Sustainable Australia - Universal Basic Income

Sustainable Australia - Universal Basic Income

 

Website: https://www.sustainableaustralia.org.au/ 

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VoteSustainable 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoteSustainable/ 

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/votesustainable/ 

 

(My review for the 2021 WA Election. My review for the 2022 Federal Election)

 

Sustainable Australia are one of the most cynical parties on the general centre of Australian politics, committed to including daft statements about whatever is their current issue du jour in their party name. This election they’ve picked Universal Basic Income as their hobbyhorse policy (last election it was Stop Overdevelopment/Corruption). I’ve previously described them as NIMBY climate worriers and the appellation still seems apropos. 

 

Party Analysis

 

How much do you want to hear about corruption in politics and how Australia’s problems could be fixed if we decreased migration? Because oh boy does Sus Aus have a lot to say about both. Among other issues, Sus Aus claim that they are the only party that puts the environment first: yes even including the Greens in this. 

 

They have approximately a thousand policies as always, so I have mostly skimmed them.

 

They have policies about reducing retirement age to 65 and better aged care facilities, and while I know this policy is at the top of their list alphabetically, it also feels like their lead policy due to their aging supporter demographic. They believe that it is a myth that people aging puts more of a burden on the healthcare system, which I’m not convinced by. 

 

They’re supporters of better arts funding, more money for biodiversity and the environment, stronger climate change legislation, banning new coal mining and transitioning to a renewable grid, putting dental into Medicare, free university and TAFE, better problem gambling regulation, abolish capital gains tax discounts and negative gearing on property, more money for public transport, and better water conservation. As far as all of this goes, they’re a pretty standard set of centre left policies.

 

Oh they also want a jobs guarantee and to reinstate the Commonwealth Employment Service, because the people writing policy for the party are boomer aged and above. 

 

Then we get to their preferred angles of crankery.

 

In terms of taxation, Sus Aus want to implement a Universal Basic Income of $40k per year, and raise the tax free threshold to $26k. They want to pay for this via higher company tax rates, effectively, particular from multinationals offshoring profits. Oh and they want optional superannuation (presumably using the UBI as a replacement pension). 

 

The party are also extremely, extremely NIMBY. They want to devolve all planning approvals possible to the local community, they think increasing density is ‘over-development’, but because they also don’t want greenfields developments they instead call for no immigration instead. They explain in a lot of words why it’s mean to say they’re anti-immigration and they’re just calling for ‘sensible’ immigration levels, but as always whenever a political party uses the word ‘sensible’ or ‘common sense’ they actually mean the opposite. They indulge in a conspiracy that the only people in Australia who actually want immigration is big business, for shady reasons. I’m not actually going to get into all their conspiracies about over population, but the obsession with the topic makes the party sound like cranks constantly. 

 

Is this party trying to kill me?

 

The party wants lower birth rates internationally and fewer people coming to Australia, but it’s not trying to kill anyone already alive.

 

Is this party trying to harm me?

 

They’re trying to harm my dreams of affordable inner city dense housing.

 

Conclusion:

 

Sustainable Australia is one of those parties that sounds reasonable until you get them onto their special interest topic, and suddenly you feel like you need to back away slowly. It always feels like a case of “our shirts saying we’re not anti-immigration NIMBYs, we just want fewer people have people asking a lot of questions already answered by our t-shirts”. They also always sound really old and focused on the concerns of people who are reaching retirement age, which matches the involvement of Dick Smith in the party and the modern relevance of both. 

 

Do I think they have a number of reasonable policies? Sure, but I can also get those policies from parties who are far less reactionary and anti-immigration. 

Trumpet of Patriots

Trumpet of Patriots

 

Website: https://trumpetofpatriots.org/ 

 

Twitter: https://x.com/Trumpoline45 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Trumpetofpatriots 

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trumpetofpatriots/ 

 

(My review for the 2022 Federal Election of the UAP)

 

Look, I could go into a lot of detail about the history of this party (and back in January I was actually excitedly anticipating getting to discuss that yes, the name change from Australian Federation Party to Trumpet of Patriots was 100% a Trump reference), but there’s been approximately a thousand article since Clive Palmer essentially bought out the party and installed his omnipresent yellow branding everywhere. You already know this is the Clive Palmer Election Vehicle, after he fucked around and found out why there are rules to stop you deregistering your party after an election and reregistering it immediately before, just to evade AEC scrutiny. 

 

Party Analysis

 

The policy platform here is a mix of Clive Palmer’s most disingenuous claims and a wholesale attempt at “let’s just copy Trump!”

 

So of course we have a DOGE policy, aimed at radically downsizing the federal government, and dogwhistle callouts of Australian Values, which mean “why doesn’t everyone assimilate into white Australian culture!” and calling out any differences as divisive. They hate the Aboriginal and Torres Islander flag and Welcome to Country ceremonies (which particularly enrage them), as the reminders that there are many existing cultures in Australia and have been since well before colonisation. 

