ownership of the national rail system.
train services that are competitive with road transport – reliable, safe, fast and inexpensive.
major airports located to minimise social and environmental impacts.
more cycle ways and footpaths to encourage walking, cycling and public transport use in towns and cities to reduce the need for private car ownership and use.
better transport services in rural and regional areas.
improved transport services for people with special needs.
environmental costs incorporated into the cost of air travel.
fair compensation paid to those adversely affected by transport infrastructure development.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
reform the national transport plan and its funding mix to take account of environmental, social and economic goals.
work to achieve public ownership of the rail network connecting capital cities, industrial cities and ports.
raise the rail network to a standard which enables the operation of fast freight and passenger trains, including between mainland capital cities.
eliminate level crossings in urban areas, and ensure the presence of signals on all crossings in rural and regional parts of the national rail network.
support compulsory noise and emissions standards for petrol and diesel vehicles which are at least as stringent as European Union standards.
adopt enforceable world's best practice fuel efficiency standards of new petrol and diesel cars by 2010.
support mandatory fuel efficiency labelling of new vehicles.
increase the tariff on imported four-wheel drive vehicles from 5% to 10% except for primary producers.
abolish fringe benefits tax breaks for company and leased cars.
investigate sites for a new Sydney Airport close to the national rail network.
Health Reform
A Healthy System for the 21st Century
For more information on the National Health and Hospitals Network click here.
The Gilllard Labor Government is delivering a National Health and Hospitals Network, to provide better health and better hospitals for Australian working families.
This is the most significant reform to Australia’s health and hospitals system since the introduction of Medicare
It will make sure more hospital beds are available, there are more doctors and nurses, and it is easier to receive high quality GP and primary care services close to home.
From July 1 this year, the Gillard Labor Government began delivering $7.3 billion in investments over the next five years to provide: 
1,300 new sub-acute hospital beds
Emergency department waiting times capped at four hours;
Elective surgery delivered in clinically recommended times for 95 per cent of Australians;
Training for 6,000 more doctors, including doubling the number of GPs trained every year;
Better support for nurses working in GP and primary care, aged care and mental health;
A national after hours GP service – with a 24 hour hotline that provides GP advice and can arrange a follow-up visit in your local community;
Support to upgrade around 425 GP practices and health clinics across the country – so that GPs can expand their facilities and locate more services in a single community location.
Support for 2,500 additional aged care beds;
A personally controlled electronic health record for every Australian that wants one;
new investments in prevention, including tough new action to tackle smoking; and
new investments in mental health services, with 20,000 extra young people per year to get assistance.
The Government’s National Health and Hospitals Network will be funded nationally and run locally.
It will mean that Australian working families are no longer shunted from one system funded by the State Government to another funded by the Australian Government.
Under this reform, the Australian Government will: 
become the dominant funder of public hospitals - funding 60 per cent of the nationally efficient price of public hospital services for public patients
fund 60 per cent of buildings, equipment, teaching and training costs in public hospitals
takeover funding for GP and primary care
takeover funding for aged care
This new National Health and Hospitals Network will also give hardworking doctors and nurses more say in the way their local health and hospital services are run, through Local Hospital Networks and new primary health care organisations.
Without essential reforms, spiralling health costs would have consumed entire revenue raised by states and territories.
To ensure the system’s funding is sustainable into the future, the Labor Government will provide a minimum of $15.6 billion in top-up funds for public hospitals over the next decade.
Taking action now will ensure we can manage the health challenges of the 21st Century, such as obesity and diabetes.
Labor will make sure our health system can serve the needs of all Australians, no matter where they live, and irrespective of their income.
We are committed to building a health system that, from the maternity ward to the aged care home, focuses on keeping people healthy and in their own homes and communities for as long as they desire, and ideally out of hospital.
Some Key Achievements: 
We’ve increased hospitals funding by over 50 per cent
We have taken action that has seen record number of Australians getting their elective surgery on time, with more than 76,000 elective surgery procedures delivered in the last two years and over 125 hospitals receiving new elective surgery equipment and operating theatres.
We are injecting $1.5 billion in public hospital emergency departments – this has already seen more than 35 emergency departments receive upgrades and will expand capacity to rollout a new four hour cap on emergency department waiting times.
We are expanding the number of hospital beds, with a record investment to build 1,300 new sub-acute hospital beds
We are taking action to address dire workforce shortages - a legacy of the Howard Government.
  We are doubling the number of GP training places to 1,200 a year by 2014 and will fund training for over 1,000 new nurses each year.
We are delivering on our commitment to build 31 GP Super Clinics that locate a range of services in one convenient location – and have added an additional 5 communities that will benefit.
We said we would build a health system to serve future generations, which is why we established the Health and Hospitals Fund to make long-term, inter-generational investments in our national health infrastructure.
This fund has invested $3. 2 billion in 32 projects around the country
We are investing $2 billion into building a world class cancer care system – including building regional cancer centres to make it easier for Australians to receive the care they need close to home.
We have committed to closing the unacceptable life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians within two generations and backed this up with an investment of $1. 6 billion in an Indigenous health national partnership
We have delivered more than 850,000 dental check-ups to teenagers under the Medicare Teen Dental Plan.
We are providing more attractive incentives and retention bonuses for doctors to work in rural and regional Australia, because we know that these areas are the lifeblood of Australia
We have increased aged care places by more than 10,000 - including 838 new transitional care places to help up to 6,285 older Australians leave hospital sooner each year
We have cut binge drinking, by closing the tax loophole that saw alcopop sales soar and implementing a $103 million binge drinking strategy.
This has seen alcopops consumption fall by 30 per cent
We are rolling out preventative health programs in schools, workplaces and communities across the country.
More doctors and nurses for Emergency Departments
A Gillard Labor Government will train more emergency doctors and nurses, so hospitals have the frontline staff they need to ensure that every Australian gets emergency treatment within the four hour national target.
Federal Labor will invest $96 million in a comprehensive package to deliver more and better qualified emergency doctors, nurses and support staff.
This package will:
Deliver 270 more specialist doctors that are trained in emergency medicine over the next decade.
Support up to 2,000 more emergency nurses and nurse practitioners over the next decade.
Support 1,000 student nurses over the next decade to gain experience in Emergency Departments as part of their education.
Support supervisors to train and up skill GPs and other doctors in outer suburban and rural areas, where specialist emergency doctors aren’t always available.
Provide training to improve the skills of support staff in Emergency Departments – so that specialist emergency doctors and nurses can focus on their job.
Mental health: taking action to tackle suicide
Suicide is a tragedy – for individuals, for families, and for communities in which someone has taken their own life.
More than 2000 Australians take their lives every year.
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will redouble our national efforts to prevent the tragedy of suicide in order to reduce the tragic toll it imposes on individuals, families and communities.
The Government will invest $276.9 million over four years to:
Provide more services to those at greatest risk of suicide – including psychology and psychiatry services, as well as non-clinical support to assist people with severe mental illness and their carers with their day-to-day needs.
Invest more in direct suicide prevention and crisis intervention, including through boosting the capacity of counselling services such as Lifeline and providing funding to improve safety at suicide 'hotspots'.
Provide more services and support to men – who are at greatest risk of suicide, but least likely to seek help.
Promote good mental health and resilience in young people, to prevent suicide later in life.
School Reform
The Gillard Labor Government’s vision is to make every school a great school – because in the 21st century, a great school and a great education are the keys that unlock an individual’s potential and the nation’s future
Only with world class schools can we build a high-productivity, high-participation economy that gives all Australians the opportunity of rewarding and satisfying work
The Gillard Labor Government’s vision is to make every school a great school – because in the 21st century, a great school and a great education are the keys that unlock an individual’s potential and the nation’s future
Only with world class schools can we build a high-productivity, high-participation economy that gives all Australians the opportunity of rewarding and satisfying work
In government, Labor is delivering ambitious reforms that are already changing Australia’s schools – achieving more for our schools in less than three years than the Coalition delivered in almost 12.
The Government is making major investments to reverse the under-funding that has held our schools back for too long – doubling the funding for Australian schools, because we know that no other investment will generate the enduring, long-term returns like our investment in our human capital.
Consider this: a child who is 5 years old today is likely to still be in the workforce through to the 2070s.
The quality of their schooling now will make a difference to what they learn and whether they achieve their potential across the span of their working life.
That means that the investment we make in great schools today will be paying dividends for most of the century ahead through higher participation, stronger productivity and increased economic growth.
That is why the Government has invested in modernising infrastructure with the Building the Education Revolution program and Trade Training Centres – together with our investments in improving teacher quality.
Alongside our additional investments, the Gillard Labor Government is undertaking major reforms – with the goal of making Australia’s schools among the best in the world so we can compete successfully with countries like Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong.
Creating world class schools is at the heart of 21st century microeconomic reform – it is every bit as important as Labor’s past big economic reforms like tariff cuts, industry deregulation, national competition policy and enterprise bargaining.
The sectors in the economy that need renewal and reform are the services that were relatively untouched by the big economic reform era of the Hawke and Keating governments – sectors like education
and health, which are largely delivered within the domestic economy.
The education and health sectors include schools, universities,
hospitals and aged care facilities – with a diverse range of providers from the public, private and non-government sectors, and services where competition and value are often held back by jurisdictional red tape and the lack of seamless national markets.
Australian Baccalaureate
A world class qualification for a world class education.
The Gillard Labor Government will develop a new senior qualification, the Australian Baccalaureate.
The Australian Baccalaureate will be a new voluntary qualification that provides senior students with access to a credential of international standing – similar to national certificates like the British ‘A’ Levels and French Baccalaureate, the German and Finnish Arbitur, and the certificates of Australia’s regional neighbours.
The Australian Baccalaureate will sit alongside existing senior secondary school qualifications as a voluntary credential that will build off the National Curriculum.
The introduction of the Australian Baccalaureate would naturally follow the implementation of the phase one Australian Curriculum subjects in the senior secondary years, expected to follow on from the first substantial cohort of Australian students commencing National Curriculum courses in 2015 or 2016, and would potentially recognise both traditional academic and vocational education and training courses.
School Reform
The Gillard Labor Government’s vision is to make every school a great school – because in the 21st century, a great school and a great education are the keys that unlock an individual’s potential and the nation’s future
Only with world class schools can we build a high-productivity, high-participation economy that gives all Australians the opportunity of rewarding and satisfying work
The Gillard Labor Government’s vision is to make every school a great school – because in the 21st century, a great school and a great education are the keys that unlock an individual’s potential and the nation’s future
Only with world class schools can we build a high-productivity, high-participation economy that gives all Australians the opportunity of rewarding and satisfying work
In government, Labor is delivering ambitious reforms that are already changing Australia’s schools – achieving more for our schools in less than three years than the Coalition delivered in almost 12.
The Government is making major investments to reverse the under-funding that has held our schools back for too long – doubling the funding for Australian schools, because we know that no other investment will generate the enduring, long-term returns like our investment in our human capital.
Consider this: a child who is 5 years old today is likely to still be in the workforce through to the 2070s.
The quality of their schooling now will make a difference to what they learn and whether they achieve their potential across the span of their working life.
That means that the investment we make in great schools today will be paying dividends for most of the century ahead through higher participation, stronger productivity and increased economic growth.
That is why the Government has invested in modernising infrastructure with the Building the Education Revolution program and Trade Training Centres – together with our investments in improving teacher quality.
Alongside our additional investments, the Gillard Labor Government is undertaking major reforms – with the goal of making Australia’s schools among the best in the world so we can compete successfully with countries like Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong.
Creating world class schools is at the heart of 21st century microeconomic reform – it is every bit as important as Labor’s past big economic reforms like tariff cuts, industry deregulation, national competition policy and enterprise bargaining.
The sectors in the economy that need renewal and reform are the services that were relatively untouched by the big economic reform era of the Hawke and Keating governments – sectors like education
and health, which are largely delivered within the domestic economy.
The education and health sectors include schools, universities,
hospitals and aged care facilities – with a diverse range of providers from the public, private and non-government sectors, and services where competition and value are often held back by jurisdictional red tape and the lack of seamless national markets.
Online Diagnostic Tools
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will develop a national online assessment and learning bank for students, parents and teachers to provide a sophisticated diagnostic assessment of each student’s strengths and learning needs.
With a National Curriculum and National Assessment program in place, Australia for the first time has the opportunity to develop specialised learning and assessment programs around a shared set of knowledge and skills.
Digital technologies make it possible to accurately assess each student’s performance and provide feedback on which aspects of their learning they need to develop.
This initiative will create a digital platform, linked to the national curriculum and national assessment programs, to provide those assessments for students, parents and teachers.
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will support the development of this digital facility and work with schools and education providers to make it available to all schools and parents.
The tools will be available through a dedicated website and by linking the digital test bank and directory of curriculum resources to existing educational ICT networks.
Teachers and parents will get their own individualised registration.
Performance Pay
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will implement Australia’s first national system of performance assessment and pay to reward the very best classroom teachers.
Federal Labor knows that great schools are created by great teachers and believes great teachers deserve to be recognised.
The Gillard Labor Government will provide the first reward payment to top performing teachers in 2014, based on teacher performance in 2013.
Around one in ten, or about 25,000 of the best classroom teachers would receive a performance bonus each year.
Based on current wages, this bonus would be around $8,000 for our most experienced teachers.
The Gillard Labor Government will develop a nationally consistent, transparent and equitable performance management system the ‘Australian Teacher Performance Management Principles and Procedures’ so the best performing teachers can be identified and rewarded.
These will be developed by Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership and will set out the aspects of a teacher’s performance to be assessed and will cover elements such as:
Student achievement.
Contribution to the school community including providing support to other teachers.
Contribution to extra-curricular activities and student support.
Reward for School Improvement
The Gillard Labor Government will provide reward payments to the schools that deliver the greatest improvements across a range of areas.
This will help drive excellence in every school and better results for every child.
Individual Australian primary schools will receive $75,000 if they show the most improvement and high schools will receive $100,000.
Areas covered will include:
School attendance.
Literacy and numeracy performance.
Year 12 attainment and results.
Post-school destination information, such as the number of students going onto further education, training or work.
The Reward for School Improvement program will provide an additional incentive for schools to improve in the areas that matter most to children and their parents.
Reward payments will be provided for 500 schools in 2013, based on improvement in the 2012 school year, and will be provided to 1000 schools based on improvement in 2013.
Principals and school communities will determine the best use of their reward payments, to sustain and drive further improvement.
Empowering local schools
The Gillard Labor Government will drive improved student performance and outcomes by giving principals, parents and each school community greater power to determine how their local school is run – including greater responsibility for school budgets, determining the right mixture of staff, and setting local priorities.
A national roll-out will commence with 1,000 schools over 2012 and 2013, with schools gaining responsibility for the following core elements, tailored to the needs of each school:
Enhanced school governance arrangements, giving school councils or boards responsibility for strategic planning, and oversight of the school’s operations and finances.
This will enhance parental and community ownership of local schools.
Responsibility for finance and the school budget, which will initially involve a single budget for staffing.
Schools will then move to a one-line school budget that allows them to fully manage the allocation of all resources, to meet the unique needs of students at each school and drive improved student performance.
Management of the school staffing profile, including support staff, which will involve determining the right mix of staff, recruitment and staff selection.
Principals will have a greater role in staff performance management within existing enterprise bargaining arrangements.
The specific functions each school will exercise will be determined by the school and the education authority through an application process, and will be based upon the school’s size and their current level of independence.
The Gillard Labor Government will invest $484 million by 2018 to rollout these reforms, including $71. 9 million over the forward estimates
Participating schools will receive a start up grant of between $40,000 and $50,000, as well as support and training, so they can effectively undertake these new responsibilities.
In total, $47. 3 million over the next four years will be provided to schools in start-up funding
The Gillard Labor Government will also provide $17. 7 million over the next four years to school systems – government and non-government – to support this transition
An additional $6. 9 million will fund implementation, including the development of a specific training course for principals on leading and managing a more autonomous school, the development of innovative governance models and a longitudinal evaluation
This reform will enable school communities to use their local knowledge and understanding of the needs of their students to allocate resources and make school based decisions.
This will drive localised educational responses and better learning outcomes for students.
Teach Next
The Gillard Labor Government knows the difference a great teacher can make in the life of a student– a reality that is supported by extensive educational research.
That is why the Government is committed to recruiting, training, retaining and rewarding great teachers.
A Gillard Labor Government will establish Teach Next– to tap into the knowledge of highly skilled and qualified professionals in areas such as maths and science, so they can share their expertise and passion with Australian students.
Many highly skilled and experienced individuals, like accountants, bankers, engineers and scientists have considered a career in teaching, but have been put off by the time it takes to meet the qualification hurdles.
Teach Next will offer experienced professionals a new option, by providing specialised intensive training of around eight weeks duration that will enable them to quickly move into the classroom with appropriate support and start earning a wage.
National Curriculum
Federal Labor has delivered a Curriculum that is world class.
We have started with the basics; English, maths, science and history.
The National Curriculum is one of the first in the world to be delivered online, making it dynamic, easily updated and providing more opportunities to enhance learning experiences and student engagement.
Labor is committed to delivering a world class education system to ensure Australians are armed with the knowledge and skills to meet the demands of the 21st Century.
  As part of this commitment, the Labor Government has released, for final consultation, Australia’s first national curriculum.
Key policy points
The national curriculum covers the subjects of English, maths, science and history and will be taught nation-wide from 2011.
The English curriculum has an emphasis on the basics.
  This includes critical skills like sounding out letters of the alphabet and grammar
Maths will focus on essential mathematical skills in number and algebra, measurement and geometry, probability and statistics.
The science curriculum will ensure students develop the skills they need to live in a technologically advanced age.
 A key feature of the draft Curriculum for history is the treatment of Australian history within a regional and world history context.
This allows students to better understand the richness of the Australian story.
Further details on the curriculum's content are available here.
Labor is committed to an equal and transparent education system and believes every student can be challenged to achieve at a high level.
  Australian parents can now be confident their child is being taught from a world class curriculum regardless of the school they attend or their location.
The national curriculum defines standards of achievement for each year level.
  For the first time, every student, parent and teacher will know what is expected at every stage of schooling.
The 80, 000 families who move interstate each year can now be assured their child’s education will not be disrupted.
  They will now be able to move schools without the disadvantages of having to learn a new curriculum and will benefit from a nationally consistent education system.
This curriculum is world class.
It is one of the first in the world to be delivered online making it  dynamic, and easily updated, unlike the static, hard-copy form which currently exists in each State and Territory.
ACARA will hold public Information Sessions for the draft Australian Curriculum around Australia.
This is a significant achievement; 110 years after Federation Australia finally has a national curriculum.
  This is one element of Labor’s Education Revolution which is transforming Australia’s education system to meet the demands of the future.
Superannuation
Australia’s ageing population creates a number of challenges for our nation moving forward.
One challenge is to ensure that we have sufficient savings to provide for our retirements.
Australia’s superannuation system is unique and provided an important source of finance for Australian businesses during the global financial crisis.
But we need to ensure our superannuation savings are enough to provide a secure and dignified retirement to working Australians in the future.
The Government will increase the superannuation guarantee to 12 per cent.
This is expected to benefit around 8. 4 million employees
The Government will also extend the superannuation guarantee to cover older workers up to age 75.
The government will also improve the fairness of the superannuation through a new concession worth up to $500 for 3. 5 million low income earners who currently get no superannuation concession for their compulsory savings
The government recognises that many older Australians wish to make catch-up contributions to superannuation and will double the contributions cap to $50,000 from 2012-13 for people aged over 50 with balances under $500,000.
These changes are expected to increase Australia’s pool of superannuation savings by $85 billion over the next ten years and are projected to increase the retirement benefit of an average worker aged 30 by $108,000.
A Tax Plan for Our Future
The Government is determined to ensure that Australia makes the most of the opportunities presented by commodity boom mark II.
Our tax reforms will ensure Australians get a better return from this commodity boom, and that the proceeds aren’t wasted like they were under the previous Liberal government.
We will get a fairer return for the Australian community from our non-renewable natural resources, through our resource rent tax framework.
The 30 per cent Minerals Resource Rent Tax will apply to iron ore and coal projects.
The existing 40 per cent Petroleum Resource Rent Tax will be extended to apply to all onshore and offshore oil and gas projects.
We understand that growth in the resource sector requires constant reinvestment by Governments and businesses.
We will address potential capacity constraints in resource regions by building new and better roads, rail and ports, funded out of a $6 billion regional infrastructure fund.
The success of our resources sector can make it harder for other parts of the economy to compete.
We will make the entire economy more competitive, through business tax reforms.
We will cut business taxes across the board, especially for small businesses who will benefit from a head start on the company tax cut.
Small businesses will also be allowed to immediately write off any new business asset worth $5,000 of less, providing tax relief and simplification.
We will ensure we have something to show for the boom, through a range of superannuation reforms.
We will increase the superannuation guarantee to 12 per cent, extend the superannuation guarantee to older workers up to the age of 75, provide a new superannuation concession for lower income earners and expand superannuation concessions for older Australians making catch up contributions.
The Government also supports savings outside of superannuation and will introduce a new 50% tax discount for up to $1,000 of interest income from saving deposits held with any bank, building society or credit union, as well as interest on bonds, debentures and annuity products.
The Government will simplify the tax system for businesses and individuals.
Small businesses will benefit from the instant write-off of assets worth up to $5,000, and simplified depreciation of other assets.
Individual Australians will benefit from an optional standard deduction, worth $500 in 2012-13 and $1,000 from 2013-14 onwards.
When fully implemented it is expected that 6. 4 million individuals will be financially better off by an average of $192, simply by claiming the $1,000 standard deduction instead of going through their individual claims for work related expenses and the costs of managing their tax affairs
Strengthening Australia
Australia needs to be actively engaged in international efforts to meet the global challenges that affect us all.
At the heart of the Government’s foreign policy and national security approach lies the responsibility to protect and defend Australia's national interests.
By having an active foreign policy and making sure our voice is heard, we can help secure the best outcomes for Australia and Australians.
That is why the Australian Government has taken an active role in international efforts to respond to the global financial crisis, to tackle climate change, and to help build a better future for Afghanistan.
The Australian Government has:
Rebuilt Australia’s engagement with the world in the face of rapidly evolving international events as global economic and strategic weight shifts to the Asia-Pacific.
Strengthened our ties with our ally the United States, with key regional partners in Asia and the Pacific and with the wider world.
Re-engaged with the United Nations in recognition of the fact that supporting a strong multilateral system is not just the right thing to do, but it is in our national interest to do so.
Moved to ensure the security of our nation through long-term planning for our defence forces.
Strengthening Australia in a changing world requires building our defence forces and engaging actively in regional and global affairs.
The defence and security of our nation, its people and their interests is the first priority of government.
To ensure that we can deliver this, we have undertaken long-term planning for the defence and security of our nation, including developing a Defence White Paper to chart a strategic way forward to deliver Force 2030.
We are committed to recognising and supporting the efforts of all our men and women in uniform.
We are also working to secure Australia’s future through re-energised regional and global engagement.
We are committed to building on the Labor tradition of active contribution to the world beyond our shores.
And we are committed to an activist middle power diplomacy that delivers the best outcomes for Australia and Australians.
This engagement is both about principles and the interests of our nation and its people.
In our globalised world, we need our voice to be heard in global councils that are crafting the solutions to the challenges we face.
The government has made sure this is happening.
Major Achievements
Despite the challenges we have confronted in responding to the global economic crisis, we have injected new life into our foreign policy, allowing Australia to once again be recognised as an important and constructive regional player, and as a source of ideas and a key contributor to finding solutions to global challenges:
1. Protecting Australia’s interests in the global economic crisis: We recognised the early dangers of the global financial crisis, and ensured that Australia was a key driver of the international response through the G20 process
We used creative, active middle power diplomacy to help shape the international response to the crisis and ensure that the G20 has become the new body for tackling global economic challenges.
The declaration of the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation represents the most significant shift in global governance in decades.
For Australia, it is the most important new leaders’ institution since the creation of APEC.
The G20 successfully addressed the global financial crisis, acting in a coordinated and immediate way to stabilise the financial sector and build confidence globally.
2. Defence White Paper: We have delivered the first Defence White Paper in nearly a decade, which sets out a comprehensive plan for Australia’s Defence out to 2030
To implement the Defence White Paper we delivered the first Defence Capability Plan since 2006, which set out over $60 billion of projects that will form the building blocks of Force 2030.
Our actions will ensure that Australia has the Defence Force it needs to meet the challenges of the future - and that our defence interests are properly planned for and budgeted.
Our approach also includes a targeted Strategic Reform Program that will deliver efficiencies in the way Defence carries out its roles.
3. Making a contribution to international security:
We have strengthened our deployments in Afghanistan, and play our part by contributing to the International Security Assistance Force, helping with reconstruction efforts and training of the Afghan National Army.
We have continued to contribute to stability in our near neighbourhood through our military deployments to East Timor and the Solomon Islands.
4. Strengthening our alliance with the United States:
Australia’s Alliance with the United States remains the bedrock of Australia’s defence security and strategic arrangements.
We have established strong connections with the new Obama Administration, and built strong working relationships in areas of common involvement, such as Afghanistan.
We have built on our close relationship by concluding new agreements in defence cooperation, civil-military cooperation, and counter-terrorism.
5. Engaging with our region: We have injected new vigour into our key regional relationships – with Japan, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Singapore to name just a few
We concluded negotiations for the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement – Australia’s largest free trade agreement that will reduce or eliminate tariffs across a region of 600 million people with an annual GDP of $3. 2 billion
We have commenced negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement which includes Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Vietnam, Brunei, Chile, Singapore and Peru.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership will be an ambitious, 21st century agreement that will strengthen economic integration in the region.
We have been a constructive participant in discussions about the shape of future regional architecture in the Asia Pacific region, drawing on the Labor tradition of driving discussion and innovation in our engagement with our region.
We secured membership of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), which brings together 16 Asian nations and the ASEAN Secretariat along with 27 European Union nations and the European Commission – correcting a longstanding historical anomaly.
6. Acting as a good international citizen through delivering on our commitment to increase our foreign aid to 0. 5% of gross national income by 2015-16
7. Recasting our relations with the Pacific to be based on mutual respect and mutual responsibility
We hosted the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting in Cairns – the first time Australia has hosted in 15 years.
We have concluded Pacific Partnerships for Development with Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Nauru and Kiribati.
These agreements commit us to increased development assistance, tailored for countries’ individual development needs, and embrace commitments from our partners to improve governance, increase investment in infrastructure, alleviate poverty and achieve better outcomes in health and education.
We have launched PACER Plus trade negotiations with our partners in the South Pacific to help build economic resilience and sustainability in the region.
Other achievements
Strengthening border security through a tough, targeted approach, including through close cooperation with our regional partners, in developing enduring regional solutions to issues of irregular people movement.
Establishing the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament to develop new ideas on strengthening the existing nuclear non-proliferation regime and making progress towards the ultimate goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.
Renewed commitment to the United Nations, and as an expression of that commitment, actively seeking a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2013-14 term.
As a member of the Security Council, we can help shape global responses in ways that serve our national interests, promote our values and virtues and support peace and security.
Actively pursuing trade policy through high quality Free Trade Agreements that increase market access for Australian exporters, as well as through a leadership role in World Trade Organisation negotiations.
New engagement with Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America – regions of the world where our interests are increasingly engaged, but which Australia has for too long neglected.
Demonstrating that we are a committed member of the Commonwealth through being selected to host the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth in 2011.
Building Better Regional Cities
The Gillard Labor Government will invest $200 million to help build up to 15,000 more affordable homes in regional cities over three years and relieve pressure on our major capital cities,
so that Australia can grow sustainably.
This program will give participating councils new funding to invest in local infrastructure projects that support new housing developments, such as connecting roads, extensions to drains and sewerage pipes, and community infrastructure such as parks and community centres.
Cleaner Power Stations
The Gillard Labor Government will introduce tough new emissions standards for all new coal-fired power stations.
All new coal-fired stations will be required to meet best practice emissions standards, and be Carbon Capture and Storage-ready (CCS-ready).
Federal Labor is committed to ensuring that future energy generation in Australia is cleaner and greener and that we don’t build generation capacity which is not consistent with the low pollution economy of the future.
At present, 77 per cent of Australia’s electricity supply is generated by black and brown coal-fired power stations.
A Gillard Labor Government will also place additional obligations on existing coal-fired power stations to find opportunities to reduce their emissions by expanding the Energy Efficiency Opportunities program, and publishing facility-level data supplied by power stations under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting program.
Connecting Renewables
A Gillard Labor Government will invest $1 billion over the next decade in our electricity networks to connect Australia’s rich but remote renewable resources to Australian homes.
The Connecting Renewables initiative will transform our energy grids by bringing more renewable energy into Australian households and businesses sooner.
This initiative will develop secure, sustainable and affordable energy for the future, supporting the enhanced Renewable Energy Target and helping deliver the Government’s commitment to 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity supply coming from renewable sources by 2020.
Federal Labor will also invest $100 million over four years in a new Renewable Energy Venture Capital Fund.
These new initiatives build on Federal Labor's record investments in solar power and other renewables to help transition Australia to a low pollution economy.
Reward for Early Action
To give industry certainty about future investment, the Government will ensure that the emission baselines for industry assistance will not be increased – they will be as determined under the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).
How does this measure encourage early action?
Allocations of permits to companies for emissions-intensive activities are based on historic estimates of emissions intensity and will continue to be provided on this basis.
Improvements in emissions intensity undertaken by individual businesses from these historical baselines will not reduce the permit allocations these businesses will receive under a future market to limit pollution.
Retaining these baselines will ensure any efforts undertaken by a business now to cut pollution will be rewarded, because it will mean they will be required to purchase fewer permits in a future market to limit pollution.
It will encourage action early rather than causing businesses to delay action until a market mechanism is introduced.
It will make businesses think twice before adding to their pollution levels ahead of a future market – because if they pollute more, they may have to make even greater emissions reductions down the track.
Cleaner Car Rebate
The Gillard Labor Government will provide $394 million to support motorists to purchase new, low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles.
Households will be able to receive a $2,000 rebate towards a new vehicle by trading in their pre-1995 car for scrapping.
This is part of Federal Labor’s plan to make positive changes to how we live, work and travel.
Over four years from 1 January 2011 to the end of 2014, the Cleaner Car Rebate is expected to result in significant cuts in Australian fleet emissions as close to 200,000 pre-1995 vehicles are taken off the road and replaced with more fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly cars.
The Rebate will be capped over its four years of operation at 200,000 vehicles.
Emission standards for cars
The Gillard Labor Government will cut emissions on our roads by introducing new mandatory carbon dioxide emission standards for all new light vehicles, including cars, from 2015.
This is part of the Gillard Labor Government’s plan to make positive change to how we live, work and travel.
The 15 million light vehicles on Australian roads contribute more than 10 per cent of our nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
Modelling undertaken indicates that the new standards could save 2.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Tax Breaks for Green Buildings
From 1 July 2011, businesses that invest in eligible assets or capital works to improve the energy efficiency of their existing buildings – from 2 stars or lower to 4 stars or higher – will be able to apply for a one-off bonus tax deduction.
The incentive will enable businesses to claim a bonus tax deduction of 50 per cent of the cost of the eligible assets or capital works.
This initiative is expected to provide a boost of around $1 billion over the life of the scheme to help 'green up' existing buildings right across the country.
It will help unlock significant energy efficiency by giving businesses a clear incentive to save energy in their buildings.
This initiative is part of the Gillard Labor Government's plan to make positive changes to how we live, work and travel.
Trade Cadetships
The Gillard Labor Government will ensure that students at school who want to pursue a career in the trades have a clearly defined pathway, equal in quality, value and rigour to more traditional academic pursuits.
From 2012 students from years 9 to 12 will be offered a new National Trade Cadetship as an option under the National Curriculum.
This Cadetship will be delivered through their local Trades Training Centre and through other eligible venues.
There will be two streams of National Trade Cadetship available:
National Trade Cadetship - Foundation which will focus on essential work readiness skills and laying the foundation for further training; |and
National Trade Cadetship - Pre-Apprentice which will focus on specific trade or occupation area
The National Trade Cadetships will be developed by the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA), in partnership with Industry Skills Councils and with States and Territories.
National Trade Cadetships will be nationally recognised and will provide credit towards an apprenticeship or further training.
ACARA will work with States and Territories to ensure the Cadetships contribute towards state based senior awards, in the same way as other approved subjects under the National Curriculum.
This will mean that the National Curriculum will define the essential skills and knowledge required for employability and vocational skills.
This will mean that more secondary students will have the option to start a pathway towards recognised trade qualifications while still at school.
The National Trade Cadetship will help make students work ready and will help create a more skilled workforce.
The Gillard Labor Government has also announced a Cadet Work Experience program to ensure school students gain experience and confidence in a real work environment as part of their National Trade Cadetship
Cadet Work Experience
The Gillard Labor Government will invest $25 million to ensure school students gain experience and confidence in a real work environment as part of the National Trade Cadetship being delivered in Trades Training Centres
Up to 50,000 additional structured work experience places will be provided, with the first cohort of students undertaking a National Trade Cadetship in 2012 to be the first to benefit
There is evidence that students who have a good understanding of what will be involved in an apprenticeship and good foundation skills are more likely to finish their apprenticeship.
Students need to understand the practical side of their training and gain experience and confidence in a real work environment before making decisions about their future careers and committing to an apprenticeship.
These 50,000 work experience places will provide students with the opportunity to experience firsthand what will be involved in particular trades and industries.
This work experience component will build on the clearly defined, robust, nationally recognised and consistent pathways the National Trade Cadetships will deliver for students who want to pursue a career in the trades
Protecting Workers’ Entitlements Package
The Gillard Labor Government’s Protecting Workers’ Entitlements package will provide the strongest protection of employee entitlements Australian workers have ever had.
The package protects employees’ entitlements through three strong measures:
The Fair Entitlements Guarantee
Securing Super
Strengthening Corporate and Taxation Law
1 The Fair Entitlements Guarantee will protect workers’ entitlements including: redundancy pay (up to a maximum of four weeks for each year of service), all annual leave, all long service leave and up to three months of unpaid wages
The Fair Entitlements Guarantee will be enshrined in legislation.
2 Securing Super will strengthen compliance measures to ensure employees receive their superannuation entitlements
3 Strengthening Corporate and Taxation Law will give the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) increased powers and strengthen penalties to take action against companies that do the wrong thing
Reforms will be introduced that target ‘phoenix’ company arrangements.
This package stands in contrast to the Coalition, who will rip workers’ entitlements away.
Australian employees work hard and deserve to know that their wages, superannuation and other entitlements are safe.
The biggest risk to these entitlements is Tony Abbott.
Draft National Disability Strategy
The Gillard Labor Government has released its draft National Disability Strategy which outlines a 10-year national plan to improve the lives of people with disability, promote participation, and create a more inclusive society.
The Gillard Labor Government is committed to ensuring that people with disability are able to fulfil their potential.
The Strategy has been developed in consultation with people with disability, the community, State and Territory Governments and local governments.
It outlines a nationwide approach to improving the lives of people with disability.
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will take the National Disability Strategy to the Council of Australian Governments early next term.
A better start for children with disability
The Gillard Labor Government will provide new access to early intervention services to help give more children with disability a better start in life.
A Better Start for Children with Disability will ensure children with disabilities that affect their development have access to intensive early intervention therapies and treatments from expert health professionals.
Children diagnosed with sight and hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or Fragile X syndrome will benefit under the program.
Children under six with a diagnosis of a listed disability will be eligible to receive up to $12,000 for early intervention services.
A maximum of $6,000 can be spent in any financial year.
Families will have up to their child’s seventh birthday to use the funding.
A number of new Medicare funded diagnosis and treatment services will also be made available for children diagnosed before the age of 13 years with these conditions.
Families will be able to access the treatment items up to their child’s fifteenth birthday.
Supported accommodation for people with disability
The Gillard Labor Government will deliver more supported accommodation and respite for people with disability.
For the first time Federal Labor will be giving community organisations the opportunity to apply for direct capital funding from the Federal Government for supported accommodation and respite facilities, with the first capital grants provided in 2011.
Community organisations are uniquely placed to develop accommodation and respite options that capitalise on local support and resources, and meet the needs of people with disability and their carers in an inventive way.
Projects could include a modern renovation of an existing home so it can be used for supported accommodation, pooled resources to build a contemporary facility close to local community and health services to provide overnight respite, or expanding an established facility to provide more places.
Up to 150 additional places are expected to be delivered through the $60 million investment that will be provided under this initiative.
National Broadband Network
Federal Labor has established NBN Co Limited, to build and operate a new superfast National Broadband Network (NBN).
The NBN is the biggest nation building project in Australia’s history.
NBN Co will invest up to $43 billion over eight years to fund the rollout and ongoing operations of the network.
The NBN will deliver affordable, high speed broadband services to all Australians, no matter where they live or work.
The National Broadband Network will extend optical fibre to 93 per cent of premises, with speeds of 100 megabits per second – 100 times faster than many people experience today.
Other communities will be served by next generation wireless and satellite technologies, with average data rates more than 20 times higher than most users of these technologies experience today.
Extending Fibre Coverage
The Gillard Labor Government has extended NBN Co’s fibre coverage objective from 90 per cent to 93 per cent of premises by the end of the rollout.
This is based on the recommendations of the NBN Implementation Study.
This means around 300,000 extra existing premises, will receive optical fibre broadband – which is particularly good news for rural and regional Australia.
The Gillard Labor Government today released network maps indicating the planned extension of optical fibre to 93 per cent of premises in over 1,000 cities and towns across Australia, and how other communities will be served by next generation wireless and satellite technologies under the National Broadband Network (NBN).
The NBN Implementation Study indicated that the extension of NBN Co’s fibre coverage objective can be accommodated within the recommended funding requirement which is provided for in the Budget.
Next Generation Wireless and Satellite Technologies
The Government is also announcing that NBN Co will be responsible for delivering the wireless and satellite components of the network.
Next generation wireless services to 4 per cent of premises and satellite services to 3 per cent will deliver speeds of 12 megabits per second – with average data rates more than 20 times higher than most users of these technologies experience today.
Koongarra protected forever
If re-elected, the Government will protect Koongarra, honor the wishes of the Traditional Owner and incorporate the land into Kakadu National Park.
Koongarra is an area of native woodland of great environmental and cultural significance, located within the boundaries of Kakadu National Park.
Koongarra was previously excluded from the Park because of its potential to be the site for a uranium mine.
Koongarra will now be protected by incorporating it into Kakadu National Park in accordance with the clearly expressed wishes of the Traditional Owner, for the benefit of all Australians.
Connecting Health
Modernising Medicare by providing rebates for online consultations
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will modernise the health system and deliver better health services by providing Medicare rebates for online consultations across a range of specialties for the first time.
This investment will help people who live outside capital cities get the health care they need.
In many cases it will save patients the time and expense of travelling long distances to see medical specialists, and will help them to see the right specialist sooner.
Federal Labor’s $392.3 million investment will provide:
$250.5 million to make Medicare rebates available for online consultations across a range of specialties, providing around 495,000 services over four years to rural, remote and outer metropolitan areas.
$56.8 million to provide GPs and specialists with financial incentives to participate in delivering online services.
$50 million to expand the GP after hours helpline and include the capacity for the helpline to provide online triage and basic medical advice via videoconferencing.
A $35 million fund to support training and supervision for health professionals using online technologies.
These initiatives will build on the Government’s historic health reforms that will see more hospital beds, record numbers of doctors and nurses, and shorter waiting times in public hospitals.
This investment is the next building block in our health reforms.
Delivering for seniors
Older Australians have made our nation strong and prosperous, and deserve to be supported in their later years – whether in work, retirement or in their caring roles.
Federal Labor’s Delivering for Seniors package will support and encourage older Australians in the workforce, tackle age discrimination, support grandparent carers and help meet the costs of living.
Our Delivering for Seniors package is a key part of our economic plan.
  It includes:
$6,500 improved Work Bonus for age pensioners who choose to do part time work.
$4,000 worth of training to support mature age workers in the workplace.
A dedicated Age Discrimination Commissioner.
New peer support for Grandparent Carers.
New rules for reverse mortgages to protect seniors.
The Federal Labor Party has always stood for fairness for older Australians.
The Delivering for Seniors package builds upon our first term achievements that include the biggest reforms to the age pension in more than a hundred years.
Our pension reforms have driven increases for pensioners now worth an extra $100 a fortnight for single pensioner and an extra $74 for couples combined.
  We also increased the Utilities Allowance by $400 to help meet the costs of electricity and other essentials.
Federal Labor has delivered increased support for self-funded retirees – including a new Seniors Supplement now worth $795 a year.
  And we delivered a national transport concessions scheme to give State Seniors Card holders concessions when they travel interstate.
Our historic superannuation reforms will boost superannuation for hard working Australians, giving more financial security in retirement.
Our Delivering for Seniors package will build on this record through $100 million in new commitments.
MySuper
The Gillard Labor Government will assist families to save for their retirement by introducing a new low cost, simple superannuation product called "MySuper".
We will also work with the superannuation industry to modernise and streamline the administration of the superannuation system.
The superannuation industry manages $1.3 trillion in hard-working Australians' retirement nest-eggs.
Every dollar diverted in fees or other unnecessary overheads is a dollar less going towards a larger and more secure retirement.
Over a person’s working life, these fees can total tens of thousands of dollars of lost retirement income.
These reforms form the first part of Federal Labor's response to the Cooper Review into Australia’s Superannuation System and continue Labor’s commitment to ensure all Australians enjoy a secure retirement.
The MySuper reforms are part of the Gillard Labor Government’s plan for a stronger economy and are the next phase of Labor’s reforms to our national superannuation system.
MySuper builds on the Prime Minister's breakthrough agreement on the mining tax that delivers a major boost to the superannuation of working Australians through a lift in the Superannuation Guarantee, a new low income super contribution, and increased super contribution caps for over 50s.
Labor’s plan for all small businesses
Federal Labor appreciates the important contribution small businesses make to national prosperity and to supporting jobs.
That’s why, when the Global Financial Crisis hit, Federal Labor stepped in with practical measures to help small businesses and support the economy, including:
The $42 billion Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan.
Extra tax breaks for small business.
Small Business Advisory Services.
Small Business Support Line.
Tax Office advice and assistance.
Cash flow assistance with Pay-As-You-Go tax instalment reductions.
Apprenticeship completion payments.
On-time payment guarantee for small businesses.
The Gillard Labor Government kept the economy growing despite the Global Financial Crisis and is the only party with a clear plan for a strong economy in the future.
That’s why we will provide tax relief and cut red tape for all small businesses, with instant write-offs for assets costing up to $5,000, simpler depreciation rules and a head start on company tax cuts.
The cost of this announcement will be fully offset over the forward estimates, consistent with the Gillard Labor Government’s commitment to return the Budget to surplus in 2013 – three years ahead of schedule.
Science for Australia's future
A Gillard Labor Government will keep Australia on the high road to prosperity by continuing to invest in science engagement and scientific research.
A Gillard Labor Government's  aim is to increase awareness of science in the Australian community, build skills in science and technology, and support the efforts of Australia’s outstanding scientists to produce solutions for this country and the world.
The pursuit of knowledge in all its forms– including in the social sciences and humanities– is the key to ensuring that Australia remains a high-tech, high-value producer paying good wages and offering a good standard of living.
It will give us the savvy, creative and adaptable workforce we need to compete in a global economy increasingly demanding new technologies and ideas.
Science is important not just to our material wellbeing, but to every aspect of our lives– to our environment, to our health, to our understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe.
Science will enable us to go on enjoying all the benefits of human ingenuity and modern industry, while conserving our resources and protecting our fragile planet.
It is absolutely critical to Australia’s future.
Innovation
Federal Labor is building a high-tech, high-wage economy for the future.
Research and innovation will drive that economy.
They are critical to our national prosperity and wellbeing.
The Innovation Portfolio is dedicated to raising living standards, creating jobs, and improving lives by increasing Australia’s capacity to generate and apply new ideas.
It supports business innovation to modernise existing industries and create new ones.
It supports research at universities and public sector research agencies to expand knowledge, increase understanding and accelerate invention and discovery.
It links researchers and industry to translate creative ideas into practical processes, products and services we can apply at home and sell to the world.
The Federal Labor Government has increased Commonwealth spending on research and innovation by 34 per cent compared to the previous Coalition Government, established Enterprise Connect and Commercialisation Australia, introduced the $6 billion New Car Plan for a Greener Future, and dramatically increased Australia’s research capacity by investing in facilities, equipment and people.
Creating Opportunity Requiring Responsibility
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will modernise Australia’s welfare system – to spread the dignity and purpose of work, end the corrosive aimlessness of welfare and bring more Australians into mainstream economic and social life
We will create better opportunities and require greater responsibility – building on the reforms we have delivered during the past three years to education,
welfare and employment services
In every step we take to improve opportunities for children, parents and jobseekers, we will match them with clearer responsibilities – to participate in study, training or work,
and to make sure that children are getting the support and care they need to develop well
Modernising Welfare
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will modernise Australia’s welfare system – to spread the dignity and purpose of work, end the corrosive aimlessness of welfare and bring more Australians into mainstream economic and social life.
We will create better opportunities and require greater responsibility – building on the reforms we have delivered during the past three years to education,
welfare and employment services.
In every step we take to improve opportunities for children, parents and jobseekers, we will match them with clearer responsibilities – to participate in study, training or work,
and to make sure that children are getting the support and care they need to develop well.
Australia is in a strong position to create opportunity because it is creating jobs.
There is nothing more important in managing the Australian economy than to ensure that every Australian has the opportunity to work.
Historic Reforms to Australia's Not-For-Profit Sector
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will drive a major reform agenda for Australia’s non-profit sector to deliver smarter regulation, reduce red tape and improve transparency and accountability of the sector.
Federal Labor is committed to supporting a strong and productive non-profit sector.
The Gillard Labor Government recognises that a strong, productive and innovative non-profit sector is essential to building an inclusive Australia.
The non-profit sector is a key partner in delivering major social policy reforms and in creating opportunities for Australians to participate in work, engage in life-long learning and live with dignity and respect.
The non-profit sector also enriches communities through sport and recreation, arts and culture, and through protecting the environment and providing emergency services in times of crisis.
We want to enable non-profit organisations to be able to focus on what they do best– helping Australians in need and boosting hope, participation, dignity and respect in our community.
  Non-profit organisations, employees and volunteers will all benefit from this reform plan, as well as the Australian communities they serve– many of them the most vulnerable in our society.
Investing in a creative Australia
The Gillard Labor Government will provide $10 million for the Australia Council to invest in up to 150 new artistic works, presentations and fellowships.
This new funding will ensure the Australia Council can focus on priority areas including: support for young and emerging artists, the creation of new Australian work (across all art forms) and assist artists in building more sustainable careers.
A Gillard Labor Government will also transfer a number of programs from the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts to the Australia Council, to utilise the resources and expertise of the Australia Council to promote better outcomes for arts funding.
These programs include Playing Australia, Visions of Australia, Festivals Australia, the Contemporary Music Touring program, the Regional Arts Fund and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy.
National plan to reduce violence against women and their children
The Gillard Labor Government will work to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault, deliver greater justice for victims, and improve support services through the 12 year National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children.
The Gillard Labor Government takes a zero tolerance approach to all forms of violence, whether it be in the home or in public places
The Federal Government estimates that approximately $1.9 billion is spent every four years on addressing domestic violence and sexual assault through payments, programs and services.
State and Territory Governments also provide substantial funding in this area.
This includes an additional $730 million that has been invested by Federal Labor for programs that directly respond to domestic violence and sexual assault in areas such as housing and homelessness, Indigenous programs, legal aid, family support and prevention programs.
National leadership, through a National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children, will focus the efforts of all of these programs on shared goals to prevent violence, deliver justice for victims and improve support services.
A Good International Citizen
The Gillard Labor Government remains committed to increasing official development assistance to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income by 2015-16.
This will result in a substantial increase in the aid budget going forward.
In the 2010-11 Federal Budget, total Australian official development assistance (ODA) is forecast to increase to $4.3 billion, up from $3.8 billion in 2009-10.
Beyond 2015-16, as economic and fiscal conditions permit, Federal Labor will progressively increase Australia’s official development assistance until we reach 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income.
Australians are a generous people.
They help out those in need.
But they also have every right to expect that our aid dollars are used wisely and have a real impact on the lives of those less fortunate.
Significant progress has been made in reducing poverty since the international community committed to the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, but there is much more work to be done.
Federal Labor has placed the Millennium Development Goals at the centre of Australia’s aid program, directing more funds to education, health and other basic services.
We have made education a flagship of the aid program to give children in poorer countries a chance to go to school and improve their opportunity for a better life.
We have also refocussed the program to improve the quality of Australia’s aid and to make it more accountable.
Our record on international development assistance stands in stark contrast to that of the Coalition.
Throughout the former Coalition Government’s term of office, the Coalition’s contribution to foreign aid averaged only 0.27 per cent of Gross National Income, and hit a low of 0.25 per cent.
Right now, the Coalition’s policy on foreign aid is a $300 million cut to the foreign aid budget, an action which seriously calls into question the Coalition’s commitment to assist the world’s poorest people.
Tony Abbott has not ruled out more savage cuts to foreign aid if he is elected as Prime Minister on 21 August.
At his campaign launch, Tony Abbott committed to the establishment of a “Debt Reduction Taskforce” with a commitment to identify further cuts to Australian Government expenditure, with no guarantees that foreign aid will be exempt from further cuts.
The Gillard Labor Government is committed to an aid program that is generous, effective and in Australia’s national interest.
Through the development assistance program, we can make a difference and improve the lives of millions, and it is our intention to do more.
Labor’s Plan for Veterans’ Affairs
There is no greater responsibility for government than the defence of Australia and Australia’s interests, and with that comes the profound responsibility of caring for those who have offered the courage, commitment, and sometimes sacrifice that is required to deliver that protection.
The Australian community is proud of our veterans and ex-service men and women.
All those who choose a career in the armed services are heirs to a great tradition.
Those who choose to serve give a commitment to protect the nation and its interests.
We owe it to them to ensure that their service is recognised, the nation’s gratitude is clear, and that they are looked after in their times of need.
A secure and fair Australia
Federal Labor has a strong record of creating a more secure Australia that ensures a fair go for all.
We are investing over $4.2 billion in 2010-2011 under the Attorney-General’s Portfolio, towards national security, border and aviation security, counter terrorism, law enforcement and emergency management.
Australia’s key national security laws and agencies fall within the Attorney-General’s portfolio.
The portfolio is also responsible for maintaining and improving Australia’s federal system of justice and the administration of Australia’s external territories.
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will continue this work, ensuring that the Attorney-General and Minister for Home Affairs focus on building capability for the future, anticipating and planning to meet future challenges.
We will also implement further practical improvements to ensure a fairer, safe and secure nation for all Australians.
Carbon Farming Initiative
A Gillard Labor Government will open up new opportunities for Australian farmers and landholders to participate in lucrative international markets for carbon credits in a newCarbon Farming Initiative.
Under the new scheme, for the first time, a Federal Government will help facilitate the sale of carbon credits on domestic and international markets.
Farmers and landholders will benefit from a new income stream,
and the environment will benefit from reduced pollution.
A Healthy Environment
If re-elected, the Gillard Labor Government will continue the reforms that put the protection of the environment in its rightful place
Federal Labor’s key environment priorities are the protection and conservation of Australia’s native plants, animals and ecosystems, and supporting Indigenous Australians, landholders and community groups to protect and manage the natural environment.
A particular priority is the protection of our ocean ecosystems, as Australia has the third largest marine estate of any nation.
In its first term, Federal Labor has built a strong foundation for our environment.
We’ve increased the area of land managed for conservation by 3.4 million hectares, created more than 600 Indigenous Ranger jobs, and taken legal action to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean.
Federal Labor recognises the importance of safeguarding our environment.
We have made significant improvements to the Australian environment, both close to home in the places where most of us live, as well as in more remote natural landscapes
We’ve given the natural environment the focus it deserves, reoriented environment funding towards a whole of-landscape approach through Caring for our Country, and made transparent and accountable decisions using the best available science
Green Corridors Plan
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will invest $10 million to build the resilience of our environment to climate change
Federal Labor will work with the 56 regional natural resource management groups to develop a National Green Corridors Plan to prepare our native plants and animals, as well as our agricultural landscapes for climate change.
Federal Labor will convene a National Green Corridors advisory group to prepare a draft National Green Corridors Plan.
The advisory group will have broad expertise, including scientists, farmers, Indigenous groups and regional natural resource management groups.
It will consider climate change impacts and adaptation, identifying critical linkages in the landscape to allow the migration of species.
The National Green Corridors Plan will also aim to protect natural stores of carbon in native ecosystems to minimise our greenhouse gas emissions.
Landcare groups, State and local government, Indigenous organisations, natural resource management groups, as well as farming, conservation and tourism organisations will have the opportunity to contribute to the National Green Corridors Plan.
Creating jobs and skills in Australia
Our Fair Work reforms have delivered fairness for working Australians and are providing certainty and greater simplicity– but they’re also about lifting national productivity.
The overall benefit to the economy of having the entire private sector covered by one national workplace relations system had been estimated as $4.8 billion over the next decade
Federal Labor has also delivered a single set of rules for Occupational Health and Safety across the nation.
Replacing 10 different acts and hundreds of separate regulations, this major reform, which eluded five previous federal governments
This significant reform represents a $4.8 billion benefit to the economy over the next decade by reducing compliance costs and boosting productivity
Our Consumer and Competition reforms are sweeping away inconsistent provisions in 17 Commonwealth, State and Territory laws and replacing them with a single national law
One set of rules for all Australian businesses and consumers, not 17.
This reform alone, could according to the Productivity Commission, generate up to an additional $4.5 billion for the Australian community.
Federal Labor also reformed Employment Services to provide more flexible, intensive support to jobseekers, creating Job Services Australia to provide help people out of work with the skills and contacts necessary to get themselves job ready and get back into work
Federal Labor has introduced Australia’s first national Paid Parental Leave scheme to support families and lift economic participation.
It is available for eligible working parents of children born or adopted on or after 1 January 2011.
