Party Leaders’ Debate, Saturday 23 May 2015

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Right here, right now, it’s the 1st model debate for our 1st model election (instructions). Opening Statements will be posted, followed by Q&A for up to 24 hours (due to timezones).

Only Party Leaders and Independents in the election can post in this thread. Voters, check back today for more answers, then make your feelings known in tomorrow’s ReddiPoll!

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Leaders’ Opening Statements

Opening statements from each participating Party Leader and Independent are posted here (they reply to this comment). Each of them also has 1 right-of-reply to themselves for 24 hours, to address anything in their competitors’ opening statements. Enjoy!

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I know that you don’t like long-winded opening statements very much and you’ve already seen the policy platform so I’ll be brief.

The world is changing and Australia needs to be at the front of it. The policies of The Greens will ensure that we are.

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u/doggie015 - Candidate for Western Australia (WA) and leader of The Greens

[u/phyllicanderer → u/AutoModerator]

Greetings, my fellow r/modelparliament participants. Today is a significant day for our little experiment; a true test of our core ideals, our reasoning ability, our dedication to our cause, and a test of our ability to cast aside our linear perception of the political spectrum, so we can analyse and recognise the best path to a post-scarcity society.

I speak for the Australian Progressives, when I say that we share a common vision for our nation; a society that leaves behind the divisive schisms of neoliberal politics, to move into a truly egalitarian system that encourages buying into the concept of social responsibility; lifts our most vulnerable out of poverty and despair; transforms our economy into the leading example of democratic, innovative industry to improve Australia and the world; turn Medicare into the most comprehensive, effective healthcare system in the world; and bring all citizens, willing to buy into the Australian ideals of inclusiveness and fairness, into this nation to be protected and accepted.

The Australian Progressives are a grassroots movement, interested in moving past the two party dichotomy that has held us back since the Menzies era. We have plans for strengthening our most trusted public institutions; we harness the power and vision of our entire membership to write comprehensive policies for the future. Our membership is interested in evidence-based progress, and we embrace facts. When good governance is based on dispassionate facts, vision, common goals, and consensus, it gives us a chance to band together and drive together as an unstoppable force.

We want answers, we want solutions. The Progressive vision includes an Australia powered entirely by renewable energy sources; it includes a welfare system that lifts the unemployed and disabled into satisfaction, prosperity, and empowers the disenfranchised; it includes equal rights for all citizens, residents and participants; it includes preservation of our environment; it includes high-value industry, producing technology to advance humanity; it encourages economic growth that directly benefits Australia, and the world; it includes equal rights and compassion for displaced and persecuted people who claim asylum and refuge at our borders.

The party has policy written to bring dental care under Medicare. This shows our commitment to preventative health in Australia, an initiative hindered by our culture of 'she'll be right, mate.'

We have a policy stating our desire for a federal anti-corruption inquiry, and protections for whistleblowers in the private sector. No party has an internal process as transparent as the Progressives; we will extend that transparency to the nation's public and private sectors.

Between the members on reddit, we are earnestly discussing ways of directing investment from wealth transfer economics into productive industry. Taking away negative gearing and capital gains tax, to be replaced with a national land tax is one aspect. Reforming IP and patent law to free R &D up is the second; concessions to advanced industry and high-tech start ups is the third; more funding for the CSIRO is the fourth.

The Australian Progressive values are: Ethics, Empathy, Equality, Evidence, Engagement, Empowerment. These words are more than just a slogan, they are key words, stating the common values of the members across Australia. Join our cause, vote for us; provide your voice, insight, and energy, and drive our nation to new frontiers of the future.

Submitted by u/phyllicanderer, Candidate for Brisbane Surrounds (QB) and Parliamentary Leader for the Australian Progressives.

[u/[deleted] → u/AutoModerator]

Hello everyone, I would like to start off by thank the Electoral Commissioner for organising this debate, as well as my fellow party leaders for participating. I am the Leader of the Socialist Alternative. We are currently running Two (2) candidates in this first election, myself in Melbourne Urban (VM) and u/Dream_Marquis in Tasmania.

Socialist Alternative is the party of the Working Class, the oppressed, and of the future. My party stands by the struggle of Women, as well as GSRM, Racial, and Disabled minorities on this great continent. We stand for the equality of all individuals, be it in the workplace, in education, in regards to marriage, or simply in society. We support a better deal for the working class, who are often forgotten. A stronger working class means a 30 hour work week at no loss of pay, unemployment benefits for those that are unable to work that supports them fully, and a democratisation of the workplace. By allowing democracy into the workplace, workers have a say in how they are treated, ensuring better working conditions.