It will provide payment at the National Minimum Wage - currently $570 a week before tax - is for up to 18 weeks and can be taken any time within the first year after birth
Supporting families with teenagers
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will increase family support by up to $4,000 a year per teenager, to help families meet the higher costs of older children and encourage more teenagers to stay at school.
Under significant reforms from 1 January 2012, Federal Labor will increase the maximum payment rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB-A) by more than $150 per fortnight for teenagers aged 16 to 18 years who are in school or an equivalent vocational qualification.
These reforms will help families make ends meet and help with cost of living pressures.
There are around 650,000 teenagers turning 16 over the next five years whose families will benefit.
Why are we doing this?
The Gillard Labor Government recognises that families with older teenage children can face higher costs.
The cost of groceries, clothes and family activities can all increase as children grow.
But under the existing system, the maximum rate of FTB-A drops from $208 per fortnight to $51 per fortnight when a child turns 16.
Rent Assistance also stops when a child turns 16.
This sharp drop in family support can encourage teenagers to leave school early if their family is unable to support them in full-time study or training.
What are we doing?
The new maximum rate of FTB-A for 16 to 18 year olds will increase to $208 per fortnight, leading to a total amount of $6,161 per year.
1 This is the same rate as applies for 13 to 15 year olds.
Other eligibility conditions for 13 to 15 will also continue to apply for these 16 to 18 year olds.
What the next election is all about.
The question that should still be asked of Labor is:
“What do you really stand for, and what can you actually deliver?”
This will be the key question in the forthcoming election.
Why?
Because Australians need a government with the capability and conviction to deliver on its promises.
The Coalition is determined to offer a clear alternative to the Australian people.
And this Action Contract is my firm commitment to take real action and to deliver on our promises.
If you support real action, vote for the Coalition and that’s what you’ll get.
This document contains my Contract for real action for Australia.
It comprises 12 realistic, modest and prudent election commitments that are achievable and deliverable over the next three years.
I guarantee to take real action to deliver on these commitments because I believe that actions speak far louder than gestures, words and stunts.
The Coalition will deliver on these commitments.
Restore the budget surplus within three years and start paying labor’s debt
This will put downward pressure on interest rates and protect our standard of living.
It will help to ensure that current and future generations of Australians will not be burdened by unnecessary debt and unnecessarily high debt interest payments.
End labor’s waste
and restore cabinet government
Labor has wasted too much taxpayers’ money.
The Coalition won’t repeat Labor’s disastrous ‘pink batts’ program.
The Coalition will also stop the billions of dollars being wasted through the ‘school halls’ program, and cut spending on government advertising.
Bad processes produce bad decisions.
Unlike Labor where decisions are made without proper process or consultation, the Coalition will restore the decision-making processes of Cabinet to restore integrity to government decision-making.
Reject labor’s massive new mining tax and other taxes that hurt productivity
This will help maintain Australia’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.
It will deliver long-term security to businesses and their employees who have long been in the engine room of Australia’s strong economic growth and prosperity.
End government discrimination against small business
The Coalition will ensure more government work for small businesses and introduce new rules to ensure the government pays its bills to small business on time.
This will give small business the opportunity to grow and employ more Australians.
Enforce strict border security and control
The Coalition will maintain rigorous offshore processing of those arriving illegally by boat, reintroduce temporary protection visas (to deprive people-smugglers of a product to sell) and be ready, where possible, to turn boats back.
Link population growth to the provision of better infrastructure
The Coalition will set immigration numbers on the basis of economic and environmental sustainability.
Take direct action on water and the environment
The Coalition will provide holistic management of the whole Murray-Darling water system so that water can be distributed fairly and equitably among all those people who depend upon it.
The Coalition is the only major political group with a clear policy to address climate change – our Emissions Reduction Fund will purchase abatements to improve the environment and reduce emissions by 5 per cent by 2020.
Protect private health and improve the public health and hospital system
The Coalition will introduce local hospital boards staffed by local health experts.
By preserving the private health rebate, the Coalition will help to take the strain off the public health system and reduce waiting times.
Help growing families to get ahead with six months paid parental leave
This will give mothers the right to their full wage for six months so they can stay at home with their new baby and to support and strengthen young families when they most need help.
Provide safer neighbourhoods
The Coalition will work with local councils and police to ensure that more crime-prone areas have closed circuit TV (CCTV).
Raise standards in education
The Coalition will work with the states to give principals the right to pay the best teachers more.
Restore work-for-the-dole and mutual obligation
The Coalition believes that working age people in good health should work – preferably for a wage but, if not, for the dole.
The Coalition will reverse Labor’s softening of mutual obligation requirements.
We will not bring back work choices
And we will not bring back AWAs.
We will work within Labor’s industrial relations framework to encourage greater productivity by bringing greater flexibility into the workplace to benefit both employees and employers.
Climate change needs to be addressed
We will take real action to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions without introducing a great big new tax.
We will tackle land degradation issues and repair and restore our environment by establishing, within four years, a 15,000 strong permanent workforce dedicated to protecting our environment and adjusting to climate change.
We stand by the values that have always guided our commitments.
We stand for lower taxes
and real tax reform for families.
We stand for budget surpluses and real reductions in government debt.
We stand for spending money prudently and wisely.
We stand for securing borders and sending illegal immigrants back.
We stand for small business and rewarding their initiative and effort.
We stand for real action on health
and giving health decisions back to communities.
We stand for real action on our environmental issues.
We stand for real action on sustainable population growth
We stand for taking real action, seeing things through and getting things done.
We stand up and take responsibility for our election promises.
What the next election is all about.
The question that should still be asked of Labor is:
“What do you really stand for, and what can you actually deliver?”
This will be the key question in the forthcoming election.
Why?
Because Australians need a government with the capability and conviction to deliver on its promises.
The Coalition is determined to offer a clear alternative to the Australian people.
And this Action Contract is my firm commitment to take real action and to deliver on our promises.
If you support real action, vote for the Coalition and that’s what you’ll get.
This document contains my Contract for real action for Australia.
It comprises 12 realistic, modest and prudent election commitments that are achievable and deliverable over the next three years.
I guarantee to take real action to deliver on these commitments because I believe that actions speak far louder than gestures, words and stunts.
The Coalition will deliver on these commitments.
Restore the budget surplus within three years and start paying labor’s debt
This will put downward pressure on interest rates and protect our standard of living.
It will help to ensure that current and future generations of Australians will not be burdened by unnecessary debt and unnecessarily high debt interest payments.
End labor’s waste
and restore cabinet government
Labor has wasted too much taxpayers’ money.
The Coalition won’t repeat Labor’s disastrous ‘pink batts’ program.
The Coalition will also stop the billions of dollars being wasted through the ‘school halls’ program, and cut spending on government advertising.
Bad processes produce bad decisions.
Unlike Labor where decisions are made without proper process or consultation, the Coalition will restore the decision-making processes of Cabinet to restore integrity to government decision-making.
Reject labor’s massive new mining tax and other taxes that hurt productivity
This will help maintain Australia’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.
It will deliver long-term security to businesses and their employees who have long been in the engine room of Australia’s strong economic growth and prosperity.
End government discrimination against small business
The Coalition will ensure more government work for small businesses and introduce new rules to ensure the government pays its bills to small business on time.
This will give small business the opportunity to grow and employ more Australians.
Enforce strict border security and control
The Coalition will maintain rigorous offshore processing of those arriving illegally by boat, reintroduce temporary protection visas (to deprive people-smugglers of a product to sell) and be ready, where possible, to turn boats back.
Link population growth to the provision of better infrastructure
The Coalition will set immigration numbers on the basis of economic and environmental sustainability.
Take direct action on water and the environment
The Coalition will provide holistic management of the whole Murray-Darling water system so that water can be distributed fairly and equitably among all those people who depend upon it.
The Coalition is the only major political group with a clear policy to address climate change – our Emissions Reduction Fund will purchase abatements to improve the environment and reduce emissions by 5 per cent by 2020.
Protect private health and improve the public health and hospital system
The Coalition will introduce local hospital boards staffed by local health experts.
By preserving the private health rebate, the Coalition will help to take the strain off the public health system and reduce waiting times.
Help growing families to get ahead with six months paid parental leave
This will give mothers the right to their full wage for six months so they can stay at home with their new baby and to support and strengthen young families when they most need help.
Provide safer neighbourhoods
The Coalition will work with local councils and police to ensure that more crime-prone areas have closed circuit TV (CCTV).
Raise standards in education
The Coalition will work with the states to give principals the right to pay the best teachers more.
Restore work-for-the-dole and mutual obligation
The Coalition believes that working age people in good health should work – preferably for a wage but, if not, for the dole.
The Coalition will reverse Labor’s softening of mutual obligation requirements.
We will not bring back work choices
And we will not bring back AWAs.
We will work within Labor’s industrial relations framework to encourage greater productivity by bringing greater flexibility into the workplace to benefit both employees and employers.
Climate change needs to be addressed
We will take real action to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions without introducing a great big new tax.
We will tackle land degradation issues and repair and restore our environment by establishing, within four years, a 15,000 strong permanent workforce dedicated to protecting our environment and adjusting to climate change.
We stand by the values that have always guided our commitments.
We stand for lower taxes
and real tax reform for families.
We stand for budget surpluses and real reductions in government debt.
We stand for spending money prudently and wisely.
We stand for securing borders and sending illegal immigrants back.
We stand for small business and rewarding their initiative and effort.
We stand for real action on health
and giving health decisions back to communities.
We stand for real action on our environmental issues.
We stand for real action on sustainable population growth
We stand for taking real action, seeing things through and getting things done.
We stand up and take responsibility for our election promises.
OUR PLAN FOR THE ECONOMY AND TAXATION
Revitalising Regional Australia
Introduction
The Nationals’ highest priority is to build a strong economy
and to usher in a new era of growth, prosperity and opportunity in Australia’s regions.
Strong economic management means lower taxes, and downward pressure on interest rates.
It means more funds to invest in health and education,
national security,
and infrastructure such as road and communication networks.
The Nationals understand that debt and deficit spending rob future generations of their autonomy and standard of living,
especially if the money is not invested in productive economic infrastructure.
The Nationals believe in private enterprise as the foundation of the nation’s economy.
We believe in a fair and equitable taxation system,
which guards against disadvantage to those people living and working in regional Australia.
Labor’s Record
When The Nationals left office, the economy was stronger than at any time in our history.
The Government had no net debt,
unemployment had fallen to a 33 year low, and inflation was down;
real wages had risen 21.5 per cent, and real household wealth had doubled over the previous decade.
Six rounds of personal income tax cuts had been delivered and the budget was $20 billion in surplus.
In less than three years of Labor Government, net debt has passed $40 billion and is on the way to $94 billion by 2013;
the budget is in deficit by $41 billion, and Labor has promised further years of deficit.
Household wealth has plummeted.
By 2013, interest payments on government debt will be around $12 billion per year.
Labor has made more than $100 billion worth of new spending commitments, financed by debt and much of it dedicated to consumer spending or social infrastructure - proving again that Labor is incapable of managing Australia’s economy.
Our Plan to Revitalise Regional Australia
KEY POINTS
Return the Budget to surplus and payback debt
Fair share of services and spending for the regions
Review zonal taxation allowance
Promote regional investment
Restoring Regional Economies
The Nationals are committed to returning the Federal Budget to surplus and to beginning to repay the mammoth debt accumulated by Labor.
It took ten years to pay back the debt left by the last Labor Government, and many hard decisions had to be made.
The Nationals will ensure that savings recognise regional Australia as the generator of Australia’s real wealth, and regional recovery as fundamental to restoring economic growth.
The Nationals believe that, when wealth is generated in a region, a fair share of the resulting government revenue should be returned to that region and to regional Australia more generally.
The Nationals – Western Australia’s Royalties for Regions policy is based on that equity argument, as is The Nationals – Victoria’s Regional Growth Fund and The Nationals – New South Wales’ Restart NSW Fund.
At the Federal level, The Nationals will ensure that a share of Petroleum Resource Rent Tax from offshore oil and gas developments is applied directly to regional Australia.
The Nationals believe in fairness in spending.
Residents in the capital cities see a larger proportion of their taxation dollar spent on services in their communities than people living in regional areas.
The Nationals’ objectives are to:
Review the zonal taxation allowances and, if appropriate, replace them with a new system which provides an increased allowance to those living in the most remote locations;
Promote investment in regional businesses;
Grow the population of the regions by creating new employment opportunities;
Ensure that taxes and charges imposed by the Australian Government do not disadvantage regional businesses against international competitors;
Ensure that the workplace relations system is flexible, fair
and takes account of the special circumstances of regional businesses;
Ensure that real benefits from national competition policy are delivered;
Ensure equity of services, with transport, communications and infrastructure in the regions being made comparable with those in the capital cities.
OUR PLAN FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTGrowing Stronger Regions
Introduction
The regions beyond our capital cities have historically been the economic backbone of the nation and the engine room which generates most of our exports.
The powerful forces of globalisation, overseas migration and urbanisation have meant that, in the 21st Century, our capital cities have become the focal points of much of the nation’s economic activity and the places where most people live.
This anomaly creates challenges for regional Australia, and a special role for government policy in ensuring that regions outside the major cities continue to prosper.
Creating dynamic, stable, secure and viable regional economies is essential for Australia’s future.
The Nationals will ensure that government policies promote, and do not hinder, the development of prosperous regional communities with high quality of life.
Government cannot redress uneven growth across regions, or solve the uncertainties of international markets.
But the regions have the capacity for much better economic performance, and The Nationals’ practical support for regional economies will help to make them more competitive.
Labor’s Record
The Labor Government has ignored the regions, abandoning regional development at a critical economic time.
Regions are without support from, or direct links with, the Federal Government.
Most of the regional development departmental offices in the States have been closed, replaced by a ‘Better Cities Unit’ in Sydney.
At the last election, Labor promised a Better Regions regional development funding model.
The program has never called for applications from the community and funds only specific Labor election commitments.
Labor has misled communities about its Better Regions program.
The 2007 Labor regional development policy promised to retain the Regional Partnerships and Sustainable Regions programs.
Shortly after coming to office, Labor abolished both programs, refusing even to fund many of the Regional Partnerships projects already approved.
Labor in Opposition promised to expand the role of community-based Area Consultative Committees; Labor in power abolished the network.
Its replacement was Regional Development Australia, which in most States is effectively part of the State government bureaucracy.
Regional Development Australia’s National Advisory Council is to be made up of academics and industry representatives appointed by the government, unlikely to have any influence on government policy.
Under Labor, the Federal government no longer provides regional development funding direct to community organisations or to the private sector.
Labor’s Regional Community Local Infrastructure Program was available only to local government.
The Federal Government no longer has a regional development funding program to support the community organisations or private sector economic opportunities which create jobs.
Our Plan to Grow Stronger Regions
KEY POINTS
Specified share of school, health and infrastructure funding
Sustainable Regions program for disadvantaged areas
New Better Regions program
Decentralise decision making
Encourage graduates to the regions
The Regional Policy Challenge
Regional communities face problems neither they nor government can directly control.
Some are seasonal, such as drought or flood; some are ongoing structural challenges such as the ageing of the non-metropolitan population and the loss of young people to the major cities; some are unavoidable, such as unstable or corrupt international markets.
Many regions outside the capital cities have a relatively narrow economic base and lack the scale and resilience of cities, making them more open to sudden economic shocks, and to the gradual erosion of their skills base.
The Nationals support regions in addressing the problems they can influence, and in limiting the adverse effects of those they cannot.
Non-metropolitan regions have an ageing population.
Their best and brightest young people often leave for the city, and most do not return.
Migrants from the city or other countries do not typically settle in the regions most in need of new blood and new ideas.
The regions which benefit from the influx are generally on the coast or within a couple of hours of the city.
Regions further away miss out.
Many regions traditionally reliant on agriculture have found that structure is changing.
As new industries and enterprises emerge, regional economies must diversify to ensure their future.
Those furthest away from the capital cities require support to compete for population and industry growth, and to respond to new challenges.
Dozens of regional development programs across the nation, delivered by the three levels of government with little overall coordination, direction or evaluation, compete for regional support.
The Nationals will make a Fair Share commitment to specifically lock in growing Federal funding for regional Australia in a coordinated partnership with state and local governments.
The Regional Policy Solution
Though fundamentally important, the provision of basic services is not alone enough to ensure regional economies prosper and grow.
Regional growth derives from entrepreneurship, knowledge, networks and innovation.
Simply encouraging new industries from outside the region to set up shop is no longer enough.
Genuine regional development occurs when communities leverage their assets to achieve new economic opportunities.
This requires dynamic leadership, openness to new ideas and a can-do attitude in the community.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are central elements of successful regional economies, and communities and regions need to be encouraged by government to embrace innovation.
This means more effective support for small business, the engine room of regional economies.
Encouraging communities to be entrepreneurial is central to these efforts.
The Nationals will encourage regional universities to work with TAFE colleges to engage more with young people, and so help produce the next generation of entrepreneurs.
To encourage graduates to work in regional Australia, we will provide a partial reduction in their HECS obligation, based on the length of time they spend there and the degree of remoteness.
Key decisions about strategy and projects must be made by the leaders within each region, not by central governments.
Local communities must take a greater role in deciding the projects which will lead to economic and social benefits for their area.
This is a hallmark of The Nationals’ Royalties for Regions policy in Western Australia and the Regional Growth Fund in Victoria.
Achieving better regional policy outcomes for Australia will require a better funding mechanism for regional projects, and support for better focused regional institutions where leaders are encouraged to be strategic and visionary.
The Nationals’ policy approach will build regional economic capacity by encouraging all the regions to be more innovative and to set their own directions for economic development strategy, with strong support from the Australian Government.
Our policy approach has four elements as follows.
Guaranteeing Regional Service Delivery Under Labor governments, State and Federal, country hospitals have been closed or downgraded, schools and public buildings neglected, infrastructure left to run down, and services downgraded or withdrawn.
The Nationals will ensure that a Fair Share of Australian Government funding for infrastructure and services is allocated to regional areas.
Where appropriate, the Commonwealth will impose specific obligations in financial agreements with the States for an identified proportion of funding to be allocated to regional areas.
We also believe that the effects of government decisions on regional communities need to be taken into account, as part of the decision making process.
The Nationals believe that all Cabinet submissions should be accompanied by a Regional Impact Statement, outlining the economic, environmental and social consequences of government decisions on regional Australia.
Regional Development Australia
Regional Development Australia must be made responsive to local communities, and be able to build partnerships between government and those communities.
The Nationals will establish local committees, comprising local leaders drawn from the community, business and government, to set the direction of each Regional Development Australia office.
Committee members will be responsible for working with regional stakeholders to prepare plans which identify strategies to strengthen the region.
Working with State and local governments, universities, service organisations, cultural groups, sporting clubs, business and community leaders, each Regional Development Australia office will be required to assess local needs and identify targeted initiatives to support growth.
The restructured Regional Development Australia network will provide a gateway to Federal Government funding programs via our Fair Share commitment,
including a restructured Better Regions Program, to support local projects and initiatives.
The Nationals will restructure the Regional Development Australia National Advisory Council to make it truly representative of the regions, and able to make meaningful contributions to regional policy development.
The new committee will have direct access to senior Ministers and will be consulted on key policy initiatives.
Sustainable Regions Program
The need for special assistance for regions facing major structural adjustment as a result of unexpected demographic or economic change has continued under the Labor Government.
However, Labor policies such as buying irrigation properties are adding to social and economic trauma.
The need for a Sustainable Regions Program remains.
The Nationals will restore a Sustainable Regions Program in areas of Australia facing specific economic, environmental and social challenges.
The program will be designed to support projects which create employment or establish new businesses, through partnerships between the private sector, government and the community.
Each region will have its own advisory panel comprising business, community and local leaders, who will consult with the community to determine the economic, community and social priorities for the region, and act as a first filter for potential projects.
Better Regions Program
The Nationals will broaden the Better Regions Program –a corrupted Labor version of the former Regional Partnerships program – to provide funding for community projects supported by partnership funds from State and local governments, the community, private enterprise and individuals.
All applications will undergo rigorous assessment.
The Better Regions Program will have three components: infrastructure project grants for large scale industry, tourism, community infrastructure and community service proposals;
community grants for initiatives that increase social opportunities, community participation and interaction;
and a range of small grants to help councils and not-for-profit organisations with minor community projects.
Conclusion
The Nationals have a proud record of achieving results in regional development. This policy builds on our past achievements and sets a bold new direction for supporting regional development.  Its key themes are:
Recognition of the need for non-negotiable provision of best practice services and infrastructure for regions;
Decentralisation of decision- making for regional planning;
Support for innovation in the regions; and
Better funding models to enable regions to achieve their vision.
Our policy promotes the provision of adequate services and first class infrastructure for all regions.
It will place far greater emphasis on regional innovation and entrepreneurship as the key drivers of successful regional development.
It will create new opportunities for region-wide, bottom-up economic development.
The Nationals recognise the limits of any government’s capacity to control all the forces that drive regional outcomes.
We realise that the regions themselves must take responsibility for development strategies.
We understand that regional development institutions must be properly resourced and given the freedom to make their own decisions.
The Nationals will encourage regions to drive their own futures through new, bold and highly innovative funding mechanisms and governance frameworks to deliver a better and more prosperous future for regional Australia.
OUR PLAN FOR REGIONAL HEALTH
Creating a healthier Regional Australia
Introduction
Australians consistently identify health policy as their most important concern.
Demands made on the public health system continue to rise as people live longer and new medical technologies become available.
Services become over-burdened, health personnel are in short supply, and some local health authorities are so under-funded by State Labor governments that they are unable to pay their bills.
Regional Australians struggle with reduced access to services and fewer health professionals while suffering higher rates of disease, more injuries and higher mortality rates.
They find fewer obstetrics beds or aged care facilities, travel greater distances for radiotherapy, and have scant access to mental health services and less continuity of medical and nursing staff.
Medicare, which was meant to treat people equally and fairly, spends considerably more in metropolitan areas than in regional areas, despite many regional areas having considerably worse health outcomes and greater need.
Only The Nationals’ Regional Health Rescue Plan can ensure that the one third of Australians living in the regions get a fair go from the health system and a fair share of health funding.
Labor’s Record
Labor promised at the last Federal election to ‘fix’ health by mid-2009.
Instead, the Government has ensured that Federal money will flow into State bureaucracies rather than delivering genuine reform of the system.
Saddled with huge deficits and a looming net debt of $94 billion, Labor is breaking every promise it made about health in the 2007 election campaign.
Australians will pay more for health care as a result of the government winding back the private health insurance rebate, Medicare Safety Net, pathology and diagnostic services, and reducing Medicare fees to some regional doctors.
Initially greeted as a ‘bright spot’ in the health budget, the vaunted increase in spending on regional health is found to be a smoke screen.
Increased incentives for doctors to practise in regions are not attractive enough to entice them.
A change from the Regional, Remote and Metropolitan Areas (RRMA) classification system to the geographic classification system is producing anomalies, winners and losers.
The Prime Minister even countenances smaller rural hospitals “providing lesser levels of service” under his plan.
Many smaller programs within the health portfolio have been cut back in the Government’s search for savings, and regional communities have borne the brunt.
Our Plan for Creating a Healthier Regional Australia
KEY POINTS
Local Hospital Boards
Regional Health targets to be established
New incentive program for health professionals
Increased Medicare funding for remote areas
More aged care beds in the regions
Tackle indigenous health issues  Minister for Regional Health
Regional health deserves a higher profile in the overall health policy of government.
When health policy decisions are being made, regional concerns must be championed by a dedicated Minister with regional experience and a primary focus on the welfare of regional Australians.
The Minister for Regional Health will give full-time attention to regional health concerns, and win for regional health a high priority in general health policy.
The first task will be to take the wide and often confusing array of programs for improving regional health and integrate them into a single policy.
The Nationals will strengthen the Ministerial role by providing a specific regional unit within the Health Department.
Medicare
The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) has recommended that “funding equivalent to national average medical benefits and primary health care service funding, appropriately adjusted for remoteness and health status, be made available for local service provision where populations are underserved,” at an estimated maximum cost of $143 million.
The Nationals will provide increased financial support for doctors who provide health services in regional and remote communities, through increased Medicare rebates and scheduled fees loaded on top of regular Medicare billings which will increase according to remoteness.
We will engage with the relevant medical colleges to determine an appropriate scheduled Medicare fee for particular services delivered in regional and remote Australia.
The financial benefits of regional practice will become more apparent and accessible.
This program will include allied health workers and nurses to attract the full range of health professionals to regional areas.
Medicare is too urban- and too doctor-centric.
Medicare benefits per person in capital cities are one sixth higher than in rural and remote areas.
Medicare access to allied health services is restricted in regional areas that lack GPs.
In areas which have allied health professionals but lack GPs, The Nationals will allow Medicare claims for these services without a doctor’s referral, helping to redress the imbalance in Medicare billings.
Regional Hospitals
Regional hospitals are continually being downgraded, to the point that they cannot meet the demands of the communities they serve.
Much health service delivery operates through health bodies run by the States, and many decisions for regional areas are made by central bureaucracies in the State capitals.
The Nationals will provide guaranteed service levels for key regional hospitals in such fields as maternity, mental health, accident and emergency and public dentistry.
The Nationals will establish Local Hospital Boards for the larger public hospitals – and also for groups of smaller hospitals, if their communities want them.
These Local Hospital Boards will ensure that local hospitals meet local needs.
They will be funded directly by the Commonwealth and accountable to their community.
Under our plan, communities will be provided with information on how their local hospitals are performing and the ability to achieve the outcomes they want.
The Nationals will not support policies which lead to the closure of regional hospitals.
Any such decisions by the Rudd Government will be reversed by The Nationals in government.
Care of the Elderly
The Nationals will provide funding for more aged care beds in regional areas.
The same emphasis on funding and performance as proposed for regional hospitals will apply to aged care facilities. Incentives will be provided for regional health professionals to broaden their skills to provide expert care of the elderly.
The Nationals’ policy will ensure maximum co-operation and efficiencies between Government and nongovernment organisations.
A Targeted Fund for Regional Health Infrastructure and Incentives
The Nationals will establish a targeted regional health fund as part of our “Fair Share” commitment, to provide funding for new regional health services, and incentives to attract and retain medical professionals in the regions.
We will ensure that funding for regional health priorities is permanent and ‘ring-fenced’.
Regional health practitioners will be able to rely on funding support.
Flexible Practice Options
In a typical regional medical practice, doctors face the stress of managing a small business as well as their medical responsibilities.
General Practitioners in a regional setting must buy or establish their practice, and, when they leave, sell the practice.
This added responsibility discourages many GPs from practising in the regions.
Many medical professionals prefer to be employees rather than managers, and to focus their attention on medical concerns.
The pressure of managing a practice is a significant factor in dissuading doctors from taking up regional practice.
The Nationals will introduce a Federal plan to enable more GPs to practise more flexibly in areas chronically short of medical professionals.
This program will offer a wider range of services to regional communities, by incorporating additional activities such as pathology and psychology, radiology and pharmaceuticals in practices managed by private providers, divisions of general practice, or if needed, by local government.
The medical staff may become employees paid a suitable salary, and thus avoid many of the burdens that make regional medicine less attractive.
Overhaul Regional Incentive Programs
The plethora of complex programs designed to provide incentives for doctors to take up regional practice lower their effectiveness, and skew services against regional areas in favour of outer metropolitan areas.
Since 2000, more than 30 separate programs designed to attract doctors to regional Australia have helped boost the numbers of health providers, but have had their effectiveness hindered by red tape, duplication and conflicting goals.
The Nationals will review and simplify these incentive programs, and ensure that Medicare systems encourage regional practice.
The Nationals will work with the health services community to provide succession planning for our ageing specialist doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, by offering incentives to train the next generation of regional health care professionals.
Extend Regional Incentives to Allied Health Workers
Many regions lack allied health workers - dentists, nurses, optometrists, psychiatrists and other health workers.
The most recent statistics show that the overall number of medical practitioners employed per 100,000 people was 335 in major cities, but only 181 in inner regional areas, 153 in outer regional areas and 148 in remote or very remote areas.
There are 59 dentists per 100,000 people in major cities, but only 35 in inner regional, 29 in outer regional, and 20 in remote or very remote areas.
This is in spite of the fact that regional Australians suffer from higher rates of many diseases, more injuries, and higher suicide and death rates.
Since 2000-2001, regional incentive programs have increased the number of doctors in regional and remote Australia.
However, the importance of allied health workers, such as speech pathologists, is often overlooked.
Many children in regional Australia miss out on appropriate treatment while young, going on to suffer permanent learning problems.
Similarly, the lack of pathology services in regional areas places an unfair additional burden on those living with HIV, Hepatitis and other blood borne viruses.
The National Regional Health Alliance confirms that incentive schemes and scholarship programs instituted under the previous Government are delivering results.
As part of their review of these programs, The Nationals will broaden their base to attract more dentists, nurses and other allied health workers to the regions.
Establish Regional Health Targets
Australian Health Care Agreements formalise shared funding between the State and Federal governments for acute care services in private hospitals.
In the past, these agreements have set up goals for particular groups; and The Nationals will ensure that regional and remote Australians comprise one such group.
The Nationals will ensure that regional health targets are built into the next round of Health Care Agreements, and that the Federal Government rewards those States that demonstrate improved delivery of health services to regional populations.
The agreements will also require an increase in the number of regional aged care places, and additional programs for youth mental health.
Indigenous Health
The poor health and well being of indigenous Australians remains a major concern.
Despite the vast sums of money spent by governments, indigenous Australians’ general health and life expectancy still lag substantially behind those of the broader Australian population.
The Nationals understand that throwing more money at these problems is not the answer.  Instead, we will implement policies to:
Provide targeted funding for health care and hygiene education;
Introduce programs which give priority to education courses for indigenous students, and which inform them on health, hygiene, and physical and mental well being;
Provide incentives for tertiary educated indigenous Australians to return or support the communities which most need assistance; and
Provide resources to tackle drug and alcohol problems with programs that encourage self esteem, work participation and education.
Royal Flying Doctor Service
The Nationals will continue to provide financial support for the RFDS, in recognition of its role as the primary mantle of safety covering regional and remote communities.
Conclusion
Regional Australians still suffer worse health outcomes and less access to health services and professionals than Australians who live in major cities.
Labor was elected on its promise to ‘fix’ the health system, but has merely ordered a series of window dressing reviews.
Regional Australians are paying the price for government inattention.
The Nationals are the only party uniquely committed to regional Australia,
and the only one which will deliver a Regional Health Rescue Plan.
OUR PLAN FOR 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION
Access to quality education, no matter where you live
Introduction
Parents want to give their children the best possible education.
The Nationals’ aim is an education system delivering high standards from pre-school to university, and providing lifelong learning opportunities for all Australians - regardless of where they live.
Education is a key responsibility of government.
State and Federal governments must work together to meet the nation’s education needs.
We must avoid duplication of administration in education programs, and not waste funding and resources,
to ensure we can deliver equitable education opportunities for all Australians.
The Nationals helped to pioneer government funding for independent schools, and we continue to support parents’ right to educate their children at the school of their choice.
No child should be disadvantaged because of the choice of school or the geographical location of that school.
The Nationals will ensure an equitable split of funding between public and private schools regardless of their location.
We also recognise that Australia’s geography and demography pose some heavy challenges for regional families.
While country schools often provide a rich and productive educational experience, particularly in the early years, access to quality education becomes increasingly difficult for secondary and tertiary students from regional Australia.
Students from regional areas are less likely to finish year 12 than their metropolitan counterparts, and are significantly under-represented in tertiary education.
Despite comprising over 30 per cent of Australia’s population, only 17 per cent of university students are from regional areas, and regional Australians are much less likely to hold a tertiary qualification.
The Nationals will encourage regional students to complete Year 12, and support them when they move away from home to higher education.
The Nationals’ Regional Education Revival will use 21st Century tools to provide a 21st Century learning experience in Regional Australia.
We will partner with the States and Territories and local communities to transform the delivery of regional education.
We will identify, train and equip outstanding teachers
and use the internet to make them available in every regional classroom.
We will allow school principals to lead, and delegate to them and school councils funding responsibility and accountability.
We will encourage creativity, problem solving and teamwork while retaining a core emphasis on numeracy and literacy. We will provide students with the skill sets that employers need.
Only The Nationals will provide the vision and leadership to bring quality education to Regional Australia.
Labor’s record
The Labor Government’s approach to education yet again demonstrates the triumph of rhetoric over reality and has delivered little in real educational outcomes.
For example, Labor’s undertaking to provide a computer for every student aged 9 to 12 shrank into providing a computer for every second student.
The program cost doubled:  we got half the outcome for twice the price.
The undertaking to provide a trade training centre in every school translated into a single trade training centre covering as many as 10 schools.
The infamous ‘Education Revolution’ building program is becoming a case study for how not to design or administer a government program.
The State-imposed system of project ‘templates’ means many schools are ending up with infrastructure they neither want or that doesn’t meet their needs.
The tendering system, which includes ‘short lists’ of eligible companies, guarantees inflated prices.
Many millions of dollars have been wasted on this program.
Although one of the aims is employment generation, there is no measure of the number of jobs any project supports.
At the end of it all, the program has no identifiable or measurable education outcomes.
In government, The Nationals will place any money left in this program in the hands of school boards and principals who are best placed to know how and where the priorities for their schools lie.
Perhaps Labor’s cruellest blow to regional education outcomes lay in the 2009 Budget changes to the Youth Allowance.
Thousands of regional families were unlikely to be able to afford to send their children to university.
The Nationals were instrumental in negotiating changes to the Government’s policy and as a result more young people in regional Australia are now eligible.
Nevertheless, narrower eligibility criteria constitute unreasonable and unrealistic hurdles for regional families, and many will not be able to meet the full cost of remote education out of their own resources.
A new system of support for regional tertiary students will be a priority for The Nationals in government.
Our Plan to Provide Access to Quality Education
KEY POINTS
New tertiary access allowance
Incentives for regional teachers
Responsibility and accountability delegated to principals and school councils
Reduced HECS payments for graduates in the regions
Assistance for isolated children
Support for children with special needs
Equity in Educational Opportunity
The Nationals believe the core plank of education policy must be that all Australians can access educational opportunities, no matter where they live.
Special measures are required to enable people living in regional and remote areas to share that access.
The Nationals will reform the Youth Allowance and, in particular, will wind back the 2009 Budget changes which disadvantage regional families.
In its 2009 Budget, Labor’s changes to the eligibility criteria mean that Independent Youth Allowance is not available to students under 22 unless they have worked full time for two years.
The Nationals believe this work test is patently unrealistic – given the limited availability of jobs in small regional centres.
We believe furthermore that income tests are unreasonable, given the additional costs faced by regional families with children at university.
To address the real costs of living away from home for education, The Nationals propose a new, targeted, rural and regional scholarship program to assist regional students who cannot stay at home with their parents to pursue further study.
A key part of this will be a new tertiary access allowance.
All students for whom public transport is not reasonably available within 90 minutes of their place of study, will be eligible for the tertiary access allowance.
The new allowance will replace the current relocation allowance and the independent youth allowance, which will only be available for hardship cases.
To help maintain contact between families and their children studying far from home, The Nationals support the establishment of a nation-wide family reunion travel pass, providing free public transport for students returning home for family visits.
We will also work with the Isolated Children’s’ Parents Association to introduce early childhood programs to ensure all children have access to affordable, high quality early childhood education.
The Nationals will continue to support the Assistance for Isolated Children’s’ Allowance, and ensure that it is reviewed on a regular basis so that it can be adapted to changing needs.
The Nationals further support direct funding through the Priority Country Areas Program to eliminate the burden and delay of State Government bureaucracy.
Improving the Education Network
As Nationals, we believe our young people hold the key to the future prosperity of regional Australia.   Government support for public and private education is an investment in the future of our nation.
We want to empower local school communities to develop local solutions to local problems.
Unlike Labor, we have confidence that local school councils can deliver infrastructure projects in a timely and efficient manner and with proper consideration of local factors.
This was demonstrated under the previous Coalition Government’s Investing in Our Schools program, which delivered more than 20,000 small infrastructure projects in schools.
The Nationals will ensure that local school communities have a direct say in the expenditure of any further funds provided by the Commonwealth for infrastructure improvements.
The Nationals support an Australia wide curriculum that has emphasis on the three R’s and also includes citizenship education, lifestyle training and health.
We support the concept of performance measures, with those schools that are found to be falling behind securing financial and/or skills support to bring them up to the national standard.
To help provide our young people with other necessary life skills, The Nationals will introduce a national youth safety program, to give students basic first aid competencies by Year 10, and to provide all students with a basic introduction to pre-driver education and training.
We will also provide opportunities for young people to receive drug, obesity and general health education.
Attracting and retaining skilled educators in regional Australia is a perennial problem, one exacerbated by the States offering different pay rates to entice teachers to relocate States.
The Nationals support the development of a standardised national system of incentive payments which will encourage qualified teachers to relocate to, or remain in, rural and regional locations.
In addition, The Nationals support bonded scholarships for regional students to study in areas of skills shortage at university – with the proviso that, at the completion of their studies, they agree to return to an area of need for a fixed period of three years.
Regional universities – and the regional campuses of city universities – play a valuable part in improving access to education for students in the regions.
The Nationals support policies which encourage and support the universities to deliver services in regional communities.
We believe that university councils should have the power to include, in setting their fees, an amount to cover a limited range of student services, particularly the sporting and recreational facilities which so enhance the university experience.
The educational experience of attending university is more than sitting in lectures.  Naturally
, use of such fees for any political purposes or to fund student union activities would be specifically ruled out.
The Nationals will provide financial resources through a Faculty of Excellence Program for regional universities, to allow them to focus on particular areas of excellence which will enhance the university’s reputation.
The Nationals also believe that a quality education is not dependent on attending university.
Many regional students would prefer vocational training and apprenticeships, and regional Australia needs skilled tradespeople.
The waste of up to $5 billion on rorts in the school hall program could have paid for hundreds of thousands of apprenticeships.
The Nationals will ensure that vocational training receives the attention it deserves to ensure that regional Australia gets the skilled workers it needs.
Regional students must have real choices about their education and hence their future.
Students with Special Needs
The Nationals recognise how difficult it can be for families with children with special needs to access education in regional areas, and will provide adequate resources for schools to provide support for these children.
As a matter of principle, we support a funding model that ‘ties’ assistance for these students to the student; that is, when students relocate, the funding transfers with them.
The Nationals also support a funding model which treats students with special needs in non-government schools equally, and on the same basis, as children attending government schools.
We support measures to harmonise the treatment of these students across State borders, to ensure their families are well supported in seeking the best possible educational outcomes for their children.
HECS Bonding
Bonded scholarships have been introduced for medical students to attract new doctors to regional areas, and these schemes have produced positive results.
The Nationals support the introduction of a scheme to refund the HECS fees of graduates who work in regional areas of need and contribute to the economic development and social fabric of regional Australia.
Conclusion
The current education system does not provide the same opportunities for students from regional areas, particularly at a tertiary level.
The Nationals advocate policy solutions to assist students from regional areas to achieve their full potential, so they can return to regional Australia and deploy their acquired skills and knowledge.
The Nationals will work closely with local school communities, not lock them out – to ensure that regional communities remain active participants in the educational outcomes of their young people.
We believe that education is a lifelong experience, and that the best results are achieved by governments working in respectful partnership with local communities and providing high quality facilities and services.
OUR PLAN FOR BETTER COMMUNICATIONS
Connecting Regional Australia with access to new technology for all Australians
Introduction
Effective communications unite all Australians in national and global communities.
Better telephone services, internet access and broadcasting infrastructure will ensure regional Australians fully participate in the social and economic benefits associated with new communications technologies.
A robust communications network will create better health services, better education, greater employment and more business opportunities in regional Australia.
Only The Nationals understand the important role communications play in regional Australia. The Nationals will meet the challenge of bridging the communications divide between regions and capital cities, through well considered planning and prioritising of communications infrastructure.
The Nationals will deliver high quality communications infrastructure to all regional Australians, and provide access to:
High-speed broadband internet;
Timely and accurate weather forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology;
Voice over internet telephony (VOIP);
Free-to-air and subscription digital television;
On-line services such as banking, bill payment, shopping, buying and selling on auction websites;
Government services;
Educational materials at all levels of schooling and tertiary study;
Future commercial television video-on-demand services delivered over IP – already available in some countries such as Hong Kong and South Korea;
Video conferencing;
Telemedicine services, whether voice over IP telephony or preferably via video webcam – a link to a ‘local’ doctor, who could be anywhere in Australia, or around the world;
Streaming media, allowing users to listen to online radio stations and watch online TV stations and other audio and video programming;
Improved mobile phone and digital television networks;
On-going commitment to a communications “black spot” program; and
Support for community radio, which fills gaps left by the bigger providers, particularly in emergency situations such as bushfires or floods.
Labor’s Record
Labor cancelled the Coalition’s $900 million Opel contract, which by now would have been delivering high speed broadband to regional Australia.
Labor is planning to spend $40 billion on a national broadband network (NBN) without first developing a business plan or addressing the central concern of regulatory access to the communications infrastructure already held in private ownership.
It has been more than two years since Labor announced its NBN program but very few new customers have actually been connected.
Labor still appears uncertain whether to create a new solely owned and nationalised network, or whether to use existing networks built by private companies as part of its own network.
Early in 2009, Labor announced that no communications company could provide a suitable tender for the NBN project.
Months later, it was suggested that Telstra and Optus might offer their existing networks to be incorporated into the national broadband network.
No matter which option Labor chooses, the plan is ill-conceived.
Previous commercial attempts to build completely new networks have failed.
If Labor pursues its tactic of merging existing networks into its own, the same regulatory problems which hinder competition in the industry will continue.
In short, Labor’s plan does not address the central concern of regulation and of open access to communications infrastructure, and it will see regional Australians treated as second-class citizens.
Labor also abolished the $2 billion Communications Fund established by The Nationals to ensure that regional Australians had continued access to new communications technology, and has plundered its contents.
Our Plan to Connect Regional Australia
KEY POINTS
Fast track broadband to the regions
Mobile phone “black spot” programme
Re-establish the Communications Fund
Support for digital TV changeover
Fair and transparent regulation
The Nationals will resolve the regulatory issues which discourage private enterprise from entering the communications industry and providing parity of service to regional Australia.
We will work to create a regulatory environment favouring initiative and support for those providing services to the regions.
The Nationals recognise that no single technology or network can provide efficient and cost-effective communications services – broadband in particular – to all non-metropolitan Australia.
We will assist in the development of communications infrastructure suitable for a vast range of needs and applications, taking into account the geographical diversity of Australian regions.
The Nationals will ensure that regional Australians are integrated into the global community by fast-tracking communications infrastructure in areas with the greatest need.
We recognise that, while the market will almost always meet the communications needs of people in the capital cities, government intervention is necessary to ensure those needs are met in the regional and remote parts of Australia.
The roll-out of a broadband network in regional Australia is a major priority for The Nationals.
Regional Australia must be integrated into the national and global digital economies by fast and effective broadband communications.
Lack of access to infrastructure is a major barrier to new telecommunications companies that wish to compete in regional areas.
Carriers find that the cost of establishing new infrastructure in these areas is often prohibitive, particularly when they are unsure of market demand.
Lower population densities cannot deliver the economies of scale required to generate investment.
Where the market cannot sustain a variety of networks in regional areas, The Nationals believe that government has a responsibility to provide an affordable single network.
Public/ private partnerships can be an appropriate vehicle for delivering telecommunications infrastructure.
Labor has misunderstood both the market and the problem.
Broadband speeds of 100Mbps are already available to commercial and home users in some capital cities where, as demand grows for higher speeds, the market will continue to meet it.
The Federal Government does not need to help these providers.
However, it does need to help in regional areas, where the commercial case is not strong enough to drive the provision of higher speed service.
In regional Australia, the greatest productivity gains will be made from high speed broadband.
The Nationals’ policy is to place a priority on rolling out fibre optic cable to the majority of consumers in regional Australia, before cable roll-out occurs in areas where competition is already driving the provision of higher broadband speeds.
Fibre optic cable is regarded as the preferred data carrying technology for the foreseeable future.
However, other technologies such as wireless (fixed and mobile) and satellite continue to develop, delivering ever-faster data speeds.
It may be that these technologies will throw up innovative and effective answers to some of the communications problems presented by Australia’s unique population spread.
Developments in existing technologies will be marketed first in the cities where the commercial return is most attractive, widening the telecommunications technology gap between city and regional Australia.
The Nationals support the continuing extension of the optic fibre network to regional and remote communities currently relying on wireless and microwave technology.
We support the continued presence of Telstra in regional communities, including the physical presence of Telstra Country Wide offices in strategic locations.
Mobile phone coverage is a continuing concern for The Nationals, and, again, the service will not be provided in some parts of Australia unless supported by the government and community.
The previous Coalition Government established a standing telecommunications fund to ensure new technology and services were available to regional Australia as they became available; the term was ‘future proofing’.
As a central plank of our telecommunications platform, The Nationals commit to re-introducing a standing telecommunications fund of a size to ensure that regional Australia’s telecommunications services do not fall behind.
We will also reintroduce a mobile phone ‘black spot’ program to identify and redress areas of poor mobile phone reception and to ensure that mobile networks are kept affordable.
Conclusion
The provision of world-class communications infrastructure and services should be a priority for government, and requires continued policy development and management.
Spending billions of dollars and laying cable all over the country will not ‘fix’ the problem.
The Nationals’ approach seeks to strike a good competitive balance between carriers,
establish a fair and transparent regulatory structure,
and accommodate new technologies and solutions as they become available, to deliver effective services suitable for all Australians.
OUR PLAN FOR AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
Supporting families and seniors with practical help and real respect
Introduction
Families are the basis for Australia’s future prosperity.
Families in regional Australia face challenges brought about by remoteness and difficulty in accessing services readily available to those in the major cities.
But while The Nationals aim to provide support for the seven million Australians living outside the major centres, the principles of our policy apply to all Australian families.
The Nationals recognise the importance of a balance between work and family and that demographics and geography in Australia mean that regional families are more reliant on the support of government and community organisations.
The Nationals believe that a family unit comprising two parents, with one as a full time carer at least until the children reach school age, children and grandparents, provides the best chance for a prosperous, stable and happy family relationship.
However, we recognise that this is not always possible.
Families where both parents work are becoming more common, and many children live in an environment where their parents are apart.
Compared to those in major cities, children in regional Australia are less likely to be in formal child care, and more likely to be at home with parents or cared under other informal arrangements.
As Nationals, we understand the importance of a strong economy as the basis for social good.
Restoring the economy and reducing Government debt will be our priority on return to government.
By doing this we will be able to fully provide the necessary level of support for families living in regional areas.
Labor’s Record
The family support services put in place by Labor are narrow and discriminate against those families outside the major metropolitan centres.
Labor has a history of centrally controlled bureaucratic and difficult-to access family services.
Rather than encouraging family independence and unity, they tend to result in fragmentation of the family unit.
In 2004, the then Leader of the Labor party conceded that families would be worse off under Labor’s Tax and Family policy.
Nothing has changed.
Labor’s economic recklessness and panicked overcompensation for the global financial crisis, the resultant huge national debt, and the wasteful and mismanaged education and home insulation programs have left Australian families with a debt they will be paying off for decades to come.
Our Plan to support families and seniors
KEY POINTS
New allowance to replace Baby Bonus
More regional childcare places
Support for families with special needs
Recognise carers and grandparents
Support older Australians
Counter sex and age discrimination
The Work – Life Balance
The Nationals will:
Cater for those not eligible for any paid parental leave by providing access to a new allowance to replace the baby bonus, paid fortnightly over six months at double the amount.
This will benefit single parents and families where one parent stays home.
Introduce paid maternity, paternity and parental leave, including for the self employed.
Provide more childcare places giving priority to the needs of regional families.
Review Industrial Relations legislation to ensure safeguards which provide a balance between work and family, thereby benefiting the employer, employee and family.
Eliminate employment practices that discriminate on the basis of gender and in particular, we will work towards pay equality between women and men.
Social Support for Families
The Nationals will:
Provide support for families with dependents with special needs, including increased funding for respite care.
Increase funding for services critical to maintaining the welfare of families in remote areas; in particular, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, mobile health clinics, schools of the air and support for children who have to leave home to continue their education.
Recognise the importance of funding reliable communication and transport infrastructure, which enables reasonable access to support services, hospitals and schools, and maintains the well being of the family unit.
Work with the States, Territories and community groups to meet the needs of families with special circumstances, especially those living in remote indigenous communities, and new arrivals.
Increase funding for regional youth programs to address issues like drug and alcohol abuse, bullying and mental health.
Provide increased funding to the Family Court for counselling services.
Support a response to changing community patterns which impact on families, including the importance of family money management and grandparents as carers.
Support a Productivity Commission investigation into the establishment of a National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Seniors
The Nationals believe that it is important for families to have the option of staying together wherever possible.
This can be particularly difficult in regional areas, where older parents and senior grandparents are involved, and where appropriate aged care facilities are often far from the family unit.
We will provide funding, and work with all levels of government and community groups to increase the number of aged care facilities and places in regional areas.
The Nationals’ objective is to assist older Australians to age productively, and to age with dignity Ageing productively is about fulfilling potential, recognising that the great majority of older Australians can and do contribute to society right through their latter years.
It is about remaining active and engaged, about taking responsibility for one’s health, about working or providing service to the community in the many ways available.
Ageing productively helps to keep people healthy and will mitigate any perception that seniors may become a “burden” as society feels the pressure of an ageing population.
Ageing with dignity is about ensuring that older Australians have access to pensions, superannuation retirement savings, and health and aged care which allow them to age in a manner of which Australia as a nation would be proud.
It also means having safety nets in place to provide that dignity for those who may not have the financial resources for living expenses or health and aged care.
The Nationals will provide income security to older Australians.
We will:
Enable and encourage people to choose to work beyond pension age by removing impediments and disincentives.
Governments and bureaucrats spend enormous amounts enforcing regulations about the insignificant amounts older Australians can earn.
Recognise that when Australians aged over 50 become unemployed, they will likely remain so twice as long as younger Australians.
Similarly we recognise that the impact of long term unemployment is more severe for older workers.
The Nationals will develop a comprehensive response that deals with discrimination issues, supports older workers with intensive case management and offers support to employers who take on older Australians.
Ensure that superannuation funds deliver high quality service and performance in keeping with the privileged position that the Superannuation Levy Guarantee delivers to them. We will enforce greater accountability for super funds.
Continue to develop reforms that encourage people to prepare for retirement such as enhanced taxation treatment of savings.
Further reform pension arrangements that act as a discouragement to people in receipt of age pension from earning additional income.
In particular The Nationals will reform the arrangements for income averaging for those able to undertake seasonal work.
Revise access to the Commonwealth Seniors health card for self funded retirees. In particular, we will index income limits to ensure access is not unreasonably restricted.
Establish a consumer protection program dedicated to the support of older Australians, who are often the victims of corporate scams and are actively targeted by the unscrupulous.
A dedicated comprehensive consumer protection program directed at older Australians will ensure retirement savings are protected and lessen the risk of reliance on pensions.
The Nationals will address the health needs of older Australians.
There is a universal lack of confidence in the health system.
This impacts especially on older Australians who have a greater need for health services. The Nationals will:
Reduce the levels of government bureaucracy
and make a greater commitment to supporting the health system with more nurses and doctors.
Support local hospital boards, established with a clear mandate to operate as a business unit delivering high level care with proper financial management.
Improve dental care for older Australians.
Recognise that sub-acute care is essential in an era when discharging people from hospital as quickly as possible is encouraged.
Sub-acute care is important in avoiding relapse and is crucial for older patients, who have a slower recovery rate.
Amend the PBS access to free medications, which applies after 50 prescriptions for both couples and singles.
This is inequitable, particularly for older singles.
The Nationals will introduce a fairer system, which would particularly help older women.
Carers
The Nationals will recognise the role of carers.
Carers are a community treasure.
Carers provide support for partners, children and grandchildren as well as friends.
They deliver for families and for the whole community.   The Nationals will:
Commit to strongly recognising the role of carers whatever their age and the age of the person receiving care.
For carers who leave the workplace to deliver care,
The Nationals will consider the provision of superannuation payments over and above existing carer allowances.
Introduce new and more responsive models of respite to assist carers, to ensure the maintenance of care services.
The Nationals recognise that grandparents are increasingly required to assume a greater role in supporting grandchildren, which places an emotional and financial strain on them.
The role of grandparents in this situation will to be better supported by The Nationals. We will:
Develop grandparent liaison officers in Centrelink to assist grandparents in navigating the system.
Provide emergency or discretionary payments to grandparents where children are placed in care at short notice.
In a community that is time short, ageing and sometimes does not treasure its older citizens in the way they deserve cultures do, there is an increased risk of social isolation with adverse consequences for the physical and mental health of older Australians. The Nationals will:
Support community initiatives to prevent social isolation becoming more frequent.
Develop pilot programs that encourage government, business and community groups to commit to engaging with older Australians, where individuals and workers are encouraged to initiate and maintain contact with the lonely and isolated.
Support community-based mentoring programs to allow older Australians to engage with and provide a positive role model for younger people
Treating people differently because of their age is not sustainable and will not be condoned by The Nationals.
Whilst ageism is a community problem, The Nationals will provide leadership to help shift community attitudes. We will:
Ensure that age discrimination legislation and regulatory mechanisms are established and resourced in the same manner as other antidiscrimination measures.
Review all Commonwealth legislation and act to remove any remaining provisions  which treat people unfairly because of their age.
Conclusion
The Nationals have a proud record of supporting a social framework for all regional Australians and in recognising the social and economic benefits of maintaining a strong family unit.
We will provide resources and give priority to working with State, Territory and local governments and community groups to ensure that families in regional Australia have the support they need, and the best possible services available.
OUR PLAN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Direct Action on Climate Change and Our Natural Environment
Introduction
The Nationals take a practical approach to environmental policy, built on the Party’s origins in Australia’s rural industries.
The Nationals policies will result in improvements to air quality, sustainable land and water use, protection of our unique flora and fauna, and preservation of the marine environment.
To achieve an outcome that ensures the prosperity and quality of life for future generations, The Nationals believe that workable partnerships must be in place between all levels of government, researchers and natural resource managers.
We believe that there is much to learn from those who work our land, water and ocean resources.  Today’s food and fibre producers know that the environment in which they operate is different from that faced by their grandparents, and will be different again for their grandchildren.
They also know that knowledge is never complete; there is always a need for continuous improvement and learning.
The Nationals recognise that climate change is an immediate environmental priority and that a robust and realistic policy response is necessary.
However, climate change can only be successfully addressed in the overall context of environmental, economic and social good.
Labor’s Record
Labor’s approach to the environment is dominated by its emissions trading scheme (ETS), the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), at the expense of any broader environmental program to involve the general community in the management of Australia’s eco systems.  The community based programs put in place by The Nationals while in government have had their funding all but removed.
Labor has shown that it neither appreciates nor cares about the socio-economic impact on regional Australians of its flawed policies.
Labor’s CPRS is riddled with anomalies, exemptions and carve-outs.
It would cripple Australian industry’s international competitiveness by taxing exports, and giving imports a free ride.
It would not provide the appropriate price signals to change consumer behaviour, and would do little to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions - except by moving our exporting industries offshore, with no net global benefit.
Research prepared by the State and Territory governments shows that 126,000 full-time jobs would be lost by Labor’s plan, with the regional centres hit the hardest.
The economies of Gippsland, Geelong, central-west Queensland, central Western Australia, the Kimberley and Whyalla/Port Pirie would each shrink by more than 20 per cent under Labor’s CPRS.
Beef and sheep producers, dairy, sugar and grains would all be hit by higher electricity, fuel and freight costs and lower farm grant prices.
Coal miners, aluminium and zinc producers and natural gas projects would fail, and new investment would move offshore.
A massive new administration would have to be established, to churn the $13 billion raised from year one to the chosen few who Labor decide deserve compensation.
In short, Labor’s CPRS is little more than a massive social re-engineering project.
It would wreak havoc on the Australian economy while barely reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, as measured by consumption – and it would make little or no net contribution to reducing emissions globally.
The impact on consumers would be substantial, bringing higher electricity, fuel and food prices.
For all these reasons, The Nationals rejected Labor’s CPRS from day one and we will continue to oppose it.
Our Plan for Direct Action on Climate Change and Our Natural Environment
KEY POINTS
Support greenhouse target
Jettison Labor’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
Direct Action Plan to reduce emissions
Restore funding to Landcare Groups and Catchment Management Authorities
Care for our oceans
Climate Change
The Nationals support an effective global program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to insure against the risk of climate change.
Wealthy industrialised countries like Australia must take a lead role in implementing a global response if we expect developing countries to contribute to the solution.
The Nationals therefore support an Australian objective of a 5 per cent reduction in emissions below 2000 levels by 2020, with larger reductions dependent on a strong international agreement being reached.
This would mean that Australia would reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases from 552.7 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2000 to 525 million tonnes in 2020.
The Nationals will ensure that this target is achieved without economic harm or loss of jobs, and by measures which themselves directly benefit Australia.
The Nationals are concerned with our communities, not with mindless symbolism.
A “solution” which weakens the Australian economy and creates unemployment helps no-one.
We believe that Australia must play its part in addressing climate change issues.
However, the necessary environmental outcomes can be achieved without the purchase and sale of carbon credits, and without a CPRS.
We believe practical measures should be taken now:
The CPRS should be jettisoned, not just set aside.
Australia should continue to develop and use practical CO2 emissions reduction measures, such as soil carbon sequestration, the revegetation of marginal land, bio-char, clean coal technology, carbon capture and the use of algae.
Australia should open a voluntary carbon market to encourage the immediate recognition and involvement of individuals and communities, agriculture and business in sequestration, with bankable offsets.
Energy savings initiatives in households, industry and transport to reduce emissions should be supported.
Incentives should be provided for more energy efficient vehicles and more widespread use of alternative fuels.
Governments should engage the commercial building sector in improving the energy efficiency of city buildings and residential housing.
Incentives should be provided for the innovative use of renewable energy, without forcing large increases in energy prices.
These measures have the potential to deliver greater reductions in emissions than Labor’s CPRS, without the massive economic cost and job losses.
For example, Professor Ross Garnaut estimated that land restoration works on degraded arid and semi-arid rangelands could by themselves reduce Australian annual emissions by 250 million tonnes of CO2– easily meeting the target of 5 per cent reduction in emissions at 2000 levels by 2020.
This would also provide a significant increase in farm income for many land managers.
Natural Resource Management
The Nationals recognise the importance of our natural resources, and understand that local communities and individual property owners are often best placed to protect the natural environment.
We will directly support catchment management and Landcare organisations.
The Nationals will reinstate the funding lost by land and water management groups such as Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) because of poor policy decisions by government.
The current system is clearly flawed, with the Government demanding that CMAs apply national priorities to local projects, even where there is clearly no correlation.
The Nationals will work with local CMAs to determine the best outcomes, and encourage local groups to determine their own projects, within catchment plans.
We will implement long term funding based on local plans within national objectives.
The Nationals understand the importance of Landcare groups to local communities.
We value the 4000 Landcare groups in Australia, and recognise that almost 40 per cent of farmers were previously involved in Landcare organisations.
The Nationals will reinstate support for the Landcare groups Labor has disendorsed and will restore funding cut by the Labor Government.
We will restore funding to the 56 natural resource management regions to 2007 levels.
The Nationals will invest in a re-plumbing of regional Australia and will work with farmers and local communities to invest in long term water infrastructure.
We will review legislation to ensure that environmental, socio-economic and resource management considerations are all taken into account.
The Marine Environment
Ever-increasing use of our oceans for commercial and recreation activities means that greater care must be taken to ensure these delicate eco systems are protected.
So that Australia can respond to threats to the marine environment from pollution from ships, increased tourism, agricultural chemicals, and illegal fishing, The Nationals will ensure that regulatory, research and voluntary organisations are adequately funded and coordinated.
This includes strengthening the role of the Marine Environment Protection Association established by the Coalition Government in November 1999.
The Nationals will introduce legislation to make it mandatory for all ships in Australian waters to carry a satellite transponder, so that their position is continually monitored.
Conclusion
Successful environmental policy involves integrating responsible environmental management in all policy decisions.
The Nationals’ approach to protection of the environment takes account of human and natural activities on our eco systems, quality of life and resource management.
We will not distort international trade or divert new investment to greenhouse emissions havens, but will encourage an orderly transition of the power generating industry to low emissions or carbon storage technology.  We support studies into the use of alternative-based power generation systems including nuclear energy.
We will support practical land and water management, and encourage technologies such as bio-fuels which assist to help maintain clean air. We will provide protection for our unique flora and fauna and our oceans, while maintaining access for productive use.
We will not support Labor’s CPRS which would have such a detrimental impact on the lives of regional Australians and would achieve no effective environmental outcomes.
OUR PLAN FOR AUSTRALIA’S WATER ASSETS
Balancing Conservation and Wise Use
Introduction
Careful management and sound decisions on water allocations and usage are essential to our long term economic, social and environmental survival.
The Nationals are committed to effective management of Australia’s water resources.
We led the way in introducing water resources reform and have set the agenda for water trading by introducing legislation aimed at better water sharing agreements.
The Nationals’ credentials in water resource management are founded on sound planning and a respect for the rights of all Australians.
Labor’s Record
Labor has taken a “just add water and mix” approach to environmental management.
Instead of looking at a range of possible solutions, Labor has hijacked water resources to address environmental concerns and has spent billions on piecemeal water buy backs without any clear strategic plan – like buying water in the Murray Darling Basin at the cheapest price, regardless of the social or economic impact on regional communities.
The Labor Government has scrapped the Community Water Grants program.
Land and water management programs have been grouped under one banner, ‘Caring for Our Country’, and overall funding has been cut. Landcare has lost 20 per cent of its funding, catchment management bodies have lost 40 per cent of theirs and the EnviroFund has been abolished altogether.
Accessing the available funding has been made more difficult by the competitive, on-line only, application process, where small local groups find themselves pitted against large corporations and government agencies.
Labor’s policies have drastically reduced access to funding for land owners who have successfully maintained a sustainable balance of land use, and denied them the ability to put their experience into practice.
Our Plan for Balancing Conservation and Wise Use
KEY POINTS
Invest in water infrastructure
Water buy-backs a last resort
Support community water saving programmes
Ensure consideration of social and economic considerations
Structural adjustment for river communities
The Nationals will ensure a fully transparent water market. Water will be held by government, to be available for the environment or, in years of plenty, for temporary transfer.
The Nationals will work with irrigation companies and networks to resolve the issue of exit fees for licence holders.
The Nationals’ policy is to buy water only as a last resort, when no other option is available, and where investment in water infrastructure and on farm practices cannot produce the efficiencies needed.
Buy backs lead to waterless properties, the loss of jobs and loss of production from farmers, and a loss of viability of regional communities.
Support for Local Communities
The Nationals will work with local communities on practical projects which save water in our cities and towns.
There are currently no specific national funding opportunities for schools and community groups for this purpose.
We recognise the importance of allowing local groups to play their part in water saving and sharing programs, and will reintroduce a water grants program similar to our previous successful program, Community Water Grants.
The Nationals remain committed to major investment in the re-plumbing of regional Australia to save water and create more options for water use for the environment, towns and farms.
The Nationals will provide compensation in the form of a structural adjustment assistance package for communities affected by water withdrawals, to ensure Basin communities do not bear an unreasonable social or economic cost where reforms are imposed in the national interest.
Contemporary urban and suburban households recognise the need for water conservation and water saving devices such as shower heads or slow drip watering systems.
However, some still have a traditional view of water as a free and endless resource.
Campaigns to encourage better water practices around the home are valuable in changing daily habits and views about water as a resource.
The Nationals believe that current incentives to lower water usage need to be enhanced.
Support for infrastructure
The Nationals will invest in a re-plumbing of regional Australia.
We recognise that what is needed is a once in-a-century investment to improve the water-efficiency of our farms and regional water supplies.
The Nationals will work with farmers and local communities to invest in long term water infrastructure on farms where ageing infrastructure needs to be upgraded.
We also realise that the best advocates for sustainable water use on-farm are the landowners themselves who have the most to gain from using water efficiently.
The Nationals will continue to work with local communities to set targets for water to be saved from on-farm and off-farm infrastructure projects to achieve irrigation efficiencies.
The Nationals will also un-freeze the $5.8 billion set aside as part of the $10 billion National Plan for Water Security for infrastructure.
Farmers are willing to make savings and to share water with the environment, but they need support.
The Murray Darling Basin Plan
The Nationals will ensure that Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDL) take proper account of social and economic considerations.
The Nationals believe the wellbeing of communities and the rivers that nourish them is paramount.
The Nationals in government will address the socio-economic challenges faced by communities reliant on irrigation.
The Nationals will introduce Community Impact Statements for water purchases, to assess their impact on local communities.
Flood Mitigation
The Nationals will provide increased investment in flood mitigation works to provide greater protection from flooding for regional communities.
We will provide funding to develop state of the art information technology-based early warning systems, to provide more accurate predictions of flood peaks and timing and earlier, more accurate weather forecasts.
We will also provide resources for addressing the inconsistencies in the conditions set out in the various insurance company policies.
Conclusion
The Nationals will help land and water management groups to carry out practical, day-to-day projects which ensure compatibility between environmental sustainability and land and water use.
The Nationals understand and respect the role of Landcare groups within our communities, and will ensure they have sufficient funding to continue their good work.
We will work with local communities and other stakeholders to understand the water needs of rural industries and communities.
We will help ensure the future viability of Australia’s irrigated communities, while still allowing ample water to flow to maintain the health of our river systems.
The Nationals will monitor the national water policy framework to ensure that a fair balance between water for the environment and water for agriculture is achieved.
We will support the establishment of new water harvesting schemes including new irrigation areas in Northern Australia, where high rainfall and untapped river systems provide new opportunities.
OUR PLAN FOR TRANSPORT
Expanding Australia’s Transport Network
Introduction
The Nationals understand the importance of transport infrastructure – road, rail, air and sea – to regional Australia.
We know that people and businesses in regional Australia rely on modern transport networks for their livelihoods and lifestyles.
Only The Nationals can ensure that families in regional Australia have a safe, secure, reliable and affordable transport system.
The Nationals will ensure that regional Australia receives its fair share of national infrastructure spending.
Labor’s record
Labor’s transport policy has transferred funding to the cities and away from regional Australia.
Labor has diverted the Black Spot program funding away from local roads to national highways.
The Strategic Regional Program is now being spent in the capital cities and 82 per cent of that funding is going to Labor seats.
Labor re-branded the successful AusLink program as the Nation Building Program, but has committed a massive $5 billion less to the program than was promised by The Nationals.
Labor’s Infrastructure Australia is a secretive organisation.
Its Building Australia Fund, established with the surpluses left by the previous government, has been used to bail out failed State Labor governments.
Labor is no friend of regional aviation, announcing that the En Route Charges Scheme – which helps regional airlines maintain viable services to isolated areas – will be abolished from 2012.
Already, services are being withdrawn in anticipation of the scheme’s closure.
Labor has scrapped the General Aviation Industry Action Agenda, denying small aviation operators the opportunity to revitalise the industry.
Our Plan to Expand Australia’s Transport Network
KEY POINTS
Allocate fuel excise to road funding
Continue Roads to Recovery
Reinstate Strategic Regional Roadsprogramme
New programme to repair regionalbridges
Build the inland rail
Tackle road safety
Support regional airlines
Revitalise coastal shipping
Equipping Rail to Meet the Freight Task
With Australia’s freight task set to double by 2025, an enormous effort must be made to expand and modernise our interstate and regional rail systems.
The Nationals understand that a seamless and efficient rail network is essential to moving our regional produce to market.
The Nationals will build the inland rail from Melbourne through the Central West of NSW to Brisbane.
This ‘Steel Mississippi’ will reduce the time required to move freight from Melbourne to Brisbane from 36 hours to less than 24 hours, dramatically lifting rail’s share of freight, and providing significant environmental and social benefits.
The inland rail will be completed by 2020 and will be managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation in partnership with the private sector.
The Nationals will ensure that any existing regional hub lines that feed into the main inland rail line are appropriately upgraded and where necessary new lines are constructed.
State Labor governments have neglected country branch lines and many have fallen into disrepair.
Millions of tonnes of grain must now be moved to port by private truck, damaging our regional roads and increasing traffic congestion.
Our reputation as a reliable supplier of grain has been badly compromised by our inability to move grain to ports on time, resulting in lost contracts and lower returns to growers.
The Nationals will provide funding, matched by the States, to restore key country freight lines.
The Nationals will also continue to upgrade the Sydney-Brisbane coastal rail link.
We will ensure that state-ofthe-art train control systems are established and there is a seamless transit at State borders.
We will complete the extension of the national network into Queensland, and seek to incorporate the Kalgoorlie to Perth section, to provide a standard gauge rail link from Brisbane to Perth and a new transport hub at Kalgoorlie.
A Bold New Approach to Road Funding
The Nationals will immediately commence planning for the third stage of AusLink, with minimum funding of $35 billion.
AusLink 3 will be funded by allocating 20 cents per litre from Commonwealth fuel excise to AusLink.
The rate of excise will not be increased.
The Nationals will ensure that a minimum of 40 per cent of the funds is allocated to regional projects.
The Nationals developed the successful Roads to Recovery program, which provides local councils with extra funding to maintain and upgrade their local roads.
The Nationals will continue and expand this program in government.
We will restore the Strategic Regional Roads program which supports major regional connections and creates jobs.
We will address State government neglect of small road bridges on secondary freight routes.
For regional Australia, small road bridges have great economic significance, allowing trucks to move goods and produce on to the national highway system and to shipping ports.
The Nationals will ensure that funding is allocated in partnership with local councils and State governments to repair or replace bridges no longer capable of carrying heavy vehicles.
The Nationals will ensure that our regional roads are safer.
We will work with automobile associations and with organisations like Rotary to implement new driver training programs for young drivers.
We will require all new cars sold in Australia in volume to carry an Australian National Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) star safety rating.
We will provide funding for the installation of seatbelts in local school buses and make funding available to help install air conditioning in hotter areas.
We will fund the construction of 500 new roadside stops for our truck drivers.
The Nationals will ensure that the Australian Road Assessment Program, which measures the safety level of highways, is extended to the major secondary freight routes.
Maintaining Regional Access to Aviation Services
For the seven million Australians who live outside our capital cities, regional aviation is an especially important link to the rest of the nation, providing transport, goods and medical services to and from large centres.
It is essential to support regional aviation, since many regional routes are of limited commercial value, with smaller carriers struggling with rising overheads and economic difficulties.
The Nationals will retain the Remote Air Service Subsidy Scheme (RASS) so that isolated communities continue to receive a weekly passenger and freight service.
The RASS subsidises flights to more than 235 communities which otherwise have no regular transport service.
The En Route Charges Scheme fully refunds Air Services Australia’s air navigation charges for a number of regional airlines operating smaller aircraft and for aero-medical operators such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The En Route Charges Scheme helps regional airlines to maintain viable services to isolated areas.
From 1 July 2008, Labor limited the scheme to existing routes and service frequencies and from 30 June 2012 the scheme will be abolished for commercial regional airline operators.
The Nationals will reopen the En Route Charges Scheme to commercial air carriers and will keep it beyond 2012.
Labor has introduced mandatory security screening at a number of regional airports served by larger passenger turbo-prop aircraft, but not jets.
The ongoing cost of this requirement is not subsidised and can only be paid for by very large ticket price increases.
This threatens the viability of already marginal regional air routes.
The Nationals will work with regional airlines and airports to ensure that no air services are cancelled or reduced as a result of national security requirements.
The Nationals will continue and expand the Remote Aerodrome Safety Program to assist in the upgrade of airstrips in remote and isolated communities.
The Nationals will also support general aviation – that part of the aviation sector not involved in regular public transport or scheduled services.
It involves small aircraft undertaking roles vital to regional Australia, such as charter and business flights, aero-medical services, commercial and private pilot training, sports and recreational pursuits, and various kinds of aerial work such as agriculture and surveying.
The non-scheduled air and space transport sector comprises more than 1000 businesses, employing nearly 4000 people, and producing an industry turnover of nearly $1 billion.
Australia’s general aviation fleet is ageing, with the average age of an aircraft now 30 years.
The Nationals will introduce incentives to enable business to replace aircraft used for commercial activities and to keep regional Australia flying.
The Nationals will address the skill shortage in the aviation industry.
We will build on existing regional pilot training schemes such as that operated by Regional Express, including the establishment of a Regional Airline Pilots’ Scholarship Scheme.
More Efficient Coastal Shipping
Coastal shipping accounts for about 25 per cent of the domestic freight task, but produces only 4 per cent of total transport greenhouse gas emissions.
A vibrant, safe and efficient Australian shipping industry provides benefits for the economy, the environment and road congestion.
The Nationals will introduce the means to allow Australian shipping to compete effectively against other transport modes and internationally, while retaining our national shipping identity.
The Nationals will:
Introduce a tonnage tax to replace company tax on an opt-in basis, linked to mandatory training arrangements.
Introduce a national system of training support under the supervision of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, to replace the existing Statebased distribution of funds.
Examine ways to reduce the income tax disadvantage suffered by Australian seafarers operating outside Australian waters, compared with seafarers from other nations.
Establish an Australian Second Shipping Register.
Efficient port infrastructure is vital in promoting a growing maritime industry.
Australian ports are owned either by State governments or privately, and are regulated by the States.
As a result, port development has been uncoordinated and hindered, and intermodal links between rail, road and shipping are inefficient.
The Nationals will implement a National Port Development Plan to address capacity constraints in our ports, and facilitate the efficient and swift movement of our exports.
Conclusion
Under a succession of Nationals Federal Transport Ministers, Australia gained improved transport infrastructure and services.
The AusLink initiative in particular gave us for the first time an integrated approach to the nation’s road and rail transport needs, plus the funding to achieve it.
Under Labor, Australia’s transport plans are being unravelled and replaced by the same political decisionmaking and deal-making that has brought State government transport systems to their knees.
The Nationals retain a clear vision of Australia’s transport needs, and how to meet them. Our coordinated policy solutions will allow regional Australia and the nation to meet the transport challenges of the next ten years, and beyond.
OUR PLAN FOR CLEANER TRANSPORTATION FUELS
Promoting the Use of Biofuels and LPG
Introduction
Australia needs a range of cleaner transport alternative fuels. LPG, ethanol blended fuel and bio-diesel offer effective steps towards reducing vehicle emissions.
If Australia was to adopt an E10 blended fuels nationwide, more than 3 million tonnes of pollutant abatement per year would be gained.
A robust bio-fuels and LPG domestic industry will ensure greater security of supply in transportation fuels.
The Nationals support the wider integration of E10 ethanol and B5 bio- diesel into mainstream use in Australia, and greater uptake of LPG.
We want to see E85 blend in widespread use by 2020. Under Labor, alternative fuels implementation has not reached its full potential.
The Nationals will be pragmatic and decisive in measures to expand the uptake of LPG, E10 fuel blends and the development of greater bio-diesel production suitable for regional industries.
Labor’s Record
The Labor Government has ignored the benefits of bio-fuel, too preoccupied with taxing consumption to foster the growth of an industry which offers real environmental benefits.
Instead of providing tax incentives to local bio-fuel producers, Labor is proposing to lift the current excise on bio-fuels to levels that will prohibit consumer uptake and stifle industry expansion.
Labor has failed to realise the potential of a national mandate for ethanol and bio-diesel blends and the environmental and commercial benefits of a robust Australian biofuels industry.
Labor continues to commission reports and reviews without making any decisions.
The 2008/2009 Annual Report of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism noted: “The Department, in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, undertook an internal review of bio fuels policy.
The review has been finalised and the Government is currently considering it.”
To date, the review has not been released.
In September 2008, the Government announced that a White Paper on energy issues would be prepared for release in August 2009.
A “High Level Consultative Committee” was established, which did not include any representatives from the renewable fuels industry.
The Departmental website notes that a green paper will be released “once the CPRS issues are resolved”.
In the 2010-11 Budget, Labor introduced new excise rates on biofuels and LPG.
Labor has done little to educate the public on the benefits of cleaner fuels.
The lack of consumer information on bio-fuels and the residual effects of the ALP’s campaign against bio-fuel use over the past decade continue to create uncertainty among consumers about the benefits and safety of bio fuels.
The Nationals’ Plan to Promote the Use of Biofuels and LPG
KEY POINTS
National ethanol and bio-diesel mandates
Defer excise introduction
Establish E85 target
Support retailers to switch to biofuels
Support LPG conversion program
New research and development program
The successful implementation of cleaner fuels across Australia depends on Federal and State governments addressing the issue multilaterally.
The Nationals believe objections to a national bio fuels mandate are ideological not practical.
We will introduce a range of measures to expand the domestic bio fuels industry and to promote greater consumer uptake.
A National Mandate
A national ethanol mandate for petrol and bio-diesel will be introduced by 2015.
Many of the States have introduced ethanol mandates, or are in the process of doing so.
To ensure uniformity, the Federal Government needs to introduce a national mandate which ensures each State has an ethanol blend.   The introduction of such a measure would form part of an overall general strategy to meet renewable fuel targets and reduce CO2 emissions.
In consultation with industry, The Nationals have found most local producers believe they can meet a substantial amount of Australia’s demand.
In order to ensure security of supply, The Nationals will support the local industry to become better established.
Domestic production to have its excise deferred
To assist the environment and the further development of a locally based ethanol and bio diesel industry, The Nationals will support a deferral of the introduction of excise on alternative fuels, currently proposed to be phased in over the period 2011-2015.
We will also ensure that imports of bio-fuels which are subsidised by foreign government will not receive the benefits of the excise rebate in Australia.
The Nationals will address any excise loop holes and ensure that our producers are operating on an even playing field.
Development of a Sustainability Standard
The Nationals will also work to ensure that both domestic and imported bio-fuels meet a sustainability standard which includes the provision that, in the long term, fuels must not be produced at the expense of food security.
Sustainability standards for biofuels are being developed in a number of European countries and Brazil, and can encourage biofuel producers to move from food stocks to non-food stock materials for fuel production.
Australia predominantly produces biofuels from waste or low grade products.
A sustainability standard not only protects Australia’s interests but ensures global grain trading is balanced and prevents abuses of environmental or human rights in the production of bio-fuels.
The Costs to Retail Fuel Providers
The Nationals acknowledge that retail providers face the costs of updating fuel tanks to accommodate biofuels.
We are particularly concerned that the small independent rural and remote retailers will find the transition costs prohibitive.
We understand that petroleum storage tanks at retail outlets manufactured after 1981 are compatible with a 10 per cent ethanol blend but some will require new lining to prevent leakage.
The Nationals will work with the States to develop funding schemes which complement the existing assistance offered by some State governments.
85 percent bio fuel blends target from 2015
Car manufacturers are often ahead of fuel suppliers in manufacturing vehicles able to use a range of ethanol blended fuels.
In 2010, Holden plans to launch its E85 flex fuel vehicle, able to run on blended fuel from E10 to E85.
With emerging technologies now adopting higher ethanol blends, it is realistic to assume that by 2020, most new Australian vehicles will be able to use the E85 blend.
After 2015, The Nationals’ implementation plan will be based on extending the availability of E85 blends.
Promoting LPG
Australia has an abundance of LPG. In 2008-2009, Australia produced 5403 ML of LPG and used 3996 ML, of which 2253 ML was for automotive use.
Considerable environmental and energy security benefits attach to continuing to encourage the use of LPG.
The Coalition introduced the LPG conversion scheme, which provided a grant of $2000 for the LPG conversion of new or used petrol or diesel motor vehicles or the purchase of a new LPG vehicle.
Labor is phasing the conversion grant down to $1000 over the period to 1 July 2012.
As a result, conversion rates have halved, while 20 000 new LPG vehicles are sold each year.
The Nationals support the LPG Conversion Scheme and will provide an LPG research and development program, including development of a Collaborative Centre for Gas Systems Development and Certification, as requested by the LPG industry.
Further Exploration for Oil
Part of ensuring security of fuel supply rests on the continuation of oil exploration.
Oil serves as the basis for blended diesel and ethanol products.
Consequently, it is important that Australia makes the fullest use of its own oil reserves.
The Nationals support oil exploration activity and will promote further oil exploration in Australia and its Territories.
Research and Development
Research on second-generation bio-fuels, such as ethanol from cellulose and bio-diesel from algae, has faltered.
More research is needed to optimise the adoption of non-food stock materials and to encourage car manufacturing innovations.
The Nationals will provide a support package comprising:
A new consumer information campaign.
New requirements that all petrol engine cars sold in Australia have warranty cover for E10.
Increased research and support for the development of second generation bio fuels.
Bio-fuel and LPG manufacturing innovation eligibility for funding from the Green Car Plan.
Conclusion
The establishment of a thriving bio-fuels industry has many benefits for regional Australia.
Most notable are the better environmental outcomes,
a more diverse income source for farmers
and the jobs created by the construction and operation of refinery plants.
The Nationals support cleaner fuels because they are good for the environment, and a substantial step toward developing national fuel security and self sufficiency.
OUR PLAN FOR PRIMARY PRODUCTION
Securing Australia’s Food and Fibre Future
Introduction
Australian farmers, fishers and foresters are among the best in the world at producing clean, green, safe food and fibre, and excel at doing it in environmentally sustainable ways.
Australia is one of the world’s most important food and fibre producing nations, and we can increase our productivity significantly – as long we have the right policy framework.
The Nationals believe Australians should be more than just self-sufficient in food – we have a responsibility to help feed the rest of the world and its rapidly expanding population.
Population pressure is placing increasing demands on global food and fibre and production.
Many of the world’s traditional food and fibre producing areas face issues such as urban spread, desertification and declining water resources, resulting in fewer areas available for food and fibre production.
Food and water security are already becoming the defining issues of the 21st century, and food producers are coming under enormous pressure to increase productivity while using fewer natural resources.
We need to think more strategically about our food supply. It is in our best interests to recognise that our food security is intrinsically linked to our national security and economic health.
Feeding our nation and fulfilling our trade obligations are fundamental government priorities.
The Nationals will provide the nation with a new policy direction for primary production.
Labor’s Record
Successive Labor Budgets have targeted the agriculture, fisheries and forestry portfolio as a source of cost savings, raiding the budgets for the food and fibre sectors which contribute so much to Australia’s future prosperity.
Labor imposed additional costs on producers, reduced research funding, and slashed government spending on quarantine and bio-security.
This irresponsible approach to food and fibre policy is clearly seen in the handling of quarantine and bio security.
The Agriculture Minister commissioned a $1.7 million review of quarantine and inspection services (The Beale Review) and duly accepted ‘in principle’ all 84 of the report’s recommendations.
One of Beale’s conclusions recommended a $260 million annual increase in quarantine and bio-security spending; subsequent Budgets delivered funding cuts instead.
Then, for good measure, Labor proposed increases of up to tenfold for the user charges imposed on exporters.
Despite the urgent need to make more efficient use of water in agriculture, the Labor Government decided to abolish Land and Water Australia, which since 1990 has been one of the country’s most successful public-private research partnerships, and a body which achieved a long-term rate of return of $4.80 in economic benefits for every $1 of government funding
At the time the nation ought to be nurturing food and fibre production, the Government’s policies have been undermining confidence and inhibiting sustainable growth in the farming sector.
Meanwhile the responsible Minister has been made part time, being given other non-portfolio responsibilities.
Our Plan to Secure Australia’s Food and Fibre Future
KEY POINTS
Increased support for quarantine and biosecurity
Protect agricultural land
More support for R & D
Maintain drought support
Develop northern agriculture
Maintain productivity in the Murray Darling Basin
Support food manufacturing
Recognising the Role of Producers
People in regional Australia speak of the increasing ‘disconnect’ between the realities, challenges and rewards of primary production, and the perception among urban dwellers of regional life.
The lack of understanding in the cities, where policies are developed, results in unrealistic policies, particularly on environmental matters, which are then imposed on primary producers.
The Nationals believe the vital role primary producers play in the economic and social fabric of the nation should be formally recognised in a major government policy statement.
We will audit all environmental legislation at local, State and Federal level, with the intent to streamline regulations and remove unworkable ‘green tape’ so that food production can be expanded where appropriate.
Australians also need to be better informed about the basic cost of producing their food and fibre supplies.
We need to inform the public more effectively about the factors which influence prices, and the very real benefits to consumers of choosing Australian produce.
We will strengthen ‘truth in labelling laws’ to help buyers make their purchasing decisions.
The Nationals will continue to support regional forestry agreements, as instruments which provide resource security, best practice land use, and sustainability.
Use of Agricultural Land
Mining, agriculture and tourism are Australia’s key export industries.
Forestry is an important import replacing industry, with our trade deficit in forest products running at about $2 billion a year.  Generally our primary industries co-exist peacefully, and the infrastructure developed for one provides benefits for the others.
In recent years, conflict has arisen about mining access to agricultural land - in particular to prime agricultural land – and between the respective claims of forestry and agriculture in high rainfall areas.
State Labor governments, especially in Queensland and New South Wales, have sold off mining and exploration rights, which grant land-use priority over agriculture.
In the case of forestry, taxation incentives provided through managed investment schemes gave forestry (and some horticulture schemes) an unfair tax advantage over traditional farming operations and thus distorted investment and markets.
Forestry now occupies only 0.4 per cent of Australia’s farmland, but this could rise to 6.2 per cent by 2020 if the Labor Government’s desired Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) is introduced.
These conflicts create risks for Australia’s long-term food security, water management, social and physical environment, and threaten Australia’s bio diversity. Unless addressed now, these pressures will escalate.
While land use is predominantly (and constitutionally) a matter for the States, The Nationals believe that there is a national responsibility to develop national solutions which deal fairly with all parties.
The Nationals will:
Re-establish a pre-eminent land and water research body.
Charge this body with establishing, in consultation with the States and farming and forestry organisations, a national definition of ‘prime agricultural land’, based on such factors as moisture availability, temperature regime, chemical balance, permeability, surface composition, soil type, susceptibility to flooding, and erosion characteristics.
Fund the identification of prime agricultural land, working through the Australia-wide network of catchment management agencies.
While recognising the limits of the Australian Government’s constitutional powers, limit, and where appropriate prevent, surface mining on prime agricultural land.
Underground mining will be permitted only where it can be shown conclusively that the hydrological balance is not affected, groundwater will not be polluted, and significant surface subsidence will not occur.
Require that all agricultural land subject to surface mining be rehabilitated to the approximate original contours, and to its original or better productivity.
Establish a working party including representatives of the mining, forestry and farming industries, to further define these conditions and progress their implementation.
In conjunction with the farming and forestry industries, identify criteria for lands where broad scale forestry ought to be encouraged, and include these criteria in catchment management plans.
Develop equivalent and non-discriminatory incentives for investment in agricultural and forestry activities, in consultation with those industries.
Amend taxation law so that passive investors in management investment schemes do not receive tax deductibility.
Australia’s Major Food Bowls
The Murray-Darling Basin is the nation’s greatest food producing resource and is home to two million people. The communities in the Basin are under threat, not only from droughts and a drier climate, but from government policies.  Particularly ill advised is the Labor Government’s $4 billion ad hoc water buy-back adventure.
The Nationals will require socio-economic impact statements before any more water is bought within the Basin.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry will be consulted prior to any purchase and ABARE (the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics) will undertake an assessment of the impacts of any buy backs.
The focus of Murray-Darling Basin policy must be the funding of infrastructure efficiencies; both in-system and on-farm, with water entitlement buy backs used only as a last resort.
We must ensure that more water is returned to the environment,
enable farmers to produce more food and fibre from less water,
while protecting simultaneously the environment, communities, and regional economies.
We must also actively encourage the growth of agriculture in Northern Australia as a potential emerging food bowl.
With predictions that the climate will become drier in Southern Australia and wetter in the North, the North will need to be developed to its food producing potential.
The Nationals will partner the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments to secure sustainable agriculture development in the north,
with first priority on resolving the environmental and indigenous policy issues which are currently limiting the development of Northern Australia.
The Nationals will commission a major independent study to examine the social, economic and environmental viability of making better use of water in the north, and will renew investigations into the practicality of transporting water southward.
Natural Disasters
The Nationals believe that some droughts, fires and floods are truly exceptional, and no land manager can be fully prepared for them.
Our objective is to enable primary producers to return to full production as quickly as possible.
The Nationals will continue to support farmers with targeted assistance during a one in 25 year drought, or a major flood or fire, both during the current drought and in the future.
The Nationals will also invest in practical on-ground preparedness, including, where appropriate, flood and fire mitigation, and will boost research and development on new plant varieties and management practices to increase farm productivity.
We will review the Australian Plague Locust Commission, to ensure that its funding and governance are adequate to deal with rapidly emerging threats.
Research
The many challenges confronting Australian primary producers include climate variability; local and exotic pests, weeds and diseases; increased consumer demand for greener, fresher, tastier and cheaper food; and increasingly expensive inputs including water, fuel, fertilisers, chemicals, labour and energy.
The Nationals recognise the importance of research into climate variability, founded on scientific merit.
We will focus on those specific research projects with the potential to revolutionise agriculture, fisheries or forestry production.
For example, we will accelerate research into perennial cereal crops, particularly wheat, which are disease resistant, high yielding, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, are water efficient/drought resistant, and can produce high protein grain.
The agriculture sector has the best take up rate of new technologies and production systems of any of our industries.
We will establish programs to commercialise research project outcomes.
The Nationals will continue to support the Cooperative Research Centres and the Rural Research and Development Corporations.
Primary production is one of the very few sectors where the commodity groups contribute significant resources through transactional levies towards research and development for their sector.
The Coalition recognises the value of this investment and will continue to match it at least dollar for dollar.
Ministry of Primary Production, to include Food Security
The food industry is the nation’s largest manufacturing sector, and employs more than 200,000 Australians, half of them in rural and regional areas.
It accounts for about 2.5 per cent of GDP, yet there is little understanding of the food chain among governments, the community, manufacturers, processors and even farmers.
The Nationals believe that the food manufacturing, retail and food services industries are a vital part of the economic fabric of the Australian economy, and that they will become increasingly important.
To reflect that importance, we have a separate policy on food security.
The Nationals will expand the existing Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry portfolio to include a major role for Food and Food Security.
The expanded Ministry and department will be able to look at the entire food producing and manufacturing chain, including its logistics, to ensure that inefficiencies are eliminated.
Bio Security
The new Department will continue to be responsible for quarantine and inspection services.
The Nationals will ensure sufficient funding and strong legislation to counter any pest or disease threats imports may pose, and to ensure that our products exported are of the highest standard and meet all the requirements of our export markets.
The Nationals will ensure that risk assessments for new imports are backed up by sound science, and that imports are only cleared for entry after thorough scientific analysis and consultation with those affected.
Preparing For a Pandemic
Most developed countries have adopted ‘security of supply’ policies to ensure adequate fuel and food is available in the case of major natural disaster or act of aggression.
An outbreak of influenza, a major terrorism attack, or a severe climatic event may occur seldom, but clear plans need to be put in place for their eventuality.
The Nationals will introduce polices to ensure Australia is able to meet its food requirements by adopting practical measures to protect the supply chain, such as decentralised food distribution hubs, and secure alternative road and rail networks.
These fallback options will support the health and safety measures necessary to meet a national environmental or security emergency.
Collective Export Marketing
Where producers want collective export marketing, The Nationals will continue to provide support to establish a fair system in order to maximise grower returns.
Alcohol Taxation
The Nationals will not support a volumetric tax on wine or any changes to the Wine Equalisation Tax which disadvantage the wine industry.
Conclusion
In a world subject to growing population pressure and possibly dramatic climate change, our primary producers are becoming more and more important to the nation’s survival and success.
Food and fibre production and water availability are becoming key drivers of international policy in this century.
The Nationals’ practical approach to primary production issues will enable Australia to play its proper and increasingly important role in the world economy.
OUR PLAN FOR FOOD SECURITY
A National Security Concern
Introduction
Global demand for food continues to rise, yet water and available land for food production are diminishing. Metropolitan areas now use up to half the water once available to cultivate food, while ground water levels are declining.
Access to good farm land is flagging because of a decline in soil fertility in existing holdings, and pressure not to open new areas for cultivation.
Reports from the United Nations, world health authorities and aid agencies call for the same thing - greater production using fewer natural resources.
Australia, as one of the most active producers and exporters of food, needs to think more strategically about its food supply. Securing our food supply is intrinsically linked to Australia’s national and economic security.
Labor’s Record
Current investment in developing and protecting the Australian farm sector does not recognise the large contribution farmers make to our economy.
Over the last two Federal budgets, we have seen millions of dollars taken out of research and development in agricultural industries.
Government investment in food production technologies, in infrastructure as well as distribution networks, is well below what it should be in Australia.
The Labor Government has cut $30 million from Advancing Australian Agriculture - a program designed to improve farm productivity, and has forced the CSIRO to reduce its spending on food production research.
Water trading schemes, buy backs, and the preoccupation with locking land and ocean away from productive use have become Labor’s policy response to the pending food crisis.
These policies are stifling sustainable growth in the farming sector. Priority must be returned to communities and businesses which assist in the production of food, and to encouraging farming as an essential enterprise.
Our Plan to Secure Australia’s Food Supply
KEY POINTS
Protect property rights
A new Ministry for Food Security
Plan for pandemics
Revise labelling requirements
Decentralise distribution networks
Upgrade quarantine and biosecurity
The food industry is the nation’s largest manufacturing sector and employs more than 200,000 Australians, half of them residing in regional areas.
The Nationals believe that the food manufacturing, retail and food services industries are an increasingly important part of the economic fabric of the Australian economy.
We believe that government has a responsibility to reflect the importance of food production.
The Nationals will therefore expand the existing Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry portfolio to include a new responsibility for Food Security.
The Minister responsible will ensure that the importance of food security to the Australian economy and the social fabric of the nation are recognised in government decision making.
There must be a holistic policy approach to ensuring Australia’s food security.  The Nationals will:
Increase investment in agricultural research and development.
Foster closer ties between the farming and scientific communities.
Develop sustainable strategies to enhance food production.
Provide regional communities reliant on the farming economy with the necessary infrastructure and support to assist farming and related industries.
Implement programs and educate the general public about planning for pandemics and ensuring the security of food supply during any crisis.
Actively involve government in creating a policy environment which ensures that Australia and other nations have access to fair markets, price stabilisation and healthy food.
Develop and implement a strategic plan for food security for rest of the 21st  Century.
Decentralise food distribution networks and enable more efficient transportation of food.
Implement clear and mandatory labelling regulations which show the true origin of the food product and the manufacturing process.
Property Security
Food security begins with property security.
State Labor governments have an abysmal record in respecting property rights and compensating those whose rights are compromised or restricted by government action.
The Nationals in government will work through the Council of Australian Governments to secure investment certainty for landholders through property rights in land, vegetation and water.
Should the states resist, The Nationals will consider what legislative measures may be available at the Commonwealth level to secure and protect land values.
Bio Security
Food imports make up an increasing share of Australia’s diets because consumers demand all year availability and greater choice.
The Nationals’ concern is to ensure that food and produce entering the country meet our quarantine and food safety requirements.
We will not jeopardise this nation’s reputation for clean, fresh food, and will ensure that our quarantine services are properly resourced to protect Australia’s diseasefree status.
Most developed countries have adopted “security of supply” policies to ensure adequate fuel and food is available in the case of a natural disaster or act of aggression.
Outbreaks of influenza, major terrorist attacks, or severe climatic events occur seldom, but effective plans need to be put in place against that risk.
The Nationals will introduce policies to ensure Australia is able to meet its food requirements by adopting practical measures to protect the supply chain, such as decentralised food distribution hubs, and secure alternative road and rail networks.
These measures will support the health and safety measures necessary to meet a national environmental or security emergency.
Conclusion
A sound strategic plan for Australia’s food security benefits regional communities and all Australians.
Our policies assist farmers to ‘think smarter’ about production and will foster a strong commitment to agricultural research which in turn will ensure food security.
Feeding our nation and fulfilling our trade obligations is a fundamental challenge to be addressed.
The Nationals will act now, to provide the nation with a new focus in policy direction, and to maintain a crucial advantage which we have too long taken for granted: the nation’s food security.
OUR PLAN FOR SMALL BUSINESS AND TOURISM
Realising the Potential of Regional Enterprise
Introduction
The Nationals is the Party of, and the Party for, small business.
We recognise that regional Australia depends on small business to drive its economy and regional prosperity.
In recent years, there has been a major diversification in the activity undertaken by small businesses in regional Australia - a move away from a mainly rural based industry structure to include services, tourism and manufacturing.
The majority of businesses in regional Australia employ fewer than 20 people but between them the sector is the largest employer.
Of the 1,880,000 small businesses throughout Australia, some 35 per cent – more than 650,000 – operate in regional Australia.
In order to be competitive, small businesses in regional Australia must have the same opportunities to gain the benefits of technology as in the capital cities.
This is especially the case with tourism, where regional Australia struggles to get its share of the international visitor market.
The ratio of domestic to international visitors in the regions is as high as 19:1.
While Australia as a whole is seen as a desirable destination, the major cities and east coast derive most of the benefits.
Labor’s Record
Under Labor, the flexibility small business needs is constrained by forced and formal negotiation with unions, rather than by talking things through with employees.
Contractors in particular are discriminated against, as Labor denies them the right to work for themselves.
Labor’s antipathy to small business has resulted in the removal of reasonable protection for small businesses forced to dismiss non-performing or redundant employees.
Labor offers special funding arrangements for big property developers, and subsidies for multinational car makers, but does little to help small regional businesses in difficult times.
Most of all, Labor’s failure to address the infrastructure, telecommunications, health and education needs of regional people, and its withdrawal of services to small business in the regions, has resulted in our regional businesses becoming second class citizens.
Our Plan to Realise the Potential of Regional Enterprise
KEY POINTS
Upgrade education, health and transport infrastructure
New 30 per cent investment allowance
Small business action plan
Federal Regional Tourism fund
Easing the Burdens on Small Business
The Nationals recognise that success in maintaining existing businesses and attracting business people to relocate to regional Australia depends on education, health, infrastructure and transport.
The Nationals aim to give small businesses the competitive environment and the tools they need to make the best of opportunities, in both domestic and international markets.
We will work with industry associations and academic institutions to develop small business education programs aimed at increasing efficiency and productivity.
The vast number of interlocking and confusing regulations covering business activity at the Federal, State and local levels must be simplified.
The Nationals commit to reinvigorating previous programs to remove red tape at all levels of government.
This includes combating the indirect red tape which results from restrictions imposed by government on other businesses such as financial institutions, which then is carried through to their small business clients.
The Nationals will continue their leadership role in ensuring that small business can compete on a level playing field with bigger businesses.
Healthy competition is good, but small businesses must be protected from unfair competition by powerful resource-rich companies.
The Nationals have taken the lead in addressing deficiencies in the Trade Practices Act and will continue to address weaknesses in Trade Practices legislation affecting small business competitiveness.
We will also better resource the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to take action against large corporations which abuse their market power.
Many economic and social advantages are evident for businesses operating in regional areas.
The Nationals will support initiatives to make city businesses aware of these advantages and to encourage Australians to enjoy the benefits of a non-metropolitan lifestyle.
The Nationals will also undertake a review of the effect of additional costs on businesses outside the capital cities, with a view to determining what regional incentives could be introduced to encourage businesses to relocate from the capital cities.
The Nationals in Government will provide a 30 per cent investment allowance to assist small business in regional areas to expand and to create jobs, or for capital city businesses to relocate.
The allowance will be for increasing business capacity, such as major new plant acquisitions or increasing production capacity.
It will be subject to requirements such as job creation benchmarks and output increases.
The program will exclude passive investment such as commercial property investment for lease.
Award Modernisation
The Nationals support the rationalisation and updating of industrial awards and the introduction of greater flexibility.
Small businesses are generally more reliant on the award structure than larger businesses, and more so in the regions.
The Nationals do not support Labor’s objective of removing pay differentials between different parts of Australia or the imposition of common penalty rates.
Unlike Labor, The Nationals understand that strawberries do not only ripen between 9am and 5pm on weekdays; that prawn trawler crews do not come home for dinner every evening; that country shows are generally held on public holidays; and that family wineries do most of their business on weekends.
The Nationals in government will instruct the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to recognise the special circumstances of businesses operating outside the major capital cities and to establish a pay structure accordingly.
The Global Economy
The Nationals support a Small Business Action Plan to respond to fluctuations in the global economy.  Measures will include:
Tax loss carry-back to allow businesses to offset operating losses and retain staff by claiming back taxes paid over the past three years, up to a $100,000 limit;
OECD-best practice regulation, whereby the Commonwealth will undertake a comprehensive audit of all the Federal, State and local paperwork needed to start or expand a business and will ensure that this overhead burden is reduced to at least match OECD best practice;
A one-stop-shop regulation portal, to deliver integrated on-line access to all forms and filings, regardless of the level of government which imposes them; and
Support for family businesses, to provide support and advice for family businesses on succession planning and family business development.
Supporting Regional Tourism
Local tourism in regional Australia needs to be supported by vocational and professional training of tourism operators and suppliers.
There is no shortage of research available in Australia, but there is a gap between the data and how it is used.
Education of tour operators, tourism outlets and the commercial sector is vital to take advantage of the information available.
The Nationals support the establishment of a regional tourism training initiative to improve the skills and professional standards of tourism operators, and to assist them to meet the particular challenges presented by regional tourist activities.
The initiative would encompass a number of programs to meet the needs of various tourism industry sectors, such as:
Grants to existing and new tourist operators of farm stays, motels, B&Bs, and wineries for training in marketing and promotion, with particular emphasis on on-line marketing;
Training rebates for travel agents and tourism operators who undertake a training course or accreditation in regional tourism, based on the number of bed nights they sell into regional Australia within a prescribed period;
A national database and rating system, similar to the motel star system, listing tourism businesses and outlets which successfully complete vocational training courses related to tourism; and
Funding for specific regional education tours for major tourism operators, similar to the programs now conducted by other countries, to enable travel consultants to gain a better understanding of what is on offer.
Many regional community, cultural and sporting events need government support from time to time, as the regional economy ebbs and flows.
Support is currently available only in an ad hoc manner, from governments and government business entities.
The future of the Australian Tourism Development Program, and Federal Government funding of tourism activities is uncertain.
While local government bears the brunt of the cost of tourism promotion in the regions, many local governments cannot afford to provide funding on a consistent and continuing basis.
The Nationals believe that all levels of government must commit to funding tourist promotion and that the Federal Government should play a leading role.
Regions need consistent support to compete at an international level.
The Nationals support the establishment of a Federal tourism fund, to provide project-specific grants to support regional promotion campaigns or major regional tourism and entertainment events.
The grants process will be competitive, with a major criterion being the ability of the project to generate long-term shifts in tourist behaviour.
Conclusion
The Nationals’ policies continue to be directed to ensuring that small businesses get a fair go, and that they have ways and means to be competitive and successful.
We place particular emphasis on encouraging more small businesses to relocate from the capital cities to regional Australia and helping existing businesses to grow and prosper.
Tourism has the potential to make a more major contribution to the economic future of many regional communities.
To realise that potential, regional tourism operators and service providers need the skills and qualifications to market regional Australia effectively.
OUR PLAN FOR TRADE
Building Stronger Regional Economies and a Stronger Australia
Introduction
Trade is a major engine of growth for regional Australia.
It creates new jobs, improves living standards, and ensures our future as a prosperous nation.
One in four jobs in regional Australia is directly or indirectly linked to exports.
When The Nationals were in government, exports from regional Australia grew three times faster than did exports from major cities.
About a quarter of regional Australia’s income now comes from exports.
Trade is a two-way street. Australia will continue to import the finance, technology and innovation needed to develop the country and to make our industries more competitive.
We also need to import consumer goods we do not produce, and to use imports to ensure yearround supplies of seasonal foods.
It is essential that Australia’s quarantine and inspection services receive sufficient funding and support to counter any pest or disease threats which imports may pose, and to ensure that our products being exported are of the highest standard and meet the requirements of our export markets.
Only The Nationals can ensure that regional Australia receives its fair share of the benefits generated by our export industries, and that the regions are provided with the infrastructure and services necessary for these export industries to grow and prosper.
We will fight to ensure better access to international markets for our farmers, manufacturers, miners and service providers.
We will ensure that our quarantine services are properly resourced to protect Australia’s disease-free status.
Labor’s Record
Under Labor, government support for our regional export industries has been slashed.
Export assistance grants have been under-funded and funding reduced to TradeStart regional offices.
The number of inspections on imported goods has also been slashed.
Quarantine inspection fees faced by agricultural exporters have increased by $40 million a year.
Labor terminated The Nationals’ plan to provide highspeed broadband to regional Australia by 2010, leaving our regional exporters without access to this vital business tool.
New spending on roads, rail and ports ground to a halt, as Labor investigated, consulted, inquired – and postponed.
Labor’s economic mismanagement and procrastination are costing regional Australia’s exporters dearly, and its close relationship with the unions undermines the efficiency of our wharves and other points of export.
The results are a less competitive export sector, greater reliance on imports, higher prices, higher debt and higher taxes for all Australians.
Our Plan for Building Stronger Regional Economies and a Stronger Australia
KEY POINTS
New incentives for exporters
New Ambassador for Trade Reform
Regional centres network to support new exporters
Trade Representatives for  manufacturing and service industries
Provide certainty of payment under Export Market Development Grants
Protect Australia’s disease free status
Support for Exporters
The Nationals will stimulate new investment and new export jobs in regional Australia.
We will introduce new targeted incentives for exporters and provide certainty in existing programs to support regional businesses.
Our industrial relations policies will ensure that maximum efficiency is maintained on the waterfront and other areas of frontline export activity.
We will provide the infrastructure support – road, rail, ports and telecommunications – to enable our regions to compete on fair terms with city-based businesses.
We will ensure that Australian businesses can compete fairly against imports, and we will ensure that Australia’s disease-free status is protected.
New Markets
In the international arena, The Nationals will pursue a policy based on multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations and trade promotion.
We will pursue an ambitious outcome to the Doha Round of World Trade Organisation negotiations – one which delivers genuine new commercial opportunities for our farm, mining, manufacturing and service sectors.
We will use the WTO dispute settlement system aggressively, to remove barriers to Australian exports, and to ensure that international trade rules are open, fair and enforceable.
We will establish the senior position of Ambassador for Trade Reform to promote further trade reform internationally.
We will maintain the position of Trade Representative for Australia’s agricultural industries, and will establish two new roles: Trade Representative for Australia’s manufacturing industries, and Trade Representative for Australia’s service industries.
Free Trade Agreements
The Nationals will continue to negotiate Free Trade Agreements with our major trading partners and will seek opportunities for regional agreements, but only where substantial additional commercial benefits to Australia can be demonstrated – and achieved.
We will restore the effort to complete ambitious and comprehensive new Free Trade Agreements with our biggest trading partners including China, Japan, Korea, India and the Gulf Co-operation Council.
Industry Support
The Nationals will develop a new regional centres network to provide quick and efficient support for new exporting industries, particularly the services industry.
We will increase funding for the Export Markets Development Grants scheme and provide certainty of payment.
We will introduce new programs to increase Australia’s services exports, to assist niche export sectors to compete in global supply chains, and to increase food and beverage export sales in key markets.
The Nationals will reduce the cost of quarantine export inspections by reintroducing the 40 per cent costsharing arrangement for export inspection services.
We will ensure that our quarantine authorities receive the funding necessary to protect Australia from introduced pests and diseases.
Our import risk assessment process will continue to be based on sound science, but we will not take reckless risks – as Labor has done – with our nation’s priceless pest and disease free status.
Conclusion
The Nationals have a proud record of achieving results for exporting businesses in regional Australia.
We will not stand by while Labor trashes both that achievement and the future prosperity of regional Australia.
OUR PLAN FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
A Fair Go for All Australians
Introduction
The Nationals’ philosophy calls for a fair go for all Australians.
Our goal is a fair and just Australia. We will treat all Australians equally, give everyone the opportunity to participate in our community to the extent of their abilities and capacity, and provide access to quality medical services, education and aged care.
Our focus for 90 years has been on providing for those Australians outside the major capital cities, but our belief in social justice applies equally to all Australians.