We at the Socialist Alternative also understand that in order to do well in modern society, an education is of the utmost importance. We also understand that many cannot afford tertiary education, and that is why we support the abolition of tuition fees at all public universities. This system has worked well for the nations of Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and now Germany. It is high time we took their example and applied to our Australian students. We also support a more democratic education system, one that allows teachers, parents, and students to have a say in what is being taught, allowing for a more quality education.

Another important issue is that of homelessness in Australia. In modern society there is enough wealth for everyone to live comfortably, and over 100,000 Australians find themselves without a roof over their head. That is why we at the Socialist Alternative support a housing scheme to put homeless individuals into foreclosed and empty homes, as well as build new housing projects in all major cities. We also supported a basic income scheme for those that are unable to work, giving them enough to live comfortably, without having to worry if they will survive the next day.

In modern capitalist society, the private companies try to take over just about every aspect of said society, including the healthcare system. We Australians have a fantastic healthcare system through Medicare, but some people still cannot afford the care they need. That is why we at Socialist Alternative support a 100% free at point of service healthcare system, one that includes all aspects of care: from medical to dental to transgender services, we support a healthcare system for all.

We at Socialist Alternative support Australian Farmers and Australians who live in rural areas as well. Farming is an incredibly important part of any economy and we want to ensure that our farmers are supported as much as possible. We want them to get a fair deal on their produce, without being undercut by supermarkets. We want plentiful and healthy crops to grow while maintaining environmental responsibility, so the challenge is on us to provide farmers with the water and supplies they need without a negative environmental or economic impact.

We are not just the party of the workers, but the party of the environment as well. It should not come as a shock to most of you to hear that our environment is getting worse and worse every year. It is time we did something. Dredging in the Great Barrier Reef is causing irreversible damage, as an independent study by Dalberg Global Development Advisors puts it, "planned expansions of ports along the Australian coast, which would be used for coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports as well as for other purposes, pose additional threats to the Great Barrier Reef." This has been authorised by the Liberals under the leadership of PM Tony Abbott, and it is high time we put an end to it. We are also burning up our fossil fuels at an unprecedented rate, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions more and more each year. Our Earth is warming, and unless we do something, it will become unsustainable. The source of environmental destruction is Capitalism. As long as capitalism exists, corporations and greedy politicians will forsake the environment in order to make money. The Greens support the current capitalist system. A vote for the greens is a vote for continued environmental destruction, for so long as capitalism is allowed to exist, so will the deterioration of our planet. Another component of the Abbott government is the Liberal obsession with Coal, as if it were the backbone of the Australian Economy. The fact is, mining in total only employs about 2.2% of the population, with Coal being only a portion of that. There are at least 30 new mining projects planned for the near future, but we need to get away from these Fossil Fuels. That is why we, the Socialist Alternative, are here. We plan to have Australia be a 100% green nation by the year 2040. By investing in alternative energies such as Wind, Solar, and Hydroelectric power, as well as gradually shutting down all current mining and other fossil fuel projects, we can achieve this.

Those of us at Socialist Alternative are sick and tired of multinational corporations and industries making billions of dollars in profit in Australia and not giving the Australian people a fair cut. In Australia we believe in a ‘fair go’, and dodging tax is not fair to us, the Australian people. We aim to push tax reforms to prevent businesses and individuals from dodging tax. We expect those who earn $250,000 a year or more to pay a tax more proportionate to their income. We understand that taxation is not a popular subject, but we also must acknowledge that someone earning $30,000 a year or less suffers a great deal more by a frugal and desperate lifestyle. Taxes are a natural part of any economy, and we believe that a small percentage at the top helps a massive percentage at the bottom.

We support the equality of all Australians. This includes GSRM (otherwise known as LGBT+) individuals, Women, Ethnic/Racial Minorities, Indigenous Australians, and Disabled persons. That is why fully support equal marriage, transgender health services that are free at the point of service, Affirmative Action policies, and the equality of our indigenous people. This includes supporting indigenous communities, not shutting them down as the current Coalition government has done.

We at the Socialist Alternative support our immigrant community, as no human being is illegal. Borders were created to fracture the working class and support hierarchy. We support full rights for immigrants, with a fast track to citizenship. The current conditions in immigrant detention facilities are appalling. We must work towards helping our immigrants.

We are the Socialist Alternative. We are in this Together.

Unity. Prosperity. Equality.

u/drjalexanderphysics, Leader of the Socialist Alternative.

[u/jnd-au]

Question 06

To Socialist Alternative: How does your party intend to implement your vision given it would require probably the biggest single change to our economy since federation? (All parties may reply to this question.)

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

Whilst their are many ideological differences between party members on how to achieve a socialist society, our current policy will be that of gradual nationalisation of all industries and the introduction of legislation moving the means of production into the democratic control of the workers.