As The Nationals represent some of the most disadvantaged electorates in the country, the plight of our seniors, carers, those with a disability, our indigenous population and others who are underprivileged is our core concern.
Our commitment to social justice is the foundation of all of our policies.
Labor’s Record
Labor has failed in health, in education, and in caring for our youth, the elderly and the disabled.
Most of all, Labor has failed in managing the economy, leaving a massive debt.
Rather than building new hospitals and new aged care facilities, we will now be paying interest to international lenders.
Labor fails to understand that it is only sound economic management that allows the delivery of social services and support for the needy.
Labor has particularly failed Regional Australia.
Community support programs like Regional Partnerships have been axed and not replaced.
The cities receive more health dollars per head than the regions.
Changes to the youth allowance disadvantaged regional students.
Mental health issues have not been addressed.
Regional Australians suffer higher rates of disease, more injuries and higher mortality rates.
The Nationals took major steps to reduce inequities when last in government.
However, Labor has now undone much of that work.
Labor will always provide city-centric government and Regional Australians will always be the poorer for it.
Our Plan for a Fair Go for all Australians
KEY POINTS
Quality affordable health care and education
Care for the disabled
Recognise the contribution of seniors
Address the special needs of indigenous Australians
A fair and accessible legal system
Caring for fellow Australians
One of The Nationals’ core values is to provide security for Australian communities and their families through the preservation of decent health, safety, social and economic welfare standards.  The Nationals believe in:
Reasonable access to quality, affordable health care and education for all Australians, regardless of their location and personal circumstances.
Improved support services for those with a disability and their carers to better meet the needs of disabled people and their family carers.
The Nationals will provide greater support for community groups engaged in the provision of accommodation to provide accommodation on a long term sustainable basis.
Provision of programs to assist those parents with disabled children to plan for their future, including greater support from Government through arrangements such as taxation offsets and disability trusts.
Provision of resources to public and private education facilities to meet the needs of disabled students to enable them to reach their full potential.
Ensuring that there are sufficient accommodation places and support to meet the needs of all ageing people with a disability who require such a placement.
Providing resources so that young people who require 24 hour care have separate specialised accommodation, rather than being placed in nursing homes for the aged.
Upholding the rights of indigenous Australians and recognising their special needs through properly resourced programs directed to promoting self help, self respect, education and job creation.
Adequate funding of law enforcement and counselling services specifically directed to personal security and to overcoming domestic violence and alcohol and drug abuse.
Increased funding to combat youth mental health issues and to support better relationships between child and adolescent mental health services and adult mental health services.
Ensuring that programs directed to the care and welfare of children provides men and women with the choice of either seeking childcare outside the home or within the home.
Recognising Australian Seniors
The Nationals recognise the contribution that seniors have made and continue to make to our nation.
We believe in improving the quality of life for all senior Australians, including self funded retirees, with better access to health and aged care facilities and a fair pension rate.
Senior Australians make a valuable economic contribution to the workforce and should be recognised as a benefit – not a cost. The Nationals will:
Make changes necessary to legislation on income support policies, tax structures, rules for part pensions, and any issue that would preclude ageing men and women from participating in the workforce.
Change legislation to allow workers to contribute to their superannuation after age 75 and to require employers to contribute the 9 per cent superannuation guarantee to workers aged above 70 years.
Develop and implement a communications campaign to positively highlight the benefits of seniors in the workforce and the contributions of seniors to Australian, in order to educate the community on the positive contributions, rather than the costs, of senior Australians.
A fair and accessible legal system
The Nationals are determined to eliminate the divide between those living in and those living outside major capital cities, including any limitation in access to a fair legal system that respects the rights and responsibilities of all Australians.  The Nationals are committed to:
Ensuring the legal system is accessible to all Australians regardless of their circumstances.
Reviewing the family law and child support system to ensure that the interests of children are paramount.
Removing any discrimination against sexual preference
while maintaining the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman.
Conclusion
The Nationals’ policies demand a fair go for all Australians.
In particular, we will seek a fair balance between the major capital cities and regions.
Social justice will maintain its priority in our core values and beliefs, incorporating:
Strong representation of our local communities and the delivery of real results on the issues that effect their lives and lifestyles.
Security for our communities and their families, through the preservation of decent health, safety, social and economic welfare standards.
Individual achievement, the importance of free choice and a fair go, reward for private enterprise, and the benefits of new investment and wealth generation.
PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT
Our natural world, our fragile, complex and interconnected environment, is under increasing pressure from habitat loss, climate change, pollution, resource extraction and inappropriate development.
More and more endangered species are moving closer to extinction, and we are losing the precious places that are close to our hearts and identity.
Our world has changed.
It is now warmer and wetter than it was because of accelerating global warming.
This affects people and nature in many ways, from sea-level rise and more intense storms, heatwaves and bushfires, to the spread of disease and the survival of species.
Where food can and cannot be grown is changing.
We are living in the critical decade to keep global warming to less than 2˚C.
That’s why acting on climate change is critical to protecting our natural world so that it can nurture us.
The Greens support an ambitious greenhouse gas reduction target of net carbon zero by 2050 and a rapid transition to a clean energy economy driven by renewable energy.
TOO PRECIOUS TO LOSE
• The Great Barrier Reef is under threat like never before and only the Greens are standing up for its survival.
• The Kimberly requires ongoing vigilance to stop industrialisation of one of the worlds most remarkable environments.
• The Leadbeater possum needs its last remaining habitat protected by the establishment of a national park.
• Koalas in New South Wales and Queensland need their habitats protected from logging and development.
• The Tarkine must be protected from mining to protect one of the world’s last great wilderness areas.
• Kangaroo Island and the blue whales that feed around it need to be protected from offshore petroleum extraction.
STRONGER NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT LAWS
Labor and Tony Abbott are ganging up to make our national environment laws weaker.
Our national environment laws are already failing to protect precious places like the Great Barrier Reef, the Tarkine, the Coorong and our Great Artesian Basin.
But both Labor and Tony Abbott’s Coalition have pursued plans to water down John Howard’s environment laws and give up Commonwealth responsibility for protecting the environment, by handing back powers to the states.
State governments can’t be trusted to look after our precious places.
They reap the profits of mining and development.
The money they get from allowing these developments or logging to go ahead often makes them turn a blind eye to water, air and soil contamination, and species extinction as the perilous plight of the Leadbeater’s possum and the koala demonstrate.
Not only does Tony Abbott want to put state governments in complete control of the national environment, he announced in July that he would slash state environment protections as well.
The Greens will vote against any attempt by the old parties to weaken environmental protection, and, unlike Labor, we will stand up against Tony Abbott’s plan to hand national environmental law to the states.
The Australian Greens will strengthen our national environmental laws so that they actually protect our natural heritage, our air, water and soils and will see our biodiversity flourish.
We will halt any further extinction of our unique wildlife and save our ancient landscapes for generations to come by:
retaining federal veto powers over damaging developments, and ensuring transparent decision-making processes with independent scientific evidence, greater opportunities for community consultation and reasons provided for all decisions
ensuring climate, forestry and water impacts are covered by our environmental laws, and for cumulative impacts to be considered, rather than projects in isolation
allowing the merits of decisions to be challenged in court by the community, with protection from court costs for public interest cases
resourcing ongoing monitoring, enforcement and evaluation of the impacts of decisions.
PAST ENVIRONMENT WINS COULD BE LOST
Many major environmental wins in the past have occurred when the Australian Government overturned a bad development decision by a state government.
Traveston Dam, the Franklin River, drilling for oil in the Great Barrier Reef and cattle grazing in the Alpine Park are all examples of the federal government using its powers to stop state governments from destroying precious places.
We can’t leave protecting Australia’s environment up to the states.
NATIONAL PARKS
Despite their name, national parks are not protected by national laws.
That means they are vulnerable to moves by state governments to allow shooting, logging, grazing and development inside national park boundaries.
The Greens want national parks protected by national laws.
Australia’s national parks are home to unique wildlife and t heir precious habitat.
As our cities expand, national parks have become refuges critical for the survival of threatened species.
Including national parks under national environmental laws would mean the federal Environment Minister could step in and protect our national parks from environmentally damaging activities.
GREAT BARRIER REEF IN PERIL
The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage icon and a national treasure.
But it’s under threat like never before: 50% of its coral cover has disappeared in the past 27 years and it is now threatened by climate change, pollution and proposals for new and expanded coal and gas ports, requiring mass dredging to accommodate large ships.
The World Heritage Committee says Australia has just one year to turn this trajectory around or it will put the reef on the international list of shame — the World Heritage in Danger list.
The Greens have a plan to save the reef:
no new coal ports in pristine Great Barrier Reef areas, and no damaging port expansions: the Reef is not a coal and gas highway
no new permits for dredging or offshore dumping of that sediment in our World Heritage reef waters
increase financial support for farmers to adopt sustainable practices to reduce run-off into the reef.
ICONIC SPECIES
Australia is facing an extinction crisis.
The combined threats of climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species and disease, as well as a rapidly expanding resources sector, are putting many of our precious plants and animals at risk.
We need to urgently make big changes if they are to survive.
The Greens will invest $40 million a year to:
identify and map all protected ecological communities, areas of critical habitat for threatened species and important wildlife corridors
that guide development and establish clear no-go zones for different activities within each region across Australia
support the rapid listing of all species and ecological communities which belong on the threatened list and develop and resource the implementation of recovery plans and threat abatement plans for listed species and ecological communities;
restore Labor’s $257 million cut to the Biodiversity Fund
make sure responsibility for assessing and approving Australia’s most environmentally damaging projects cannot be handed to reckless state governments.
MARINE
The Australian Greens will defend Australia’s new network of marine protected areas from any attempts by Tony Abbott’s Coalition to roll them back.
While supporting new marine parks, Labor in government has continued to release new oil and gas exploration leases over environmentally sensitive areas, including known whale calving grounds in South Australia and areas earmarked for protection off north-west Australia.
The Greens will exclude destructive industries from our most precious marine areas and reject new oil and gas exploration permits in marine parks.
REDUCING OUR WASTE
A big contributor to polluting our environment is rubbish.
The Greens support a nation-wide container deposit scheme to recycle the 10 billion drink containers Australians throw away each year.
We’ll stand up to the big corporations to clean up our nations rubbish and the environmental problems it causes.
FORESTS
The Australian Greens support the protection of native forests, as the home of native animals and plants and as critical carbon stores.
We oppose industrial native forest logging and woodchipping and the conversion of native forests to plantations.
We support the transition of the logging industry out of native forests and into sustainably managed plantations.
The recent modification of the boundaries of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area to include forests of high conservation and World Heritage value was driven in the federal Parliament by former leader Bob Brown and current Greens leader Christine Milne.
NUCLEAR
The Greens want to see an end to nuclear weapons and nuclear power.
Unlike Labor, the Greens oppose uranium mining.
The whole nuclear-fuel chain – from uranium mining to the unresolved problem of nuclear waste – presents unacceptable environmental and security risks and is phenomenally expensive.
Rather than leaving future generations the burden of nuclear waste, we should be giving them truly safe, clean, timely and economic solutions to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
The future is renewable, not radioactive.
ANIMAL JUSTICE
How we treat animals is a key indicator of a caring society.
Removing suffering and providing better care should come before big profits for corporations.
The live export trade and intensive factory farming of animals is cruel, causes great suffering to animals, and should be phased out.
The Australian Greens have introduced a bill that would ban live exports.
We support a transition away from live exports to the sustainable chilled meat industry.
This means jobs in Australia and properly supervised abbatoirs to meet high standards of animal welfare.
We have also worked with Humane Research Australia to introduce private member’s bill banning importation of primates for experimentation.
A TARKINE NATIONAL PARK
The Tarkine is one of the world’s great wild places, and it is unique.
Spanning 447,000 hectares, it is a relic of Gondwanaland, and Australia’s largest tract of temperate rainforest.
It is home to more than 60 rare, threatened and endangered species, including the giant freshwater lobster, the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle, the spotted-tail quoll, and the iconic endangered Tasmanian devil.
The Labor government and the Coalition rejected the Australian Heritage Council’s recommendation to protect the Tarkine, preferring instead to declare it open for mining, putting the Tasmanian devil closer to extinction.
There are at least 10 new mines proposed for the Tarkine, including the Shree Minerals iron ore mine and three huge open-cut mines proposed by Venture Minerals.
The Australian Greens support the immediate protection of the Tarkine as national park and its assessment for World Heritage Listing.
GROWING THE CLEAN ECONOMY
RESOURCING A CARING SOCIETY
With many in our community feeling under increasing pressure, governments have a responsibility to provide the services and support for a caring society.
Our economic future must go beyond the quarry vision of the mining bubble.
We need to invest in research and innovation to underpin the jobs-rich and diverse economy of the future, beyond the mining boom and bust.
While both Labor and the Coalition are going down the path of budget cuts, putting people and services under even more pressure, the Greens offer an alternative.
We recognise more revenue must be raised and we want it to come from those who can afford it.
As a nation we should be investing in higher education and research and development, not cutting funding to universities and putting students under even greater pressure.
We should be increasing Newstart, not condemning people to poverty, and we should be caring for single parents, not making their lives even more difficult.
We can do all these things and more, like bringing dental care into Medicare for everyone and tackling the housing crisis, by standing up to the big mining companies and big banks.
The Australian Greens will raise $42.7 billion of revenue by fixing the mining tax, ending tax breaks for the big mining companies, taxing millionaires fairly and introducing a modest levy on the big banks.
MINING TAX
The Minerals Resource Rent Tax was supposed to be a tax that spread the benefits of the boom”.
Yet it will raise only $200 million in its first year.
This is a direct result of Labor’s failure to stand up to the big mining companies.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Despite talk of the end of the mining boom, industry profits remain at historically high levels and mining companies will continue to make billions for their overseas shareholders from the resources we all own.
The Australian Greens’ proposals to fix the mining tax will raise an additional $21.8 billion over three years to be invested in the Australian community.
MILLIONAIRES’ TAX
The gap between rich and poor in Australia is growing.
Those who earn enough to be classified millionaires don’t face the same pressures as the rest of the community.
An effective tax rate of 50% on income over $1 million will make our tax system fairer and contribute more than $0.5 billion to making a more caring society.
(This only applies to the select few people with incomes of more than $1 million a year, not to assets like the family home or farm.)
BANK LEVY
Our big banks are making record profits, around $24 billion in the past year.
These record profits off the back of consumers are underpinned by an implicit ‘too big to fail’ guarantee from the government.
If the banks went to the wall the taxpayer would bail them out.
The big four banks are taking all of the profits while the taxpayers are wearing all of the risk.
Based on similar levies in Europe and the United States, the Australian Greens propose a 0.2% levy on bank assets in excess of $100 billion which will raise $8.4 billion over three years.
Because it only applies to the big four banks and not their competitors, competitive pressures will stop the big four passing the levy on to consumers.
It is time the big four banks paid a fair contribution for the public support they receive.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Large corporations and wealthy business people exercise too much power over our governments.
The formation of our current mining tax was a debacle, where three of the biggest mining companies in the world — BHP, Rio Tinto and Xstrata — ran rings around Labor.
In the process, those three big companies looked after their own interests but left the Australian people out of pocket by billions — and demonstrated the influence of lobbyists.
In NSW the corruption hearings demonstrate we must be ever vigilant.
This is why the Greens are proposing a National Anti-Corruption Commission and greater transparency for corporate lobbyists.
The economy should serve the people and look after the environment, not the other way around.
Labor and Tony Abbott don’t have the backbone to stand up to the mining corporations and big business.
Only the Greens have the economic plans to build on our environment, grow the clean economy and care for people.
MAKE POLLUTERS PAY
We value our clean air.
We value our clean water.
We value our fresh, local food.
We value a safe climate, and we want to pass a safe Australia on to our children and their children.
But global warming puts all this at risk.
We know what the impacts will be in Australia.
Already, we are seeing extreme summer heat, breaking record after record.
If we do nothing, we can expect catastrophic droughts, floods, heat waves, cyclones and bushfires.
Climate change is a global crisis which profoundly threatens our economy, society, people’s health, our Great Barrier Reef, fellow species like polar bears, and our way of life.
That’s why the Greens made cutting the pollution that drives global warming a condition of supporting the government in 2010.
And that’s how we negotiated the visionary Clean Energy Act.
It’s working.
The Clean Energy Act is bringing down pollution by charging big companies to pollute and investing that money in clean energy, and helping people and local communities save energy.
Cutting pollution isn’t just about preventing a climate crisis.
It helps us build a more caring, healthy and innovative Australia.
Cutting pollution means cleaner air and cleaner water for all of us.
Neither Labor nor the Coalition can be trusted to take real action to cut the pollution that drives global warming.
Tony Abbott’s plans would be a disaster.
Ripping up the Clean Energy Act would give the big polluting companies free rein, ending support for clean energy.
Though Labor joined with us to pass the Clean Energy package, they can’t be relied on to protect the price on pollution or not weaken action on global warming.
At a federal level, Labor has never said no to a mining company that wants to frack for coal-seam gas or expand a massive coal mine.
Both Labor and the Coalition are risking jobs and investment when the world decides it doesn’t want our coal.
The Greens in Parliament are essential to stand up for real action on global warming.
We will continue to cut pollution and make clean energy cheaper.
REDIRECTING FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES
The government spends billions on tax breaks to the big mining corporations and fossil fuel industry.
In the past budget, for example, it continued to provide diesel fuel subsidies, exploration subsidies, and many other write-offs which make it cheaper and easier — via the public purse — for big miners to make record profits.
Worse, these billions of dollars in subsidies are fuelling global warming by making it cheaper for big mining corporations to pollute and to extract more and more coal, oil and gas.
The Australian Greens will reinvest over $12 billion from abolishing key tax breaks to the fossil fuel industry into the smart, clean industries for the future.
Labor cannot be trusted to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and the Abbott Opposition wants to give them a free ride but the Greens aren’t afraid to end these hand-outs for billionaire companies and invest the money into the economy of the future.
COAL-SEAM GAS AND COAL
A caring society looks after the health of its people and the environment.
The Greens are standing up with farmers and rural and regional Australians to say “No” to the rapid expansion of coal-seam gas, shale gas and coal mining.
Coal-seam gas and shale gas projects and coal mines are destroying Australia’s valuable farming land and precious environment, contaminating our water supplies and leaking methane gas into the atmosphere.
The Greens will:
reject all new coal-seam gas, shale and other unconventional gas projects and new and expanding coal mines
stand with farmers to give them the right to say “No” to coal-seam gas on their land
introduce stronger environmental laws so the environmental impacts of coal-seam gas and coal on our water, air and land are properly taken into account
better regulate coal dust in the atmosphere
oppose new coal ports along the Great Barrier Reef.
Ending our coal addiction means people who live near coal trains, mines and ports can breathe easy — without coal dust in their air.
JOBS IN THE FUTURE ECONOMY
CLEAN ENERGY
Australia’s future economy will be powered by clean renewable energy
Funding clean energy research means more innovative technologies to export to the world, and bringing our best and brightest home
Building clean energy plants means more jobs here in Australia
and gives farmers another source of income
The Greens support 100% renewable energy as quickly as we can achieve it
To get there, the Greens’ Clean Energy Roadmap will:
increase the Renewable Energy Target to 90% by 2030 — this will give investors and electricity network regulators the long-term policy certainty they need
increase Clean Energy Finance Corporation funding to $30 billion over ten years to drive investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy — the Greens can’t wait for Australia’s first solar thermal plant
improve national electricity transmission planning to cost effectively exploit our huge renewable energy resources
The renewable energy industry will create tens of thousands of jobs for decades to come
The Greens will also ensure solar panel owners are paid fairly for their clean power
One million Australian homes and businesses are already generating cleaner, cheaper and more local power for everyone
The big energy companies don’t want to pay them fairly, because their corporate profits are in coal and gas
It is time for a fair return to investors in clean energy
Our independent Energy Savings Agency will recommend fair prices for electricity companies to pay people who generate their own clean power
The Energy Savings Agency will also oversee an annual $400 million program to lower electricity prices for everyone by better managing demand at peak times
An Abbott government puts at risk Australia’s renewable energy industry and the jobs it is already creating
Tony Abbott has pledged to abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and will not commit to the existing Renewable Energy Target
The Greens will oppose any attempt to destroy or undermine the target or the corporation
You cannot trust either the Coalition or Labor on renewable energy and energy efficiency
Labor is looking to weaken the carbon price and has already cut funding to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Low Carbon Communities program
CREATING JOBS IN THE CHANGING ECONOMY
The Greens policies to create a clean energy economy, invest in research and development and education from early childhood to university, address housing affordability, and lift people out of poverty will all create jobs in our economy
It’s estimated the current renewable energy target will create 15,000 jobs in constructing power stations and infrastructure and almost 4,000 jobs in operating and maintaining them
Our policy to extend the target towards 100% renewable energy will multiply the extra jobs created
The Greens’ policy to extend and increase funding for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation will potentially increase new jobs created in clean energy to 21,000
Manufacturing, services and retail are far more labour-intensive than mining, so switching resources from mining subsidies to promoting research and development in other sectors of the economy and giving low-income households more support through lifting Newstart makes economic sense
The additional investment the Greens will make in research and development and higher education will create thousands more jobs into the future
Addressing housing affordability requires building more houses, particularly for low-income families
The Greens’ policies to house the homeless will create construction jobs at a time when construction in the mining industry is slowing
CONNECTING CLEAN ENERGY
Australia is rich in clean energy hotspots: regions where our solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and wave resources are among the best in the world
Communities like Port Augusta have already identified their clean energy potential and are mobilising to make it a reality
We need to empower communities that want to make the most of their clean energy resources, and help connect them to our cities to power Australia with 100% renewable energy
The Greens’ Connecting Clean Energy plan would do just that
We would allocate $2 billion to a new Connecting Clean Energy Task Group in the Department of Energy
The Connecting Clean Energy Task Group would:
map Australia’s clean energy resources with the latest information
involve local communities in planning their energy future, by managing thorough consultation with communities, all levels of government, Australian Energy Market Operator and clean energy developers
where our world-beating clean energy resources and genuine community support align, set up Renewable Energy Development Zones with quicker approval processes for clean energy projects
run a competitive tender to link clean energy hotspots to the national energy grid and contribute financial support where necessary
FARMERS
Australian farmers are critical to our country’s future prosperity and a sustainable economy
Caring about the food we eat means caring about Australia’s farmers
Our farmers are under increasing pressure from the high Australian dollar and cheap imported food, the supermarket duopoly driving down fair prices at the farm gate, and the impacts of global warming and expanding coal and coal-seam gas projects encroaching on their farms
The Greens will:
strengthen competition laws to give farmers a fair go by introducing an anti-price-discrimination clause that actually works and giving the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission the power to break up the Coles–Woolworths duopoly
insist that all Free Trade Agreements become Fair Trade Agreements by including costs of environmental and labour standards compliance
legislate a National Interest Test for the Foreign Investment Review Board and reduce the threshold for assessment to $5 million for private sector investment
The Greens oppose foreign ownership by wholly owned subsidiaries of foreign governments
support farmers and local food manufacturing jobs by strengthening country-of-origin labelling laws so all of us can be confident that we are buying locally grown and locally made food
invest more in agricultural research and development in particular for adapting to global warming
establish an independent Biosecurity Commission and Authority to provide proper science-based decisions on protecting Australia’s food production
In contrast Tony Abbott has only promised another inquiry into competition laws and Labor has failed to act on any of these issues for the past six years
LOCAL MANUFACTURING
Manufacturing in Australia has been under increasing pressure from the high Australian dollar and a skills shortage brought about by the mining boom
Despite rhetoric from both the old parties on jobs, neither has taken any real steps to confront the mining industry in order to support manufacturing jobs
The Greens care about local jobs
We will mandate higher levels of local content, particularly for resource projects
We know that the big miners are sending much of their profits overseas, but now we know that a lot of the goods and services needed to develop these mines are coming from offshore as well
A 2011 report by the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research found that as little as 10% of steel used in major resource projects is sourced in Australia
We will continue to support investment in innovation that can sustain and develop critical manufacturing sectors, such as advanced manufacturing and food processing
Investing in universities and commercialising new technologies is a priority
We will also work to assist manufacturing become more energy efficient, saving manufacturers money with reduced electricity bills and supporting workers employed in manufacturing by providing a more secure future
SMALL BUSINESS
Small businesses are under increasing pressure from an economy dominated by the mining industry and big corporations
Only the Greens have the backbone to stand up to the big end of town, whether it is the mining companies, the big four banks or Coles and Woolworths
We will give the federal Small Business Commissioner more power and a secure future through legislation to ensure that office can be an effective advocate for small business and resolve disputes between small business and big business or government
As well as strengthening competition laws for a fairer playing field, we will also expand the instant asset write-off to $10 000 providing a much needed boost to many small businesses to invest in new equipment or technology
RIGHTS AT WORK
The Australian Greens will stand up against any moves by an Abbott government to reduce the rights of workers and return to John Howard’s Work Choices
The Greens having a voice in Parliament is the best way to protect penalty rates, fair wages, unfair dismissal protection and the right to be fairly treated
A caring society enables all workers to have a well-balanced, happy and healthy life
The Greens will provide an enforceable right to a better work-life balance, with all workers and especially carers able to request flexible working arrangement that employers can only refuse on genuine business grounds
We will also act to provide more secure work for Australians
The rise of casual and insecure work has left many workers under increased pressure — never knowing when they may be required to work next or whether their pay check will be enough to pay the bills
We will pursue our legislation to provide greater certainty for workers by making jobs ongoing instead of allowing casual workers to be increasingly exploited
We will continue to care for workers by ensuring safe and healthy workplaces and practices
The Greens got Parliament to pass laws to better support firefighters who contract cancer from saving lives in the community
Asbestos remains a scourge in Australia and the Greens support the efforts of unions and those affected by asbestos in removing this deadly danger from the community
GETTING JOBS FOR EVERYONE
Australia is home to people from all over the world, but many from refugee and migrant backgrounds are un- and under-employed
We have taxi drivers with Masters degrees and local university graduates who can’t get job interviews
The Greens secured $6.6 million to help find meaningful work for people from refugee and migrant backgrounds
EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE
Education is opportunity, for people and the nation
It is central to a caring and prosperous society
It must be funded from early childhood, through to tertiary and life-long learning
SCHOOLS
The Greens believe access to education should not depend on how much you can pay or where you live
This is why we backed the Gonksi school education reforms which will fund schools on the basis of need
Our public schools educate Australia’s most disadvantaged kids
Our teachers need more support and professional development and our children need quality education
With a proper mining tax, the Greens would boost school funding sooner than Labor
The Greens will also keep pushing for dedicated investment in science and maths education as well as Asian languages
UNIVERSITIES AND TAFE
Unlike Labor and Tony Abbott, we want to invest more in our universities, not cut essential funding and make it more difficult or students to attend university
The Greens will oppose Labor’s $2.3 billion cuts to universities
Cutting funding to universities to pay for schools and putting students and lecturers under increasing pressure is just dumb
Instead of cutting funding, we need to be increasing funding of universities by 10% as an investment in our nation’s future
Increasing university funding to provide an additional 10% of base funding by 2017 will cost $1.5 billion over the next four years
Our TAFE system is also under increasing pressure as state and federal governments cut funding while at the same time complaining about skills shortages
Federal funding for skills should prioritise the TAFE system and the federal government needs to increase its funding to TAFE
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Australia’s future lies in our minds, not our mines
With our economy under pressure, innovation through research and development is critical for developing new industries and jobs as well as supporting current employment
Protecting jobs requires government to invest in the jobs of the future
The Greens will implement policies to increase investment in research and development by both government and business to a target of 3% of our GDP by 2020
Government will need to invest an additional $2.5 billion over the next four years to be on track to reach that goal
Instead of subsidising wealthy fossil fuel companies, the Greens would redirect that money into the knowledge-based industries of the future
We will reverse the cuts to the Sustainable Research Excellence program, ensuring our universities can continue to provide world-class research in state-of-the-art facilities
We will also boost research funding, provide greater opportunities for students and researchers and implement key recommendations from the McKeon Review into health and medical research
MORE SCHOOL FUNDING SOONER
While the old parties are refusing to meet the challenge of investing in our nation’s future, the Greens are committed to securing a world class education for all Australian children //|by:
• properly funding schools, over and above what the current government is prepared to commit in the 2013–14 financial year the government is committing less than $500 million to implement the recommendations of the Gonski Review
Australian students and public schools need more money, faster • committing an extra $2 billion more than the current government over the forward estimates, to ensure that every Australian child has access to a high quality education sooner
CARING FOR PEOPLE
SUPPORTING PEOPLE WHEN THEY NEED IT
A BETTER START FOR JOBSEEKERS
The Australian Greens believe that a socially just, democratic and caring society is one that guarantees an adequate income safety net for all Australians and allows people to live with dignity even when facing some of the toughest times of their lives
Every day, people lose their jobs or cannot find employment through no fault of their own, and they need an adequate safety net to catch them
Newstart, Australia’s unemployment benefit, is simply too low
Today, the single rate of Newstart is $247 a week; it has fallen to 45% of the minimum wage and is more than $130 under the poverty line
After accounting for the cost of a relatively low-priced, private rental, recipients can be left with just $17 a day
The Australian Greens will:
provide a $50 per week increase to Newstart and Youth Allowance
properly index all allowances in line with Pension payments
improve employment service providers’ ability to work intensively with disadvantaged job seekers
By standing up to the mining companies, we can afford to invest in people
The Parliamentary Budget Office has costed our proposal at $8.2 billion over the forward estimates
CARING FOR SINGLE PARENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES Under the Howard government’s Welfare to Work laws single parents were moved onto Newstart when their child turns eight
On 1 January 2013, the Labor government continued this poor policy by moving over 100,000 single parents, who were previously protected from the reforms, off parenting payment and onto Newstart
That’s a cut of $60–120 per week from an already over-stretched household budgets
With the current rate of Newstart set at almost 40% below the poverty line, living on Newstart is next to impossible
The Greens’ plan is to help single parents instead of punishing them by:
increasing payments to single parents by $90 per week
allowing single parents to earn more income from part-time work before having their payments cut
making it easier for single parents to request flexible working arrangements so they can work and care for their children
The Parliamentary Budget Office has costed our plan to help lift single parents out of poverty at $360 million in 2014–15 and $1 billion over the forward estimates
AUSTRALIANS ARE A CARING PEOPLE
We want to help those who are vulnerable or victims of persecution or circumstance
More than that, we want a society that creates the time and space for people to live caring lives
Whether at work or at home, Australians are feeling more pressured, and less able to live the rich fulfilling lives they desire
The Australian Greens plan would relieve that pressure, supporting people when they need it and fostering a better quality of life for everyone
STUDENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE
The Greens care about the future of university education
We believe a well-funded universal education system is vital for fairness and wellbeing in our society
In contrast, Labor wants to cut $2.3 billion from universities and student support
The Coalition supports the cuts
The rising cost of living is already hurting students, who are working longer hours to fund their university study
It will be much harder for disadvantaged students to afford a quality higher education
The Australian Greens want to take the pressure off young people and better recognise the huge contribution they make to our economy and society
The Greens plan for young people includes:
This means reversing $900 million of lost grants and keeping Star t-Up Scholarships as scholarships — not converting them into debts
Lift the living away from home Youth Allowance rate by $100 a fortnight so that students can focus more on their studies and worry less about how to meet living expenses
We are the only party willing to increase our investment in the base funding of universities in line with the Bradley Review
This means locking in a 10% increase in funding
Restore TAFE as the leading provider of vocational education and training
Defunding TAFE is destroying opportunities for young Australians
Build thousands of new affordable rental and student housing places ever y year under our National Housing Affordability Plan
Renters will have greater rights, and we will look to make Rent Assistance more effective
Ensure that the National Broadband Network is not dismantled for a cheapskate, inferior, 20t h century version that Tony Abbott is proposing
High-speed internet is essential for our future
HEALTH
The Greens don’t want Australia to go down the same road as the United States, where how much money you have decides how well you get looked after
Access to health services like dental care, preventative health and mental health care should be getting easier for people
Instead, it is getting harder and adding to the pressure felt in people’s everyday lives, especially for people who live in rural Australia
INVESTING IN HOSPITALS
When people need urgent medical treatment, they should be able to access it
The Labor party’s hospital funding cuts have caused enormous upheaval in the public hospital system — surgeries have been cancelled, bed numbers have been reduced, emergency departments have been put under threat
The Australian Greens plan is to reverse hospital funding cuts and reform ad-hoc and piecemeal direct funding approaches to local hospitals and to develop a better cooperative approach between state and federal funding systems
The Australian Greens also want much more investment in programs to keep Australians healthier so they don’t need to go to hospital
DENTICARE
Poor oral health is one of the most significant health problems facing Australians
Cost is a significant barrier to at least one-third of the population in getting necessary dental care
Following the 2010 election, the Greens made reform of dental care a condition of supporting Labor to form government
As a result the Greens have ensured that millions of children will get Medicare-funded dentistry and millions more adults will have better access to public dental care
In this term of government the Greens secured almost $5 billion of investment in dental care:
$2.7 billion for about 3.4 million Australian children (in Family Tax Benefit A families) who will be eligible for subsidised dental care under Medicare
$1.3 billion for around 1.4 million additional services in state public dental clinics
$225 million for dental capital and workforce grants for outer metropolitan, rural and regional areas
$500 million for public dental health and grants to help rural and remote areas
But there is still a long way to go to realise the Greens’ vision for universal dental care under Medicare: Denticare
The Greens remain committed to a dental health scheme that is universal, so that every Australian can receive dental health care regardless of their financial circumstances
MENTAL HEALTH
Following an extensive tour of regional Australia listening to communities, the Greens understand that people living outside major cities do not receive the mental health support and services they need
We are committed to improving access to quality mental health care for Australians living in rural, regional and remote areas
Rural Australians face unique challenges which impact upon their mental health, and therefore need robust, innovative responses locally
The Greens support the promotion and extension of the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program as a means of providing coordinated clinical care to support people with mental illness living in the community
The Greens advocate additional stepped prevention and recovery care, improved access through outreach and tele-psychiatry services, and flexible, multidisciplinary whole-of-person care in the community and neighbourhood houses to promote strong communities and wellbeing
PREVENTATIVE HEALTH
Caring for the health of the community requires more investment in preventative health, with a focus on tobacco, alcohol and obesity issues
The Greens call for an investment in community sport, including sports equipment libraries for low-income Australians, and measures to help volunteers
Participation in community sport is one of the simplest ways to help tackle obesity
We continue to advocate for a ban on  junk-food advertising to children and for clearer labelling for food
DISABILITY CARE
The Australian Greens supported the establishment of a National Disability Insurance Scheme
We support expanding the scheme to include Australians who acquire their disability after the age of 65
AGED CARE
The Greens supported and improved the recent aged care reform legislation and secured a homelessness supplement among other amendments
We will pursue further reform to ensure quality aged care is available for all Australians
GREENS HOSPITALS INQUIRY SLAMS CUTS
A Greens initiated Senate inquiry into hospital funding was highly critical of Labor’s hospital funding cuts
The inquiry found the cuts had had significant impact on patients, medical staff and hospital departments
FAMILIES
Australian families are under increasing pressure from losing control over their working lives, lack of affordable and accessible childcare, inadequate paid parental leave entitlements, as well as worrying about the health and education of their children.
PAID PARENTAL LEAVE
The Greens recognise paid parental leave as a workplace entitlement.
We are working for a paid parental leave scheme that provides a right to at least 26 weeks paid leave including superannuation.
A caring society recognises the value of supporting parents to take parental leave at least until their child is six months old.
To provide greater financial security to women throughout their lives, superannuation must be incorporated into paid parental leave.
QUALITY ACCESSIBLE CHILDCARE
More and more parents are finding it difficult to access childcare that suits their needs.
Parents need to be able to access affordable, flexible and high-quality childcare.
We must support women returning to the workforce
and as a society we can’t afford to not invest in our children.
The Greens will:
cut the cost of childcare by boosting public funding and paying the money directly to centres —  we don’t want parents to have to bear the burden of paying the full cost of up-front fees and we want to save them the trouble of chasing up repayments
keep good quality early-education teachers in childcare by introducing a HELP fee waiver for early-education teachers; this would encourage up to 500 teachers to stay in the sector by wiping off their HELP debt for each year they stay in the childcare sector where they are so needed
make more childcare spaces available by providing capital grants and interest-free loans for new and expanding centres to directly address the availability crisis in childcare – we have proposed a $200 million fund over four years for community and not-for-profit childcare centres to build or expand centres.
stand with childcare workers in their calls for better wages for all childcare educators and teachers.
WORK–LIFE BALANCE
The average full-time working week in Australia was recently found to be 44 hours, the longest in the western world.
We perform $72 billion in unpaid overtime each year.
The Greens want to give people more control over their time and working arrangements, balancing this against their employers’ legitimate operational needs.
Just over half of all Australians want to change their hours of work, even if it might impact on their income.
Research shows that working hours are impacting on wellbeing, with poorer health and greater use of prescription medications.
It is also affecting our personal and family lives.
If people want to work different hours or work from home so that their life is better, then the law should allow it, provided it doesn’t unduly impact on their employer.
The Greens have introduced legislation to deliver better work–life balance for Australians.
The Fair Work Amendment (Better Work–Life Balance) Bill 2012:
gives people who have been in their job 12 months enforceable rights to request flexible working arrangements, including the number of hours they work, the scheduling of those hours and the location of work.
for carers who are looking after another person, employers may refuse flexible arrangements only where there are serious countervailing business reasons. For all other employees, employers can refuse on operational grounds.
gives Fair Work Australia the ability to balance employees’ requests against their employer’s legitimate business needs by hearing and determining any disputes.
RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING
Australians are the world’s most prolific gamblers.
The Greens are taking action to minimise the harm caused to individuals, families and the community from gambling. //| That includes:
better regulation for poker machines: the Greens want to see Australian poker machines limited to low-intensity losses, to reduce the effects of problem gambling on individuals and on our community
taking action in Parliament to ban live odds in sports broadcasts, cash-for-comment and gambling ads during kids viewing hours.
The Greens have a bill before both houses of parliament that would end gambling advertisements before 9pm; ban the broadcast of betting odds during sports broadcasts and sports-related programs like the Footy Show; and prevent gambling promotion from being integrated into content, but the old parties lack the courage to back it.
LIVEABLE CITIES
Investing in the right infrastructure can make a huge difference to people’s lives every day.
Responsibility for planning sustainable, liveable cities lies with all levels of government.
TRANSPORT
The Greens want to end the bias towards funding urban roads and motorways that has fuelled a car culture and seen a marked increase in congestion, pollution and road freight.
We support a funding shift that prioritises sustainable transport infrastructure, such as public and active transport and freight rail.
A more balanced transport budget would spend around 40% on roads projects, 30% on public and active transport and up to 30% on freight rail.
The Greens will prioritise investing in public transport and active transport to take the pressure off travel and improve our quality of life.
Australia needs long-term investment in public transport and active travel (e.g. bike paths) to reduce traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and make our major cities more liveable.
HIGH SPEED RAIL FOR EASTERN SEABOARD
A report commissioned by the Australian Greens identifies $48 billion in a range of benefits from a high speed rail network on the east coast, including both direct benefits to rail users and operators and indirect benefits to society, such as fewer accidents, lower greenhouse gas emissions, less air and noise pollution, less congestion on roads and at airports and substantial time savings to users.
As part of the agreement to support the minority Labor government the Australian Greens secured a $20 million feasibility study into high-speed rail.
We will get high-speed rail on track by establishing an authority to begin the construction of the highspeed rail network.
HOUSING
Australia is in a housing crisis and cost pressures are increasing across the nation.
Federal and state governments have dropped the ball on affordable housing, leaving millions of Australians battling with increasing costs.
Despite this, neither Labor nor Tony Abbott’s Coalition has demonstrated it can be trusted to deliver the vision or commitment needed to tackle the growing housing crisis.
Labor promised to halve homelessness by 2020 and provide services to all those seeking them, but homelessness has increased since the 2006 census.
Tony Abbott refuses to even sign up to the commitment.
Both parties have turned their backs on the hundreds of thousands of renters who are under increasing pressure with nowhere to turn.
Australia has the least affordable housing in the western world.
The average house price in capital cities is now equivalent to about seven years of average earnings; up from just three in the early 1980s.
People earning the minimum wage or on government payments such as the disability pension are priced out of 99% of the rental market.
The mining boom added substantially to the wealth of existing home owners but made renting and new home ownership severely unaffordable.
It also worsened the gap for Aboriginal people and workers living in boom towns, where chronic gaps in housing, services and infrastructure remain.
Renters are hurting, with rents tripling in a decade and new supply not keeping up with demand.
Meanwhile, massive taxpayer subsidies and incentives for property investment are geared towards creating demand rather than supply.
These subsidies also continue to benefit landlords over tenants, and people who can afford to buy investment properties over people that have been waiting for years on the public housing waiting list.
The Greens have a plan to address housing affordability across the entire spectrum, by housing the homeless, building more social housing, affordable rental properties, student housing, improving and protecting the rights of renters, and trialling innovative home-ownership schemes.
The Greens also have a plan to support a sustainable and affordable housing industry.
HOMELESSNESS ACTION PLAN
Homelessness is a complex issue but the solution is simple: match the funding for housing and support services to the scale of need.
We need a cut-through solution.
That’s why we have announced a plan to care for people in housing crisis by doubling funding for homelessness services and providing a home for all Australians currently sleeping rough by 2020.
The Homelessness Action Plan has three priorities:
• to build 7000 new homes by 2020 enough to house every person currently sleeping without adequate shelter • to include a 50% target of fast-build, modular or prefabricated housing, which will be significantly faster and more affordable to build • to double the current funding for specialist homelessness services in Australia.
The Parliamentary Budget Office has costed our Homelessness Action Plan at $3 billion over the forward estimates.
CARING SOCIETY
FOSTERING EQUALITY AND ENDING DISCRIMINATION
ENDING DISCRIMINATION
Not only does discrimination against people from a range of backgrounds continue in Australia, our federal laws sanction it in many forms.
Even our Constitution explicitly allows discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We want to see racial discrimination outlawed as part of the process for Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It is hard to believe, but according to our federal laws it is okay for religious schools to refuse enrolment children just because their parents are gay. //| It is also legal to refuse:
a woman accommodation because she’s a victim of domestic violence
to grant requests for flexible working hours for people with family responsibilities such as caring for children or aging parents.
This is out of step with modern Australian society.
The Greens believe we need a better approach to protect against discrimination and deal with inequality in our community.
We need a new federal Equality Act that:
implements Australia’s international human rights obligations
removes outdated and arbitrary exemptions
effectively addresses systemic discrimination.
Australia is a proudly multicultural society where all people, regardless of culture, ethnicity, religion, language, or place of birth should have equal rights and the right to participate equally in our social, economic and cultural life.
We must do more than just remove formal barriers to active participation in society.
We should ensure policy development and program implementation is based on wide and inclusive consultation that gives voice to Australians’ diverse cultural and religious backgrounds and interests.
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Who you love is more important than an outdated law.
The majority of Australians support marriage equality for same-sex couples.
It’s an issue of basic fairness.
The Greens want to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia and recognise marriages of same-sex couples who marry overseas:
The Greens have bills before Parliament that would remove discrimination from the Marriage Act and give same-sex couples the right to marry.
Both the old parties blocked a vote on marriage equality laws before the election.
The Greens have also moved to amend laws so that same-sex couples who marry overseas have their marriage recognised when they come home to Australia.
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AUSTRALIANS
The Greens have driven policies and programs that value, empower and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities:
The Greens made acknowledgement of Traditional Owners at the beginning of Parliament part of our agreement with the government.
It was implemented and everyday people visiting Parliament hear that recognition given by the Presiding Officers.
The Greens have permanently changed Parliamentary practice.
We also made Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people part of our agreement with the government and are committed to seeing Constitutional Recognition by 2016.
The Greens made the art and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a central focus of the functions of the restructured Australia Council.
The second Australian Greens bill to pass federal Parliament was legislation to mandate the use of non-sniffable petrol in Aboriginal communities.
The Greens have actively opposed the coercive and paternal elements of the Stronger Futures program, in particular income management, as it extends many elements of the Northern Territory Emergency Response.
This top-down, one-size-fits-all policy doesn’t work.
The Greens support a justice reinvestment response to the high number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are jailed.
This includes greater investment in services for alcohol and drug prevention, youth education and diversionary programs, and secure housing.
The Greens have moved to improve the Native Title Act to ensure the mining boom benefits Traditional Owners, native title applicants exercise free informed prior consent for activity on their land, and onus of proof for native title claims is reversed.
GREENS VOTE FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY
Labor and Tony Abbott’s Coalition blocked a vote on marriage-equality laws before the election.
Both parties voted against a Greens bill to legally recognise the marriages of samesex couples who marry overseas.
FOREIGN POLICY
The Greens believe foreign policy should facilitate peaceful relations between countries, increase Australia’s friendships and standing as a middle power and uphold the framework of international law, of which a key element is human rights.
Regionally, Australia should help our near neighbours create healthy, educated, ecologically sustainable and democratic societies.
Only the Greens have the integrity and conviction to stand up for an independent foreign policy.
Australia, as a wealthy nation, should provide care and support for less developed countries, particularly in our region,
and contribute our “fair share” to poverty alleviation and long-term ecologically sustainable development.
The Greens want an independent Australian foreign policy that creates relationships with the rest of the world based on mutual respect.
We recognise many of our major challenges will not be solved without unprecedented global cooperation between governments.
Australia should act as a responsible global citizen, pursuing a legitimate national interest, not an excessively competitive or unilateral one that is indifferent to global concerns and interests.
The Australian Greens plan includes:
increasing Australia’s aid contribution to 0.7% of Gross National Income by 2020, and ensuring we reach the target of 0.5% by 2015 as Labor originally promised.
An additional investment of $4.9 billion over the forward estimates will ensure Australia lives up to its commitment to the United Nations Millenium Development Goals and reduce global poverty
spending aid money effectively to alleviate poverty and enhance self-reliance, not diverting it to military needs or the detention of refugees
using Australia’s two-year Security Council seat and presidency of the G20 (beginning in 2014) to reassert our nation’s role as a constructive and independent player in the international community
introducing new laws to ensure the power to declare war and deploy armed forces does not rest only with the executive of the government of the day.
The Greens’ Defence Amendment Bill would require parliamentary approval when such a grave decision is made. The bill provides for emergency deployment of armed personnel when Parliament is not sitting
better scrutiny of Free Trade agreements.
The Greens are very concerned about the Trans-Pacific Free Trade Agreement currently under negotiation and its potential impact on access to medicines, local content media rules, high-tech innovation and limitations placed on governments to make policies and regulations on health, food standards, safety and economic stability.
The Greens recently secured greater scrutiny of free-trade agreements, with the government now required to release the priorities and objectives of any proposed agreements, including independent analysis of the anticipated costs and benefits.
REFUGEES
It is not illegal to seek asylum.
Globally, waves of refugees follow periods of conflict.
Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and  Sri Lanka have led to increases in numbers of people fleeing persecution.
Deterrence does not work as Australia cannot be worse than the regimes from which people flee.
We need to give refugees safe, official pathways to secure homes in Australia and other countries – before they board a boat in desperation.
We agree with Malcolm Fraser and refugee experts: the successful regional response to the Vietnam War showed that only this policy will save lives.
The old parties’ race to the bottom to bring back the worst of John Howard’s policies — imprisoning refugees in indefinite detention in other countries, detaining their children, towing boats back and forcing poverty on refugees in Australia — is not saving lives.
Only the Greens have the courage to stand up for a humanitarian approach to refugees.
We have been working hard in Parliament to:
end the detention of children
close offshore detention camps
work with regional countries to protect refugees
urgently and safely resettle 10,000 people from our region
increase funding to UNHCR regional assessment centres in Indonesia
care for refugees in Australia by giving them the right to work.
WOMEN
Despite Australian women facing discrimination every day, neither Labor nor Tony Abbott’s Coalition has demonstrated it can be trusted to deliver the social changes Australian women need.
Labor put a political promise of a surplus above the wellbeing of single parents.
On the day former Prime Minister Julia Gillard famously attacked Tony Abbott’s politics of misogyny, the government passed a law ripping support from 150,000 single parents.
Life won’t get any easier for women under Tony Abbott and his extreme policies.
His priorities are in lock-step with big business; instead of taxing the wealthiest and most profitable in our society, he will cut education, health and welfare spending affecting the most vulnerable.
The Australian Greens in Parliament will stand up to vested interests and fight for women and equality. //| The Australian Greens will:
continue to support and advocate for equal pay
develop plans to provide greater financial security for women throughout their lives
stand firm on women’s right to choose
work to increase women’s representation at all levels of government
regulate large companies to ensure 40% of board positions are held by women
extend protection against discrimination at work to domestic violence victims
maintain Australian foreign aid programs that support women’s reproductive health.
THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE
Attacks on women’s reproductive rights are one of the most feared outcomes of an Abbott government. DLP Senator John Madigan, who may hold the balance of power in the Senate after the election, is already attempting to whip up pro-life activism.
Guaranteed access to safe and confidential reproductive health services, including abortion, is what most Australians want.
Protecting the PBS listing and subsidisation of RU486 and Misoprostol are crucial, particularly for regional and rural women.
THE ARTS
The arts, cultural experiences and creative artists are a vital ingredient for a happy, prosperous and fulfilled nation.
The arts contribute to the social wellbeing, economy and cultural life of Australia.
The Australian Greens are committed to supporting and promoting Australian artists and their work, and particularly encouraging young and emerging artists as they establish their careers.
The Australian Greens believe that a vibrant future for the arts in Australia will include both the traditional visual and performing arts, which enrich us and have provided so much to our culture for centuries, and a newer, more open approach to cultural policy, which brings arts into every aspect of our lives.
The Greens’ performing and visual arts policies focus on providing support for artists, encouraging innovation in the arts and taking art to the community.
The Greens’ priorities include:
support for innovation in the arts
support for live performances and exhibition both domestically and globally
policies to support artists through periods of unpredictable work
support for mentoring between established and emerging artists and performing arts companies
a fund to assist artists to be paid for exhibitions
bringing large film productions to Australia, like Wolverine, for their local skills development, job creation and economic injection by increasing the location tax offset to 30%
support artists by making nationally significant arts awards, like the Miles Franklin Literary award, tax-free.
SUPPORTING REGIONAL ARTS
The Greens want our regional communities, which are rightly proud of their unique identities, to be able to express their talents, their values and their stories.
Yet this tradition is at threat with declining government funding to support our creative regions. The Greens will turn this around through our regional arts policy.
The Greens are committed to restoring the Regional Arts Fund, in real dollars to its 2004 peak, and further expand its scope and funding. We will invest an additional $10 million in regional arts.
The Greens will expand the Regional Arts Fund so that:
• Australia’s 408 regional and remote local governments can apply for funding to establish cultural policy officers to drive local, tailored community art projects
• regional artists will have greater ability to develop long-term artistic projects that directly involve their communities and use art as a vehicle to build social enterprises
• there will be more money to go around, reaching more regions and more people through more touring
• the accounting and allocation of grant money will be simplified so that individuals in remote areas are able to spend more time involved in their art projects and less time navigating complex management requirements.
OPEN AND ACCOUNTABLE SOCIETY
DEMOCRACY
The Greens is founded on the principle of grassroots democracy, where the political process encourages participation and empowers ordinary citizens.
We believe that Parliament should serve the best interests of all Australians, not just those who can afford to buy influence with politicians. //| Our plan includes:
legislating to ensure truth in political advertising
three-year fixed terms for federal Parliament
tougher regulation of lobbyists and disclosure of their activities
establishing a National Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission
holding a referendum at the 2013 election to recognise local government in the Constitution
lowering the voting age to 16.
BROADBAND COMMUNICATIONS AND THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
NATIONAL BROADBAND NET WORK
The Australian Greens strongly support the fibre-to-the-home National Broadband Network (NBN) currently being built by NBN Co.
Linking Australia through fast broadband holds out the promise of increases in productivity, innovation and global cultural exchange.
When the NBN was established, the Greens won amendments to remove the assumption that the network would be privatised when completed, and ensure that any planned sale would be properly scrutinised and require the approval of Parliament.
Now the project is at risk.
Tony Abbott has set out to “demolish” the case for the NBN, and the Coalition’s alternative plan is for a sub-standard, energy-intensive network, which will leave upwards of 8 million premises stranded on the ageing copper telephone network.
PROTECTING PUBLIC AND COMMUNIT Y BROADCASTERS
The Australian Greens will stand strong against any plans to privatise or undermine public broadcasters.
With Australia’s media among the most concentrated in the world, the last thing we need is privatisation of the two public broadcasters.
A plan to privatise the ABC and SBS has been floated by the Victorian Branch of the Liberal Party and the Coalition refused to rule out privatisation, voting against a Greens motion to keep the broadcasters in public hands.
DIGITAL PRIVACY
While the Greens led the campaign to defeat the mandatory internet filter and helped defer dangerous data-retention proposals, it is more important than ever to protect online privacy and civil liber ties against the surveillance and censorship proposals which are eroding the potential of the internet.
GET A WARRANT
Just as warrants are required to enter your house, warrants should be required to access private information collected via computer networks and mobile phones.
Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies, local governments and a wide variety of other agencies are accessing vast amounts of private data without a warrant.
This information includes data about telephone calls that you have made, emails you have sent, information that you have accessed online, and detailed information about the location of your mobile telephone.
The Greens’ Telecommunications Amendment (Get A Warrant) Bill returns us to the normal warrant procedures which have served us well for decades.
A STRONG MEDIA SECTOR
The Greens believe the concentration of media ownership in Australia is at a crisis point.
The public has an interest in a diverse and independent media, with a well-funded ABC, SBS and community media sector helping to provide quality journalism, cultural programming and current affairs.
Reforms are needed in the face of technological change, concentration of media ownership and increasing instances of privacy breaches.
The government conducted several reviews into the media landscape but then botched the attempt to legislate a small handful of reforms: the Greens will continue to campaign for a stronger and more independent Press Council and a public interest test to protect against further consolidation of the industry.
FAIR GO FOR FAIR USE
Australian copyright law is stranded in the 20th century and urgently needs reform – the Greens have proposed a set of measures to protect Australians from IT price gouging, to widen the availability of products for the visually impaired, and widen exceptions for “fair use” of creative works, as is the case in the United States.
GREENS WIN FOR COMMUNITY RADIO
The Australian Greens helped secure $6 million for metropolitan community broadcasters to transition from analogue to digital services.
More than 70% of community stations are located in rural, regional and remote areas: this is the next challenge for the digital transition.
The Greens support the 22,000 volunteers who work in community media, reaching an audience of 3.7 million people via television and 4.4 million via radio.
Cutting Red Tape: Reducing the Burden of GST
Policy Summary
The Rudd Labor Government will cut red tape for small and medium businesses by reducing the paperwork burden of the GST.
Federal Labor will reduce the number of times that small and medium businesses need to lodge GST returns from four times a year to just once.
Businesses with a GST turnover under $20 million a year will be allowed to lodge their Business Activity Statement (BAS) once a year from 1 July 2014
This is a ten-fold increase from the current $2 million turnover threshold for annual lodgement
These businesses will be able to pay simple instalments based on GST paid in the previous year, and lodge an annual BAS at the end of the financial year to reconcile any difference
This aligns GST more closely with the Pay As You Go income tax system and means businesses will no longer have to make complex GST calculations throughout the year
Sports Technology Innovation Partnership
What are Australian Innovation Partnerships?
Australian Innovation Partnerships are Federal Labor’s new way of supporting Australian industry – placing industry in the driver’s seat to coordinate Australian effort, grow Australian exports and jobs, and diversify our national economy
Beyond the China resources boom, we need to build a modern and diverse economy – so that we continue our 22 year record of growth and continue to provide the jobs Australians rely on.
Only Federal Labor has a plan to ensure a prosperous future.
In the past, Australia has put too many of our eggs in the one basket.
We need a new way to diversify the Australian economy – building more strong industries and regions.
The Innovation Partnerships provide a positive plan to grow jobs, boost productivity and give Australian businesses the competitive edge
Cutting Red Tape: Superannuation Clearing House
The Rudd Labor Government will cut red tape for small businesses by extending the free small business superannuation clearing house to businesses with less than 100 employees from 1 July 2014.
This free service helps small businesses to save on time and paperwork by enabling them to pay their employees' superannuation to a single location in just one simple electronic transaction.
Why is this change necessary?
The Rudd Labor Government has outlined a new national competitiveness agenda based on seven key elements, and we have made it a priority for all levels of government to reduce the regulatory impost on business.
This is a practical measure that will provide real support for small businesses to free them up from regulatory imposts so they can focus on growing their businesses.
Since its launch in 2010 by the Rudd Labor Government for business with less than 20 employees, the small business clearing house has been a resounding success
McKeon Research Package
Investing in health and medical research is vital to improving our health and quality of life.
A thriving health and medical research sector also generates high tech jobs.
Federal Labor understands the value of this sector and that is why in May 2011, the Federal Labor Government announced a major independent review of health and medical research in Australia, Better Health Through Research (The McKeon Review)
The Review’s 21 recommendations lay out a ten year vision for better health and economic prosperity through health and medical research.
The Review found that Australia has one of the world’s best performing health systems.
The Review argues that we must embed health and medical research into all aspects of the health system.
This is because health services conducting research deliver better health outcomes for patients
As the centrepiece of our initial response to the Review, Federal Labor will establish a Medical Research Innovation Fund (MRIF) to provide capital for early stage development of innovative biotechnology ventures
Too many good ideas fail to make it past the conceptual stage because of lack of finance.
The MRIF will bridge this gap by investing $125 million of public funding matched to $125 million of private sector funding.
Cutting Red Tape: Paid Parental Leave Payments
The Rudd Labor Government will enable businesses with fewer than 20 employees to streamline administration of our successful Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme
Small businesses will be able to have Centrelink make PPL payments to their employees whilst they are on parental leave
This will slash red tape and compliance costs for small businesses.
Those small businesses that wish to stay connected with their staff will still be able to opt-in if that meets their needs.
Why is this change necessary?
The Rudd Labor Government has listened to business, and understands that in the current economic environment small businesses need to be able to devote their scarce time on adapting to thrive as our economy transitions away from the China mining boom
The Rudd Labor Government’s PPL scheme is designed to be simple for employers.
The recent evaluation of the scheme found that most employers have found their role straightforward and easy
At the same time, the Rudd Labor Government recognises that some small businesses want the option of having their PPL payments managed by Centrelink
$15 Million for Cancer Care Nurse Coordinators
The Federal Labor Government will fund 34 Cancer Care Nurse Coordinators to ensure rural patients diagnosed with cancer are provided with vital information, care and support, as well as access and referral to specialists and services, and continuity of care.
This is a $15.1 million dollar investment.
The Cancer Care Coordinators will provide support and education patients who have been diagnosed with cancer, their families, carers and staff
Services may include:
Providing information about the illness and treatment options.
Facilitating patients’ contact with community supports and resources.
Help patients with accessing cancer services.
Ongoing support for patients and their families.
Providing expertise in chemotherapy administration and management.
Cancer Care Nurse Coordinators will be employed by state and territory governments, but funded by the Commonwealth.
This measure is expected to benefit at least 7,600 rural cancer patients and their families over four year.
A Plan for Northern Australia
The Rudd Labor Government will drive growth and jobs in northern Australia with new incentives for investment, a significant expansion of the Ord Irrigation Scheme and strategic development blueprints for key regional centres
Growing the North: A Plan for Northern Australia is a three-point strategy to develop and diversify the economy of northern Australia, which straddles a vast area across north Queensland, the Northern Territory and north-west Australia
It includes a commitment to establish a Northern Special Economic Zone focussing on the Northern Territory to encourage businesses to expand and to attract new businesses to the region
Northern Australia is home to around one million Australians and is critical to our nation’s economic future.
This is why the Rudd Government will work with business and other levels of government to help the region tap into the rapidly-growing markets of Asia.
This is a key part of Labor’s plan to keep Australia’s economy strong by creating new jobs for the future as the decade-long China resources boom is coming to an end.
Labor's New Car Plan for the 2020s
The Rudd Labor Government will invest in the future of Australia’s automotive manufacturing industry with a New Car Plan for the 2020s
Federal Labor will increase Government support by $500 million to 2020, giving the industry the critical certainty it needs to invest in Australia.
Australia is entering tougher economic times as the China resources boom comes to an end.
This means manufacturing is more important than ever – we must diversify our economy beyond the mining sector so we don’t have all our eggs in one basket.
A successful automotive industry creates skilled jobs, drives high-level research and development, and supports other technologically sophisticated industries
Under the New Car Plan for the 2020s, Labor will expand Government support for the industry providing $300 million per year on an ongoing basis
This equates to an additional $500 million from 2016 to 2020 – and this will be locked in by legislation, to ensure investment certainty.
This additional support will be ongoing past 2020 to provide the industry with the certainty and support it needs and will be reviewed every 5 years.
As part of the New Car Plan for the 2020s, the Rudd Labor Government also commits to:
Provide support to Motor Vehicle Producers (MVP), and the automotive supply chain including component producers and service providers
Provide support through a co-investment program for automotive production, plant and equipment, tooling, innovation and design and engineering services.
Have a specific legislative objective of integrating the automotive supply chain into local and global non-automotive markets.
Australia’s car industry directly employs around 50,000 people, makes the largest research and development investment in the manufacturing sector and supports an extensive supply chain of component producers
The automotive supply chain reaches into every State and Territory, employing:
Around 28,000 workers in Victoria.
Over 6,500 workers in New South Wales.
Over 7,000 workers in Queensland.
Over 5,000 workers in South Australia
Over 2,000 workers in Western Australia.
Over 500 workers in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory
Australia is one of only 13 countries which can take a vehicle from the drawing board to the showroom floor.
Manufacturers, governments, unions and workers need to work together to secure the future of this strategic industry.
This week Holden’s workers made sacrifices to ensure the viability of their industry.
Suppliers are playing their part by cutting costs and improving productivity.
State Governments have also pledged support through co-investment funds.
Now the Rudd Labor Government is re-committing to a viable, high tech and long term Australian automotive industry
Tony Abbott’s position couldn’t be more different.
He will cut $500 million in automotive support to 2015 and hold a Productivity Commission review before deciding whether there will be any assistance at all after 2015.
The choice for anyone who cares about the future of the Australian-made car and Australian manufacturing jobs is clear.
Under Federal Labor’s New Car Plan for the 2020s, the automotive industry will make a vital contribution to our economy after the China resources boom.
It will make 250,000 direct and indirect jobs more secure.
Under the Coalition’s cuts, the Australian-made car will be relegated to the history books and 250,000 Australian jobs will be at risk, with 50,000 certain to go.
The New Car Plan for the 2020s will be funded from within the existing funding allocation and no new funds will be required for the program until 2018.
Posted by Australian Labor on August 17, 2013
Stroke Care Coordinators in Medicare Locals
The Federal Labor Government will provide $50 million to improve care for stroke patients from hospital to home.
This money will fund around 61 Stroke Care Co-ordinators to deliver better care, support and service coordination through Medicare Locals across the country
Funding will also be provided to the StrokeConnect program run by The Stroke Foundation
StrokeConnect will work in connection with Medicare locals to ensure that people get the right level of care based on their individual needs
Stroke Care Co-ordinators will provide information and education to patients and families and they will help patients to access local follow-up and rehabilitation programs, making sure that stroke sufferers get access to the care they need once they’ve left hospital
Co-ordinators will be drawn from a range of fields, including nursing and allied health, ensuring that they have the experience and skills to offer much-needed support and assistance to patients and their families
Better Schools: Better Skills
The Rudd Labor Government has announced $209.8 million to build 137 new Trades Training Centres, benefitting 225 schools across the country
This investment is part of Federal Labor’s positive plan to ensure all Australian students are given every opportunity to secure high-skill, high-wage jobs beyond the China mining investment boom
This funding represents the next instalment (Round Five, Phase One) of the Rudd Labor Government’s highly successful 10 year $2. 5 billion Trades Training Centres in Schools program
As a result of this announcement, the Trades Training Centres in Schools program has committed $1. 4 billion for more than 510 Trades Training Centres, benefitting more than 1,290 secondary schools
Over 60 per cent of these schools are located in regional Australia.
New Centre for Extreme Weather and Flood Forecasting
The Rudd Labor Government has today announced $58. 5 million to improve the Bureau of Meteorology’s capacity to respond to extreme weather and natural disasters
As part of the package, the Federal Labor Government would establish a new National Centre for Extreme Weather to bring together the specialist skills and expertise required to respond to extreme weather events.
The Centre will implement a next-generation flood forecasting system similar to that used in the United Kingdom and United States, and develop and build an advanced storm tide prediction system
This technology will provide better warnings for people in low lying areas, particularly along the Queensland coast.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, like Cyclone Yasi, the Queensland floods and the Black Saturday bushfires
This package will increase the Bureau’s ability to inform and warn Australians before and during severe weather.
We need to be in a better position to respond to these events to ensure people can make decisions to protect their lives, their homes as well as community infrastructure
The measures announced today build on the Federal Labor Government’s initial response to the Munro Review of the Bureau of Meteorology’s capacity to respond to future extreme weather and natural disaster events and to provide seasonal forecasting services in the 2012-13 Federal Budget.
The Rudd Labor Government’s response makes clear the strong commitment to improving the Bureau’s ability to provide the up-to-the-minute services Australians rely upon – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Our investment of $3.7 million in vital infrastructure repairs this year and increasing frontline forecasters, including 42 meteorologists and 23 hydrologists, will mean better outcomes through improved emergency planning, response strategies and management systems
This funding has already been included in the budget.
Perth Will Be Home to Global Oil and Gas Innovation
The Rudd Government will invest in the jobs and economic growth of the future with two significant initiatives in Western Australia centred on the oil and gas sector
A re-elected Rudd Government will establish a new National Floating Systems Research Centre in Perth, led by the CSIRO and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in partnership with industry.
In addition, the Rudd Government has also announced Perth will be the national headquarters of the Oil & Gas Innovation Partnership, with additional nodes in Brisbane, Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney
These initiatives are a key part of the Rudd Government’s responsible plan to assist Australia transition to new sources of economic growth as the China resources investment boom comes to an end.
The oil & gas industry is investing $200 billion in Australia over 5 years, creating over 100,000 new jobs.
By 2025 this will add $260 billion to GDP.
But with investment growth from China slowing, now is the time to diversify, to innovate and to put in place strategies that will see our resources sector keep creating jobs and export revenue
National Floating Systems Research Centre
Floating systems are the way of the future.
Australia is already on track to be the first country in the world where floating LNG is deployed.
We will boast the only workforce in the world capable of operating this next generation technology.
The National Floating Systems Research Centre will ensure we capitalise on this opportunity
It will be an internationally leading research centre in offshore oil and gas production and floating systems that will help attract new investment, and new high-skill high wage jobs to Australia
We will invest $30 million in the new centre, to be matched with co-investment from the project partners taking total investment to more than $60 million over 3 years
Oil & Gas Innovation Partnership
Under Federal Labor’s $1 billion Plan for Australian Jobs, the Rudd Government will establish the Oil & Gas Innovation Partnership.
This industry-led network will increase collaboration between industry and researchers and create new opportunities, both here and abroad including multibillion dollar investments and new products and services.
This partnership is backed by some of the biggest names in the oil and gas business both upstream and midstream, onshore and offshore
Multi-nationals like Woodside, Shell & Santos will work alongside the CSIRO, some of our top universities and SME suppliers, to create the opportunities to broaden and expand the industry beyond the current wave of investment.
This partnership has the potential to attract a further $180 billion, or 1.5 per cent of GDP, in investment.
Improvements in productivity, development of new technologies and new investment has the potential to create over 150,000 new jobs, even with the China resource investment boom winding down.
The Rudd Labor Government will ensure that Australia is at the forefront of science and research into the development of world’s best oil and gas technologies and processes
In order to sustain a world class industry after the boom, we need to export more than just raw commodities – our IP, our expertise, our technologies are valuable commodities that will grow the industry and jobs far beyond the boom
Together, these commitments are part of the Rudd Labor Government’s plan for jobs beyond the boom.
A plan for a broader, more productive and more high tech economy.
Federal Labor is backing Australian industries, using the best science to create the best jobs and the best opportunities for all Australians.
Funding for these commitments is provided for in the budget.
Prime Minister Pledges Vote on Marriage Equality
The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has pledged to fast-track marriage equality legislation if Federal Labor is re-elected.
This is a reform millions of Australians from all walks of life have waited a long time to see made to Australian law.
Within 100 days of a re-elected Rudd Labor Government, Federal Labor will introduce a Bill into the Parliament to legalise same-sex marriage
Labor Party MPs will be granted a conscience vote when the Bill comes before the Parliament
The Prime Minister said marriage equality would put everyone on an equal footing.
“I've been thinking about the meaning of marriage for a long time - and I won't hide the fact that this has been a journey for me. It is a difficult discussion, and I won't force this on anyone. It will be a free vote for members of the Labor Party,” the Prime Minister said
. “But here is what I know: we are at our best when we give all Australians the same dignity, the same opportunity for happiness. I believe that no matter who we love, we all should be able to make that same promise I was able to make to Therese over 30 years ago. That all of us should be allowed to marry the one we love.”
Mr Rudd is the first Australian Prime Minister to go into an election promising to support marriage equality
Tony Abbott should match the Prime Minister’s commitment and allow Liberal Party MPs to vote according to their conscience on this issue in the new Parliament.
Step into Skills
The Rudd Labor Government today announced a new program to give young people the basic skills they need to set a path to decent and secure jobs.
Federal Labor has a positive plan to support new jobs as our economy comes to the end of the China resources investment boom and we tackle the challenges of the future.
As part of this plan, we will provide $35 million over three years for a new Step into Skills program
Delivered primarily through TAFE, the Step into Skills program will give more than 8,900 disadvantaged young people aged between 16 to 24 years better prospects of gaining employment by providing training in foundation skills
These are the general skills and knowledge necessary for effective participation in the workforce, such as communication, self-management, problem solving and teamwork
The unemployment rate for people who do not complete Year 12 and do not complete a further non-school qualification is 9.2 per cent, significantly higher than the general unemployment rate
Young people who do not complete Year 12 or a non-school qualification often lack basic literacy, numeracy and employability skills, locking them out of the jobs market.
That means better access to training in foundation skills is critical for reducing unemployment amongst this group of young Australians
They may also need help with being able to plan and organise, make decisions, communicate effectively, identify and solve problems, and manage their careers and work lives
Australia’s innovative and dynamic $1. 6 trillion economy simply cannot afford to have so many young people not being equipped with basic skills
That is why we announced our $10 billion Better Schools Plan to give children the individual, one-on-one attention they need to develop to their full potential
The Step into Skills program will do more to support young people who have just left or are about to leave school, helping them to find work or undertake further training
Step into Skills will focus on job seekers aged 16 to 24, and will include simulated work experience opportunities, language, literacy and numeracy, problem solving and communication training
Labor is committed to managing our economy to support jobs, boost workforce participation and improve skills.
Our focus on skills and training will ensure the benefits of economic growth flow to disadvantaged young people – it will also contribute to improved productivity
Federal Labor’s reforms have already delivered better training opportunities for Australians through:
Record investment in skills and training of over $19 billion over the past five years.
A national training entitlement under the $1.75 billion Skills Reform National Partnership.
This entitlement means all Australians are guaranteed access to a training place up to Certificate III level
Access to Income Contingent Loans to finance a higher level vocational qualification – all Australians have an entitlement to over $90,000 worth of training under this initiative
Access to a Trade Training Centre for every senior high school student in Australia by 2018.
Access to an apprenticeship for 70,000 Australians through the Kickstart Initiative
Uncapped undergraduate university places delivered by the Government’s Bradley Reforms.
This means Australians need never miss out on a degree because of a shortage of places.
Step into Skills will be another step in Federal Labor’s investment in skills to support jobs for Australians
Funding for this program is already included in the Budget.
Skilling for Better Services
Federal Labor has a plan to deliver thousands of skilled jobs in the community services sector, through its historic investment in better social services and in the skilled workforce that delivers them
Labor is investing more than $14 billion in additional funding for disability services over seven years as DisabilityCare is rolled out nationally
We’re also investing $3.7 billion in aged care reform over five years, including more than 40,000 extra home care packages.
The Rudd Labor Government’s new Skilling for Better Services program will provide extra investment in the skills to support these reforms through $30.6 million of new investment in our social services workforce.
This funding will provide for the training or up skilling of 5,800 extra community service workers and early childhood educators.
The additional places will be delivered through the National Workforce Development Fund, which funds training places through a co-contribution partnership model with employers.
This new funding is in addition to the existing National Workforce Development Fund allocation for community sector training places, which has provided $43. 3 million over two years for over 18,000 community and health service sector training places
Helping Hand for Parents on Outside School Hours Care
A Rudd Labor Government will provide parents of school aged children with better information to help them find the right kind of child care for them
A revamp of the MyChild website will give parents access to more information than ever before about the types of child care services in their community, particularly for those parents looking for outside school hours care
This will reduce the time parents spend searching for outside school hours care and will give parents more confidence about the types of activities their child will be participating in when in that care.
This initiative builds on the Rudd Labor Governments $450 million Better Schools: Before and After plan, providing $450 million for up to 500 schools to expand outside school hours care and deliver greater flexibility and quality in these programs
Inclusion of Korean as a Priority Language
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today launched the Australia in the Asian Century Country Strategy for the Republic of Korea (ROK) during a visit to the electorate of Bennelong in Sydney
The strategy outlines the Rudd Labor Government’s vision of what Australia’s relationship with South Korea should be by 2025 across education, culture and business.
The Prime Minister further announced Korean would now be included as a national priority Asian language along with Mandarin, Indonesian, Hindi and Japanese.
Although Australia and South Korea already share trade worth $32 billion it is recognised there is significant untapped potential in our economic relationship
The country strategy highlights the need to deepen our relationship with the Republic of Korea, and identifies opportunities to expand multilateral cooperation in non-proliferation, climate change, science and technology research and development
The Prime Minister recognised the community contributions to the development of the Asian Century Country Strategies
Consultations on the South Korea Country Strategy were held throughout April and May with business, academia, local government, youth groups, and community organisations participating in roundtables and public forums in each State and Territory capital
South Korea, China, India, Indonesia and Japan were identified as the initial priority countries for the development of country strategies under the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper
These countries were chosen due to their size, economic links with Australia, and their strategic and political influence in our region and globally.
Over the past 50 years, South Korea has successfully transformed its economic landscape, developing into the world’s 12th largest economy based on purchasing power parity, with a gross domestic product of $1.6 trillion.
The Republic of Korea Country Strategy and information on the public consultations and submissions can be found at http://www.dfat.gov.au/issues/asian-century
These initiatives do not involve any costs to the Budget.
Better Schools: Before and After School
The Rudd Labor Government’s new Better Schools: Before and After plan is improving Outside School Hours Care by offering:
More flexible opening hours – before and after school and during school holidays
More places – in areas where parents need access to out of school hours care
New, high quality activities and programs for children such as sporting activities, music lessons and homework clubs
This will be delivered through the Better Schools: Before and After program, a $450 million fund that will benefit up to 500 schools over the next four years
Around 345,000 children – mainly in primary school – are expected to benefit from the initiative
(MARPOR: additional policy statements, complementing the campaign announcements)
Labor is for Growth and Opportunity
Our economy is in transition with the end of the mining boom.
So we believe we must build for the future - by investing in new industries and new jobs.
Labor will grow the new jobs and build the new industries of the future with our $1 billion jobs program - because we can't have all our eggs in one basket
We will keep Australia's Triple A credit rating without Mr Abbott's $70 billion of unnecessary cuts to the bone
We are building the world-class infrastructure of the future like the National Broadband Network to build the businesses of tomorrow
When the toughest global economic conditions in more than 75 years hit, Labor got it right and kept Australia from going into recession.
Because Labor got these big calls right, Australia’s economy has shown a resilience and a recovery which is now the envy of the world
Australia's economy has recorded solid growth and is now over 14 per cent larger than when Labor came to office in 2007, while many advanced economies are struggling to return to pre-Global Financial Crisis levels.
Unemployment is low, with nearly 1 million jobs created since Labor came to office in 2007 compared to the 28 million added to unemployment queues around the world over the same period.
Inflation is contained under Labor, which has enabled low interest rates.
The average Australian paying off a mortgage is now paying around $5,500 a year less than they were when the Coalition left office in 2007
There is record business investment in Australia, with nearly $270 billion committed in the resources sector alone.
This strong foundation means Labor can put in place the big reforms we need to secure our prosperity for generations to come.
Of course, the future isn’t assured, and as well as the lingering aftershocks of the Global Financial Crisis, we are now entering a significant economic transition as the mining investment boom passes its peak
Rapidly falling commodity prices, and continued  global uncertainty and the high dollar have taken a sledgehammer to government revenues
But Labor has said very clearly that we will not put in place savage cuts that would put our economic fundamentals at risk – we will never risk jobs and growth.
Jobs and growth have been at the heart of Labor's economic plan since we came to office.
When the GFC hit, it was jobs and growth that Labor put first when putting in place the recession-beating stimulus package
And Labor has jobs and growth front and centre today during this period of transition
Labor will continue to run a disciplined and sustainable fiscal policy that makes room for future Labor reforms.
This is why we’ve outlined an Economic Statement that tracks a path back to surplus, making responsible savings while supporting jobs and growth.
Taxes will continue to be lower under Labor than they were under the Coalition, with a typical Australian family receiving income tax cuts worth over $3500 a year since we came to office.
And Labor will always do the right thing by releasing all policies and costings to the Australian people consistent with the Charter of Budget Honesty
Labor is for Families
Labor has always worked hard to protect jobs and support families, from introducing pensions for war widows and the first family payments, to ensuring Australian workers kept their jobs during the recent global financial crisis
Despite a resilient economy that is the envy of the world, Labor understands it hasn't been easy for many modern families.
That's why Labor has a plan to support families and make sure no one gets left behind.
Taxes will continue to be lower under Labor than they were under the Coalition, with a typical Australian family paying more than $3500 less a year in personal tax than when we came to office in 2007.
Labor has increased Family Tax Benefit Part A & B payments as part of the Household Assistance Package
And each year, a typical family will receive more than $280 to help with the bills - money that the Coalition has promised to take away.
Under Labor, the average Australian family paying off a mortgage is now paying around $5000 a year less than they were when the Coalition left office in 2007.
Labor knows it can be tough to manage the family budget when you have kids in school.
New uniforms, text books and school excursions aren’t cheap, and the costs can pile up pretty quickly.
That's why Labor is delivering more support for local families with kids in school to help them make ends meet.
The Schoolkids Bonus gives families more help with the costs of having kids in school, with eligible families automatically receiving $410 a year for each child in primary school and $820 a year for each child in secondary school
The early years of education is vital for a child's personal development, and Labor - together with the state and territory governments - is on track to provide access to quality early childhood education to every child by the end of this year
That means 15 hours a week, 40 weeks a year delivered by a university-trained early childhood teacher.
Access to affordable child care places is important for modern families, and Labor has helped by increasing child care places.
Despite this, we know there are many parents who can’t find child care places.
This means many parents who find themselves on child care waiting lists can’t return to work and can’t access Labor's child care assistance.
That's why Labor places no cap on the number of approved child care services that can be established – we’ll offer financial assistance for all places which become available where a business decides to set up a centre
Labor has increased the Child Care Rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of out-of-pocket costs to help reduce the cost of child care for families.
Being able to access child care when you need it is important to modern families, which is why Labor is trialling new flexible models of child care to help make the work and child care juggle a little bit easier
Labor has significantly increased the amount families can claim each year in child care fee assistance, lifting the cap to $7,500 to ensure nearly all families claiming the rebate don’t hit the cap and don’t end up paying for the full costs for child care.
Rebates can now be paid to families fortnightly, in addition to a quarterly or annual basis, helping families balance their week-to-week budgets.
New mums can get up to 18 weeks' pay at the national minimum wage while getting to know their baby under Labor's Paid Parental Leave Scheme.
Under Labor’s Dad and Partner Pay, eligible dads and same-sex partners can receive an additional two weeks' of government paid leave at the minimum wage to spend time more time at home with their partner and baby.
It was Labor that first put in place the pension system in 1909 and it was Labor that delivered the biggest increase to the pension in 100 years in 2009.
Labor also put pensioners first when with the Household Assistance Package to help with their household bills.
Pensioners often have limited room to move in their budgets, which is why Labor is helping them make ends meet.
Only Labor will continue to protect the pension for those who need it most – people who worked hard throughout their lives and who have given so much to our community.
Tony Abbott and the Coalition plan to claw back $1 billion of this extra support for pensioners, leaving them hundreds of dollars out of pocket.
Labor is for Education
Labor has always stood for fairer, more accessible and higher quality education.
A good education is the best creator of opportunity in our society
Mr Abbott says he will cut billions from our schools and then cut the SchoolKids Bonus
Australian students are falling behind the rest of the world.
While we already have great schools and teachers in Australia, we need to do better.
We will build the schools of the future through our $15 billion Better Schools Plan so that our kids get more individual attention to be able to reach their full potential.
As part of the plan, we want to put Australia back in the top five schooling nations in the world for reading, science, maths by 2025
To do this we have to ensure that every school is supported to reach their full potential
Under the plan, teaching quality will be lifted, principals will have more power to make decisions about their school and more information will be made available for parents through My School
Schools with students who need extra support to lift their results will be entitled to extra funding based on six categories: kids from low income families, Indigenous students, students with disability, kids with limited English skills, the size of the school, and those who attend rural and remote schools.
Labor is helping schools provide access to new computer and technology equipment for secondary students in Years 9 to 12
 A one-to-one computer-to-student ratio has been achieved nationally in Australian schools with students in Years 9 to 12.
Labor has thrown open the doors of Australia’s universities, with 190,000 more Australians now attending university
This means, for the first time, any Australian with the ability and the commitment will be able to attend university.
An ambitious target has been set by Labor that by 2025, 40 per cent of all 25-to-34-year-olds will hold a bachelor's degree or above, and 20 per cent of undergraduate enrolments will be disadvantaged students from low socio-economic backgrounds.
We're well on our way to achieving both.
Labor is investing a record $14.3 billion over the next four years in skills and training like TAFE in the face of savage cuts by Liberal state governments, because quality education and training is the key to a better job, a better career and a better pay packet
Labor is for Fairness
Throughout our history Labor has been synonymous with fairness.
Whether it's in the workplace, at home or ensuring society's most disadvantaged get a fair go, fairness goes to the very core of Labor's being
Labor knows the current system of disability care and support is underfunded and unfair for those who rely on it.
That’s why we're introducing DisabilityCare Australia, the national disability insurance scheme, to completely transform the disability care and support system in this country by taking a tailored, life-long approach to providing care and support for local people with disability
DisabilityCare Australia will work with people with disability, their families and carers to identify their plans and goals for the future
This will ensure they receive individualised care and support packages, are assisted by local coordinators to help manage and deliver their support, and are linked to mainstream and community services
DisabilityCare Australia will mean more choice and control, more independence, and more opportunities for people with disability to be involved in school, work and community life
Importantly, it gives all Australians peace of mind that if they or a loved one are born with or acquires a disability, they will get the care support they need.
Labor has invested $1 billion to deliver the first stage of DisabilityCare Australia, beginning from July 2013
The first stage will benefit more than 25,000 people in five locations across the country and a historic agreement has been reached between the federal and NSW state governments to roll out DisabilityCare Australia across the state by 2018-2019
Labor has always had a proud record of helping to deliver affordable housing for Australians and their families.
The goal of ensuring all Australian families have access to affordable housing has continued with a massive increase in housing supply through both social housing and incentives for the private sector to keep building through the global financial crisis.
More than 21,000 new homes are being delivered across Australia with Labor's $6 billion investment in social housing, while the $4.5 billion National Rental Affordability Scheme has provided incentive payments to the private sector to build 50,000 affordable rental homes.
All Australians deserve a safe, secure home and Labor is tackling the complex challenge of homelessness.
Labor aims to halve the rate of homelessness and provide supported accommodation to all rough sleepers who seek it by 2020.
To back this commitment, Labor has invested an unprecedented $5 billion into support for homelessness services and programs.
Consumers have been given a fairer go after Labor introduced the Australian Consumer Law which gives consumers the same rights wherever they live in Australia, gets rid of unfair contract terms and imposes heavy penalties if a salesperson ignores a visible ‘do not knock’ sign on a front door
At the supermarket consumers can now look at similar grocery products sold in different weights or quantities and work out which one represents the best value for money so they can get the best deal at the checkout.
Australians are resilient by nature, but when natural disasters strike local communities need a helping hand to get back on their feet.
Labor helps families, workers, business and farmers with emergency relief, money to repair roads and community facilities and income support.
This ensures people can keep operating within their local community.
When disaster strikes, Australians deserve the fairest insurance coverage available so they can rebuild quickly.
After the Queensland floods, Labor laid down a standard definition of flood for insurance purposes.
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of homes covered by flood insurance, more than 78 per cent compared to just 3 per cent in 2006.
All people are entitled to respect, dignity and the opportunity to participate fully in society regardless of their sexuality.
Labor has passed legislation to establish new protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex people under the Sex Discrimination Act, and to bar discrimination against older gay and lesbian people seeking to use aged care services.
Labor has changed 85 laws to remove discrimination against same-sex couples and their children.
Labor’s national platform changed at the 2011 National Conference to support marriage equality, and to amend the Marriage Act to reflect this
Our society must keep striving to improve fairness, opportunity and safety for women in the workplace and in the community.
Under Labor there are new opportunities for women’s employment in non-traditional areas such as the mining industry and the military front line.
Women’s representation on Australian Government boards is the highest it has ever been and is on target to reach 40 per cent by 2015, while businesses will need to provide information on gender equality in the workplace to help improve women's participation in the workforce.
Changes have been made to the Sex Discrimination Act: no one can be discriminated against based on family responsibilities, while breastfeeding is now its own separate grounds of discrimination
Labor has also introduced protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status
Labor has also commissioned the Human Rights Commission to conduct an inquiry into workplace discrimination experienced by people who are pregnant or returning to work after taking parental leave.
Labor has set up 1800RESPECT, a national phone counselling and online service to assist victims of sexual assault and family or domestic violence
The service is also available to people who may encounter victims of sexual assault and family or domestic violence to provide advice on how to help people in need
As a community we need to take a zero tolerance stance on all domestic violence and sexual assault, and Labor introduced the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children to do just that
Everyone eligible to vote deserves the best opportunity to exercise their democratic right.
That's why Labor has introduced direct enrolment which will assist in arresting the decline in enrolment rates across Australia by ensuring the federal electoral roll is as current and accurate as possible
This is particularly helpful with people who move house in making sure their enrolment details are up to date.
Labor is for Workers
We are working together to build the fair workplaces of the future - with everyone around the one table and delivering support, including Paid Parental Leave.
When Labor came to government in 2007 it was on the back of a pledge to return fairness to the workplace by ripping up WorkChoices
Labor has delivered strong protections for conditions like overtime and penalty rates that can’t be stripped away.
There is a strong and independent umpire in the Fair Work Commission, we have implemented a balanced unfair dismissal system and flexibilities to help balance work and family life
Major advances in equal pay have been made because of changes we made to workplace laws, with around 150,000 social and community workers being awarded pay increases of between 23 and 45 per cent.
Australian workers are not just better off under Labor, but also safer at work.
Workplace health and safety laws are being improved, truck drivers no longer have to take unacceptable risks on the road thanks to our safe rates reforms and Labor is introducing a right for victims of workplace bullying to have that bullying stopped and prevented from happening again.
The strongest protections for workers' entitlements ever seen in Australia have been implemented by Labor, to protect entitlements when an employer becomes bankrupt or insolvent
Labor introduced compulsory superannuation under Paul Keating, and now Australians will have more money for their retirement with superannuation going from 9 per cent to 12 per cent
1 July 2013 marks the first increase, when super contributions will increase to 9.25 per cent.
Moving to 12 per cent super means a 30 year old on the average wage will retire with $118,000 more in their retirement savings
Low and middle-income workers are paying less tax under Labor.
Someone earning $50,000 is now paying 18 per cent less tax than in 2007.
Everyone earning up to $80,000 is paying less tax and anyone earning $18,200 or less, such as part-time workers, now pays no tax at all.
Labor is also providing flexibility to help workers balance their work and family lives.
 Through improved parental leave arrangements with more flexibility, the right to request flexible work or allowing agreement on individual flexibility arrangements, Labor is providing workers with flexibility and strong protections
New mums can get up to 18 weeks' pay at the national minimum wage while getting to know their baby under Labor's Paid Parental Leave Scheme.
Under Labor’s Dad and Partner Pay, eligible dads and same-sex partners can receive an additional two weeks' of government paid leave at the minimum wage to spend time more time at home with their partner and baby.
Labor is for Better Health
Labor is the party of Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and prides itself on its record of delivering policies that help Australians when they need it most, regardless of income or background.
That's why Labor has invested more in health care than any previous government, making up for the lost time and money of the Howard years.
This means more beds and shorter waits for hospital treatment and a focus on prevention with better access to your local GP.
We will continue to invest in our world class health and hospital system and we will invest in our communities through Australia's first National Disability Insurance Scheme - DisabilityCare Australia
Mr Abbott as Health Minister cut $1 billion from our hospitals and now says he will cut Medicare Locals
Under Labor there are more doctors and more nurses.
There’s also a record number of GPs and nurses being trained
And it's easier to get your visit to the GP bulk billed under Labor, too.
Different communities have different health needs, and local communities deserve a say in how their health care is run.
Labor has established Medicare Locals to deliver better health services local communities.
Medicare Locals are the newest part of Australia’s universal health system and are delivering things like GP after hours, immunisation programs, mental health services, and much more
A person's dental health is often an indicator of their general health, and better dental care is a priority for Labor.
Labor's dental care package will mean it will be as easy to see a dentist as it is a doctor for 3.4 million kids.
We are also improving public dental services for pensioners and low income earners.
Under Labor's teen dental plan, more than 1.5 million dental check-ups have been provided.
There's now a strong focus on the mental health of Australians, with Labor investing in the nation's biggest ever mental health package.
One in four young Australians suffer mental health issues every year.
In response, Labor has invested in prevention and youth mental health, with 50 additional Headspace mental health services being rolled out in rural, regional and metropolitan areas.
With Labor, Headspace will expand to 90 sites across the country helping more than 70,000 young people every year
We've also built a free 'virtual clinic' accessible to every Australian, MindSpot.org.au, and have increased suicide prevention funding by more than six times the 2007 funding levels
The private health rebate is now fairer, with low and middle-income earners no longer subsidising the private health cover of high-income earners
This will free up $100 billion to be reinvested into better health services over the coming years.
Labor is for Jobs
If we are going to build Australia's future together, Australia needs a new way of doing politics for the future as well as an end to wall-to-wall negativity
Bringing government, business and unions together around the same table, rather than continuing the politics of division.
This is the way we can build Australia's future - together
Supporting Australian jobs has been Labor's top priority through the Global Financial Crisis, with more than 950,000 jobs created since we came to office in 2007 compared to the 28 million added to unemployment queues around the world over the same period
Nearly one million Australians work in manufacturing, but a high Australian dollar and increasing international competition is putting pressure on Australian jobs
Labor has worked hand-in-hand with workers and industry to develop an Aussie Jobs Package that supports manufacturing, helps businesses grow and puts Australian jobs first.
Labor's New Car Plan is investing in the Australian automotive industry that directly employs around 50,000 people and supports around another 200,000 jobs
Every Australian deserves the dignity of having a job, and Job Services Australia has found work for around 1.5 million Australians since it commenced in 2009.
Labor’s renewal of the Disability Employment Service resulted in a 46 per cent increase in the number of disabled people being helped into a job.
Labor is investing a record $14.3 billion over the next four years in skills and training like TAFE in the face of savage cuts by Liberal state governments, because quality education and training is the key to a better job, a better career and a better pay packet
Australia needs more skilled workers – more plumbers, more electricians, more carpenters, more fitters and turners - and Labor helped 21,000 Australians access an apprenticeship through the Kickstart Initiative
Under Labor every senior high school student in Australia will have access to a Trade Training Centre by 2018
This will give students access to industry-standard equipment and vocational education, offering a quality pathway into a trade or vocation and help address national skills shortages in traditional trades and emerging industries
Labor is for Senior Australians
Through historic reforms to the pension and aged care system, as well as investing in services and supporting older Australians to continue to work, Labor is giving seniors the choice, support and certainty they deserve
It was Labor that first put in place the pension system in 1909 and it was Labor that delivered the biggest increase to the pension in 100 years in 2009.
Labor also put pensioners first with the Household Assistance Package to help with their household bills
Pensioners often have limited room to move in their budgets, which is why Labor is helping them make ends meet.
Only Labor will continue to protect the pension for those who need it most – people who worked hard throughout their lives and who have given so much to our community.
Tony Abbott and the Coalition plan to claw back $1 billion of this extra support for pensioners, leaving them hundreds of dollars out of pocket.
Labor will continue to support self-funded retirees.
Last year self-funded retirees benefited from tax cuts averaging more than $550 for 190,000 seniors and also made sure that self-funded retirees who hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card receive the same household assistance as pensioners to help cover any price impacts from the carbon price.
It was Labor that introduced universal superannuation 20 years ago, and now Labor is building on that work with our commitment to further increases and greater protections by gradually lifting superannuation from 9 per cent to 12 per cent in 2019
The first superannuation increase of 25 per cent takes place in July this year
Since 2007 Labor has invested more than 70 per cent more funding into the aged care sector, adding more than 21,000 residential care places and 18,000 home care places nationally.
Changes are being made to the aged care system which will lift quality in residential aged care homes and allow more people to access care in their own homes.
Older Australians who want to live independently in their own home are more likely to have that choice: Labor is increasing the number of Home Care Packages by 40,000 -- to nearly 100,000 by 2017.
From next financial year, means tested care costs will be capped, giving older Australians financial certainty and peace of mind
The residential care cost cap is $25,000 per year and home care packages are capped at $5,000 for part pensioners and $10,000 for self-funded retirees
And no one will ever pay more than Labor's $60,000 cap over their lifetime.
To help people keep their family home, and to prevent anyone being forced to sell their home, Labor will give families more choice about how to pay for care.
From 1 July 2014, instead of a bond which can cost millions and might bear no resemblance to the actual cost of accommodation, you will be able to pay through a lump sum or a periodic payment - or a combination of both.
And from April next year, providers of care will need to publish their prices and ensure accommodation pricing appropriately reflects value.
Labor is for Students
Labor is giving extra support to students and young Australians to help them make ends meet.
We know it can be tough for young people to keep up with living costs – especially if they’re at university, TAFE or just starting out in the workforce.
That’s why Labor is giving students the opportunity to earn more without affecting Youth Allowance payments.
Young people who work can now earn up to $405 per fortnight and still get full Youth Allowance
Students on Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY will get an upfront extra payment of $1025 in July to help with the costs of going back to university
And from January this year Labor has given students a permanent boost to their fortnightly student payment.
Labor has thrown open the doors of Australia’s universities, with 190,000 more Australians now attending university
This means, for the first time, any Australian with the ability and the commitment will be able to attend university.
An ambitious target has been set by Labor that by 2025, 40 per cent of all 25-to-34-year-olds will hold a bachelor's degree or above, and 20 per cent of undergraduate enrolments will be disadvantaged students from low socio-economic backgrounds.
We're well on our way to achieving both.
Labor is investing a record $14.3 billion over the next four years in skills and training like TAFE in the face of savage cuts by Liberal state governments, because quality education and training is the key to a better job, a better career and a better pay packet.
Labor is for a Sustainable Environment
Since coming to office in 2007, Labor has put its commitment to tackling climate change and protecting our precious environment into action.
Labor's first act after coming into government in 2007 was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, and Labor has signed up to the second commitment period too.
Human-induced climate change is real and it is happening now.
Like many other countries, Australia will put a cap on pollution through an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
By moving to an ETS, Australian households will benefit from a reduction in the cost-of-living worth around $380 to an average household next financial year.
This will ease cost-of-living pressures on families while ensuring Australia continues to play its part in reducing carbon pollution for the good of the environment.
Revenue from the ETS will help families with with tax cuts, higher pension payments and increased family payments
Under Labor, Australia will cut at least 150 million tonnes of pollution in 2020 and see at least 20 per cent of energy come from a renewable source
Since coming to office in 2007 Australia's wind capacity has trebled and Labor has supported the installation of more than 1 million solar panels, up from just over 7000 under the Howard Government.
We have established the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Clean Energy Finance Corporation which are already hard at work developing, commercialising and investing in new renewable energy technologies
After decades of mismanagement and disagreement on how to manage the Murray Darling Basin, Labor has locked in a plan that restores the rivers to health.
Labor's bold vision for reconnecting the Australian landscape through a network of national parks and reserves across Australia is becoming a reality.
A network of wildlife corridors is being established across Australia that will benefit our native animals and environment meaning our grandkids can enjoy the same beautiful places we grew up with
The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia's greatest national icons.
But it's under increasing pressure from climate change, catchment runoff and outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish
That's why Labor is investing in the Reef Rescue program to improve the Reef’s overall health, working with communities along the length of the Reef to improve water quality and increase its resilience.
Labor has established the world’s most comprehensive network of national parks in the ocean.
These marine reserves will conserve the plants and animals found in them.
It's important our oceans are also protected to ensure a sustainable future for the fishing industry and for people who love to fish
Most marine reserves which affect charter and recreational activities are 200km from shore, meaning very few recreational fishers are impacted.
Our oceans and local fishing industry are also better protected after Labor banned the super trawler FV Abel Tasman from operating in Australian waters.
Labor has added Ningaloo Reef and Koongarra within Kakadu to the World Heritage list and has recommended an expansion of Tasmania’s World Heritage Area, completing the protection for these precious areas started by the Hawke and Keating governments
Labor is for the First Australians
Ending more than 200 years of disadvantage among Indigenous Australians is a goal Labor is committed to keep working towards.
Over the past 40 years Labor has fought for aboriginal land rights, passed the Native Title Act and made a national apology to the victims of the Stolen Generations.
But Labor recognises that previous approaches to end disadvantage have not worked and there is much to do, which is why there has been unprecedented effort and record investment in addressing Indigenous disadvantage, including six ambitious Closing the Gap targets
One of the Closing the Gap targets is to halve the gap in unemployment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by 2018.
The employment target is one of the most ambitious and challenging of the Closing the Gap targets and achieving real change in employment will be the culmination of long term investments in early childhood, education, skills and training
Australia's Constitution needs to change to recognise the unique and special place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our society and culture
Labor wants meaningful change, change that unites the nation and reflects the hopes and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
Politicians don't pass referendums; people do.
That's why Labor has been working to establish a strong base for constitutional change, including passing an Act of Recognition through the parliament and funding a campaign to raise community awareness of constitutional change
Labor agrees with the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples which says a referendum should be held at a time when it has the most chance of success.
Labor knows that successful constitutional change will not occur without the support of the majority of Australians and is committed to building the necessary support.
Labor is for Australian Business
Labor understands that a high Australian dollar and increasing international competition is putting pressure on Australian jobs.
Only Labor has a plan to work with Australian industry to increase exports, help Australian businesses to grow and put Australian jobs first.
Like most businesspeople, Labor likes to plan for the future.
Without world-class broadband, Australia will fall behind the rest of the world and our economy will suffer; our businesses won’t have the tools they need to match their competitors around the world.
In the 21st century, broadband is basic infrastructure – Australian businesses need it.
It’s become an essential utility, just like electricity or water
That's why Labor is delivering the National Broadband Network: high-speed, reliable, affordable broadband to every home and business in Australia
The rollout of the NBN is ramping up quickly.
High speed broadband to homes and businesses in cities and the bush is being rolled out right across Australia
By June this year construction will have commenced or be complete for more than 1.2 million homes and businesses
The benefits of the NBN for business are clear: lower phone and internet bills, unprecedented opportunities to expand and reach new markets, the ability to use video conferencing, reach customers no matter where they are, digitise supply chains, and offer new, more convenient products and services
The reliability and affordability of the NBN is going to dramatically improve access to technology, like cloud computing, that will allow businesses, particularly SMEs, to reduce costs and increase productivity
The Coalition says Australia can’t afford to have access to the best communications system in the world.
Labor says we can’t afford not to.
Tourism is important to Australia’s economy and Labor recognises the contribution of hard working small businesses which are the backbone of Australia’s tourism industry
Tourism employs more than 500,000 Australians and is particularly important to regional Australia, but challenges like the high Australian dollar and the Global Financial Crisis mean more than overseas TV ads are needed if Australia is to successfully compete for overseas visitors
Through the Tourism 2020 plan, Labor is helping Australia’s tourism industry become more competitive by cutting red tape, investing in skills, and working with industry to seize the opportunities of the fast-growing tourist market in Asia
Small businesses make a huge contribution to national prosperity and supporting Australian jobs.
Labor is committed to building an environment in which small business not only survives, but thrives
Labor is giving small business a stronger voice with the Minister for Small Business sitting at the Cabinet table for the first time in a decade and the appointment of the first Australian Small Business Commissioner, who represents the interest of Australian small businesses.
Enterprise Connect was established by Labor to offer advice and support to eligible Australian small and medium-sized enterprises to help them transform and reach their full potential
All small businesses can immediately write-off the full value of assets costing less than $6,500, including motor vehicles.
Small businesses can depreciate other assets (other than buildings) at 15 per cent in the first year and then in a single pool at a rate of 30 per cent.
They can also claim up to $5,000 as an immediate deduction for motor vehicles (new or used) costing $6,500 or more.
The remainder of the motor vehicle value will be pooled in the general small business pool
Labor is also allowing companies to carry back tax losses of up to $1 million to get a refund against tax paid in the previous year.
The loss carry back period will increase to two years from 2013-14.
This can provide a tax benefit of up to $300,000 per year (limited to the balance of the company’s franking account) providing an injection of funds to invest in new ideas, equipment and markets
Labor is for Being a Good Global Citizen
Labor has a proud tradition of standing up for the freedom and rights of others in the world.
That tradition continues with Australia being elected as one of five new non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Australia's two-year term began at the start of 2013 and gives us a seat at the table in trying to maintain international peace and security.
Australia last served on the UN Security Council under the Hawke Labor Government in 1985-86.
Australia is one of 50 countries in the International Security Assistance Force operating in Afghanistan under a United Nations mandate.
Thanks to Australia's hard working troops, Uruzgan Province in Afghanistan is on track to transition to Afghan-led security by the end of this year
Transition across Afghanistan will be complete by the end of 2014
The majority of Australia's troops will be home by the end of 2013 with the closure of the main Tarin Kot base in Uruzgan Province
Completing transition in Afghanistan is in Australia’s national interest as we want to help ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a breeding ground for international terrorists.
Australia has made clear that we expect to maintain a presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014, through training, military advisers, capacity building and development assistance.
Australia will also consider contributing Special Forces under an appropriate mandate.
Our contribution to foreign aid has grown every year since Labor came to government in 2007; there is currently more assistance from Australia to other countries than ever before.
Labor is committed to delivering an effective aid program and contributing 0.5 per cent of Australia's Gross National Income towards foreign aid by 2017-18.
Labor is for Regional Australia
Labor stands for jobs and growth in regional Australia, which means stronger, fairer and smarter regional communities.
Regional communities deserve to be the best they can be, to seize the opportunities of the future.
That's why Labor has worked hard to protect jobs and support families in regional Australia.
Labor has invested billions of dollars in regional health, education, skills, roads, rail and community services
We recognise that there is more work to be done
We want to help unlock regional Australia's potential and work with regional communities to secure their - and the nation's - future prosperity
Without world-class broadband, regional Australia will fall behind the rest of the country and world, and local economies will suffer
In the 21st century, broadband is basic infrastructure – regional Australians need it.
It’s become an essential utility, just like electricity or water.
That's why Labor is delivering the National Broadband Network: high-speed, reliable, affordable broadband to every home and business in Australia
The technology is future-proof and can be upgraded easily – future speeds will be even faster.
The rollout of the NBN is progressing rapidly.
High-speed broadband to homes and businesses in cities and the bush is being rolled out right across Australia
By June this year construction will have commenced or be complete for more than 1.2 million homes and businesses
The benefits of the NBN are clear: it will make a real difference to the lives of regional Australians in the areas of education, health and business
A student in Dubbo could participate in a specialist science class delivered by a teacher in Sydney, regional health patients will be able to receive specialist consultations from home or a local clinic without the need to travel and local businesses will have unprecedented opportunities to expand and reach new markets
The reliability and affordability of the NBN is going to dramatically improve access to technology.
Farmers will have instant access to the latest price and weather information
They will be able to track their livestock in real time, manage their crops more effectively, auction livestock online using video-conferencing, and have the ability to sell directly to buyers rather than through an intermediary.
The Coalition says Australia can’t afford to have access to the best communications system in the world.
Labor says we can’t afford not to.
Labor is developing Australia’s first ever National Food Plan.
This plan will be delivered as a white paper this year and will help provide a sustainable, globally competitive, resilient food supply that supports access to nutritious and affordable food.
It will examine the potential challenges and opportunities for our food producers and consumers.
Animal welfare, including for animals in the live export trade, is a priority for Labor.
The Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) has been created, which for the first time provides traceability and accountability in the live animal export trade.
No other country has such a far-reaching system for overseeing the animal welfare of live animal exports.
ESCAS strictly regulates the treatment of livestock and sets a benchmark that requires exporters to take responsibility for the welfare of animals throughout their supply chain
This system applies in all existing and new live export slaughter markets
Before an export company is granted permission to ship livestock for slaughter purposes overseas, it must demonstrate livestock will be treated at, or better than, internationally recognised animal welfare standards.
FIVE KEY ISSUES
-1- LOBBY GROUPS
The Palmer United Party believes that lobbyists should be excluded from holding official positions in the Palmer United Party.
Official office bearers of the Palmer United Party need to represent the membership and they can’t do that if they are receiving large amounts of money from companies or business groups.
A member who is a lobbyist needs to decide if his business interests are more important than carrying out obligations of an office bearer.
Moreover lobbyist firms often employ former Ministers from both political parties and Big Business can get policy changes by paying money to such firms to represent their views.
This represents a serious conflict of interest and undermines the value of individuals voting rights and the Democracy Australians have fought for.
It negates Australian right to vote.
-2- 25% WEALTH FOR REGIONS
The Palmer United Party believes 25% of the wealth generated from regions in Australia must be returned to that region so that the wealth can be reinvested in the region that generated such wealth on behalf of the people of Australia.
-3- CARBON TAX – ELECTRICITY PRICE
The Palmer United Party will scrap the Carbon Tax, not from when we are elected but from when the tax was introduced.
Electricity prices are too high.
Australian families are being destroyed.
Australians will get refunds under the Palmer United Government.
The Palmer United Party will set up a national commission to investigate the Carbon issue and seek submissions from all Australians so that the government is fully informed.
-4- USING AUSTRALIAN WEALTH FOR AUSTRALIA
Japan has become the world’s third largest economy by processing Australian resources.
Wages in Japan are more expensive.
The cost of energy is higher.
Japan suffers from the tyranny of distance yet Australia sells its mineral ore at $40 - $200 a tonne and Japan sells final products at up to $20,000 a ton or more.
To create jobs, more government revenue and a stronger balance of payments the Australian government needs to encourage the use of the mineral resource wealth of Western Australia and Queensland to support downstream manufacturing in states that don’t have those resources, such as New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.
We can create jobs increase our exports and provide greater revenue and a rising rather than declining standard of living for our country.
Higher export revenue means better education and health services for our people.
5 – COMMON SENSE POLICY OF ARRIVALS TO AUSTRALIA TO SAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
We spend Billions of dollars each year trying to deal with illegal entry into Australia.
Our Navy is deployed at great cost and does not now do what it should do and defend Australia.
People are attracted to this country by many financial and other benefits that the government offers.
Families of new arrivals are separated and kept in camps at the taxpayers’ expense and many people lose their lives while people smugglers make a fortune.