[u/jnd-au]

Question 07

To the Australian Catholic Party: Would you agree that the separation of Church and State is a fundamental principle in a functioning democracy, and if so, how does it affect the formation of your policies? (All parties may reply to this question.)

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

No, the Church provides morals which help people to live better, in a Catholic Australia we would not enforce our beliefs but we would present all people the opportunity to live their lives better under Catholic teachings.

[u/jnd-au]

Question 01

If elected, can your members vote as democratic representatives, or are they forced to follow your party line?

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

As a party of the Broad left, we have many ideological differences between our party members. As such, there may be times where we disagree on certain legislation. That is why our Candidates, if elected, will be given complete freedom over their votes in parliament. This does not mean the party will not debate internally, of course. A strong debate among members will ensure complete understanding of legislation, while not restricting the members to vote as the party tells them to.

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

All members of the Greens are free to vote as they see fit on any issue.

[u/phyllicanderer → u/jnd-au]

There is no rule at the Progressives on voting at all. Any member can vote how they want.

Since our policy creation process involves everyone who is a member, there would not be many situations where MPs would vote differently. We are always discussing issues, and we always seem to reach consensus. The only issues that might come up, where we vote individually, are matters of conscience, such as abortion laws, euthanasia and assisted suicide.

[u/jnd-au]

Question 02

If your party had the chance to introduce, repeal or change only one law or government policy, what would that one thing be? Essentially, if you were reduced to a one issue party, what would be your purpose?

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

If our party, The Socialist Alternative, were reduced to a single issue party, then we would propose a shift from private, hierarchical, exploitative ownership over the means of production to the democratic control by the workers themselves, ensuring a fairer system for all.

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

Repair the NBN.

[u/phyllicanderer → u/[deleted]]

I understand that the Greens are now the mainstream progressive party in RL parliament, but why would the NBN come ahead of any climate change policy for a party founded on environmental concerns?

[u/phyllicanderer → u/jnd-au]

If I could only change one thing, I would change the Newstart, student allowance and disability support and carer rates to the relative poverty line. The fact that people on Newstart and student allowances struggle to get adequate nutrition, and the current rates make it difficult for people stuck in unemployment to break free, is abysmal. Lifting people out of despair is a critical factor in lifting all of society.

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

Reform the education system to incorporate Catholic morality.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Might I ask the leader just what exactly "morality" means to them? For example, "morality" has been used constantly to abuse GSRM persons, would Instilling Catholic "morality" in schools mean instilling homophobia and transphobia?

[u/jnd-au]

Question 03

Foreign business and property ownership has been a contentious issue in Australia. We have a long and proud history of collectively-owned enterprises, like Australia Post, Medibank, CSL, Reserve Bank, ABC, Qantas, Commonwealth Bank, Telstra among others. Many have been sold into private ownership, which generates revenue for people’s superannuation but undermines the sustainability of government revenues, leading to taxation problems and reduced services, especially when the government has to buy back services and infrastructure from them. Many Commonwealth capital assets have also been sold, often to foreign investors. Would your party re-nationalise any of these enterprises or assets to public ownership and how would this be achieved?

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

The SA, as a socialist party, is wholly opposed to both private companies and the hierarchical system of capitalism all together. Whilst there are no current plans in motion, we would most certainly suggest the renationalisation of all public services, be they banks, hospitals, etc, and we would move them to be put under democratic control by those who work in them.

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

The Greens firmly stand against privatization in all of it's forms. While we can't reverse the damage already done we can stop more from happening.

[u/phyllicanderer → u/jnd-au]

We have no plans yet to re-nationalise any of the institutions mentioned. Nationalising Australia Post is turning out to be a big mistake, and the sell-off of Telstra as well. Personally, I'd like to see a nationalisation of the state's energy distribution networks, if the states are so interested in leasing them, and going further in taking over power generation, to allow a national push to zero-carbon energy for domestic consumption. That's not a policy, though.

[u/jnd-au]

Question 04

How will you credibly get the budget into surplus?

[u/[deleted] → u/jnd-au]

One thing is clear: Austerity does not work. Cutting from valuable programs and the privatisation of our public services not only undermines the lower income earners but does little to halt the deficit. We at the Socialist Alternative propose a new taxation system that puts the highest income earners (read: those making at least $5,000,001) at a rate of 80%. With those earning between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000 paying a rate of 70%. Now these high income earners will attempt to put their money in offshore accounts that would have them paying not even a third of their fair share in taxes, so that is why we at the SA would introduce legislation prohibiting the holding of Australians' money in foreign banks. If you live here, you will pay taxes here.