While all this is going on the Australian People continue to suffer.
We need to change things.
It is the Australian government that creates the market for people smugglers to prosper.
If a person seeking entry into Australia was allowed to board a plane for $800 to fly to one of our airports such as Sydney or Brisbane they wouldn’t need to pay the People Smugglers up to $20,000 for illegal entry to Australia.
Any person would require their valid passport to board the flight, so when arriving at the immigration hall we would know who they are and where they came from.
At the airport we could have the facilities to deal with them.
Each person or family could be given a fair hearing at the airport facilities when they arrive to determine if they had a lawful right of entry into Australia.
If they didn’t they could be returned to where they came from on the next flight.
This would abolish the detention camps, restore our navy to its traditional role, save the lives of children and families, keep families together and recognise the legitimate rights of those that have a lawful reason for entering Australia.
This policy would also reduce the risk of breeches in our quarantine and protect our agricultural industries.
Only the Palmer United Party can stop the boats by taking away the financial incentive that started them in the first place.
The billions of dollars saved by this policy can be spent for a change on the people who deserve it the people of Australia.
WE BELIEVE
In Australia, its people and its future.
In the innate worth of the individual, in the right to be independent, to own property and to achieve, and in the need to encourage initiative and personal responsibility.
In the basic freedoms of thought, worship, speech, association and choice.
In equality of opportunity, with all Australians having the opportunity to reach their full potential in a tolerant national community.
In a just and humane society, where those who cannot provide for themselves can live in dignity.
In the family as the primary institution for fostering the values on which a cohesive society is built.
In the creation of wealth and in competitive enterprise, consumer choice and reward for effort as the proven means of providing prosperity for all Australians.
In the principle of mutual obligation, whereby those in receipt of government benefits make some form of contribution to the community in return, where this is appropriate.
In the importance of voluntary effort and voluntary organisations.
In parliamentary democracy as the best system for the expression and fulfilment of the aspirations of a free people.
In the separation and distribution of powers as the best protection for the democratic process.
In a federal system of government and the decentralisation of power, with local decisions being made at the local level.
In a constitutional head of state as a symbol of unity and continuity.
In Government being sufficiently responsive so that it can meet its proper obligations to its citizens.
- In Government keeping to its core business and not competing with the private sector.
- In the rule of law and justice, giving all citizens equal rights under the law, responsibilities to maintain it, and the freedom to change it.
- In Australia playing a constructive role in the pursuit and maintenance of international peace in alliance with other free nations and in assisting less advantaged peoples.
- In providing jobs from Australian resource wealth.
- In reducing taxation.
- In ensuring Australia doesn’t waste taxpayer funds.
- In protecting the rights of children and mothers.
MODERN AUSTRALIA – THE CHALLENGE OF NATION BUILDING
We are proud of our nation and its achievements.
We admire our fellow Australians who consistently triumph over adversity.
We respect the lessons of history that lay the foundations for an even better future.
The story of Australian nation building is a story of remarkable achievement – and it is a story that is ongoing.
Australia is one of the world’s great democracies, founded on Australian ideals of human dignity, freedom and equality.
Australia is among the most prosperous and stable nations the world has ever known.
Today, that prosperity and stability provide the solid foundation of a society in which a rich diversity of cultures and lifestyles exist together in an environment of harmony and mutual respect, bound together by an overriding and unifying commitment to Australia.
The Europeans who began to settle Australia more than two hundred years ago did not come to an empty land.
For tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had lived on this continent.
Their contribution to Australia’s identity has been, and will continue to be, a vital and enriching one.
The history of modern Australia and our democratic institutions reflects the traditions and institutions of Britain from which most of the original European settlers had come.
Over time, those traditions and institutions were adapted to Australia’s unique circumstances and came to reflect the evolution of a distinct Australian identity.
Over the last half century, in particular, Australia’s political, economic, social and cultural development has been expanded and accelerated by the migration of people from all parts of the world.
The success of modern Australia has been its ability to accommodate in harmony such diversity of backgrounds, and to find in that diversity not division but strength in the common acknowledgement of an Australian nationhood, its meaning and importance.
The foundations of modern Australia are its freedom, its opportunity, its tolerance
and its egalitarian sense of fairness – all foundations which Australians are committed to protecting and strengthening.
One of the defining features of our nation has been its commitment to social equality.
The distinctive egalitarianism of Australians is reflected in attitudes which have become part of our social fabric – the disdain for rigid class structures, the celebration of mateship, a belief in a “fair go”
and an uncompromising commitment to democratic freedoms – as well as in the development of our institutions: universal suffrage, the early enfranchisement of women and the trade union movement.
Part of what makes Australia unique is the beauty and world significance of its environment and diversity.
From magnificent tropical reefs and rainforests to austere deserts, there is little the Australian landscape does not offer.
The heritage of our natural environment, no less than our cultural heritage, is one of our most precious assets, to be preserved and passed on to future generations.
The life we enjoy in modern Australia would not have been possible without economic prosperity.
Nation building in Australia is not just a matter of institutions, cultural values and environmental protection – it is also about providing economic security and opportunity for advancement to all Australians.
All Australians should be rewarded for their productive enterprise and those in crisis or need should be assured of proper support.
The needs of Australian families are important in building a strong social fabric and a sense of community.
Above all, the focus of nation building is on the future, giving all Australians a sense of hope in terms of their own personal future and optimism in terms of Australia’s future in a rapidly changing world.
Our young people are the future of the Australian nation.
They deserve a future in which they can achieve fulfilment of their talent through rewarding jobs, in which they can be involved in forging a vision for Australia’s future and in which they can be proud of what Australia has achieved as a nation in the past and confident about what it can achieve in the future.
THE AUSTRALIAN WAY
Australia has a set of democratic values based upon a central belief in the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of all people as individuals and upon a conviction that those individual rights, freedoms and responsibilities are the surest foundation of strong community life.
The Palmer United Party has not a fixed ideology but a broad-based political philosophy that relates a core set of enduring values to the changing realities and challenges that societies confront over time.
Australians believe in freedom of choice and a “fair go” for all.
Only in a society where individuals are free to pursue their individual goals can tyranny be avoided.
Only in a society where opportunity, initiative and personal responsibility are fostered can prosperity be attained.
Freedom can only be meaningful if individuals have the opportunity to participate, to achieve and to develop their talents.
Respect for the individual implies tolerance of others.
This is why Australia is the enemy of privilege, sectional interests and narrow prejudice.
Freedom is essential to being Australian, but it is not absolute and unfettered freedom, and the rights of any individual are limited and constrained by the equal rights of other individuals.
Intrusive government has been demonstrated by history to be inefficient, cruel and discouraging to human achievement.
The role of government is to set the framework of laws and other rules within which individuals and families can freely make decisions about their own lives and pursue their goals with confidence.
By both the laws it enacts and the taxation it exacts, government should interfere as little with the freedom of the individual as is consistent with the maintenance of a fair and open society.
Australians support the family as the fundamental institution for the raising and nurturing of children and for making each individual an integral part of society.
Australians recognise that the values, choices and actions of families have a profound influence on the welfare of the nation and that the interests of families should be at the centre of national policy making.
Australians believe that an economy based on private property, free enterprise and competitive markets will produce the wealth and jobs Australians want.
Government should not provide services that can be better delivered by competitive enterprise.
Australians recognise the capacity of markets, as well as their limits.
Australians believe that fair, open and competitive markets provide the best means of ensuring an open, dynamic, prosperous and equitable society.
Government needs to ensure that markets are, indeed, fair, open and competitive.
Just as the Palmer United Party recognises the limits of markets, so too does it recognise the limits of government.
Government can never duplicate the range of values and the life experiences of individual citizens and cannot therefore effectively substitute centralised for individual decision-making.
Australian society relies on voluntary participation in the institutions of civil society – the clubs, associations, charities and community groups freely formed to achieve a great diversity of aims and purposes.
Australians support and encourage involvement in this civil society.
Australians promote the fundamental importance of education and training at all levels
and the benefits of a vibrant and inclusive participation in the arts.
They recognise the importance of education in supporting democratic institutions and a progressive society.
Australians believe in free, open, honest and robustly democratic public institutions, in which respect for our forms of government co-exists productively with public participation in, and criticism of, their processes and outcomes.
Australians believe in democratic government that protects the rights of Australians by a system of checks and balances.
Creating opportunity and security for Australians is the basic aim of Australian social policy.
As ours is a party for all Australians, we care about the well-being of all, not just particular lobby groups or sectional interests.
The security and prosperity of all Australians depend on sound financial management producing economic stability, low inflation, high employment and a state debt that does not risk the economic well-being of future generations.
The capacity to grow and develop in a changing world depends upon predictability and social cohesion.
Sudden and far-reaching change can be hostile to the stability upon which the Australian society depends.
Australians approach change with a conscious need to respect the legitimate expectations of our citizens and to ensure that social unity is not threatened by that change.
The heritage of Australia is an important part of the broader history of Australia; and it is from the history of our political tradition that we can build on acquired wisdom.
The Palmer United Party political tradition has made a decisive contribution to nation building in Australia.
Every act of government is to be judged by a simple test: Is it in the best interests of Australia and Australians? The Palmer United Party succeeds by relating its values to the practical concerns of people, by remaining attuned to the changing needs of the Australian nation and offering a framework for stable government and effective leadership.
In summary, the Palmer United Party holds that individual people matter most,
that the family is the most fundamental institution for development of the individual,
that strong civil society is the most effective way to advance shared community interests and values,
and that government exists to serve people and not the reverse.
GOVERNING AUSTRALIA WELL
Australians believe in limited government – the idea that governments should do only those things that the private sector cannot and should only provide financial assistance to the private sector in cases where there is a clear public benefit.
Decisions of government must be taken and be seen to be taken in the public interest.
They must be carried out efficiently and according to the law.
To safeguard these goals, Australians support governments open to public scrutiny and with effective mechanisms of accountability.
The structure of government, with a bicameral parliament, independent courts and a federation of states, provides the Australian people with the means to protect their liberties.
In defending that structure, and in opposing laws infringing social, political or economic liberties, Australians are able to guard the freedoms of the Australian people.
The Commonwealth Parliament has an important role as a balance to the Executive, and the Senate should operate as a House of Review without obstructing the will of the elected Government.
The courts must interpret the law and settle disputes but respect the Constitution’s division of powers and leave law-making to the Parliaments.
Australians support an independent judiciary to ensure that governments stay within the law and that all citizens are treated with impartiality and justice.
The Commonwealth Constitution embodies the democratic values of the Australian people, establishing a democratic parliament, courts to maintain the rule of law, a federal system, limits on the powers of government and protection of liberty.
Australians believe that constitutional change should take place only after careful consideration and with strong public support as expressed in a referendum.
The liberties of Australia’s people are not, with a few exceptions, specifically protected by the Constitution.
The greatest protection of those liberties is the Australian people’s understanding of and commitment to them.
Australian federalism reflects the fact that, while some tasks of government are best performed nationally, many responsibilities are better carried out by other spheres of government.
Australians strongly support federalism.
-• Federalism, including the territories and local governments established under State legislation, takes government closer to local people, creating higher levels of democratic participation and government more closely reflecting the people’s wishes and regional needs.
Federalism reduces the chance of laws appropriate only to one area being imposed on another.
-• Federalism allows for policy experiments, so that governments can learn from each other’s successes and failures and can compete with each other for citizens and business by offering the best possible policy frameworks.
-• A strong federal system requires commitment from the governments of the States and the Commonwealth.
Responsibilities should be divided according to federal principles, without the Commonwealth taking advantage of powers it has acquired other than by referendum.
All spheres of government should possess and exercise taxing powers commensurate with their responsibilities.
WORK AND PROSPERITY FOR AUSTRALIANS
A competitive and vibrant Australian economy is the best means of enhancing our national wealth in a way that generates jobs, raises living standards and enables proper care for those in need.
Australians want an economy that provides quality jobs and high living standards across the nation.
Achieving these goals in a competitive global marketplace means we must have on-going economic reform.
Australians believe the best strategy for jobs and prosperity includes:
-• giving priority to sound economic fundamentals, including responsible fiscal management, low inflation, low interest rates, rising employment levels, low net debt and high real business investment;
-• supporting the role of small business as the engine room of job generation;
-• encouraging workplace reform through promoting the shared interests of employers and employees in building efficient, cohesive, profitable and competitive enterprises
and through breaking down centralised controls that have held back productivity and sustainable real wage growth;
-• ensuring that all have the choice to belong, or not, to unions and professional associations;
-• encouraging competitive markets by restricting monopoly and prohibiting unfair trading practices;
-• building a taxation system which enhances fairness and incentives to work and save, provides sound finance for government services, boosts business investment and exports, promotes simplicity and consistency and is internationally competitive;
-• minimising the regulatory burden on business, consistent with protecting consumers, the environment and the safety of employees;
-• pursuing an industry policy which maximises Australia’s global competitive advantage;
-• moving toward free trade at a pace which recognizes the rate of change in a global context;
-• facilitating a world-class communications and transport infrastructure;
-• strengthening a high quality and internationally competitive education and training system, including apprenticeships, that equips people with relevant skills for rewarding jobs, provides avenues for re-training and re-skilling, especially for those who are unemployed, and encourages life long learning;
-• boosting innovation and technological development;
-• giving all Australians the opportunity to invest in, or to create their own, business;
-• making Australia an attractive destination for global investment;
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR AUSTRALIANS
-• Australians believe in a society in which all children have the opportunity to develop their potential and all people have the opportunity to achieve.
-• The education system is fundamental to achieving this goal, but education goes beyond schools to include family and community.
-• Material reward, cultural enrichment and personal fulfilment may be derived from an effective education system that seeks to overcome limitations imposed by disadvantage and maximises opportunities for all.
-• Australians are committed to the widest possible freedom of choice in education.
The right to choose should not be just a privilege for the rich.
In creating opportunities for Australians, the Palmer United Party will:
-• recognize the importance of families and good parenting to children in policies that protect and strengthen the family;
-• ensure the widest possible freedom in choice in education, promoted by diversity of systems and schools;
-• ensure that all children have access to the best possible education, irrespective of sex, race, religion, socioeconomic background or place of residence;
-• establish standards of literacy and numeracy, and accountability mechanisms for their achievement;
-• help students overcome limitations and disadvantages by fostering choice in education, accommodating diversity in needs and aspirations, and encouraging excellence;
-• decentralise the  control  and  administration of  schooling by empowering local systems and respecting school communities;
-• promote awareness of the need for adults to upgrade their education and provide appropriate opportunities for doing so;
-• offer financial assistance where appropriate so that educational needs can be met;
-• oppose discrimination based on irrelevant criteria;
-• implement economic policies that generate employment opportunities;
-• assist migrants to integrate and find appropriate employment;
-• provide for the needs of special groups in the community, including the disabled, the aged, indigenous Australians and remote communities; |and
-• recognise that gifted and talented children often have special educational needs, which must be met if their potential is to be realized.
ENHANCING SECURITY
Australians aim to develop policies that foster long-term security.
The Palmer United Party’s economic policies will create an economy better able to adapt to a changing world market.
The Palmer United Party’s education policies will give people the skills they need to stay in the workforce.
The Palmer United Party’s family policies support the fundamental institution behind the welfare of most individuals.
Critical as all these are to creating security, they cannot deal with all individuals and all situations.
Other measures to enhance security include:
providing financial help to families where necessary;
assisting the unemployed, the disabled and the ill;
paying special attention to the needs of children and young adults;
taking care of veterans and the aged;
encouraging people to make adequate provision for their retirement;
promoting home ownership;
making health services available, while encouraging preventative measures and private insurance;
promoting and assisting the inclusion of all into Australian society;
Encouraging community based and other crime prevention programs; and
reinforcing the importance of law and order in the community.
LIVING IN AUSTRALIA
The geographical and cultural diversity of Australia provides a unique and enviable living environment.
The Palmer United Party recognizes that the needs and interests of Australians vary according to their location and heritage.
The high quality of life in Australia is testimony to the strength of its people’s pioneering spirit and hard work and to the role of ongoing technological advances in providing real opportunities for Australians.
Australians recognize that maintaining our quality of life is contingent upon:
accepting individuality, free choice and freedom of expression;
recognising the diverse nature of the needs and interests of Australians;
recognising that regional and rural communities face unique problems concerning the delivery of health, education and other services;
maintaining a diverse, independent and vigorous media;
protecting personal privacy;
the contributions of voluntary community based organizations;
establishing effective and cost-efficient communication and transport systems throughout Australia;
fostering a high quality of achievement in the arts and, within the community, widespread appreciation, understanding and accessibility of the various art forms;
a commitment to conservation and environmental enrichment that balances our immediate economic needs with a need to conserve and nurture our environment and natural resources for future generations;
preserving Australia’s cultural and architectural heritage; |and
providing access to a variety of leisure pursuits.
AUSTRALIA AND THE WORLD
Australia’s international interests are threefold.
They encompass an important network of relationships with our Asia-Pacific region, a longstanding history of links with Commonwealth countries and the US,
and a continuing development of our other international relationships, all of which are important in the emerging wired world.
Australians recognise the growing influence of globalisation but guard the sovereignty of our nation.
Australians believe that Australia’s priority in foreign and trade policy must be to:
-• further develop the capacity of an internationally competitive Australian economy to benefit from the globalisation of trade and investment flows;
-• maintain a strong national defence capability, with an appropriate mix of bilateral, regional and multilateral security alliances;
-• strengthen our international relationships and alliances|,
especially with the United States;
-• maximise the economic and strategic opportunities offered by closer engagement with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region;
-• participate in international organizations including the      United Nations and the Commonwealth of Nations;
-• provide international aid and assistance, including a safe haven for refugees, within the limits of our national resources;
-• work with non-government agencies to advance less developed nations and promote human rights; |and
-• enhance security and stability in our region.
Delivering a strong, prosperous economy and a safe, secure Australia
In the two years since the last election, my colleagues and I have travelled to all parts of Australia listening and talking with people about their lives, their families and their hopes for our country
We have also consulted with experts about opportunities to harness Australia’s great potential
From these conversations at homes, work places, factories, farms, school halls, businesses and universities, we have developed our plan to offer Hope, Reward and Opportunity for all Australians
Our plan is to build a stronger Australia by building a stronger economy, stronger communities, a cleaner environment, stronger borders and more modern infrastructure
The Coalition’s priority will be to build a stronger, more productive and diverse economy through lower taxes,
more efficient government
and more productive businesses that will deliver more jobs, higher wages and better services for all Australians
With a modernized economy and the right policies, Australians can once again have competitive manufacturing industries, a dynamic services sector and a growing knowledge economy as well as strong agriculture and mining
We can also once again have a strong vibrant small business sector creating stronger jobs growth
Within five years I am confident that our economy can deliver at least one million new jobs; and two million new jobs within the next decade
Our vision for Australia is grounded in the belief that I expressed in my very first speech to the Parliament 19 years ago, that “there is no limit to what Australia can achieve”
In the seven parliaments I have served since that first speech, as a backbencher, parliamentary secretary, minister, cabinet minister, Leader of the House and now as a party leader, I have not wavered in my belief that our best days as a nation are still ahead of us
Here, in these pages, is the stronger Australia–a truly 21st Century Australia–that the next Coalition Government will build
This is the Australia that we believe in
“There is no limit to what Australia can achieve”
1 The Coalition’s top policy priorities
1. We will build a stronger, more productive and diverse economy with lower taxes, more efficient government and more productive businesses that will deliver more jobs, higher real incomes and better services for you and your family
2.  We will get the Budget back under control, cut waste and start reducing debt – to keep interest rates as low as possible; and to protect the Australian economy from future economic shocks
3. We will help families get ahead by freeing them from the burdens of the carbon tax – to protect Australian jobs and reduce cost-of-living pressures, especially rising electricity and gas prices
4. We will help small businesses grow and create more jobs – by reducing business costs and cutting taxes as well as cutting red and green tape costs by $1 billion every year
5. We will create stronger jobs growth by building a diverse, world-class 5-Pillar economy – by building on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation, Advanced Services, Agriculture Exports, world-class Education and Research, as well as boosting Mining Exports
6. We will generate one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs within a decade by growing a bigger, more productive and prosperous economy
7. We will build more modern infrastructure to get things moving – with an emphasis on reducing the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads and highways
8. We will deliver better services including health services – by putting local communities in charge of hospitals and improving co-operation with the States and Territories
9. We will deliver better education – by putting local communities in charge of improving the performance of local schools
10. We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions inside Australia, not overseas – and also establish a 15,000-strong Green Army to clean-up the environment
11. We will deliver stronger borders – where the boats are stopped – with tough and proven measures
12. We will deliver strong and stable government that restores accountability – to deliver a better future for all Australians
We will deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia
Our plan will build a stronger, more productive and prosperous Australia – a truly 21st Century Australia – so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and get a better future
2 The Coalition’s Plan: building a stronger 21st Century Australia
Our positive, inclusive vision for Australia
We believe in Australia and we believe “there is no limit to what Australia can achieve”
That’s why our plan is to build a stronger, more productive and prosperous Australia – a truly 21st Century Australia – so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and have a better future
With your support we will deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia
We will offer every Australian Hope, Reward and Opportunity
We’ve been listening
Your opinion counts
That’s why the Coalition Team has travelled all over Australia listening and talking with people about their lives, their jobs and their hopes for their children and our country
Australians have told us of their growing concerns
Concerns about increasing pressures on family budgets and the huge rise in the cost-of-living – especially rapidly rising electricity and gas prices
Concerns about poor superannuation returns and being able to afford a secure retirement
Concerns about leaving the next generation worse off and unfairly burdening their children’s and grandchildren’s future with higher taxes and debt
Concerns about the lack of modern infrastructure and the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads
Concerns about job security, youth unemployment and the slowing economy
Concerns about tax increases, government waste and government debt
Concerns about increasing numbers of illegal boat arrivals and the huge blow-out in taxpayer costs
We’ve been listening to small business
Small business people have told us of their growing concerns
Concerns about the government not understanding the needs of small business and how the government is increasing the burdens on business
Concerns about rapidly rising business costs and taxes – especially rising electricity and gas prices caused by the carbon tax
Concerns about increasing levels of red tape and paperwork and increasing levels of bureaucratic over-regulation
Concerns about workplace productivity problems
Concerns about the economy and the impact of the high Australian dollar on their businesses
Concerns about whether they can afford to hire people because of increasing union militancy and the growing uncertainty this creates for businesses
We’ve been consulting with the experts
We have also been consulting widely with business and various experts about confronting the challenges facing Australia
For example: the need to foster productivity, competitiveness and growth if we are to lift Australians’ living standards and what needs to be done to unleash Australia’s real economic potential, particularly in the context of the great transformation currently occurring in the Asian region
We have taken all these ideas into account in developing our plan for Australia’s future
It’s time to honestly face Australia’s challenges
Australia has come a long way but we must now honestly and seriously address the real challenges and issues confronting the nation particularly in this new debt challenged world
We must be realistic and practical and we must adopt real solutions to these challenges
For example:
we must start living within our means and start paying down government debt to protect ourselves against any future economic shocks and to avoid leaving a debt legacy to our children;
we must start addressing the unsustainable structural imbalances in our Budget and get the Budget back on track to strong and sustainable surpluses;
we must free Australia from the shackles and burdens holding us back and unleash Australia’s real economic potential so we can compete more effectively in Asia;
we must boost productivity growth to make Australia more competitive, productive and prosperous;
we must start building a more diverse, world-class economy–a 5-Pillar economy–that builds on our strengths as a nation and builds real prosperity for the future so that living standards improve, not fall, in the years ahead;
we must build more modern infrastructure suited to the21st Century;
we must work more cooperatively with the States to improve education and health services at the local level;
we must reduce cost-of-living pressures on families;
we must secure our borders–where the boats are stopped//|; and
we must rebuild our weakened defence force and we must make the nation stronger, not weaker
This forthcoming election is the most important in decades
At this election the Australian people will face one of the most important elections in decades as they decide the future direction of the country
Australians will decide which leader and party will put the national interest first;
provide strong, stable and accountable government;
deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia for the uncertain times ahead
Our plan addresses the main challenges facing Australia
This document, ‘Our Plan: Real Solutions for all Australians’ outlines the clear direction, values and policy priorities that will guide the next Coalition Government
Our plan honestly confronts Australia’s real challenges with real solutions and outlines action to deliver a strong, prosperous economy and a safe, secure future for all of us
Building a stronger economy
Our main goal is to secure Australia’s economic future
and to protect Australians from any future external economic shocks to avoid leaving our children worse off
We have a detailed plan to build a world-class 5-Pillar economy that will deliver more jobs and generate the real wealth necessary to finance better government services for Australian families
Charting a longer term course for Australia
The Coalition’s ambitious plan charts a longer term course for modernizing and transforming Australia’s economy to ensure it is more suited to the challenges of the 21st Century–by making Australia more competitive in the global economy,
by lowering taxes,
by boosting productivity growth,
by getting small businesses growing again and creating more jobs,
by modernizing our industries and workforce
and developing a more diverse world-class economy–which under a Coalition Government will deliver one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs within the next decade
Our aim is to deliver a better future for all Australians
Our aim is to build a stronger Australia –a truly 21st Century Australia –so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and have a better future
Our aim is to deliver a strong and prosperous economy;
a safe and secure nation with secure borders and a strong defence force;
a decent and respectful society that gives a ‘fair go’ to all and encourages people to thrive and get ahead;
a country with a network of strong communities with more modern infrastructure;
a land with a cleaner environment and a more sustainable future;
a country with a culture of Hope, Reward and Opportunity;
and a country that is a more prosperous, safe and secure place to live
Australians deserve to live in the best country in the world
Last but not least, the Coalition believes there are no limits to what this great country can achieve for its people
We need to remove the shackles and burdens holding Australia back and to unleash Australia’s real potential
It’s time to build a truly strong, productive and prosperous 21st Century Australia
After all, Australians deserve to live in the best country in the world with the best prospects for the future
Australians deserve Hope, Reward and Opportunity
Australians deserve a better future
Australians deserve better government
3 A time for a decision about the future
The key challenge facing Australia
To safeguard Australia’s economic future the key challenge facing Australia is to compete successfully in a more fiercely competitive world
Undoubtedly, Australia’s underlying challenge is to strengthen its economy and make real improvements in productivity, competitiveness and growth to ensure Australia’s future prosperity
Many businesses don’t need to be told by government that Asia offers opportunities because of a rapidly rising middle class
But they do want government to help equip the economy for the competitive challenges ahead so that we can actually realise these opportunities
Asia’s growth offers Australia tremendous potential to significantly increase our exports by utilising our competitive advantages as a nation – as long as we position ourselves so that we are ready to seize these opportunities and unleash Australia’s real economic potential
For example, estimates suggest that Asian demand could almost double our net energy exports over the next 20 years
And that comes on top of projections that the volume of our minerals exports could increase by 40 per cent to 60 per cent in the period to 2025
In the education sector, we will expand our exports, particularly in the Asian region using a number of channels including online
As ANZ chief executive Mike Smith1 has warned, Australia risks losing out on a $3 trillion economic opportunity in the Asian region if it does not urgently address productivity concerns
Mr Smith said tax and labour reforms were critical and warned that incorrect policy settings risked Australia not being able to finance the $3 trillion that ANZ estimated Australia needs over the next 20 years to seize the resource and agricultural opportunities presented by the rising Asian middle class
Tackling the real challenges here in Australia
The real challenges facing Australia range from the need for lower, simpler and fairer taxes, to improving productivity, to promote industries to take advantage of the opportunities ahead
In summary:
we need to reduce the cost base of our mining projects so that Australian projects are favoured over other countries’ and our projects move further up the ladder on resource companies’ development plans;
we need to increase the flexibility of our economy to respond when economic shocks hit;
we need to address the infrastructure blockages holding us back; //|and
we need to support our small business sector
The economic vitality of our country is being sapped because the small businesses of our country are being suffocated
There are 11,000 fewer small businesses actually employing people now than there were in 2007
Small business start-ups have dropped by a staggering 95 per cent
we need to improve productivity, competitiveness and growth;
we need to reduce Australia’s sovereign risk profile and restore Australia’s competitive reputation overseas;
we need to address Australia’s growing workplace militancy, flexibility and productivity challenges;
we need to scrap unnecessary taxes like the carbon tax that reduce our comparative advantages;
we need to scrap a mining tax that discourages investment by imposing very high effective tax rates on risky projects, while collecting little revenue – particularly after reimbursing the States for their mining royalties;
we need to streamline environmental approvals – and stop the delays, complexities and uncertainties imposed by the Commonwealth and States;
The number going bankrupt has increased by 48 per cent
Small business insolvencies instigated by the Australian Taxation Office are up 46 per cent on previous years
Australia needs to restore responsible economic management
It is imperative that Australia restores responsible economic management, adopts a strong economic plan and changes the direction of its structural Budget as quickly as possible to get back on the path to building real prosperity, not false prosperity
Unfortunately Labor has no economic plan – instead it thinks the answer to every problem is more spending and more taxes
Australia has been living beyond its means, recklessly spending more than it earns
As a result we are now borrowing more and mortgaging our future, forcing our children to pay for the government’s debt of today
Australia’s current structural Budget position is poor
Australia is now more vulnerable to economic shocks due to excessive deficits and debt spending
There is no credible plan to repay debt – making Australia more vulnerable to another financial crisis
Yet Labor is now creating expectations by promising new spending programmes that are not funded, making the structural Budget position even worse
The Australian Financial Review has identified that under Labor, Australia now has a $120 billion Budget black hole of unfunded policy promises
On the matter of the ongoing structural integrity of the Budget – Chris Richardson, one of Australia’s leading economic forecasters said: “The Budget remains in trouble”2
There have now been four years of back-to-back Budget deficits at record levels with another deficit in prospect
Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard have burned through almost $200 billion worth of excessive Commonwealth government spending
Last year’s deficit was initially expected to be $12.3 billion but it turned out to be $43.4 billion – a $30+ billion blow-out!
Labor has not delivered on its financial promises and has never returned a Budget surplus, only excuses
Labor is now raising taxes and using accounting tricks to manipulate Budget outcomes
And it has still not tackled the problem of the structural position of the Budget
Australia needs to develop a more productive economy
Spending policies are now overriding productivity enhancing policies
Unfortunately, like Europe, under Labor Australia remains fixated on the spending side of the economy rather than on the productive side of the economy–the side that creates greater wealth and prosperity for the nation
Since the global financial crisis, Labor has encouraged policies that are arguably the opposite of improving long-run sustainable growth in national output –the key determinants of which are saving and productivity improvements
Productivity growth has fallen significantly
The Economist Intelligence Unit now ranks Australia as the second worst of 51 countries for productivity growth ahead only of Botswana
The next wave of investment is now at risk
About $75 billion worth of resource projects have been cancelled in the past 12 months and a further $100 billion are at serious risk
For example: BHP has deferred its massive Olympic Dam expansion in South Australia and in Western Australia, Fortescue and BHP have scaled back expansion plans and Japan’s Mitsubishi has shelved the$6 billion Oakajee development
With commodity prices still high despite recent falls, this raises serious questions:
about the imposition of new taxes like the mining tax and carbon tax –particularly when we are the only country with a resource based economy to impose an economy-wide carbon tax;
about Australia’s sovereign risk profile which has dramatically increased with the introduction of these new taxes;
about Australia’s poor recent levels of productivity performance and the need to make Australia more competitive and productive;
about growing union militancy in work places; //|and
about Australia’s high project development costs now affecting investment decisions
GDP is growing too slowly
Australia’s GDP per head has grown by only just over 0.5 per cent per year under Labor compared to well over 2 per cent a year under the Coalition
The economy is now slowing with the Reserve Bank cutting its economic growth forecasts and warning the resources boom is losing steam faster than expected
As UBS economist Scott Haslem said: “While the RBA sounds less certain on domestic growth…they now appear even more worried about domestic inflation and productivity”
Monetary policy is now being used to try and catch a falling economy
“We Australians are a great people with a great destiny”
Over-regulation is strangling our businesses and driving up costs
An Australian Chamber of Commerce and industry survey showed that 73 per cent of businesses report greater increases in regulation over the past two years and 60 per cent of businesses spend over $5,000 a year just meeting regulatory requirements
Inflexible work practices are holding our industries back
The Australian Industry Group warns there are too many unnecessary barriers on productivity and flexibility that will lead to more business closures and jobs going overseas
They say it’s not about slashing wages, working conditions or living standards, but they fear the nation is going “the wrong way down a one-way street”
Australia’s pace of jobs growth has been 30 percent lower under Labor
Under Labor, the pace of jobs growth has averaged 1.5 per cent a year compared with 2.2 per cent under the Coalition –a 30 per cent slower pace of jobs growth
And less than half of the new jobs under Labor have been private sector jobs compared with over 70 per cent under the Howard Government
Jobs growth over the past two years has slowed to its weakest pace in 15 years
And Australia’s work force participation rate has dropped
Without a strong, g rowing economy, other challenges can’t be properly addressed
Without a strong, prosperous economy the nation won’t have the financial means to address all the other challenges facing Australia,
like the need for more modern infrastructure,
better services like health and education
and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
as well as the need to restore defence funding
That’s why a strong, prosperous economy is central to everything
Australians are being let down by a bad government
Australians know that this is a great country let down by a bad government interested only in its own survival–with no economic plan for Australia other than to run deficits and spend more money
4 Delivering a strong, prosperous economy
The importance of a responsible economic strategy
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to deliver a strong, prosperous economy based on the fundamental truth that the best long-term economic strategy for Australia is to get our finances in order,
build a strong growth-powered economy with less debt
and make Australia more productive and competitive in the global economy
Our plan will deliver more jobs, higher real wages and better living standards for all Australians
The elements of our economic plan
We will live within our means, get the Budget back under control and pay back debt
We will lower taxes to stimulate stronger economic growth and unleash our real economic potential
We will boost productivity to secure greater prosperity
and build more 21st Century infrastructure
We will deepen our engagement with Asia and deliver more growth from Asia
We will help small business create stronger jobs growth
We will build a more diverse, world-class 5-Pillar economy that unleashes Australia’s potential
Building a strong, productive and prosperous economy with less debt benefits everyone
We believe a strong, productive and prosperous economy,
ideally free from the burdens of debt, is the basis for realising all our other goals for Australia
In fact, it provides the financial means to enable us to help those in need, particularly the disadvantaged
A prosperous economy with less debt is the essential ingredient that allows us all to secure the aspirations we have for ourselves, our families and our country
“The best way to restore politicians’ standing is to have governments which meddle less and lead more”
5 Living within our means and getting the Budget back under control
POLICY PRIORITY
We will get the Budget back under control, cut waste and start reducing debt – to take unnecessary pressure off interest rates; and to protect the Australian economy from another financial crisis
Protecting Australia from a debt crisis – paying down debt
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to live within our means and get the Budget back under control
With Australia’s net debt over $160 billion, Australia is more vulnerable to an economic shock and has less protection in the event of a financial crisis
This is why we are so determined to get the Budget back under control and get back on the path to real prosperity
Sound budget management means a sustainable surplus over the medium-term because governments have to live within their means if we wish to leave the next generation better off, not worse off
We will manage the economy and Budget responsibly to ensure our children are not burdened by unfairly high taxes and left with an unfair debt legacy
The Coalition will protect the Australian economy from economic shocks and create the conditions which keep interest rates as low as possible and reduce debt interest payments, which are now costing the Australian public over $7 billion a year
By repaying debt, this annual $7 billion of debt interest payments could instead be better spent on better services such as health and education and for tax relief
Getting the Budget back under control
We will:
get the Budget back under control, start delivering real Budget surpluses, pay down debt and take pressure off the high Australian dollar;
immediately establish a Commission of Audit to identify savings and efficiencies in all areas of government,
so we can reduce government debt and start delivering better value for money and sustainable Budget surpluses into the future;
end government waste and ensure better value-for-money in government programmes so that Australia no longer needs to keep borrowing money to prop up its Budget; //|and
start reducing government debt so the government won’t need to spend $7 billion a year on wasted interest payments
Living within our means on a sustainable basis
We will restore prudent financial management and live within our means on a sustainable, longer-term basis to restore structural integrity to the Budget
We will:
act in a responsible way to protect Australian families and deliver better frontline services
whilst repairing Australia’s Budget and putting it on a sustainable, longer-term footing;
deliver a more effective and responsive public service focused on your needs
6 Lowering taxes to unleash our real economic potential
Delivering lower taxes and growing a stronger economy
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to lower taxes to stimulate stronger economic growth and make Australia more competitive in the global economy
We will abolish unnecessary taxes to unleash Australia’s real economic potential and to encourage businesses to invest and grow and create more jobs
Personal income tax cut – without the carbon tax
We will fund personal income tax cuts for individuals and families – without a carbon tax
We pledge to the families of Australia that we will never make your lives harder by imposing needless new taxes and we will free Australians from the burdens of the carbon tax
Cutting company tax – without the mining tax
We will deliver a modest cut in company tax – funded from savings in the Budget
Scrapping the carbon tax – reducing cost-of-living pressures
We will immediately introduce legislation to scrap the world’s biggest carbon tax and start reducing cost of living pressures for all Australians caused by rapidly rising electricity and gas prices
By repealing the world’s biggest carbon tax we will secure a bigger economy – an extra $1 trillion of lost output cumulatively by 2050 on Labor’s own figures, or the equivalent of shutting down the whole Australian economy for almost a year
This will secure more Australian jobs, boost Australia’s exports and make Australia’s businesses more competitive and productive
No other energy-rich country has introduced an economy wide carbon tax
The world’s biggest carbon tax damages the Australian economy, drives up prices unnecessarily, hits the cost-of-living of families, hurts small businesses and makes all Australian businesses less competitive in both domestic and international markets
We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions
Through the Coalition’s Direct Action Plan we will deliver on our commitment to a five per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020
We will reduce emissions inside Australia, not by paying billions of dollars to foreign carbon traders
We will act immediately to abolish the carbon tax
On day one of a new government– we will instruct the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to draft legislation to repeal the carbon tax
The Finance Minister will notify the Clean Energy Finance Corporation that it should suspend its operations and instruct the Department of Finance to draft legislation to permanently shut down the$10 billion fund
The Environment Minister will instruct the department to start implementing the Coalition’s Direct Action Plan on climate change and carbon emissions
Legislation to repeal the carbon tax will be the first piece of legislation the Coalition will introduce
“No country has ever taxed itself into prosperity”
Abolishing the mining tax – growing a stronger economy
We will abolish the mining tax and restore Australia’s international reputation as a safe and reliable place to invest, making Australia more competitive in the global economy
• We are determined to attract more investment in Australia’s mining sector, encourage the development of the world’s best mining industry and harness the comparative advantages we have as one of the world’s great mining and energy rich resource countries
The mining tax damages Australia’s international reputation overseas, increases our sovereign risk profile, damages investor confidence and deters investment in Australia in favour of other countries
The compliance costs of the mining tax push up costs for our mining companies making them less productive and less competitive
As a result, Australia is becoming less competitive in the global economy and is heading in the wrong direction
The Coalition is determined to deliver a more positive environment for mining
By abolishing the mining tax, we will re-energise the entire industry and this will lead to increased mining investment with more mining projects coming on stream
This will lead to an eventual boost in Australia’s exports, strengthening the economy and creating more Australian jobs over the medium-longer term
The Australian people will benefit significantly from a bigger and stronger mining industry that pays more taxes and invests in more mining projects in Australia, rather than overseas
Welcoming investment
By lowering taxes and reducing Australia’s sovereign risk profile we will declare to the world that Australia is ‘open-for-business’ again and that will lift confidence and investment in our industries
7 Boosting productivity and securing greater prosperity
Securing the future prosperity of our country
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to boost productivity to make Australia more competitive in the global economy and to lift Australians’ standard of living
In a competitive world economy, standing still is not an option
That’s why we must immediately take the decisions necessary to boost productivity growth and encourage world’s best practice to modernise and transform Australia’s businesses and industries for the 21st Century
Our Better Productivity Plan
Everything in our Better Productivity Plan is designed to make Australia more productive and to make our economy more competitive, because that is the key to building a better future with better prospects for all Australians
We will implement our Better Productivity Plan and deliver higher productivity growth by:
encouraging more people into the workforce to be productive contributors in the nation’s life and to help make Australia a more successful country;
making public institutions more cost effective and responsive so they too can contribute to making Australia more productive and successful;
cutting government red and green tape so businesses can become more productive and devote their energies towards business and jobs growth;
improving competition rules so competitive forces drive productivity growth;
getting greater value from infrastructure spending so every dollar of spending becomes more productive and the infrastructure contributes to real economic growth; //|and
rebalancing workplace relations to reduce union militancy in workplaces
and to encourage higher pay for better work
Productivity Priorities Working Group
We have established a Productivity Priorities Working Group to consult with business and community stakeholders on the implementation of our Better Productivity Plan – so that it can be implemented from day one and a new government can ‘hit the ground running’
Improving productivity – by boosting workforce participation
We will deliver higher productivity growth by boosting workforce participation
We will encourage every Australian to be a productive contributor in the nation’s life and give every Australian the opportunity to get ahead and build a better life for themselves and their families
We will provide incentives for employers to employ young people and seniors and take them off welfare
We will ensure that people of working age are actually working, preferably for a wage – but if not, for the dole – by reinvigorating the work-for-the-dole programme that was one of the great successes of the previous Coalition Government
We will introduce a genuine Paid Parental Leave Scheme and help ensure that childcare is more accessible, affordable and flexible – ensuring all families have more choice
The Coalition’s Paid Parental Leave scheme is based on a mother’s real wage, rather than a minimum wage
According to the Productivity Commission’s report into parental leave, Australia is one of only two countries where parental leave isn’t based on the mother’s actual wage
We will introduce a new Job Commitment Bonus for long-term employees who get a job and remain off welfare for 12 months and a further bonus if they remain off welfare for 24 months
We will introduce a new Jobseeker Relocation Bonus for young job seekers who move to take a job
We will provide better structured incentives for employers to employ people over 50 years of age
We will make work-for-the-dole mandatory for all long-term unemployed welfare beneficiaries under 50 years of age and tighten work-for-the-dole requirements
We will start suspending dole payments for people under 30 years of age in areas where unskilled work is readily available
We will adopt a smarter approach to the disability pension that distinguishes between disabilities that are likely to be permanent and those that are not, which will help to prevent older unemployed people being parked on welfare
We will support the Australian Employment Covenant and its many supporting employers to create more opportunities for indigenous Australians to get ahead by actively engaging more indigenous Australians in real jobs
Improving productivity – by improving government services
We will deliver higher productivity growth by making public institutions more cost effective and responsive, so they too can contribute to making Australia more productive and successful
• We will make our hospitals and schools more responsive to community needs and more efficient
Community controlled public hospitals and independent public schools where individuals have a stake in the institution and a say at the board table, with a focus on improvement and delivering better results, lead to greater productivity
If the public schools and public hospitals that comprise more than 5 per cent of our total economy are more responsive and efficient, productivity will improve
“We need governments which believe in Australia and Australians”
Improving productivity – by cutting government red and green tape
We will deliver higher productivity growth by cutting government red and green tape – so businesses can become more productive and devote their energies towards business and jobs growth
Productivity will go up when people running businesses have more time for innovation, customer sales and actually running their businesses because they will spend less time and money on unnecessary paper work with no real benefit
We will cut government red tape costs on businesses and community groups by $1 billion a year
We will deliver a State-based one-stop shop for environmental approvals to streamline the environmental approval process, reduce costs for business and boost productivity while retaining current high environmental standards
We will give every significant Commonwealth government agency/department an annual target for red tape cost reductions and public service bonuses will depend upon those targets being met
Where possible we will replace burdensome regulatory reporting requirements with independent audits backed by penalties for organisations that fail to comply with set standards
Every Cabinet submission will once more contain a regulation impact statement that will quantify the compliance costs imposed and matching compliance cost cuts
E very year, there will be a Deregulation Report tabled in the parliament and two sitting days will be dedicated to the repeal of redundant legislation and review of regulations
Responsibility for deregulation will be assumed by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet so that deregulation and productivity will have a whole-of-government focus
Improving productivity – by improving competition policy
We will improve competition rules so competitive forces drive productivity growth
We will review competition policy and deliver more competitive markets because there will be, for the first time in two decades, a root and branch review of competition laws
We will ensure that big and small businesses get a ‘fair-go’ and do the right thing by each other in their respective marketplaces
If they are competing on a genuinely level playing field where the most cost-effective products dominate markets regardless of who supplies them, our productivity will go up and consumers will see real and lasting benefits
Improving productivity – by building more modern infrastructure
We will get on with the job of building the modern infrastructure required to unclog our congested roads and highways to improve the productive use of the nation’s time – millions of hours of wasted time can be converted into more productive economic activities, helping to grow a stronger economy
If workers spend less time in traffic jams they will have more time at work and more time with their families
Improving productivity – by reducing union militancy in workplaces
We will deliver higher productivity growth by rebalancing workplace relations to reduce union militancy and to encourage higher pay for better work
If there are fewer strikes and if unions are better governed, our economy will become more productive and competitive
We will fully restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) so that there will be less union militancy
This will help keep business costs down and improve productivity
We will work within the existing framework and with the independent umpire Fair Work Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman to restore the balance in workplaces
We will establish a Registered Organisations Commission to overcome the inadequacies revealed by Fair Work Australia’s investigation into the Health Services Union
We will amend laws so that registered organisations and their officials have to play by similar rules, to make similar disclosures and be subject to similar penalties as companies and their directors
8 Delivering more growth from Asia
Focusing on opportunities in the Asian region
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to deliver more growth from Asia
We will position Australia to seize the opportunities in the Asian region by strengthening our trading relationships, welcoming investment, boosting our exports and deepening Australia’s knowledge of and engagement with countries in Asia
We will modernise and transform our economy and make Australia more productive and competitive
We will develop stronger people-to-people relationships and foster the mind-set and skills-set needed to make the most of Asia’s ongoing economic transformation
We recognise the rapid emergence not only of China, but also India and Indonesia – and the opportunities this will afford Australia in the years ahead
Delivering new regional Free Trade Agreements
We will take real action to increase economic activity, strengthen our trading relationships and grow a stronger economy by fast tracking Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with China, Indonesia, Japan and India amongst others
Building more opportunities for Australia’s exporters
By focusing on opportunities in the Asian region and building a strong diverse 5-Pillar economy we will boost our export of goods and services– particularly by building on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation, Agriculture Exports, Advanced Services, world-class Education and Research, as well as Mining Exports
We will strengthen our diplomatic relationship and trade ties with India
and boost mining exports by exporting uranium to India
Developing our Asia-capability
We will develop more Asia-capable talent and help Australians gain study and work experience, form relationships, learn to adapt behaviour to Asian Contexts and learn to work more effectively with Asian governments
We will develop Australia’s ‘Asia literacy’ beyond language skills
We will develop strong people-to-people relationships
Our intention is to develop a ‘deep knowledge’ of Asia and to broaden and deepen our engagement and relationships in the region
Establishing a new two-way ‘Colombo Plan’
Within two years we will build a better and stronger network of cultural and trade relationships in our region by establishing a new two-way ‘Colombo Plan’ that doesn’t just bring the best and brightest talent from the region to learn in Australia but more importantly takes Australia’s best and brightest talent to learn more about the countries in our region
We will achieve better engagement with Asia through this new two-way ‘Colombo Plan’ which sends our future leaders to Asian universities as well as bringing their future leaders here through a scholarship programme
By fostering these relationships we will develop the important people to-people links and the leadership relationships of the future as was previously done under Sir Robert Menzies’ ‘Colombo Plan’
Ensuring high school students learn an Asian language
We will aim to have 40 per cent of high school students studying a foreign language, preferably an Asian language, in year 12, to ensure the youth of Australia become more ‘Asia-capable’ and are better equipped in the future to engage with our trading partners in our region and in the global economy
“The next Coalition Government will fight the tyranny of low expectations”
9 Helping small business create stronger jobs growth
POLICY PRIORITY
We will get small businesses growing and creating more jobs – by reducing business costs, cutting taxes, cutting red tape costs by $1 billion a year and delivering on our Better Productivity Plan
Helping small business
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to help small businesses grow and create stronger jobs growth
Employing almost half of the workforce in Australia, small businesses are the real “job creators” in the economy
By unshackling the small business sector we will unleash the potential of small businesses to grow and create more jobs
Lowering taxes and reducing business costs
We will reduce costs for every business by cutting taxes: by abolishing the carbon tax and cutting company tax
We will stop small businesses paying 10 per cent more for their electricity and 9 per cent more for their gas bills and paying more for everything else they need by abolishing the carbon tax
We will deliver a modest company tax cut, funded from savings in the Budget
Cutting red and green tape – removing the burdens on small business
We will cut government red and green tape and reduce the regulatory burdens that small businesses face – so businesses can become more productive and devote their energies towards business and jobs growth
We will get businesses growing by cutting red tape costs to business by $1 billion each year
We will streamline environmental approvals through a State-based one-stop shop environmental approval process
This will save time and money, cut down on paperwork and boost productivity
We will require Parliament to spend two days a year removing legislation and regulations to help ease the burden on small businesses
We will allow small business to send one payment directly to the Australian Taxation Office for superannuation and then the Australian Taxation Office will do the rest, if that’s what small business would prefer
We will give employers the option of ‘opting in’ to managing the administration of Paid Parental Leave to their employees
If they choose not to be the government’s paymaster, payments will be made directly to the employee
This will relieve small businesses of their role as paymaster of the government’s inadequate Paid Parental Leave scheme
We will have a genuine Paid Parental Leave scheme and we won’t force small business to do the paperwork for it
Our scheme will benefit small business because it will make it easier for them to retain capable female staff
Doubling the annual rate of small business growth
We will double the current annual rate of growth of small businesses because we understand that small businesses are the real ‘job creators’ in our economy
We will achieve an annual growth rate in the numbers of small businesses of 1.5 per cent – the same rate the Howard Government was achieving
We will then be adding more than 30,000 new small businesses each year
That’s double the rate achieved under the current government
We want small businesses providing more than half the jobs in the private sector because that is where people get a start in life, that is where entrepreneurship is fostered and innovation happens
This is an important part of building a more productive nation and is at the heart of building our economy
Reviewing competition laws and policy
We will conduct, for the first time in two decades, a root and branch review of competition laws and policy and deliver more competitive markets
Extending unfair contract protection to small business
We will extend unfair contract protection currently available to consumers, to small businesses
We will ensure that big and small businesses get a ‘fair-go’ and do the right thing by each other in their respective marketplaces, delivering real and lasting benefits to consumers
10 Building a 5-Pillar economy and unleashing Australia’s potential
POLICY PRIORITY
We will create stronger jobs growth by building a diverse, world-class 5-Pillar economy – by building on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation, Advanced Services, Agriculture Exports, world-class Education and Research, as well as boosting Mining Exports
Building a diverse 5-Pillar economy
To guard against having all our eggs in the one basket of mining, we will build a more diverse, world-class economy – a 5-Pillar economy – to unleash Australia’s real economic potential
We will build on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation, Agriculture Exports, Advanced Services, world-class Education and Research, as well as boosting our Mining Exports, to make the most of our comparative advantages in international markets
Delivering stronger jobs growth
By developing a world-class 5-Pillar economy we will deliver one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs over the next decade as we modernise and transform all sectors of our economy
Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council
We will establish a new Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council to advise the Executive Government on developing the economy
The Business Advisory Council will be chaired by leading Australian business leader Mr Maurice Newman AC and meet three times a year
It will include, amongst others, representatives from the Manufacturing, Agricultural, Services, Education and Resources sectors of the economy
Building on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation
We will unleash the real economic potential in our manufacturing industry by removing the shackles and burdens holding the industry back and by making the industry more productive and competitive
We will:
repeal the world’s biggest carbon tax which makes Australian businesses, particularly manufacturing, less competitive in domestic and international markets;
cut red tape costs by $1 billion a year;
get business costs down and get productivity up by ensuring Australian businesses have the right incentives to invest in Research and Development;
create the environment to revitalise Australian industry’s international competitiveness;
we will provide better links between government, business and research institutions;
act immediately to deliver a level playing field for Australia’s manufacturing businesses with more effective anti-dumping measures
We will crackdown on overseas producers who don’t cooperate with anti-dumping investigations
We will strengthen enforcement of the provisions of the World Trade Organisation Agreement on subsidies and countervailing measures
We will transfer anti-dumping responsibilities from Customs to the Department of Industry; //|and
build on our comparative strength in Manufacturing Innovation
Building on our strengths in Agriculture Exports
We will unleash the real economic potential in our agricultural industry by removing the shackles and burdens holding the industry back and by making the industry more productive and globally competitive
We will:
build on our comparative strength in food production and better manage our precious water resources to help our agriculture sector become the ‘Food Bowl of Asia’ and achieve ‘food security’ in a world demanding more of our food resources;
support our fishing industry and review the declaration of new Marine Protected Areas
We will establish genuine consultation with the fishing industry on research and strengthen the connection between science and fishing policy; //|and
provide policy stability and certainty to our live exports trade avoiding damaging backflips like Labor’s overnight decision to suspend live cattle trade with Indonesia
Building on our strengths in Advanced Services
We will unleash the real economic potential in our service industries by making the industry more productive and globally competitive
We will deliver broadband faster, sooner and at less expense to taxpayers and consumers than Labor’s National Broadband Network
We will:
cut red tapecostsby$1 billion per year;
build on our comparative strength in Advanced Services to boost our exports to Asia
We will seize the enormous opportunities for this highly diversified sector, particularly in relation to financial services, health services, engineering and architectural services;
encourage modernisation and the development of Advanced Services and support the use of new technologies, particularly digital and IT;
expand our skills into the Asian region; and
give priority to the recommendations of the Johnson Report into Australia as a Financial Centre to further grow our financial services industry’s ability to export its world-class expertise to Asia and beyond
Building a world-class Education and Research sector
We will unleash the real economic potential in our Education and Research sector by removing the shackles and burdens holding the industry back and by making the industry more productive and globally competitive
We will:
encourage modernisation and the development of world-class Education and Research capabilities and support the use of new technologies, particularly digital and IT; //|and
expand our education export sector, particularly in the Asian region using a number of channels including online
Building a world-class Mining, Energy and Resources sector
We will unleash the real economic potential in our mining industry by removing the shackles and burdens holding the industry back and by making the industry more productive and globally competitive
We will:
build on our strength as one of the world’s rich resource-based economies;
re-energise our mining comoanies by abolishing Labor’s carbon and mining taxes
establish a one-stop shop for environmental approvals and speed up the time for bringing projects on-stream;//|and
declare Australia ‘open for business’ and restore Australia’s international reputation as a safe place to invest
“The sum of human happiness is most likely to be maximised when government knows its limits”
“Government should be at least as interested in the creation of wealth as in its redistribution”
11 Delivering modern infrastructure and building a 21st Century Australia
Building the modern infrastructure Australia needs
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to build more modern infrastructure to boost productivity
We will deliver the modern infrastructure that a first world 21st Century country deserves
You will see cranes over our cities as we get on with the job of building more modern infrastructure, with a special emphasis on reducing the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads and highways
Big new projects will be underway within 12 months of a change of government
Our big cities are as vital to our economy as our vast resource developments and can be properly considered a critical part of our national economic infrastructure
They are key to the development of a more productive and prosperous Australia
Delivering a 15-year rolling plan for national infrastructure projects
We will develop a rolling 15-year infrastructure plan of national projects and work closely with Infrastructure Australia in establishing project priorities and delivery timetables
This will be a Commonwealth and State government plan and will be revised every five years
Empowering Infrastructure Australia to deliver better value from infrastructure spending
We will deliver better value from infrastructure spending by working in close collaboration with Infrastructure Australia
Infrastructure projects are very expensive and taxpayers must be guaranteed that their money is spent in the most cost effective manner possible so that we end up with more productive infrastructure, rather than just wasted money
We will strengthen the role of Infrastructure Australia, improve its governance and make it more transparent and accountable, as well as a more effective adviser
We will require all Commonwealth-funded projects worth more than $100 million to undergo a cost-benefit analysis by Infrastructure Australia to ensure the best use of available taxpayer monies
We will require Infrastructure Australia to publish justifications for all its project recommendations
We will prioritise projects based on a proper cost-benefit analysis
Within 12 months of election we will announce infrastructure priorities and construction timetables in consultation with the States
Encouraging more private investment in infrastructure projects
We will investigate ways to get more private funding into high priority infrastructure projects to enable us to do more to modernise Australia
We will ask the Office of Financial Management to examine an Infrastructure Partnership Bonds Scheme to encourage billions of dollars of additional private investment in infrastructure projects, so that we can get more things done
POLICY PRIORITY
We will build more modern infrastructure to get things moving – with a special emphasis on reducing the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads and highways
Delivering major roads and highways to get things moving
We will work with the States and the private sector to accelerate the delivery of a major roads and highways programme that reduces bottlenecks – to improve productivity and safety for all road users
We will contribute $1.5 billion to get the M4 East (WestConnex Project) underway in Sydney to complete the east-west corridor
We will contribute $1.5 billion to get the East-West Link road tunnel underway in Melbourne to link the Eastern Freeway and Western Ring Road and we will further improve the Geelong Princes Highway
We will contribute $1 billion towards the upgrade of the Gateway Motorway in Brisbane and we will develop the Toowoomba Range crossing
We will contribute $400 million and get the duplication of the Midland Highway between Hobart and Launceston done in Tasmania
We will contribute $5.6 billion to complete the duplication of the Pacific Highway from Newcastle to the Queensland border
We are committed to the Perth Gateway project and will make further road infrastructure commitments in South Australia before the next election
Delivering more affordable broadband – rolling it out faster
The Coalition will deliver high speed broadband that is both affordable for families and businesses and cost effective for taxpayers
We will for the first time do a fully transparent cost-benefit analysis of the National Broadband Network, to find out the quickest and most cost-efficient way to upgrade broadband to all areas where services are now unavailable or sub-standard
This is the cost-benefit analysis Labor didn’t do before committing to spend tens of billions of dollars on the NBN
We will roll out super-fast broadband using whichever is the most effective and cost efficient technology and we will use existing infrastructure where we can
We will roll it out faster to high priority areas
We will end billions of dollars of wasteful spending on the NBN and deliver more of the modern infrastructure we urgently need while encouraging competition wherever possible to put downward pressure on prices
Building more dams – providing water security
We will start the detailed planning necessary to build new dams – to secure the nation’s water supplies, deliver strong economic benefits for Australia, while also protecting our environment
The Coalition’s Dams Taskforce is looking at potential investments in dam capacity across Australia
12 Delivering more jobs, higher wages and higher living standards
Delivering stronger jobs growth and a bigger economy
Our economic plan will deliver stronger jobs growth right across Australia by unleashing Australia’s real economic potential and growing a bigger, more productive and prosperous economy
Delivering two million new jobs over the next decade
We will generate one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs over the next decade as we unleash Australia’s real economic potential, modernise our businesses and industries as well as transform to a stronger and more prosperous economy
Delivering higher real wages and higher living standards
We will deliver higher real wages and higher living standards by providing real opportunities for productivity growth as we transform and grow the economy and encourage higher pay for better work
We will tackle Australia’s lagging productivity growth problem by pursuing our Better Productivity Plan and building a more productive and prosperous economy that will enable higher real wages and lift Australia’s living standards
Helping unemployed young people to get a job
We will encourage unemployed young people to get back into the workforce – particularly in those areas where unskilled jobs are readily available
Helping women get ahead
We will help the women and families of Australia get ahead and have a real choice to have children and a career with a genuine Paid Parental Leave scheme, supported by an affordable, flexible and accessible childcare system
POLICY PRIORITY
We will generate one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs over the next 10 years by growing a bigger, more productive and prosperous economy
13 Reducing cost-of-living pressures for families
Delivering Hope, Reward and Opportunity for families
We believe that strong families are the bedrock of a healthy society and should receive support and encouragement from government
A supportive family is the greatest source of emotional stability and social development anyone can have
The Coalition believes that the role of government is to support and expand choices for families, not to make their choices for them
We will improve rewards from working, reduce cost-of-living pressures and help families with the real costs of raising children as we reset our country’s course to one that sees increasing confidence, renewed productivity growth and real improvement in the wealth of households
We believe that people who work hard and put money aside so they won’t be a burden on others should be encouraged, not hit with higher taxes
Abolishing the carbon tax and reducing cost-of-living pressures
We will start reducing cost of living pressures for families by immediately scrapping the world’s biggest carbon tax – taking pressure off rapidly rising electricity and gas bills
We will put downward pressure on prices by getting the ACCC to make sure that prices do not remain artificially raised when we abolish the carbon tax
Lowering taxes – improving rewards from hard work
We will fund personal income tax cuts for individuals and families – without a carbon tax
We pledge to the families of Australia that we will never make your lives harder by imposing unnecessary new taxes and we will free Australians from the burdens of the carbon tax
Keeping interest rates low
We will keep interest rates as low as possible by ending government waste, paying back debt and balancing the Budget
Protecting and strengthening Medicare and private health insurance
We will protect and strengthen Medicare by restoring the Private Health Insurance Rebate as soon as we responsibly can
POLICY PRIORITY
We will help families get ahead by freeing them from the burdens of the carbon tax – to protect Australian jobs and reduce cost-of-living pressures – especially on rising electricity and gas prices
Delivering more affordable and flexible childcare
We will help ensure that child care is more accessible, affordable and flexible, to help families juggle work and family commitments, by getting the Productivity Commission to urgently undertake a major inquiry into the child care system
We need a better child care system that’s not just geared to 9-to-5 workers–to give women a better chance to combine families with careers
We will look at ways so child care can become more flexible and responsive to the differing needs and lifestyles of parents, as work patterns and demands on parents are different today than even a decade ago
Delivering genuine Paid Parental Leave
We will deliver a genuine Paid Parental Leave scheme to give mothers six months leave based on their actual wage – to help young families get ahead
This will give women a more realistic choice if they want to combine work with family and continue their careers
According to the Productivity Commission report into parental leave, Australia is one of only two countries where parental leave isn’t based on a mother’s actual wage
If people receive their actual wage while sick or on holiday, they should also receive their actual wage while on parental leave
Parental leave is supposed to be a workplace entitlement, not a welfare payment
Delivering better cyber safety for families
We will work together with social media operators, schools, parents and children to tackle cyber bullying and other harmful material and behaviour targeted at individual children online
Delivering better local roads and more modern infrastructure
We will deliver better planned infrastructure including more modern highways that unlock the traffic jams and bottle necks in our gridlocked cities and provide better and safer highways in country areas
If workers spend less time in traffic jams they will have more time at home with their families
14 Delivering a more secure retirement for older Australians
Giving older Australians the secure retirement they deserve
After a lifetime of hard work, older Australians are entitled to a safe and secure retirement
We will ensure older Australians and seniors enjoy the safe and secure retirement they deserve by delivering a strong, prosperous economy which will then ensure that the government has the financial means to provide the real support required by older Australians in their later years
Delivering stability and certainty on superannuation
We will deliver greater stability and certainty on superannuation – we won’t move the goalposts
It is unfortunate that Labor has wasted so much money and made so many threats and changes to the superannuation system, cutting back on contribution levels and discouraging many people from providing more for their own self-funded retirement
This has not been in the long-term interests of Australians or Australia
We will ensure that no more negative unexpected changes occur to the superannuation system so that those planning for their retirement can face the future with a higher degree of predictability
We believe the people who want to plan and save for their own retirement should be supported by government, not penalised
“I stand for government which gets off people’s backs”
Assisting mature age workers with employment
We will assist mature age workers by providing better structured incentives for employers who employ workers who are over the age of 50
Pensioners and self-funded retirees
We will support pensioners and self-funded retirees by tackling the number one issue that adversely affects them – the ever increasing cost of living, especially the cost of electricity and other utilities
We will abolish the carbon tax which will see an immediate 10 per cent reduction in electricity prices and we will give the ACCC the task of ensuring the benefits of the repeal are passed onto consumers without delay
Even though we will abolish the carbon tax, we will fund tax cuts and pension increases without a carbon tax, benefiting older Australians
A better deal for our veterans
We will support our veterans by properly indexing the Defence Force Retirement Benefits and Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefit military superannuation pensions and we will deliver this in our first Budget
Improving health services and aged care for older Australians
We will negotiate an Aged Care Provider Agreement with the aged care sector
This first ever Aged Care Provider Agreement, will set the framework for ageing and aged care arrangements in Australia over the next four years and into the future
Taking into account the Productivity Commission Caring for Older Australians report, we will reduce needless bureaucracy in the sector while making sure the sector remains focused on high quality care
We will protect and strengthen Medicare by restoring the Private Health Insurance Rebate as soon as we responsibly can
15 Delivering better services and a better society
Our aim is to deliver a better future for all Australians
Our aim is to build a stronger Australia so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and have a better future
That’s why the Coalition is so determined to deliver a strong, prosperous economy because it allows us to invest more in government services – like the NDIS, health, aged care and education
A strong, productive and prosperous economy is central to everything in our society
It enables us to deliver better services at the local community level so our children can get a good education, so Australians know that when they get sick or old they can get care and if they fall on hard times they can get help
Improving co-operation with State governments through the Council of Australian Governments
We will deliver better government services by working in close co-operation with the State and Territory governments who are largely responsible for the delivery of government services
We will significantly increase co-operation with State and Territory governments by reforming the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), rather than using it as a parking lot for tough decisions which are sidelined by political grandstanding
We will get on with the job of clearing the backlog of jobs on the agenda and immediately tackle the top priorities in order to deliver better services on the ground as soon as possible
We will focus COAG on a smaller number of core issues and ensure they are resolved quickly
We will reduce the number of COAG committees and require Ministers to show why it is essential their portfolio reforms must be resolved by COAG
Helping the disabled and carers – responsibly implementing the NDIS
We are fully committed to helping people with disabilities and their carers and delivering the NDIS as soon as possible in line with the Productivity Commission’s timetable
Full implementation of the NDIS will be a new deal for people with disabilities and their carers
We will establish a bi-partisan parliamentary committee jointly chaired by both sides of the Parliament, with Members and Senators with a strong personal interest in making the NDIS happen
The committee will put the NDIS in place as a united project across party lines
“The Coalition is much more interested in an empowered community than we are in an empowered government”
16 Delivering better health services
Improving the performance of public hospitals at the local level
We will work with the States to ensure their hospitals are managed by local hospital boards so that communities get better health services and better value for their money
We will put local communities and experts, not unaccountable bureaucrats, in charge of improving the performance of public hospitals – by creating community-controlled hospital boards to appoint the CEO and manage hospital budgets, by instilling a ‘patient care first’ culture amongst staff and ensuring the delivery of better health outcomes at the local hospital level
Improving mental health services
We will deliver better mental health services and provide better employment services for people with a mental health issue
We will take real action and support better mental health services with Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centres (EPPICs); boosting of basic and applied research into mental health; new headspace sites; better employment opportunities to those with serious mental health problems, boosting outside services that job agencies can provide to clients with mental health issues and a Mental Health Workforce Training Institute
Funding diabetes research
We will provide $35 million to help find a cure for type 1 diabetes
This will assist the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Clinical Research Network to fund a significant number of additional patient trials locally and internationally and take a co-ordinated nationwide approach to diabetes research
Improving access to medicines
We will restore transparency, certainty and confidence to the process by which medicines are listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) – ensuring medicines are listed on the basis of advice from the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, not on the whim of the government
Improving private health insurance
We will strengthen Medicare and take pressure off the public hospital system by restoring the Private Health Insurance Rebate as soon as we responsibly can
This will encourage more Australians to take up private health insurance
Bringing dental into Medicare
We aspire to improve and restore dental services through Medicare as soon as we responsibly can
POLICY PRIORITY
We will deliver better services including health services – by putting local communities in charge of hospitals and improving co-operation with States and Territories
17 Delivering better education
POLICY PRIORITY
We will deliver better education – by putting local communities in charge of improving the performance of local schools
Improving the performance of schools at the local level
We will provide better schools, encourage better teachers and provide more choice for parents by giving communities and parents greater control over schools
We will put parents, principals and school communities, not unaccountable bureaucrats, in charge of determining how their school will be run to improve performance – by instilling a ‘students come first’ culture amongst staff and ensuring the delivery of better education outcomes at the local school level
We will work with the States and Territories to encourage State schools to choose to become independent schools, providing simpler budgeting and resources allocation and more autonomy in decision making
We will support teachers in the classroom by ensuring our curriculum is rigorous without being too prescriptive or overcrowded
We will continue current levels of funding for schools, indexed to deal with real increases in costs and we will ensure that money is targeted based on the social and economic status of the community
We will make more investment in science education at primary schools
We will restore the Primary Connections science education programme which is strongly supported by Australian Nobel Laureate, Professor Brian Schmidt, following recent Labor cuts to the successful programme
We will work together with social media operators, schools, parents and children to tackle cyber bullying and other harmful material and behaviour targeted at individual children online, by measures such as ensuring large social media operators rapidly remove harmful online material directed at a child
We will continue the National School Chaplaincy Programme in Schools to support the emotional wellbeing of students
Strengthening higher education
We will strengthen higher education and encourage Australians of all ages to further their education so that they can gain a comparative advantage and get ahead in the new global economy
We believe higher education has a vital dual role in our society as an engine of economic growth, through educating our workforce and producing quality research
We will ensure the continuation of the current arrangements of university funding
We will work with the sector to reduce the burden of red tape, regulation and reporting, freeing up the sector to concentrate on delivering results and services
We will review and restructure government research funding to make sure each dollar is spent as effectively as possible
We will ensure the sector has a stable, long-term source of infrastructure funding
We will work with the sector to grow higher education as an export industry and to support international students studying in Australia
Investing in job skills training
We will invest in advanced job skills training– including trade skills
We will boost and retain skills in the work place and give incentives to employers to take young people and older Australians off welfare and into work
Our immigration programme will focus on skilled migrants targeting skills shortages and people who can make a contribution from day one in a job
We will work urgently with the States to aim to have 40 percent of Year 12 students studying a foreign language, preferably an Asian language, within a decade to equip them with the skills necessary for the jobs of the future
New opportunities for our youth to learn in the Asian region
We aim to develop stronger people-to-people relationships with the countries in our region and this presents enormous opportunities for the youth of Australia
We will establish a new two-way ‘Colombo Plan’ that doesn’t just bring the best and brightest talent from the region to Australia’s universities but that also takes Australia’s best and brightest talent to Asian universities to learn more about the countries in our region and to develop closer ties and stronger people-to-people relationships
By awarding scholarships to our students and fostering this ‘Asia-capable’ learning and developing these people-to-people relationships in those countries we are really developing the leaders of the future as was previously done under Sir Robert Menzies’ ‘Colombo Plan’
It is through such people-to-people schemes that deeper engagement and closer ties with the countries in our region can be developed
“Within two years, under a Liberal and National government, there will be a new Colombo Plan”
18 Delivering stronger and better communities
Delivering a ‘fair go’ for regional Australia
We will stand up for regional Australia to ensure that they receive their ‘fair share’ of support from government on a wide range of policy programmes
We will restore policy stability and certainty to our live exports trade
We will better manage our precious water resources to help our agriculture sector grow to become the ‘Food Bowl of Asia’ and achieve ‘food security’ in a world demanding more food resources
We will further unlock potential growth in Northern Australia as we develop new land as a result of building new dams and securing our nation’s water supplies
We will deliver a strong, powerhouse economy delivering more jobs and generating the real wealth needed to drive growth in Australia’s tourism industry
We are investigating options to strengthen the rules governing the sale of Australian agricultural land and agribusinesses to foreign entities
Improving housing affordability – supporting housing development
We will improve housing affordability and encourage high levels of home ownership
We will work closely with the States and Territories who have primary responsibility for housing to reduce red tape holding up the supply of housing and construction and to increase land release for new homes
Carefully managing the issues of population, citizenship and settlement
We will carefully manage the issues of population, citizenship and settlement to foster stronger economic growth and enhance Australia’s social fabric
We will ensure that our non-discriminatory immigration programme helps those in need and serves our national interest
We will make sure that Australia’s refugee and humanitarian resettlement programme provides places to those most in need
We will ensure a minimum of 1,000 places are available for women at risk and their dependents and appropriate settlement services are available once they arrive in Australia
We will ensure the migration programme is skewed towards skilled workers to enable the growth of a more productive and prosperous economy – particularly for those areas where skilled workers are not available and where our industries need to grow
We will ensure our immigration programme is focused on people who can make a contribution from day one in a job – thereby lessening the burden on taxpayers
Improving community safety and fighting crime
We will stand up for communities so that people feel safe in their streets
We will establish a new national Safer Streets programme and expand the use of CCTV cameras in crime prevention and detection
“Politicians can’t really hope to understand the issues if they rarely leave capital cities”
We will establish a new Commonwealth/State Standing Council on Law, Crime and Community Safety to bring together lawmakers and law-enforcers to develop a national focus to fighting crime – and to report on key issues within 12 months
We will work with the States and Territories to improve Australia’s capacity to respond to natural disasters and emergencies both domestically and internationally for better and faster deployment of search dogs nationally by creating an Australian Search Dog Framework
Supporting and strengthening community groups and the voluntary sector
We will support community groups to strengthen local communities and enhance the social fabric
We will provide $10 million support to assist surf lifesaving clubs buy needed equipment and to tackle drowning black-spots
We will re-establish the successful Coalition Community-Business Partnerships to engage with local communities and advise on encouraging more philanthropy by business and in assisting charities and community groups in their local area
Encouraging indigenous Australians to get ahead
We will work with indigenous communities to bring in a new suite of purposeful and innovative strategies that will help indigenous people to get ahead
We will eliminate red tape and streamline programmes to move away from the complex web of overlapping initiatives that have failed to end disadvantage
We will direct funding away from bureaucracies and overlapping and competing programmes towards local communities and real action so that indigenous Australians get the services they need
We will work with families to ensure all indigenous children attend school every day
A good education is the foundation of a good life and children must go to school
We will support the Australian Employment Covenant and its many supporting employers to create more opportunities for indigenous Australians to get ahead and actively engage more indigenous Australians in real jobs
We will provide$10 million to fund four trial sites to train 1,000 indigenous people for guaranteed jobs, working with the Australian Employment Covenant and Generation One
We will end training for training’s sake and implement employment or work for the dole programmes that prepare and support indigenous Australians to work
Tony Abbott will continue to spend a week a year in a remote community, to gain a better understanding of people’s needs, as he has done for many years
“The measure of a decent society is how it looks after its most vulnerable members”
Protecting freedom of speech – supporting an open media
We will protect the media from over-regulation; support an open and accountable media; and protect the freedom of speech to strengthen our vibrant democracy
We will reject Labor’s push for increased regulation of the media, including the Finkelstein Report proposals for a powerful ‘News Media Council’ to ‘set journalistic standards’ for print and online media
We will work with the media to ensure they actively strengthen their standards so they meet community expectations of the levels of journalism Australians expect and deserve
We do not support a ‘public interest test’ for assessing media mergers and acquisitions as it would be subjective, susceptible to political manipulation and would lead to uncertainty for media businesses
Current laws and the Australian Communications and Media Authority, as the regulator, provide adequate protection in this area
We will support freedom of speech, particularly in relation to anti-discrimination legislation
Prohibitions on inciting racial hatred or intimidation of particular groups should be focused on offences of incitement and causing fear but not a prohibition on causing offence
19 Delivering a cleaner and more sustainable environment
Cleaning up our own environment
We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions – and establish a 15,000-strong Green Army charged with the clean-up and conservation of our environment – so that we can all enjoy a cleaner environment and a more sustainable future without the impost of the carbon tax which is causing real economic damage to our economy and affecting the living standards of Australian families
Reducing carbon emissions inside Australia, not overseas
We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions in a practical, affordable way inside Australia, not overseas
We remain committed to a five per cent reduction in emissions by 2020
We will establish an Emissions Reduction Fund of $3 billion to allocate money in response to emission reduction tenders to projects designed to reduce carbon emissions
All money spent will be on Australian green projects, not foreign carbon credits, keeping more jobs in Australia
We will support projects such as the exploration of soil carbon technologies and abatement, putting carbon back in soils and providing for a once in a generation replenishment of our farmlands
POLICY PRIORITY
We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions inside Australia, not overseas – and also establish a 15,000-strong Green Army to clean-up the environment
Delivering a better environment
We will establish a 15,000-strong Green Army to clean up and protect the environment in local communities throughout Australia supplementing the current land care efforts of councils, farmers and volunteers
The Green Army will undertake projects like restoring and rejuvenating bushland, planting trees and cleaning-up the Tamar River in Tasmania
Improving water security – better water management
We will enhance Australia’s natural water supplies and reduce Australia’s reliance on energy-hungry desalination plants
We will deliver on the 10-point plan for the Murray-Darling announced by the Howard Government
We will restore the Murray-Darling to health while still ensuring the viability of Australia’s food producing communities
The future of the Murray-Darling should not and cannot be a choice just between the environment and agriculture
The Coalition will address both parts of this equation
We will start the detailed long-term planning necessary to build new dams to secure the nation’s water supplies into the future, deliver strong economic benefits for Australia, while also protecting our environment
Improving the environmental approval process
We will streamline the environmental approval process for all users – resulting in less duplication across federal and State jurisdictions and delivering a real boost to the nation’s productivity
We will establish a one-stop shop environmental approvals process covering both Commonwealth and State legislation, that maintains high environmental standards, delivers certainty for all users and importantly makes swift decisions
Supporting communities – creating a sustainable environment
We will adopt a practical, balanced and sustainable approach to environmental issues based on linking sound scientific findings with the needs of all users resulting in more sustainable commercial activities and better environmental outcomes
For example, we will support the fishing industry
We will adopt a more balanced approach by setting up more rigorous assessments for new Marine Protected Areas that will mean the areas are assessed in accordance with objective scientific, economic and social evidence
Our aim is to continue to protect marine environments and the fishing communities which rely on them
20 Delivering stronger borders and a more secure nation
Putting the national interest first
The Coalition will put the national interest first, deliver stronger borders, provide a world-class defence force and protect the nation’s interests overseas
We will take immediate action to protect both the integrity of our borders and Australia’s immigration programme
We will not allow illegal boat arrivals and people smugglers to either determine Australia’s immigration programme, or undermine the Australian people’s confidence in the programme
Delivering stronger borders – where the boats are stopped
We will deliver stronger borders – where the boats are stopped – with tough and proven measures
If elected Prime Minister, the first overseas trip that Tony Abbott makes as Prime Minister will be to Indonesia to renew cooperation against people smugglers
We will re-introduce the use of Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) to deny the people smugglers a product to sell
We will immediately give new orders to the Navy to tackle illegal boat arrivals and ‘turn back’ the boats where safe to do so
We will give priority in processing to offshore special humanitarian visa applicants, over illegal boat arrivals
We will ensure, offshore special humanitarian visa applicants receive priority in obtaining permanent residency in Australia over illegal boat arrivals
We will boost rigorous offshore processing for illegal arrivals so that bad behaviour has consequences
We will establish presumption against refugee status for people who arrive on boats without identity papers
Where asylum seekers deliberately discard their identity documentation, we will deny them the benefit of doubt when determining their refugee status
We will establish and increase mandatory minimum jail sentences for people smugglers
We will reserve 11,000 of the 13,750 refugee places each year for offshore applicants
We will ensure a minimum of1,000 refugee places are reserved for the most vulnerable refugees, in particular women at risk of violence and harm
We will restore the single case officer appeal process
POLICY PRIORITY
We will deliver stronger borders – where the boats are stopped – with tough and proven measures
“Stopping the boats matters. It would signify that the Australian government is in every respect sovereign over Australia’s borders”
Delivering a world-class defence force
We will rebuild our defence force by stopping Labor’s defence run-down and give our defence force the first-class resources and equipment they need
We will restore responsible defence spending to 3 per cent real growth per year subject to improvements in the Budget –our aspiration is to restore funding to defence to the same level as it was under the last seven years of the Howard Government
We will reinvest any responsible savings that can be found in the defence bureaucracy in greater military capacity
We will immediately start the process of acquiring a number of new state-of-the-art unmanned aircraft
Within 18 months, we will publish a new defence White Paper with costed, affordable ways to meet Australia’s important defence and national security objectives
We will ensure that Australia does not have a submarine capability gap
Within 18 months, we will make the short and medium term decisions necessary to achieve this goal
Fighting terrorism in Australia
We will deliver improved counter-terrorism and domestic security measures in Australia and secure our ports and airports
Improving foreign affairs – a stronger focus on our region
We will increase the importance of foreign affairs, lace a stronger focus on our region and rebuild our diplomatic footprint with more effective representation and better diplomacy
We will enhance Australia’s role and engagement in the world developing greater international cooperation
We will review the weighting Australia gives to its diplomatic resources including overseas representation, with a view to refocusing foreign policy on the Asia-Pacific region
We will rebuild relationships with our neighbours damaged by Labor’s mismanagement and failed border security policies
We will enhance US access to bases in Australia and continue to support our close alliance with the US
We will ensure future aid funding increases are dependent on AusAid meeting strict performance benchmarks
Within two years, we will establish a new two way ‘Colombo Plan’ to deepen our knowledge and engagement with countries in our region and develop stronger people-to-people relationships by bringing the best and the brightest talent from our region to Australia and taking Australia’s best and brightest talent to countries in our region
21 Delivering strong, stable, accountable government
Encouraging Australians to work together
The Coalition will do the right thing for Australia and deliver a strong, stable, accountable government that puts the national interest first and delivers a better future for all Australians
We will restore accountability and improve transparency measures to be more accountable to you
We will govern for all Australians, not favour any particular group
We’re all in this together and we’ll encourage all Australians to work together
We will end the class war and the bad blood between Labor and business that is damaging investment and employment
Tony Abbott is a strong leader – a record of success
Tony Abbott was a senior, experienced Cabinet Minister in the Howard Coalition Government
He has a law degree and a degree in economics from the University of Sydney
He is a Rhodes Scholar with a Master’s degree from Oxford University
He is community oriented – he is a volunteer firefighter and lifesaver, he contributes his time every year to help Aboriginal communities and he has raised over $2.5 million through his annual ‘Pollie Pedal’ bike ride for many worthy causes including for children’s cancer, a local women’s shelter and carers
He has dedicated his life to public service – to serving his country and the Australian people
He is married to Margie and they have three adult daughters
The Coalition Team includes experienced ministers
Because sixteen members of the Shadow Cabinet were experienced ministers in an effective Coalition Government they will hit the ground running and they won’t have to learn the hard way that good government is about getting on with the job and delivering results and dealing with substance, not spin
The Coalition Team has a successful track record
The Coalition Team were effective Ministers in the successful Howard Coalition Government which:
turned Australia’s economy around, reformed the tax system and made Australia’s economy more productive and prosperous;
delivered more than two million new jobs and delivered the lowest unemployment rate since the 1970s;
delivered a more than 20 per cent increase in real wages and a doubling of Australians’ net wealth per person;
delivered real tax cuts and more benefits for families;
delivered Budget surpluses in 10 out of 12 years, paid back Labor’s $96 billion debt and put away $70 billion in net assets; //| and
secured Australia’s borders and stopped the boats
POLICY PRIORITY
We will deliver strong and stable government that restores accountability – to deliver a better future for all Australians
All Coalition policies are affordable and fully funded
All Coalition policies are fully costed and fully funded
The Coalition has a long track record of managing Budgets responsibly
Sixteen members of the Shadow Cabinet were experienced Ministers in the effective Howard Coalition Government
“Our Plan will deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia.”
Delivering a strong, prosperous economy and a safe, secure Australia
In the two years since the last election, my colleagues and I have travelled to all parts of Australia listening and talking with people about their lives, their families and their hopes for our country
We have also consulted with experts about opportunities to harness Australia’s great potential
From these conversations at homes, work places, factories, farms, school halls, businesses and universities, we have developed our plan to offer Hope, Reward and Opportunity for all Australians
Our plan is to build a stronger Australia by building a stronger economy, stronger communities, a cleaner environment, stronger borders and more modern infrastructure
The Coalition’s priority will be to build a stronger, more productive and diverse economy through lower taxes,
more efficient government
and more productive businesses that will deliver more jobs, higher wages and better services for all Australians
With a modernized economy and the right policies, Australians can once again have competitive manufacturing industries, a dynamic services sector and a growing knowledge economy as well as strong agriculture and mining
We can also once again have a strong vibrant small business sector creating stronger jobs growth
Within five years I am confident that our economy can deliver at least one million new jobs; and two million new jobs within the next decade
Our vision for Australia is grounded in the belief that I expressed in my very first speech to the Parliament 19 years ago, that “there is no limit to what Australia can achieve”
In the seven parliaments I have served since that first speech, as a backbencher, parliamentary secretary, minister, cabinet minister, Leader of the House and now as a party leader, I have not wavered in my belief that our best days as a nation are still ahead of us
Here, in these pages, is the stronger Australia–a truly 21st Century Australia–that the next Coalition Government will build
This is the Australia that we believe in
“There is no limit to what Australia can achieve”
1 The Coalition’s top policy priorities
1. We will build a stronger, more productive and diverse economy with lower taxes, more efficient government and more productive businesses that will deliver more jobs, higher real incomes and better services for you and your family
2.  We will get the Budget back under control, cut waste and start reducing debt – to keep interest rates as low as possible; and to protect the Australian economy from future economic shocks
3. We will help families get ahead by freeing them from the burdens of the carbon tax – to protect Australian jobs and reduce cost-of-living pressures, especially rising electricity and gas prices
4. We will help small businesses grow and create more jobs – by reducing business costs and cutting taxes as well as cutting red and green tape costs by $1 billion every year
5. We will create stronger jobs growth by building a diverse, world-class 5-Pillar economy – by building on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation, Advanced Services, Agriculture Exports, world-class Education and Research, as well as boosting Mining Exports
6. We will generate one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs within a decade by growing a bigger, more productive and prosperous economy
7. We will build more modern infrastructure to get things moving – with an emphasis on reducing the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads and highways
8. We will deliver better services including health services – by putting local communities in charge of hospitals and improving co-operation with the States and Territories
9. We will deliver better education – by putting local communities in charge of improving the performance of local schools
10. We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions inside Australia, not overseas – and also establish a 15,000-strong Green Army to clean-up the environment
11. We will deliver stronger borders – where the boats are stopped – with tough and proven measures
12. We will deliver strong and stable government that restores accountability – to deliver a better future for all Australians
We will deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia
Our plan will build a stronger, more productive and prosperous Australia – a truly 21st Century Australia – so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and get a better future
2 The Coalition’s Plan: building a stronger 21st Century Australia
Our positive, inclusive vision for Australia
We believe in Australia and we believe “there is no limit to what Australia can achieve”
That’s why our plan is to build a stronger, more productive and prosperous Australia – a truly 21st Century Australia – so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and have a better future
With your support we will deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia
We will offer every Australian Hope, Reward and Opportunity
We’ve been listening
Your opinion counts
That’s why the Coalition Team has travelled all over Australia listening and talking with people about their lives, their jobs and their hopes for their children and our country
Australians have told us of their growing concerns
Concerns about increasing pressures on family budgets and the huge rise in the cost-of-living – especially rapidly rising electricity and gas prices
Concerns about poor superannuation returns and being able to afford a secure retirement
Concerns about leaving the next generation worse off and unfairly burdening their children’s and grandchildren’s future with higher taxes and debt
Concerns about the lack of modern infrastructure and the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads
Concerns about job security, youth unemployment and the slowing economy
Concerns about tax increases, government waste and government debt
Concerns about increasing numbers of illegal boat arrivals and the huge blow-out in taxpayer costs
We’ve been listening to small business
Small business people have told us of their growing concerns
Concerns about the government not understanding the needs of small business and how the government is increasing the burdens on business
Concerns about rapidly rising business costs and taxes – especially rising electricity and gas prices caused by the carbon tax
Concerns about increasing levels of red tape and paperwork and increasing levels of bureaucratic over-regulation
Concerns about workplace productivity problems
Concerns about the economy and the impact of the high Australian dollar on their businesses
Concerns about whether they can afford to hire people because of increasing union militancy and the growing uncertainty this creates for businesses
We’ve been consulting with the experts
We have also been consulting widely with business and various experts about confronting the challenges facing Australia
For example: the need to foster productivity, competitiveness and growth if we are to lift Australians’ living standards and what needs to be done to unleash Australia’s real economic potential, particularly in the context of the great transformation currently occurring in the Asian region
We have taken all these ideas into account in developing our plan for Australia’s future
It’s time to honestly face Australia’s challenges
Australia has come a long way but we must now honestly and seriously address the real challenges and issues confronting the nation particularly in this new debt challenged world
We must be realistic and practical and we must adopt real solutions to these challenges
For example:
we must start living within our means and start paying down government debt to protect ourselves against any future economic shocks and to avoid leaving a debt legacy to our children;
we must start addressing the unsustainable structural imbalances in our Budget and get the Budget back on track to strong and sustainable surpluses;
we must free Australia from the shackles and burdens holding us back and unleash Australia’s real economic potential so we can compete more effectively in Asia;
we must boost productivity growth to make Australia more competitive, productive and prosperous;
we must start building a more diverse, world-class economy–a 5-Pillar economy–that builds on our strengths as a nation and builds real prosperity for the future so that living standards improve, not fall, in the years ahead;
we must build more modern infrastructure suited to the21st Century;
we must work more cooperatively with the States to improve education and health services at the local level;
we must reduce cost-of-living pressures on families;
we must secure our borders–where the boats are stopped//|; and
we must rebuild our weakened defence force and we must make the nation stronger, not weaker
This forthcoming election is the most important in decades
At this election the Australian people will face one of the most important elections in decades as they decide the future direction of the country
Australians will decide which leader and party will put the national interest first;
provide strong, stable and accountable government;
deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia for the uncertain times ahead
Our plan addresses the main challenges facing Australia
This document, ‘Our Plan: Real Solutions for all Australians’ outlines the clear direction, values and policy priorities that will guide the next Coalition Government
Our plan honestly confronts Australia’s real challenges with real solutions and outlines action to deliver a strong, prosperous economy and a safe, secure future for all of us
Building a stronger economy
Our main goal is to secure Australia’s economic future
and to protect Australians from any future external economic shocks to avoid leaving our children worse off
We have a detailed plan to build a world-class 5-Pillar economy that will deliver more jobs and generate the real wealth necessary to finance better government services for Australian families
Charting a longer term course for Australia
The Coalition’s ambitious plan charts a longer term course for modernizing and transforming Australia’s economy to ensure it is more suited to the challenges of the 21st Century–by making Australia more competitive in the global economy,
by lowering taxes,
by boosting productivity growth,
by getting small businesses growing again and creating more jobs,
by modernizing our industries and workforce
and developing a more diverse world-class economy–which under a Coalition Government will deliver one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs within the next decade
Our aim is to deliver a better future for all Australians
Our aim is to build a stronger Australia –a truly 21st Century Australia –so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and have a better future
Our aim is to deliver a strong and prosperous economy;
a safe and secure nation with secure borders and a strong defence force;
a decent and respectful society that gives a ‘fair go’ to all and encourages people to thrive and get ahead;
a country with a network of strong communities with more modern infrastructure;
a land with a cleaner environment and a more sustainable future;
a country with a culture of Hope, Reward and Opportunity;
and a country that is a more prosperous, safe and secure place to live
Australians deserve to live in the best country in the world
Last but not least, the Coalition believes there are no limits to what this great country can achieve for its people
We need to remove the shackles and burdens holding Australia back and to unleash Australia’s real potential
It’s time to build a truly strong, productive and prosperous 21st Century Australia
After all, Australians deserve to live in the best country in the world with the best prospects for the future
Australians deserve Hope, Reward and Opportunity
Australians deserve a better future
Australians deserve better government
3 A time for a decision about the future
The key challenge facing Australia
To safeguard Australia’s economic future the key challenge facing Australia is to compete successfully in a more fiercely competitive world
Undoubtedly, Australia’s underlying challenge is to strengthen its economy and make real improvements in productivity, competitiveness and growth to ensure Australia’s future prosperity
Many businesses don’t need to be told by government that Asia offers opportunities because of a rapidly rising middle class
But they do want government to help equip the economy for the competitive challenges ahead so that we can actually realise these opportunities
Asia’s growth offers Australia tremendous potential to significantly increase our exports by utilising our competitive advantages as a nation – as long as we position ourselves so that we are ready to seize these opportunities and unleash Australia’s real economic potential
For example, estimates suggest that Asian demand could almost double our net energy exports over the next 20 years
And that comes on top of projections that the volume of our minerals exports could increase by 40 per cent to 60 per cent in the period to 2025
In the education sector, we will expand our exports, particularly in the Asian region using a number of channels including online
As ANZ chief executive Mike Smith1 has warned, Australia risks losing out on a $3 trillion economic opportunity in the Asian region if it does not urgently address productivity concerns
Mr Smith said tax and labour reforms were critical and warned that incorrect policy settings risked Australia not being able to finance the $3 trillion that ANZ estimated Australia needs over the next 20 years to seize the resource and agricultural opportunities presented by the rising Asian middle class
Tackling the real challenges here in Australia
The real challenges facing Australia range from the need for lower, simpler and fairer taxes, to improving productivity, to promote industries to take advantage of the opportunities ahead
In summary:
we need to reduce the cost base of our mining projects so that Australian projects are favoured over other countries’ and our projects move further up the ladder on resource companies’ development plans;
we need to increase the flexibility of our economy to respond when economic shocks hit;
we need to address the infrastructure blockages holding us back; //|and
we need to support our small business sector
The economic vitality of our country is being sapped because the small businesses of our country are being suffocated
There are 11,000 fewer small businesses actually employing people now than there were in 2007
Small business start-ups have dropped by a staggering 95 per cent
we need to improve productivity, competitiveness and growth;
we need to reduce Australia’s sovereign risk profile and restore Australia’s competitive reputation overseas;
we need to address Australia’s growing workplace militancy, flexibility and productivity challenges;
we need to scrap unnecessary taxes like the carbon tax that reduce our comparative advantages;
we need to scrap a mining tax that discourages investment by imposing very high effective tax rates on risky projects, while collecting little revenue – particularly after reimbursing the States for their mining royalties;
we need to streamline environmental approvals – and stop the delays, complexities and uncertainties imposed by the Commonwealth and States;
The number going bankrupt has increased by 48 per cent
Small business insolvencies instigated by the Australian Taxation Office are up 46 per cent on previous years
Australia needs to restore responsible economic management
It is imperative that Australia restores responsible economic management, adopts a strong economic plan and changes the direction of its structural Budget as quickly as possible to get back on the path to building real prosperity, not false prosperity
Unfortunately Labor has no economic plan – instead it thinks the answer to every problem is more spending and more taxes
Australia has been living beyond its means, recklessly spending more than it earns
As a result we are now borrowing more and mortgaging our future, forcing our children to pay for the government’s debt of today
Australia’s current structural Budget position is poor
Australia is now more vulnerable to economic shocks due to excessive deficits and debt spending
There is no credible plan to repay debt – making Australia more vulnerable to another financial crisis
Yet Labor is now creating expectations by promising new spending programmes that are not funded, making the structural Budget position even worse
The Australian Financial Review has identified that under Labor, Australia now has a $120 billion Budget black hole of unfunded policy promises
On the matter of the ongoing structural integrity of the Budget – Chris Richardson, one of Australia’s leading economic forecasters said: “The Budget remains in trouble”2
There have now been four years of back-to-back Budget deficits at record levels with another deficit in prospect
Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard have burned through almost $200 billion worth of excessive Commonwealth government spending
Last year’s deficit was initially expected to be $12.3 billion but it turned out to be $43.4 billion – a $30+ billion blow-out!
Labor has not delivered on its financial promises and has never returned a Budget surplus, only excuses
Labor is now raising taxes and using accounting tricks to manipulate Budget outcomes
And it has still not tackled the problem of the structural position of the Budget
Australia needs to develop a more productive economy
Spending policies are now overriding productivity enhancing policies
Unfortunately, like Europe, under Labor Australia remains fixated on the spending side of the economy rather than on the productive side of the economy–the side that creates greater wealth and prosperity for the nation
Since the global financial crisis, Labor has encouraged policies that are arguably the opposite of improving long-run sustainable growth in national output –the key determinants of which are saving and productivity improvements
Productivity growth has fallen significantly
The Economist Intelligence Unit now ranks Australia as the second worst of 51 countries for productivity growth ahead only of Botswana
The next wave of investment is now at risk
About $75 billion worth of resource projects have been cancelled in the past 12 months and a further $100 billion are at serious risk
For example: BHP has deferred its massive Olympic Dam expansion in South Australia and in Western Australia, Fortescue and BHP have scaled back expansion plans and Japan’s Mitsubishi has shelved the$6 billion Oakajee development
With commodity prices still high despite recent falls, this raises serious questions:
about the imposition of new taxes like the mining tax and carbon tax –particularly when we are the only country with a resource based economy to impose an economy-wide carbon tax;
about Australia’s sovereign risk profile which has dramatically increased with the introduction of these new taxes;
about Australia’s poor recent levels of productivity performance and the need to make Australia more competitive and productive;
about growing union militancy in work places; //|and
about Australia’s high project development costs now affecting investment decisions
GDP is growing too slowly
Australia’s GDP per head has grown by only just over 0.5 per cent per year under Labor compared to well over 2 per cent a year under the Coalition
The economy is now slowing with the Reserve Bank cutting its economic growth forecasts and warning the resources boom is losing steam faster than expected
As UBS economist Scott Haslem said: “While the RBA sounds less certain on domestic growth…they now appear even more worried about domestic inflation and productivity”
Monetary policy is now being used to try and catch a falling economy
“We Australians are a great people with a great destiny”
Over-regulation is strangling our businesses and driving up costs
An Australian Chamber of Commerce and industry survey showed that 73 per cent of businesses report greater increases in regulation over the past two years and 60 per cent of businesses spend over $5,000 a year just meeting regulatory requirements
Inflexible work practices are holding our industries back
The Australian Industry Group warns there are too many unnecessary barriers on productivity and flexibility that will lead to more business closures and jobs going overseas
They say it’s not about slashing wages, working conditions or living standards, but they fear the nation is going “the wrong way down a one-way street”
Australia’s pace of jobs growth has been 30 percent lower under Labor
Under Labor, the pace of jobs growth has averaged 1.5 per cent a year compared with 2.2 per cent under the Coalition –a 30 per cent slower pace of jobs growth
And less than half of the new jobs under Labor have been private sector jobs compared with over 70 per cent under the Howard Government
Jobs growth over the past two years has slowed to its weakest pace in 15 years
And Australia’s work force participation rate has dropped
Without a strong, g rowing economy, other challenges can’t be properly addressed
Without a strong, prosperous economy the nation won’t have the financial means to address all the other challenges facing Australia,
like the need for more modern infrastructure,
better services like health and education
and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
as well as the need to restore defence funding
That’s why a strong, prosperous economy is central to everything
Australians are being let down by a bad government
Australians know that this is a great country let down by a bad government interested only in its own survival–with no economic plan for Australia other than to run deficits and spend more money
4 Delivering a strong, prosperous economy
The importance of a responsible economic strategy
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to deliver a strong, prosperous economy based on the fundamental truth that the best long-term economic strategy for Australia is to get our finances in order,
build a strong growth-powered economy with less debt
and make Australia more productive and competitive in the global economy
Our plan will deliver more jobs, higher real wages and better living standards for all Australians
The elements of our economic plan
We will live within our means, get the Budget back under control and pay back debt
We will lower taxes to stimulate stronger economic growth and unleash our real economic potential
We will boost productivity to secure greater prosperity
and build more 21st Century infrastructure
We will deepen our engagement with Asia and deliver more growth from Asia
We will help small business create stronger jobs growth
We will build a more diverse, world-class 5-Pillar economy that unleashes Australia’s potential
Building a strong, productive and prosperous economy with less debt benefits everyone
We believe a strong, productive and prosperous economy,
ideally free from the burdens of debt, is the basis for realising all our other goals for Australia
In fact, it provides the financial means to enable us to help those in need, particularly the disadvantaged
A prosperous economy with less debt is the essential ingredient that allows us all to secure the aspirations we have for ourselves, our families and our country
“The best way to restore politicians’ standing is to have governments which meddle less and lead more”
5 Living within our means and getting the Budget back under control
POLICY PRIORITY
We will get the Budget back under control, cut waste and start reducing debt – to take unnecessary pressure off interest rates; and to protect the Australian economy from another financial crisis
Protecting Australia from a debt crisis – paying down debt
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to live within our means and get the Budget back under control
With Australia’s net debt over $160 billion, Australia is more vulnerable to an economic shock and has less protection in the event of a financial crisis
This is why we are so determined to get the Budget back under control and get back on the path to real prosperity
Sound budget management means a sustainable surplus over the medium-term because governments have to live within their means if we wish to leave the next generation better off, not worse off
We will manage the economy and Budget responsibly to ensure our children are not burdened by unfairly high taxes and left with an unfair debt legacy
The Coalition will protect the Australian economy from economic shocks and create the conditions which keep interest rates as low as possible and reduce debt interest payments, which are now costing the Australian public over $7 billion a year
By repaying debt, this annual $7 billion of debt interest payments could instead be better spent on better services such as health and education and for tax relief
Getting the Budget back under control
We will:
get the Budget back under control, start delivering real Budget surpluses, pay down debt and take pressure off the high Australian dollar;
immediately establish a Commission of Audit to identify savings and efficiencies in all areas of government,
so we can reduce government debt and start delivering better value for money and sustainable Budget surpluses into the future;
end government waste and ensure better value-for-money in government programmes so that Australia no longer needs to keep borrowing money to prop up its Budget; //|and
start reducing government debt so the government won’t need to spend $7 billion a year on wasted interest payments
Living within our means on a sustainable basis
We will restore prudent financial management and live within our means on a sustainable, longer-term basis to restore structural integrity to the Budget
We will:
act in a responsible way to protect Australian families and deliver better frontline services
whilst repairing Australia’s Budget and putting it on a sustainable, longer-term footing;
deliver a more effective and responsive public service focused on your needs
6 Lowering taxes to unleash our real economic potential
Delivering lower taxes and growing a stronger economy
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to lower taxes to stimulate stronger economic growth and make Australia more competitive in the global economy
We will abolish unnecessary taxes to unleash Australia’s real economic potential and to encourage businesses to invest and grow and create more jobs
Personal income tax cut – without the carbon tax
We will fund personal income tax cuts for individuals and families – without a carbon tax
We pledge to the families of Australia that we will never make your lives harder by imposing needless new taxes and we will free Australians from the burdens of the carbon tax
Cutting company tax – without the mining tax
We will deliver a modest cut in company tax – funded from savings in the Budget
Scrapping the carbon tax – reducing cost-of-living pressures
We will immediately introduce legislation to scrap the world’s biggest carbon tax and start reducing cost of living pressures for all Australians caused by rapidly rising electricity and gas prices
By repealing the world’s biggest carbon tax we will secure a bigger economy – an extra $1 trillion of lost output cumulatively by 2050 on Labor’s own figures, or the equivalent of shutting down the whole Australian economy for almost a year
This will secure more Australian jobs, boost Australia’s exports and make Australia’s businesses more competitive and productive
No other energy-rich country has introduced an economy wide carbon tax
The world’s biggest carbon tax damages the Australian economy, drives up prices unnecessarily, hits the cost-of-living of families, hurts small businesses and makes all Australian businesses less competitive in both domestic and international markets
We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions
Through the Coalition’s Direct Action Plan we will deliver on our commitment to a five per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020
We will reduce emissions inside Australia, not by paying billions of dollars to foreign carbon traders
We will act immediately to abolish the carbon tax
On day one of a new government– we will instruct the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to draft legislation to repeal the carbon tax
The Finance Minister will notify the Clean Energy Finance Corporation that it should suspend its operations and instruct the Department of Finance to draft legislation to permanently shut down the$10 billion fund
The Environment Minister will instruct the department to start implementing the Coalition’s Direct Action Plan on climate change and carbon emissions
Legislation to repeal the carbon tax will be the first piece of legislation the Coalition will introduce
“No country has ever taxed itself into prosperity”
Abolishing the mining tax – growing a stronger economy
We will abolish the mining tax and restore Australia’s international reputation as a safe and reliable place to invest, making Australia more competitive in the global economy
• We are determined to attract more investment in Australia’s mining sector, encourage the development of the world’s best mining industry and harness the comparative advantages we have as one of the world’s great mining and energy rich resource countries
The mining tax damages Australia’s international reputation overseas, increases our sovereign risk profile, damages investor confidence and deters investment in Australia in favour of other countries
The compliance costs of the mining tax push up costs for our mining companies making them less productive and less competitive
As a result, Australia is becoming less competitive in the global economy and is heading in the wrong direction
The Coalition is determined to deliver a more positive environment for mining
By abolishing the mining tax, we will re-energise the entire industry and this will lead to increased mining investment with more mining projects coming on stream
This will lead to an eventual boost in Australia’s exports, strengthening the economy and creating more Australian jobs over the medium-longer term
The Australian people will benefit significantly from a bigger and stronger mining industry that pays more taxes and invests in more mining projects in Australia, rather than overseas
Welcoming investment
By lowering taxes and reducing Australia’s sovereign risk profile we will declare to the world that Australia is ‘open-for-business’ again and that will lift confidence and investment in our industries
7 Boosting productivity and securing greater prosperity
Securing the future prosperity of our country
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to boost productivity to make Australia more competitive in the global economy and to lift Australians’ standard of living
In a competitive world economy, standing still is not an option
That’s why we must immediately take the decisions necessary to boost productivity growth and encourage world’s best practice to modernise and transform Australia’s businesses and industries for the 21st Century
Our Better Productivity Plan
Everything in our Better Productivity Plan is designed to make Australia more productive and to make our economy more competitive, because that is the key to building a better future with better prospects for all Australians
We will implement our Better Productivity Plan and deliver higher productivity growth by:
encouraging more people into the workforce to be productive contributors in the nation’s life and to help make Australia a more successful country;
making public institutions more cost effective and responsive so they too can contribute to making Australia more productive and successful;
cutting government red and green tape so businesses can become more productive and devote their energies towards business and jobs growth;
improving competition rules so competitive forces drive productivity growth;
getting greater value from infrastructure spending so every dollar of spending becomes more productive and the infrastructure contributes to real economic growth; //|and
rebalancing workplace relations to reduce union militancy in workplaces
and to encourage higher pay for better work
Productivity Priorities Working Group
We have established a Productivity Priorities Working Group to consult with business and community stakeholders on the implementation of our Better Productivity Plan – so that it can be implemented from day one and a new government can ‘hit the ground running’
Improving productivity – by boosting workforce participation
We will deliver higher productivity growth by boosting workforce participation
We will encourage every Australian to be a productive contributor in the nation’s life and give every Australian the opportunity to get ahead and build a better life for themselves and their families
We will provide incentives for employers to employ young people and seniors and take them off welfare
We will ensure that people of working age are actually working, preferably for a wage – but if not, for the dole – by reinvigorating the work-for-the-dole programme that was one of the great successes of the previous Coalition Government
We will introduce a genuine Paid Parental Leave Scheme and help ensure that childcare is more accessible, affordable and flexible – ensuring all families have more choice
The Coalition’s Paid Parental Leave scheme is based on a mother’s real wage, rather than a minimum wage
According to the Productivity Commission’s report into parental leave, Australia is one of only two countries where parental leave isn’t based on the mother’s actual wage
We will introduce a new Job Commitment Bonus for long-term employees who get a job and remain off welfare for 12 months and a further bonus if they remain off welfare for 24 months
We will introduce a new Jobseeker Relocation Bonus for young job seekers who move to take a job
We will provide better structured incentives for employers to employ people over 50 years of age
We will make work-for-the-dole mandatory for all long-term unemployed welfare beneficiaries under 50 years of age and tighten work-for-the-dole requirements
We will start suspending dole payments for people under 30 years of age in areas where unskilled work is readily available
We will adopt a smarter approach to the disability pension that distinguishes between disabilities that are likely to be permanent and those that are not, which will help to prevent older unemployed people being parked on welfare
We will support the Australian Employment Covenant and its many supporting employers to create more opportunities for indigenous Australians to get ahead by actively engaging more indigenous Australians in real jobs
Improving productivity – by improving government services
We will deliver higher productivity growth by making public institutions more cost effective and responsive, so they too can contribute to making Australia more productive and successful
• We will make our hospitals and schools more responsive to community needs and more efficient
Community controlled public hospitals and independent public schools where individuals have a stake in the institution and a say at the board table, with a focus on improvement and delivering better results, lead to greater productivity
If the public schools and public hospitals that comprise more than 5 per cent of our total economy are more responsive and efficient, productivity will improve
“We need governments which believe in Australia and Australians”
Improving productivity – by cutting government red and green tape
We will deliver higher productivity growth by cutting government red and green tape – so businesses can become more productive and devote their energies towards business and jobs growth
Productivity will go up when people running businesses have more time for innovation, customer sales and actually running their businesses because they will spend less time and money on unnecessary paper work with no real benefit
We will cut government red tape costs on businesses and community groups by $1 billion a year
We will deliver a State-based one-stop shop for environmental approvals to streamline the environmental approval process, reduce costs for business and boost productivity while retaining current high environmental standards
We will give every significant Commonwealth government agency/department an annual target for red tape cost reductions and public service bonuses will depend upon those targets being met
Where possible we will replace burdensome regulatory reporting requirements with independent audits backed by penalties for organisations that fail to comply with set standards
Every Cabinet submission will once more contain a regulation impact statement that will quantify the compliance costs imposed and matching compliance cost cuts
E very year, there will be a Deregulation Report tabled in the parliament and two sitting days will be dedicated to the repeal of redundant legislation and review of regulations
Responsibility for deregulation will be assumed by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet so that deregulation and productivity will have a whole-of-government focus
Improving productivity – by improving competition policy
We will improve competition rules so competitive forces drive productivity growth
We will review competition policy and deliver more competitive markets because there will be, for the first time in two decades, a root and branch review of competition laws
We will ensure that big and small businesses get a ‘fair-go’ and do the right thing by each other in their respective marketplaces
If they are competing on a genuinely level playing field where the most cost-effective products dominate markets regardless of who supplies them, our productivity will go up and consumers will see real and lasting benefits
Improving productivity – by building more modern infrastructure
We will get on with the job of building the modern infrastructure required to unclog our congested roads and highways to improve the productive use of the nation’s time – millions of hours of wasted time can be converted into more productive economic activities, helping to grow a stronger economy
If workers spend less time in traffic jams they will have more time at work and more time with their families
Improving productivity – by reducing union militancy in workplaces
We will deliver higher productivity growth by rebalancing workplace relations to reduce union militancy and to encourage higher pay for better work
If there are fewer strikes and if unions are better governed, our economy will become more productive and competitive
We will fully restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) so that there will be less union militancy
This will help keep business costs down and improve productivity
We will work within the existing framework and with the independent umpire Fair Work Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman to restore the balance in workplaces
We will establish a Registered Organisations Commission to overcome the inadequacies revealed by Fair Work Australia’s investigation into the Health Services Union
We will amend laws so that registered organisations and their officials have to play by similar rules, to make similar disclosures and be subject to similar penalties as companies and their directors
8 Delivering more growth from Asia
Focusing on opportunities in the Asian region
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to deliver more growth from Asia
We will position Australia to seize the opportunities in the Asian region by strengthening our trading relationships, welcoming investment, boosting our exports and deepening Australia’s knowledge of and engagement with countries in Asia
We will modernise and transform our economy and make Australia more productive and competitive
We will develop stronger people-to-people relationships and foster the mind-set and skills-set needed to make the most of Asia’s ongoing economic transformation
We recognise the rapid emergence not only of China, but also India and Indonesia – and the opportunities this will afford Australia in the years ahead
Delivering new regional Free Trade Agreements
We will take real action to increase economic activity, strengthen our trading relationships and grow a stronger economy by fast tracking Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with China, Indonesia, Japan and India amongst others
Building more opportunities for Australia’s exporters
By focusing on opportunities in the Asian region and building a strong diverse 5-Pillar economy we will boost our export of goods and services– particularly by building on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation, Agriculture Exports, Advanced Services, world-class Education and Research, as well as Mining Exports
We will strengthen our diplomatic relationship and trade ties with India
and boost mining exports by exporting uranium to India
Developing our Asia-capability
We will develop more Asia-capable talent and help Australians gain study and work experience, form relationships, learn to adapt behaviour to Asian Contexts and learn to work more effectively with Asian governments
We will develop Australia’s ‘Asia literacy’ beyond language skills
We will develop strong people-to-people relationships
Our intention is to develop a ‘deep knowledge’ of Asia and to broaden and deepen our engagement and relationships in the region
Establishing a new two-way ‘Colombo Plan’
Within two years we will build a better and stronger network of cultural and trade relationships in our region by establishing a new two-way ‘Colombo Plan’ that doesn’t just bring the best and brightest talent from the region to learn in Australia but more importantly takes Australia’s best and brightest talent to learn more about the countries in our region
We will achieve better engagement with Asia through this new two-way ‘Colombo Plan’ which sends our future leaders to Asian universities as well as bringing their future leaders here through a scholarship programme
By fostering these relationships we will develop the important people to-people links and the leadership relationships of the future as was previously done under Sir Robert Menzies’ ‘Colombo Plan’
Ensuring high school students learn an Asian language
We will aim to have 40 per cent of high school students studying a foreign language, preferably an Asian language, in year 12, to ensure the youth of Australia become more ‘Asia-capable’ and are better equipped in the future to engage with our trading partners in our region and in the global economy
“The next Coalition Government will fight the tyranny of low expectations”
9 Helping small business create stronger jobs growth
POLICY PRIORITY
We will get small businesses growing and creating more jobs – by reducing business costs, cutting taxes, cutting red tape costs by $1 billion a year and delivering on our Better Productivity Plan
Helping small business
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to help small businesses grow and create stronger jobs growth
Employing almost half of the workforce in Australia, small businesses are the real “job creators” in the economy
By unshackling the small business sector we will unleash the potential of small businesses to grow and create more jobs
Lowering taxes and reducing business costs
We will reduce costs for every business by cutting taxes: by abolishing the carbon tax and cutting company tax
We will stop small businesses paying 10 per cent more for their electricity and 9 per cent more for their gas bills and paying more for everything else they need by abolishing the carbon tax
We will deliver a modest company tax cut, funded from savings in the Budget
Cutting red and green tape – removing the burdens on small business
We will cut government red and green tape and reduce the regulatory burdens that small businesses face – so businesses can become more productive and devote their energies towards business and jobs growth
We will get businesses growing by cutting red tape costs to business by $1 billion each year
We will streamline environmental approvals through a State-based one-stop shop environmental approval process
This will save time and money, cut down on paperwork and boost productivity
We will require Parliament to spend two days a year removing legislation and regulations to help ease the burden on small businesses
We will allow small business to send one payment directly to the Australian Taxation Office for superannuation and then the Australian Taxation Office will do the rest, if that’s what small business would prefer
We will give employers the option of ‘opting in’ to managing the administration of Paid Parental Leave to their employees
If they choose not to be the government’s paymaster, payments will be made directly to the employee
This will relieve small businesses of their role as paymaster of the government’s inadequate Paid Parental Leave scheme
We will have a genuine Paid Parental Leave scheme and we won’t force small business to do the paperwork for it
Our scheme will benefit small business because it will make it easier for them to retain capable female staff
Doubling the annual rate of small business growth
We will double the current annual rate of growth of small businesses because we understand that small businesses are the real ‘job creators’ in our economy
We will achieve an annual growth rate in the numbers of small businesses of 1.5 per cent – the same rate the Howard Government was achieving
We will then be adding more than 30,000 new small businesses each year
That’s double the rate achieved under the current government
We want small businesses providing more than half the jobs in the private sector because that is where people get a start in life, that is where entrepreneurship is fostered and innovation happens
This is an important part of building a more productive nation and is at the heart of building our economy
Reviewing competition laws and policy
We will conduct, for the first time in two decades, a root and branch review of competition laws and policy and deliver more competitive markets
Extending unfair contract protection to small business
We will extend unfair contract protection currently available to consumers, to small businesses
We will ensure that big and small businesses get a ‘fair-go’ and do the right thing by each other in their respective marketplaces, delivering real and lasting benefits to consumers
10 Building a 5-Pillar economy and unleashing Australia’s potential
POLICY PRIORITY
We will create stronger jobs growth by building a diverse, world-class 5-Pillar economy – by building on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation, Advanced Services, Agriculture Exports, world-class Education and Research, as well as boosting Mining Exports
Building a diverse 5-Pillar economy
To guard against having all our eggs in the one basket of mining, we will build a more diverse, world-class economy – a 5-Pillar economy – to unleash Australia’s real economic potential
We will build on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation, Agriculture Exports, Advanced Services, world-class Education and Research, as well as boosting our Mining Exports, to make the most of our comparative advantages in international markets
Delivering stronger jobs growth
By developing a world-class 5-Pillar economy we will deliver one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs over the next decade as we modernise and transform all sectors of our economy
Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council
We will establish a new Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council to advise the Executive Government on developing the economy
The Business Advisory Council will be chaired by leading Australian business leader Mr Maurice Newman AC and meet three times a year
It will include, amongst others, representatives from the Manufacturing, Agricultural, Services, Education and Resources sectors of the economy
Building on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation
We will unleash the real economic potential in our manufacturing industry by removing the shackles and burdens holding the industry back and by making the industry more productive and competitive
We will:
repeal the world’s biggest carbon tax which makes Australian businesses, particularly manufacturing, less competitive in domestic and international markets;
cut red tape costs by $1 billion a year;
get business costs down and get productivity up by ensuring Australian businesses have the right incentives to invest in Research and Development;
create the environment to revitalise Australian industry’s international competitiveness;
we will provide better links between government, business and research institutions;
act immediately to deliver a level playing field for Australia’s manufacturing businesses with more effective anti-dumping measures
We will crackdown on overseas producers who don’t cooperate with anti-dumping investigations
We will strengthen enforcement of the provisions of the World Trade Organisation Agreement on subsidies and countervailing measures
We will transfer anti-dumping responsibilities from Customs to the Department of Industry; //|and
build on our comparative strength in Manufacturing Innovation
Building on our strengths in Agriculture Exports
We will unleash the real economic potential in our agricultural industry by removing the shackles and burdens holding the industry back and by making the industry more productive and globally competitive
We will:
build on our comparative strength in food production and better manage our precious water resources to help our agriculture sector become the ‘Food Bowl of Asia’ and achieve ‘food security’ in a world demanding more of our food resources;
support our fishing industry and review the declaration of new Marine Protected Areas
We will establish genuine consultation with the fishing industry on research and strengthen the connection between science and fishing policy; //|and
provide policy stability and certainty to our live exports trade avoiding damaging backflips like Labor’s overnight decision to suspend live cattle trade with Indonesia
Building on our strengths in Advanced Services
We will unleash the real economic potential in our service industries by making the industry more productive and globally competitive
We will deliver broadband faster, sooner and at less expense to taxpayers and consumers than Labor’s National Broadband Network
We will:
cut red tapecostsby$1 billion per year;
build on our comparative strength in Advanced Services to boost our exports to Asia
We will seize the enormous opportunities for this highly diversified sector, particularly in relation to financial services, health services, engineering and architectural services;
encourage modernisation and the development of Advanced Services and support the use of new technologies, particularly digital and IT;
expand our skills into the Asian region; and
give priority to the recommendations of the Johnson Report into Australia as a Financial Centre to further grow our financial services industry’s ability to export its world-class expertise to Asia and beyond
Building a world-class Education and Research sector
We will unleash the real economic potential in our Education and Research sector by removing the shackles and burdens holding the industry back and by making the industry more productive and globally competitive
We will:
encourage modernisation and the development of world-class Education and Research capabilities and support the use of new technologies, particularly digital and IT; //|and
expand our education export sector, particularly in the Asian region using a number of channels including online
Building a world-class Mining, Energy and Resources sector
We will unleash the real economic potential in our mining industry by removing the shackles and burdens holding the industry back and by making the industry more productive and globally competitive
We will:
build on our strength as one of the world’s rich resource-based economies;
re-energise our mining comoanies by abolishing Labor’s carbon and mining taxes
establish a one-stop shop for environmental approvals and speed up the time for bringing projects on-stream;//|and
declare Australia ‘open for business’ and restore Australia’s international reputation as a safe place to invest
“The sum of human happiness is most likely to be maximised when government knows its limits”
“Government should be at least as interested in the creation of wealth as in its redistribution”
11 Delivering modern infrastructure and building a 21st Century Australia
Building the modern infrastructure Australia needs
We have an economic plan for Australia – a plan to build more modern infrastructure to boost productivity
We will deliver the modern infrastructure that a first world 21st Century country deserves
You will see cranes over our cities as we get on with the job of building more modern infrastructure, with a special emphasis on reducing the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads and highways
Big new projects will be underway within 12 months of a change of government
Our big cities are as vital to our economy as our vast resource developments and can be properly considered a critical part of our national economic infrastructure
They are key to the development of a more productive and prosperous Australia
Delivering a 15-year rolling plan for national infrastructure projects
We will develop a rolling 15-year infrastructure plan of national projects and work closely with Infrastructure Australia in establishing project priorities and delivery timetables
This will be a Commonwealth and State government plan and will be revised every five years
Empowering Infrastructure Australia to deliver better value from infrastructure spending
We will deliver better value from infrastructure spending by working in close collaboration with Infrastructure Australia
Infrastructure projects are very expensive and taxpayers must be guaranteed that their money is spent in the most cost effective manner possible so that we end up with more productive infrastructure, rather than just wasted money
We will strengthen the role of Infrastructure Australia, improve its governance and make it more transparent and accountable, as well as a more effective adviser
We will require all Commonwealth-funded projects worth more than $100 million to undergo a cost-benefit analysis by Infrastructure Australia to ensure the best use of available taxpayer monies
We will require Infrastructure Australia to publish justifications for all its project recommendations
We will prioritise projects based on a proper cost-benefit analysis
Within 12 months of election we will announce infrastructure priorities and construction timetables in consultation with the States
Encouraging more private investment in infrastructure projects
We will investigate ways to get more private funding into high priority infrastructure projects to enable us to do more to modernise Australia
We will ask the Office of Financial Management to examine an Infrastructure Partnership Bonds Scheme to encourage billions of dollars of additional private investment in infrastructure projects, so that we can get more things done
POLICY PRIORITY
We will build more modern infrastructure to get things moving – with a special emphasis on reducing the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads and highways
Delivering major roads and highways to get things moving
We will work with the States and the private sector to accelerate the delivery of a major roads and highways programme that reduces bottlenecks – to improve productivity and safety for all road users
We will contribute $1.5 billion to get the M4 East (WestConnex Project) underway in Sydney to complete the east-west corridor
We will contribute $1.5 billion to get the East-West Link road tunnel underway in Melbourne to link the Eastern Freeway and Western Ring Road and we will further improve the Geelong Princes Highway
We will contribute $1 billion towards the upgrade of the Gateway Motorway in Brisbane and we will develop the Toowoomba Range crossing
We will contribute $400 million and get the duplication of the Midland Highway between Hobart and Launceston done in Tasmania
We will contribute $5.6 billion to complete the duplication of the Pacific Highway from Newcastle to the Queensland border
We are committed to the Perth Gateway project and will make further road infrastructure commitments in South Australia before the next election
Delivering more affordable broadband – rolling it out faster
The Coalition will deliver high speed broadband that is both affordable for families and businesses and cost effective for taxpayers
We will for the first time do a fully transparent cost-benefit analysis of the National Broadband Network, to find out the quickest and most cost-efficient way to upgrade broadband to all areas where services are now unavailable or sub-standard
This is the cost-benefit analysis Labor didn’t do before committing to spend tens of billions of dollars on the NBN
We will roll out super-fast broadband using whichever is the most effective and cost efficient technology and we will use existing infrastructure where we can
We will roll it out faster to high priority areas
We will end billions of dollars of wasteful spending on the NBN and deliver more of the modern infrastructure we urgently need while encouraging competition wherever possible to put downward pressure on prices
Building more dams – providing water security
We will start the detailed planning necessary to build new dams – to secure the nation’s water supplies, deliver strong economic benefits for Australia, while also protecting our environment
The Coalition’s Dams Taskforce is looking at potential investments in dam capacity across Australia
12 Delivering more jobs, higher wages and higher living standards
Delivering stronger jobs growth and a bigger economy
Our economic plan will deliver stronger jobs growth right across Australia by unleashing Australia’s real economic potential and growing a bigger, more productive and prosperous economy
Delivering two million new jobs over the next decade
We will generate one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs over the next decade as we unleash Australia’s real economic potential, modernise our businesses and industries as well as transform to a stronger and more prosperous economy
Delivering higher real wages and higher living standards
We will deliver higher real wages and higher living standards by providing real opportunities for productivity growth as we transform and grow the economy and encourage higher pay for better work
We will tackle Australia’s lagging productivity growth problem by pursuing our Better Productivity Plan and building a more productive and prosperous economy that will enable higher real wages and lift Australia’s living standards
Helping unemployed young people to get a job
We will encourage unemployed young people to get back into the workforce – particularly in those areas where unskilled jobs are readily available
Helping women get ahead
We will help the women and families of Australia get ahead and have a real choice to have children and a career with a genuine Paid Parental Leave scheme, supported by an affordable, flexible and accessible childcare system
POLICY PRIORITY
We will generate one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs over the next 10 years by growing a bigger, more productive and prosperous economy
13 Reducing cost-of-living pressures for families
Delivering Hope, Reward and Opportunity for families
We believe that strong families are the bedrock of a healthy society and should receive support and encouragement from government
A supportive family is the greatest source of emotional stability and social development anyone can have
The Coalition believes that the role of government is to support and expand choices for families, not to make their choices for them
We will improve rewards from working, reduce cost-of-living pressures and help families with the real costs of raising children as we reset our country’s course to one that sees increasing confidence, renewed productivity growth and real improvement in the wealth of households
We believe that people who work hard and put money aside so they won’t be a burden on others should be encouraged, not hit with higher taxes
Abolishing the carbon tax and reducing cost-of-living pressures
We will start reducing cost of living pressures for families by immediately scrapping the world’s biggest carbon tax – taking pressure off rapidly rising electricity and gas bills
We will put downward pressure on prices by getting the ACCC to make sure that prices do not remain artificially raised when we abolish the carbon tax
Lowering taxes – improving rewards from hard work
We will fund personal income tax cuts for individuals and families – without a carbon tax
We pledge to the families of Australia that we will never make your lives harder by imposing unnecessary new taxes and we will free Australians from the burdens of the carbon tax
Keeping interest rates low
We will keep interest rates as low as possible by ending government waste, paying back debt and balancing the Budget
Protecting and strengthening Medicare and private health insurance
We will protect and strengthen Medicare by restoring the Private Health Insurance Rebate as soon as we responsibly can
POLICY PRIORITY
We will help families get ahead by freeing them from the burdens of the carbon tax – to protect Australian jobs and reduce cost-of-living pressures – especially on rising electricity and gas prices
Delivering more affordable and flexible childcare
We will help ensure that child care is more accessible, affordable and flexible, to help families juggle work and family commitments, by getting the Productivity Commission to urgently undertake a major inquiry into the child care system
We need a better child care system that’s not just geared to 9-to-5 workers–to give women a better chance to combine families with careers
We will look at ways so child care can become more flexible and responsive to the differing needs and lifestyles of parents, as work patterns and demands on parents are different today than even a decade ago
Delivering genuine Paid Parental Leave
We will deliver a genuine Paid Parental Leave scheme to give mothers six months leave based on their actual wage – to help young families get ahead
This will give women a more realistic choice if they want to combine work with family and continue their careers
According to the Productivity Commission report into parental leave, Australia is one of only two countries where parental leave isn’t based on a mother’s actual wage
If people receive their actual wage while sick or on holiday, they should also receive their actual wage while on parental leave
Parental leave is supposed to be a workplace entitlement, not a welfare payment
Delivering better cyber safety for families
We will work together with social media operators, schools, parents and children to tackle cyber bullying and other harmful material and behaviour targeted at individual children online
Delivering better local roads and more modern infrastructure
We will deliver better planned infrastructure including more modern highways that unlock the traffic jams and bottle necks in our gridlocked cities and provide better and safer highways in country areas
If workers spend less time in traffic jams they will have more time at home with their families
14 Delivering a more secure retirement for older Australians
Giving older Australians the secure retirement they deserve
After a lifetime of hard work, older Australians are entitled to a safe and secure retirement
We will ensure older Australians and seniors enjoy the safe and secure retirement they deserve by delivering a strong, prosperous economy which will then ensure that the government has the financial means to provide the real support required by older Australians in their later years
Delivering stability and certainty on superannuation
We will deliver greater stability and certainty on superannuation – we won’t move the goalposts
It is unfortunate that Labor has wasted so much money and made so many threats and changes to the superannuation system, cutting back on contribution levels and discouraging many people from providing more for their own self-funded retirement
This has not been in the long-term interests of Australians or Australia
We will ensure that no more negative unexpected changes occur to the superannuation system so that those planning for their retirement can face the future with a higher degree of predictability
We believe the people who want to plan and save for their own retirement should be supported by government, not penalised
“I stand for government which gets off people’s backs”
Assisting mature age workers with employment
We will assist mature age workers by providing better structured incentives for employers who employ workers who are over the age of 50
Pensioners and self-funded retirees
We will support pensioners and self-funded retirees by tackling the number one issue that adversely affects them – the ever increasing cost of living, especially the cost of electricity and other utilities
We will abolish the carbon tax which will see an immediate 10 per cent reduction in electricity prices and we will give the ACCC the task of ensuring the benefits of the repeal are passed onto consumers without delay
Even though we will abolish the carbon tax, we will fund tax cuts and pension increases without a carbon tax, benefiting older Australians
A better deal for our veterans
We will support our veterans by properly indexing the Defence Force Retirement Benefits and Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefit military superannuation pensions and we will deliver this in our first Budget
Improving health services and aged care for older Australians
We will negotiate an Aged Care Provider Agreement with the aged care sector
This first ever Aged Care Provider Agreement, will set the framework for ageing and aged care arrangements in Australia over the next four years and into the future
Taking into account the Productivity Commission Caring for Older Australians report, we will reduce needless bureaucracy in the sector while making sure the sector remains focused on high quality care
We will protect and strengthen Medicare by restoring the Private Health Insurance Rebate as soon as we responsibly can
15 Delivering better services and a better society
Our aim is to deliver a better future for all Australians
Our aim is to build a stronger Australia so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and have a better future
That’s why the Coalition is so determined to deliver a strong, prosperous economy because it allows us to invest more in government services – like the NDIS, health, aged care and education
A strong, productive and prosperous economy is central to everything in our society
It enables us to deliver better services at the local community level so our children can get a good education, so Australians know that when they get sick or old they can get care and if they fall on hard times they can get help
Improving co-operation with State governments through the Council of Australian Governments
We will deliver better government services by working in close co-operation with the State and Territory governments who are largely responsible for the delivery of government services
We will significantly increase co-operation with State and Territory governments by reforming the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), rather than using it as a parking lot for tough decisions which are sidelined by political grandstanding
We will get on with the job of clearing the backlog of jobs on the agenda and immediately tackle the top priorities in order to deliver better services on the ground as soon as possible
We will focus COAG on a smaller number of core issues and ensure they are resolved quickly
We will reduce the number of COAG committees and require Ministers to show why it is essential their portfolio reforms must be resolved by COAG
Helping the disabled and carers – responsibly implementing the NDIS
We are fully committed to helping people with disabilities and their carers and delivering the NDIS as soon as possible in line with the Productivity Commission’s timetable
Full implementation of the NDIS will be a new deal for people with disabilities and their carers
We will establish a bi-partisan parliamentary committee jointly chaired by both sides of the Parliament, with Members and Senators with a strong personal interest in making the NDIS happen
The committee will put the NDIS in place as a united project across party lines
“The Coalition is much more interested in an empowered community than we are in an empowered government”
16 Delivering better health services
Improving the performance of public hospitals at the local level
We will work with the States to ensure their hospitals are managed by local hospital boards so that communities get better health services and better value for their money
We will put local communities and experts, not unaccountable bureaucrats, in charge of improving the performance of public hospitals – by creating community-controlled hospital boards to appoint the CEO and manage hospital budgets, by instilling a ‘patient care first’ culture amongst staff and ensuring the delivery of better health outcomes at the local hospital level
Improving mental health services
We will deliver better mental health services and provide better employment services for people with a mental health issue
We will take real action and support better mental health services with Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centres (EPPICs); boosting of basic and applied research into mental health; new headspace sites; better employment opportunities to those with serious mental health problems, boosting outside services that job agencies can provide to clients with mental health issues and a Mental Health Workforce Training Institute
Funding diabetes research
We will provide $35 million to help find a cure for type 1 diabetes
This will assist the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Clinical Research Network to fund a significant number of additional patient trials locally and internationally and take a co-ordinated nationwide approach to diabetes research
Improving access to medicines
We will restore transparency, certainty and confidence to the process by which medicines are listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) – ensuring medicines are listed on the basis of advice from the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, not on the whim of the government
Improving private health insurance
We will strengthen Medicare and take pressure off the public hospital system by restoring the Private Health Insurance Rebate as soon as we responsibly can
This will encourage more Australians to take up private health insurance
Bringing dental into Medicare
We aspire to improve and restore dental services through Medicare as soon as we responsibly can
POLICY PRIORITY
We will deliver better services including health services – by putting local communities in charge of hospitals and improving co-operation with States and Territories
17 Delivering better education
POLICY PRIORITY
We will deliver better education – by putting local communities in charge of improving the performance of local schools
Improving the performance of schools at the local level
We will provide better schools, encourage better teachers and provide more choice for parents by giving communities and parents greater control over schools
We will put parents, principals and school communities, not unaccountable bureaucrats, in charge of determining how their school will be run to improve performance – by instilling a ‘students come first’ culture amongst staff and ensuring the delivery of better education outcomes at the local school level
We will work with the States and Territories to encourage State schools to choose to become independent schools, providing simpler budgeting and resources allocation and more autonomy in decision making
We will support teachers in the classroom by ensuring our curriculum is rigorous without being too prescriptive or overcrowded
We will continue current levels of funding for schools, indexed to deal with real increases in costs and we will ensure that money is targeted based on the social and economic status of the community
We will make more investment in science education at primary schools
We will restore the Primary Connections science education programme which is strongly supported by Australian Nobel Laureate, Professor Brian Schmidt, following recent Labor cuts to the successful programme
We will work together with social media operators, schools, parents and children to tackle cyber bullying and other harmful material and behaviour targeted at individual children online, by measures such as ensuring large social media operators rapidly remove harmful online material directed at a child
We will continue the National School Chaplaincy Programme in Schools to support the emotional wellbeing of students
Strengthening higher education
We will strengthen higher education and encourage Australians of all ages to further their education so that they can gain a comparative advantage and get ahead in the new global economy
We believe higher education has a vital dual role in our society as an engine of economic growth, through educating our workforce and producing quality research
We will ensure the continuation of the current arrangements of university funding
We will work with the sector to reduce the burden of red tape, regulation and reporting, freeing up the sector to concentrate on delivering results and services
We will review and restructure government research funding to make sure each dollar is spent as effectively as possible
We will ensure the sector has a stable, long-term source of infrastructure funding
We will work with the sector to grow higher education as an export industry and to support international students studying in Australia
Investing in job skills training
We will invest in advanced job skills training– including trade skills
We will boost and retain skills in the work place and give incentives to employers to take young people and older Australians off welfare and into work
Our immigration programme will focus on skilled migrants targeting skills shortages and people who can make a contribution from day one in a job
We will work urgently with the States to aim to have 40 percent of Year 12 students studying a foreign language, preferably an Asian language, within a decade to equip them with the skills necessary for the jobs of the future
New opportunities for our youth to learn in the Asian region
We aim to develop stronger people-to-people relationships with the countries in our region and this presents enormous opportunities for the youth of Australia
We will establish a new two-way ‘Colombo Plan’ that doesn’t just bring the best and brightest talent from the region to Australia’s universities but that also takes Australia’s best and brightest talent to Asian universities to learn more about the countries in our region and to develop closer ties and stronger people-to-people relationships
By awarding scholarships to our students and fostering this ‘Asia-capable’ learning and developing these people-to-people relationships in those countries we are really developing the leaders of the future as was previously done under Sir Robert Menzies’ ‘Colombo Plan’
It is through such people-to-people schemes that deeper engagement and closer ties with the countries in our region can be developed
“Within two years, under a Liberal and National government, there will be a new Colombo Plan”
18 Delivering stronger and better communities
Delivering a ‘fair go’ for regional Australia
We will stand up for regional Australia to ensure that they receive their ‘fair share’ of support from government on a wide range of policy programmes
We will restore policy stability and certainty to our live exports trade
We will better manage our precious water resources to help our agriculture sector grow to become the ‘Food Bowl of Asia’ and achieve ‘food security’ in a world demanding more food resources
We will further unlock potential growth in Northern Australia as we develop new land as a result of building new dams and securing our nation’s water supplies
We will deliver a strong, powerhouse economy delivering more jobs and generating the real wealth needed to drive growth in Australia’s tourism industry
We are investigating options to strengthen the rules governing the sale of Australian agricultural land and agribusinesses to foreign entities
Improving housing affordability – supporting housing development
We will improve housing affordability and encourage high levels of home ownership
We will work closely with the States and Territories who have primary responsibility for housing to reduce red tape holding up the supply of housing and construction and to increase land release for new homes
Carefully managing the issues of population, citizenship and settlement
We will carefully manage the issues of population, citizenship and settlement to foster stronger economic growth and enhance Australia’s social fabric
We will ensure that our non-discriminatory immigration programme helps those in need and serves our national interest
We will make sure that Australia’s refugee and humanitarian resettlement programme provides places to those most in need
We will ensure a minimum of 1,000 places are available for women at risk and their dependents and appropriate settlement services are available once they arrive in Australia
We will ensure the migration programme is skewed towards skilled workers to enable the growth of a more productive and prosperous economy – particularly for those areas where skilled workers are not available and where our industries need to grow
We will ensure our immigration programme is focused on people who can make a contribution from day one in a job – thereby lessening the burden on taxpayers
Improving community safety and fighting crime
We will stand up for communities so that people feel safe in their streets
We will establish a new national Safer Streets programme and expand the use of CCTV cameras in crime prevention and detection
“Politicians can’t really hope to understand the issues if they rarely leave capital cities”
We will establish a new Commonwealth/State Standing Council on Law, Crime and Community Safety to bring together lawmakers and law-enforcers to develop a national focus to fighting crime – and to report on key issues within 12 months
We will work with the States and Territories to improve Australia’s capacity to respond to natural disasters and emergencies both domestically and internationally for better and faster deployment of search dogs nationally by creating an Australian Search Dog Framework
Supporting and strengthening community groups and the voluntary sector
We will support community groups to strengthen local communities and enhance the social fabric
We will provide $10 million support to assist surf lifesaving clubs buy needed equipment and to tackle drowning black-spots
We will re-establish the successful Coalition Community-Business Partnerships to engage with local communities and advise on encouraging more philanthropy by business and in assisting charities and community groups in their local area
Encouraging indigenous Australians to get ahead
We will work with indigenous communities to bring in a new suite of purposeful and innovative strategies that will help indigenous people to get ahead
We will eliminate red tape and streamline programmes to move away from the complex web of overlapping initiatives that have failed to end disadvantage
We will direct funding away from bureaucracies and overlapping and competing programmes towards local communities and real action so that indigenous Australians get the services they need
We will work with families to ensure all indigenous children attend school every day
A good education is the foundation of a good life and children must go to school
We will support the Australian Employment Covenant and its many supporting employers to create more opportunities for indigenous Australians to get ahead and actively engage more indigenous Australians in real jobs
We will provide$10 million to fund four trial sites to train 1,000 indigenous people for guaranteed jobs, working with the Australian Employment Covenant and Generation One
We will end training for training’s sake and implement employment or work for the dole programmes that prepare and support indigenous Australians to work
Tony Abbott will continue to spend a week a year in a remote community, to gain a better understanding of people’s needs, as he has done for many years
“The measure of a decent society is how it looks after its most vulnerable members”
Protecting freedom of speech – supporting an open media
We will protect the media from over-regulation; support an open and accountable media; and protect the freedom of speech to strengthen our vibrant democracy
We will reject Labor’s push for increased regulation of the media, including the Finkelstein Report proposals for a powerful ‘News Media Council’ to ‘set journalistic standards’ for print and online media
We will work with the media to ensure they actively strengthen their standards so they meet community expectations of the levels of journalism Australians expect and deserve
We do not support a ‘public interest test’ for assessing media mergers and acquisitions as it would be subjective, susceptible to political manipulation and would lead to uncertainty for media businesses
Current laws and the Australian Communications and Media Authority, as the regulator, provide adequate protection in this area
We will support freedom of speech, particularly in relation to anti-discrimination legislation
Prohibitions on inciting racial hatred or intimidation of particular groups should be focused on offences of incitement and causing fear but not a prohibition on causing offence
19 Delivering a cleaner and more sustainable environment
Cleaning up our own environment
We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions – and establish a 15,000-strong Green Army charged with the clean-up and conservation of our environment – so that we can all enjoy a cleaner environment and a more sustainable future without the impost of the carbon tax which is causing real economic damage to our economy and affecting the living standards of Australian families
Reducing carbon emissions inside Australia, not overseas
We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions in a practical, affordable way inside Australia, not overseas
We remain committed to a five per cent reduction in emissions by 2020
We will establish an Emissions Reduction Fund of $3 billion to allocate money in response to emission reduction tenders to projects designed to reduce carbon emissions
All money spent will be on Australian green projects, not foreign carbon credits, keeping more jobs in Australia
We will support projects such as the exploration of soil carbon technologies and abatement, putting carbon back in soils and providing for a once in a generation replenishment of our farmlands
POLICY PRIORITY
We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions inside Australia, not overseas – and also establish a 15,000-strong Green Army to clean-up the environment
Delivering a better environment
We will establish a 15,000-strong Green Army to clean up and protect the environment in local communities throughout Australia supplementing the current land care efforts of councils, farmers and volunteers
The Green Army will undertake projects like restoring and rejuvenating bushland, planting trees and cleaning-up the Tamar River in Tasmania
Improving water security – better water management
We will enhance Australia’s natural water supplies and reduce Australia’s reliance on energy-hungry desalination plants
We will deliver on the 10-point plan for the Murray-Darling announced by the Howard Government
We will restore the Murray-Darling to health while still ensuring the viability of Australia’s food producing communities
The future of the Murray-Darling should not and cannot be a choice just between the environment and agriculture
The Coalition will address both parts of this equation
We will start the detailed long-term planning necessary to build new dams to secure the nation’s water supplies into the future, deliver strong economic benefits for Australia, while also protecting our environment
Improving the environmental approval process
We will streamline the environmental approval process for all users – resulting in less duplication across federal and State jurisdictions and delivering a real boost to the nation’s productivity
We will establish a one-stop shop environmental approvals process covering both Commonwealth and State legislation, that maintains high environmental standards, delivers certainty for all users and importantly makes swift decisions
Supporting communities – creating a sustainable environment
We will adopt a practical, balanced and sustainable approach to environmental issues based on linking sound scientific findings with the needs of all users resulting in more sustainable commercial activities and better environmental outcomes
For example, we will support the fishing industry
We will adopt a more balanced approach by setting up more rigorous assessments for new Marine Protected Areas that will mean the areas are assessed in accordance with objective scientific, economic and social evidence
Our aim is to continue to protect marine environments and the fishing communities which rely on them
20 Delivering stronger borders and a more secure nation
Putting the national interest first
The Coalition will put the national interest first, deliver stronger borders, provide a world-class defence force and protect the nation’s interests overseas
We will take immediate action to protect both the integrity of our borders and Australia’s immigration programme
We will not allow illegal boat arrivals and people smugglers to either determine Australia’s immigration programme, or undermine the Australian people’s confidence in the programme
Delivering stronger borders – where the boats are stopped
We will deliver stronger borders – where the boats are stopped – with tough and proven measures
If elected Prime Minister, the first overseas trip that Tony Abbott makes as Prime Minister will be to Indonesia to renew cooperation against people smugglers
We will re-introduce the use of Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) to deny the people smugglers a product to sell
We will immediately give new orders to the Navy to tackle illegal boat arrivals and ‘turn back’ the boats where safe to do so
We will give priority in processing to offshore special humanitarian visa applicants, over illegal boat arrivals
We will ensure, offshore special humanitarian visa applicants receive priority in obtaining permanent residency in Australia over illegal boat arrivals
We will boost rigorous offshore processing for illegal arrivals so that bad behaviour has consequences
We will establish presumption against refugee status for people who arrive on boats without identity papers
Where asylum seekers deliberately discard their identity documentation, we will deny them the benefit of doubt when determining their refugee status
We will establish and increase mandatory minimum jail sentences for people smugglers
We will reserve 11,000 of the 13,750 refugee places each year for offshore applicants
We will ensure a minimum of1,000 refugee places are reserved for the most vulnerable refugees, in particular women at risk of violence and harm
We will restore the single case officer appeal process
POLICY PRIORITY
We will deliver stronger borders – where the boats are stopped – with tough and proven measures
“Stopping the boats matters. It would signify that the Australian government is in every respect sovereign over Australia’s borders”
Delivering a world-class defence force
We will rebuild our defence force by stopping Labor’s defence run-down and give our defence force the first-class resources and equipment they need
We will restore responsible defence spending to 3 per cent real growth per year subject to improvements in the Budget –our aspiration is to restore funding to defence to the same level as it was under the last seven years of the Howard Government
We will reinvest any responsible savings that can be found in the defence bureaucracy in greater military capacity
We will immediately start the process of acquiring a number of new state-of-the-art unmanned aircraft
Within 18 months, we will publish a new defence White Paper with costed, affordable ways to meet Australia’s important defence and national security objectives
We will ensure that Australia does not have a submarine capability gap
Within 18 months, we will make the short and medium term decisions necessary to achieve this goal
Fighting terrorism in Australia
We will deliver improved counter-terrorism and domestic security measures in Australia and secure our ports and airports
Improving foreign affairs – a stronger focus on our region
We will increase the importance of foreign affairs, lace a stronger focus on our region and rebuild our diplomatic footprint with more effective representation and better diplomacy
We will enhance Australia’s role and engagement in the world developing greater international cooperation
We will review the weighting Australia gives to its diplomatic resources including overseas representation, with a view to refocusing foreign policy on the Asia-Pacific region
We will rebuild relationships with our neighbours damaged by Labor’s mismanagement and failed border security policies
We will enhance US access to bases in Australia and continue to support our close alliance with the US
We will ensure future aid funding increases are dependent on AusAid meeting strict performance benchmarks
Within two years, we will establish a new two way ‘Colombo Plan’ to deepen our knowledge and engagement with countries in our region and develop stronger people-to-people relationships by bringing the best and the brightest talent from our region to Australia and taking Australia’s best and brightest talent to countries in our region
21 Delivering strong, stable, accountable government
Encouraging Australians to work together
The Coalition will do the right thing for Australia and deliver a strong, stable, accountable government that puts the national interest first and delivers a better future for all Australians
We will restore accountability and improve transparency measures to be more accountable to you
We will govern for all Australians, not favour any particular group
We’re all in this together and we’ll encourage all Australians to work together
We will end the class war and the bad blood between Labor and business that is damaging investment and employment
Tony Abbott is a strong leader – a record of success
Tony Abbott was a senior, experienced Cabinet Minister in the Howard Coalition Government
He has a law degree and a degree in economics from the University of Sydney
He is a Rhodes Scholar with a Master’s degree from Oxford University
He is community oriented – he is a volunteer firefighter and lifesaver, he contributes his time every year to help Aboriginal communities and he has raised over $2.5 million through his annual ‘Pollie Pedal’ bike ride for many worthy causes including for children’s cancer, a local women’s shelter and carers
He has dedicated his life to public service – to serving his country and the Australian people
He is married to Margie and they have three adult daughters
The Coalition Team includes experienced ministers
Because sixteen members of the Shadow Cabinet were experienced ministers in an effective Coalition Government they will hit the ground running and they won’t have to learn the hard way that good government is about getting on with the job and delivering results and dealing with substance, not spin
The Coalition Team has a successful track record
The Coalition Team were effective Ministers in the successful Howard Coalition Government which:
turned Australia’s economy around, reformed the tax system and made Australia’s economy more productive and prosperous;
delivered more than two million new jobs and delivered the lowest unemployment rate since the 1970s;
delivered a more than 20 per cent increase in real wages and a doubling of Australians’ net wealth per person;
delivered real tax cuts and more benefits for families;
delivered Budget surpluses in 10 out of 12 years, paid back Labor’s $96 billion debt and put away $70 billion in net assets; //| and
secured Australia’s borders and stopped the boats
POLICY PRIORITY
We will deliver strong and stable government that restores accountability – to deliver a better future for all Australians
All Coalition policies are affordable and fully funded
All Coalition policies are fully costed and fully funded
The Coalition has a long track record of managing Budgets responsibly
Sixteen members of the Shadow Cabinet were experienced Ministers in the effective Howard Coalition Government
“Our Plan will deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia.”
Delivering a strong, prosperous economy and a safe, secure Australia
In the two years since the last election, my colleagues and I have travelled to all parts of Australia listening and talking with people about their lives, their families and their hopes for our country
We have also consulted with experts about opportunities to harness Australia’s great potential
From these conversations at homes, work places, factories, farms, school halls, businesses and universities, we have developed our plan to offer Hope, Reward and Opportunity for all Australians
Our plan is to build a stronger Australia by building a stronger economy, stronger communities, a cleaner environment, stronger borders and more modern infrastructure
The Coalition’s priority will be to build a stronger, more productive and diverse economy through lower taxes,
more efficient government
and more productive businesses that will deliver more jobs, higher wages and better services for all Australians
With a modernized economy and the right policies, Australians can once again have competitive manufacturing industries, a dynamic services sector and a growing knowledge economy as well as strong agriculture and mining
We can also once again have a strong vibrant small business sector creating stronger jobs growth
Within five years I am confident that our economy can deliver at least one million new jobs; and two million new jobs within the next decade
Our vision for Australia is grounded in the belief that I expressed in my very first speech to the Parliament 19 years ago, that “there is no limit to what Australia can achieve”
In the seven parliaments I have served since that first speech, as a backbencher, parliamentary secretary, minister, cabinet minister, Leader of the House and now as a party leader, I have not wavered in my belief that our best days as a nation are still ahead of us
Here, in these pages, is the stronger Australia–a truly 21st Century Australia–that the next Coalition Government will build
This is the Australia that we believe in
“There is no limit to what Australia can achieve”
1 The Coalition’s top policy priorities
1. We will build a stronger, more productive and diverse economy with lower taxes, more efficient government and more productive businesses that will deliver more jobs, higher real incomes and better services for you and your family
2.  We will get the Budget back under control, cut waste and start reducing debt – to keep interest rates as low as possible; and to protect the Australian economy from future economic shocks
3. We will help families get ahead by freeing them from the burdens of the carbon tax – to protect Australian jobs and reduce cost-of-living pressures, especially rising electricity and gas prices
4. We will help small businesses grow and create more jobs – by reducing business costs and cutting taxes as well as cutting red and green tape costs by $1 billion every year
5. We will create stronger jobs growth by building a diverse, world-class 5-Pillar economy – by building on our strengths in Manufacturing Innovation, Advanced Services, Agriculture Exports, world-class Education and Research, as well as boosting Mining Exports
6. We will generate one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs within a decade by growing a bigger, more productive and prosperous economy
7. We will build more modern infrastructure to get things moving – with an emphasis on reducing the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads and highways
8. We will deliver better services including health services – by putting local communities in charge of hospitals and improving co-operation with the States and Territories
9. We will deliver better education – by putting local communities in charge of improving the performance of local schools
10. We will take direct action to reduce carbon emissions inside Australia, not overseas – and also establish a 15,000-strong Green Army to clean-up the environment
11. We will deliver stronger borders – where the boats are stopped – with tough and proven measures
12. We will deliver strong and stable government that restores accountability – to deliver a better future for all Australians
We will deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia
Our plan will build a stronger, more productive and prosperous Australia – a truly 21st Century Australia – so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and get a better future
2 The Coalition’s Plan: building a stronger 21st Century Australia
Our positive, inclusive vision for Australia
We believe in Australia and we believe “there is no limit to what Australia can achieve”
That’s why our plan is to build a stronger, more productive and prosperous Australia – a truly 21st Century Australia – so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and have a better future
With your support we will deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia
We will offer every Australian Hope, Reward and Opportunity
We’ve been listening
Your opinion counts
That’s why the Coalition Team has travelled all over Australia listening and talking with people about their lives, their jobs and their hopes for their children and our country
Australians have told us of their growing concerns
Concerns about increasing pressures on family budgets and the huge rise in the cost-of-living – especially rapidly rising electricity and gas prices
Concerns about poor superannuation returns and being able to afford a secure retirement
Concerns about leaving the next generation worse off and unfairly burdening their children’s and grandchildren’s future with higher taxes and debt
Concerns about the lack of modern infrastructure and the bottlenecks on our gridlocked roads
Concerns about job security, youth unemployment and the slowing economy
Concerns about tax increases, government waste and government debt
Concerns about increasing numbers of illegal boat arrivals and the huge blow-out in taxpayer costs
We’ve been listening to small business
Small business people have told us of their growing concerns
Concerns about the government not understanding the needs of small business and how the government is increasing the burdens on business
Concerns about rapidly rising business costs and taxes – especially rising electricity and gas prices caused by the carbon tax
Concerns about increasing levels of red tape and paperwork and increasing levels of bureaucratic over-regulation
Concerns about workplace productivity problems
Concerns about the economy and the impact of the high Australian dollar on their businesses
Concerns about whether they can afford to hire people because of increasing union militancy and the growing uncertainty this creates for businesses
We’ve been consulting with the experts
We have also been consulting widely with business and various experts about confronting the challenges facing Australia
For example: the need to foster productivity, competitiveness and growth if we are to lift Australians’ living standards and what needs to be done to unleash Australia’s real economic potential, particularly in the context of the great transformation currently occurring in the Asian region
We have taken all these ideas into account in developing our plan for Australia’s future
It’s time to honestly face Australia’s challenges
Australia has come a long way but we must now honestly and seriously address the real challenges and issues confronting the nation particularly in this new debt challenged world
We must be realistic and practical and we must adopt real solutions to these challenges
For example:
we must start living within our means and start paying down government debt to protect ourselves against any future economic shocks and to avoid leaving a debt legacy to our children;
we must start addressing the unsustainable structural imbalances in our Budget and get the Budget back on track to strong and sustainable surpluses;
we must free Australia from the shackles and burdens holding us back and unleash Australia’s real economic potential so we can compete more effectively in Asia;
we must boost productivity growth to make Australia more competitive, productive and prosperous;
we must start building a more diverse, world-class economy–a 5-Pillar economy–that builds on our strengths as a nation and builds real prosperity for the future so that living standards improve, not fall, in the years ahead;
we must build more modern infrastructure suited to the21st Century;
we must work more cooperatively with the States to improve education and health services at the local level;
we must reduce cost-of-living pressures on families;
we must secure our borders–where the boats are stopped//|; and
we must rebuild our weakened defence force and we must make the nation stronger, not weaker
This forthcoming election is the most important in decades
At this election the Australian people will face one of the most important elections in decades as they decide the future direction of the country
Australians will decide which leader and party will put the national interest first;
provide strong, stable and accountable government;
deliver a strong, prosperous economy
and a safe, secure Australia for the uncertain times ahead
Our plan addresses the main challenges facing Australia
This document, ‘Our Plan: Real Solutions for all Australians’ outlines the clear direction, values and policy priorities that will guide the next Coalition Government
Our plan honestly confronts Australia’s real challenges with real solutions and outlines action to deliver a strong, prosperous economy and a safe, secure future for all of us
Building a stronger economy
Our main goal is to secure Australia’s economic future
and to protect Australians from any future external economic shocks to avoid leaving our children worse off
We have a detailed plan to build a world-class 5-Pillar economy that will deliver more jobs and generate the real wealth necessary to finance better government services for Australian families
Charting a longer term course for Australia
The Coalition’s ambitious plan charts a longer term course for modernizing and transforming Australia’s economy to ensure it is more suited to the challenges of the 21st Century–by making Australia more competitive in the global economy,
by lowering taxes,
by boosting productivity growth,
by getting small businesses growing again and creating more jobs,
by modernizing our industries and workforce
and developing a more diverse world-class economy–which under a Coalition Government will deliver one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs within the next decade
Our aim is to deliver a better future for all Australians
Our aim is to build a stronger Australia –a truly 21st Century Australia –so that all Australians can get ahead in the global economy, live in a better country and have a better future
Our aim is to deliver a strong and prosperous economy;
a safe and secure nation with secure borders and a strong defence force;
a decent and respectful society that gives a ‘fair go’ to all and encourages people to thrive and get ahead;
a country with a network of strong communities with more modern infrastructure;
a land with a cleaner environment and a more sustainable future;
a country with a culture of Hope, Reward and Opportunity;
and a country that is a more prosperous, safe and secure place to live
Australians deserve to live in the best country in the world
Last but not least, the Coalition believes there are no limits to what this great country can achieve for its people
We need to remove the shackles and burdens holding Australia back and to unleash Australia’s real potential
It’s time to build a truly strong, productive and prosperous 21st Century Australia
After all, Australians deserve to live in the best country in the world with the best prospects for the future
Australians deserve Hope, Reward and Opportunity
Australians deserve a better future
Australians deserve better government
3 A time for a decision about the future
The key challenge facing Australia
To safeguard Australia’s economic future the key challenge facing Australia is to compete successfully in a more fiercely competitive world
Undoubtedly, Australia’s underlying challenge is to strengthen its economy and make real improvements in productivity, competitiveness and growth to ensure Australia’s future prosperity
Many businesses don’t need to be told by government that Asia offers opportunities because of a rapidly rising middle class
But they do want government to help equip the economy for the competitive challenges ahead so that we can actually realise these opportunities
Asia’s growth offers Australia tremendous potential to significantly increase our exports by utilising our competitive advantages as a nation – as long as we position ourselves so that we are ready to seize these opportunities and unleash Australia’s real economic potential
For example, estimates suggest that Asian demand could almost double our net energy exports over the next 20 years
And that comes on top of projections that the volume of our minerals exports could increase by 40 per cent to 60 per cent in the period to 2025
In the education sector, we will expand our exports, particularly in the Asian region using a number of channels including online
As ANZ chief executive Mike Smith1 has warned, Australia risks losing out on a $3 trillion economic opportunity in the Asian region if it does not urgently address productivity concerns
Mr Smith said tax and labour reforms were critical and warned that incorrect policy settings risked Australia not being able to finance the $3 trillion that ANZ estimated Australia needs over the next 20 years to seize the resource and agricultural opportunities presented by the rising Asian middle class
Tackling the real challenges here in Australia
The real challenges facing Australia range from the need for lower, simpler and fairer taxes, to improving productivity, to promote industries to take advantage of the opportunities ahead
In summary:
we need to reduce the cost base of our mining projects so that Australian projects are favoured over other countries’ and our projects move further up the ladder on resource companies’ development plans;
we need to increase the flexibility of our economy to respond when economic shocks hit;
we need to address the infrastructure blockages holding us back; //|and
we need to support our small business sector
The economic vitality of our country is being sapped because the small businesses of our country are being suffocated
There are 11,000 fewer small businesses actually employing people now than there were in 2007
Small business start-ups have dropped by a staggering 95 per cent
we need to improve productivity, competitiveness and growth;
we need to reduce Australia’s sovereign risk profile and restore Australia’s competitive reputation overseas;
we need to address Australia’s growing workplace militancy, flexibility and productivity challenges;
we need to scrap unnecessary taxes like the carbon tax that reduce our comparative advantages;
we need to scrap a mining tax that discourages investment by imposing very high effective tax rates on risky projects, while collecting little revenue – particularly after reimbursing the States for their mining royalties;
we need to streamline environmental approvals – and stop the delays, complexities and uncertainties imposed by the Commonwealth and States;
The number going bankrupt has increased by 48 per cent
Small business insolvencies instigated by the Australian Taxation Office are up 46 per cent on previous years
Australia needs to restore responsible economic management
It is imperative that Australia restores responsible economic management, adopts a strong economic plan and changes the direction of its structural Budget as quickly as possible to get back on the path to building real prosperity, not false prosperity
Unfortunately Labor has no economic plan – instead it thinks the answer to every problem is more spending and more taxes
Australia has been living beyond its means, recklessly spending more than it earns
As a result we are now borrowing more and mortgaging our future, forcing our children to pay for the government’s debt of today
Australia’s current structural Budget position is poor
Australia is now more vulnerable to economic shocks due to excessive deficits and debt spending
There is no credible plan to repay debt – making Australia more vulnerable to another financial crisis
Yet Labor is now creating expectations by promising new spending programmes that are not funded, making the structural Budget position even worse
The Australian Financial Review has identified that under Labor, Australia now has a $120 billion Budget black hole of unfunded policy promises
On the matter of the ongoing structural integrity of the Budget – Chris Richardson, one of Australia’s leading economic forecasters said: “The Budget remains in trouble”2
There have now been four years of back-to-back Budget deficits at record levels with another deficit in prospect
Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard have burned through almost $200 billion worth of excessive Commonwealth government spending
Last year’s deficit was initially expected to be $12.3 billion but it turned out to be $43.4 billion – a $30+ billion blow-out!
Labor has not delivered on its financial promises and has never returned a Budget surplus, only excuses
Labor is now raising taxes and using accounting tricks to manipulate Budget outcomes
And it has still not tackled the problem of the structural position of the Budget
Australia needs to develop a more productive economy
Spending policies are now overriding productivity enhancing policies
Unfortunately, like Europe, under Labor Australia remains fixated on the spending side of the economy rather than on the productive side of the economy–the side that creates greater wealth and prosperity for the nation
Since the global financial crisis, Labor has encouraged policies that are arguably the opposite of improving long-run sustainable growth in national output –the key determinants of which are saving and productivity improvements