 

TOP don’t like net zero: they think renewables are unreliable and expensive, but are all for nuclear and coal as cheap and friendly (and Clive Palmer’s financial stakes in mining such as Waratah Coal are completely irrelevant to this, of course). Also TOP want more minerals processing for manufacturing in Australia (and this is entirely unrelated to Mineralogy or Queensland Nickel at all).

 

They’re all for freedom of speech (as in the freedom to offend and insult others). There’s a lot of calling out of things being too ‘woke’: school education in particular is turning children against their parents.

 

Their housing policies are basically “stop immigration”, rather than actually doing anything for housing supply - they want a reduction of 80%. One of their angles to prevent immigration is actually a call to double university fees, so that international students vote with their feet and do not come. International fees are currently one of the main sources of income for Australian universities, and this would only lead to more job cuts and department shut downs in an already fragile sector that contributes a substantial amount of good. On top of this fun ‘raise prices so international students go elsewhere’ policy they also want free university education for Australian students. There is no explanation of where the funding of this might come from. 

 

They are anti-globalism (as barely hidden code for antisemitism), against the UN, the WHO and other international organisations, and want to be racist isolationists.

 

On top of this they’re still COVID cranks and cookers of the highest order, convinced that the government lied to them. 

 

But they do want to give me fast trains 20 minutes to the CBD. Now, personally for me the current Sydney Metro build will actually GIVE me those 20 minute fast trains to the CBD, but I can’t wait to see how TOP propose to implement them for say my mother, who lives in the Blue Mountains, or my friends who live down the South Coast. 

 

Is this party trying to kill me?

 

Given multiple of their policies seem intended to crush the Australian social welfare state, they just might. 

 

Is this party trying to harm me?

 

I think Suellen Wrightson’s assaults on all our eardrums with massively long ads are probably harming the patience of a large proportion of the country, as are Henry Fong’s authorised text messages.

 

Conclusion:

 

Look. Clive Palmer has openly said interfering with elections via having a political party is one of his hobbies, alongside dreaming about building a second Titanic and having giant robot dinosaur parks, rather than playing golf. TOP as a party are absolutely obsessed with the sort of Trump ideology that is appearing wildly unpopular globally, if you look at recent polling trends in a whole range of countries (including Canada, New Zealand and yes here in Australia). Their one senator, Ralph Babet, has spent the last 3 years achieving less than nothing on the Senate crossbench and being most excited by reciting Trump slogans. Do not vote for this party. 

Max Boddy (Socialist Equality Party)

Max Boddy (Socialist Equality Party)

Website: https://www.wsws.org/en/special/pages/sep/australia/home.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SEP_Australia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocialistEqualityPartyAustralia

(My review for the 2022 Federal Election)

The Socialist Equality Party have been deregistered since the introduction of the 1,500 member requirement prior to the 2022 federal election. They have not bothered to attempt to re-register, which is a statement about the size of their party.

They’re a long term socialist party in Australia who are notorious for their inability to play well with other parties, holding even other socialist parties in the Australian ecosystem in suspicion and disdain.

Party Analysis

The SEP do not actually have a specific policy platform for the 2025 federal election (that would be too bougie of them), but they have put out a longwinded statement of their values. Even their how to votes are sparse on details, listing the following: “Fight against war! Defend democratic rights! Fight for the social rights of the working class! Workers need a new party!”

As is fairly obvious from those lines, the SEP has a tendency to frame everything through the frame of classism and the working class struggle. Any other issues a group or community might face are subordinate to whether or not it’s a class issue.

In terms of warfare, the SEP are deeply suspicious of American imperialism. They side with Palestine over Israel in respect of Gaza, but believe the war in Ukraine is a ‘US-NATO proxy war against Russia’ and side with Russia against Ukraine, calling the country a fascistic regime. The SEP are also convinced that the US and Australia are preparing for war with China. They are convinced the government are preparing to be in a wartime setting and that “All elements of civil society, from the schools and universities to the economy, are to be subordinated to the military build-up”.

Their rhetoric around increasing antisemitism v Islamophobia in Australia due to the polisation of Gaza comes down heavily on the “Israel and Zionism are bad” side with heavy implications that antisemitism doesn’t actually exist, and all hate speech and vilification legislation recently has purely been so people can point and call “antisemitism!” without needing to provide reasons.

The SEP hate unions, who they think do not actually care about the working class, and instead want to establish ‘rank and file committees’ inside workplaces instead. (Or you could talk to the existing union organisers, folks? No?)

In terms of their few actual policies, the SEP make a handful of motherhood statements with not actual detail. They want a 30% pay rise for workers, more public housing, rent caps, “Trillions for public education, healthcare and welfare!”, and for banks and corporations to be placed under control of their workers and the proletariat.

You know. Lines that sound straight out of the early 20th century.

The SEP are also still mad at the AEC for deregistering them, at every other left and centre left party for existing and being sellouts (they refer to them as the ‘pseudo left’ and call the Greens supporters of dictatorship). The funniest complaint is actually that other left parties like the Greens, Socialist Alliance and Victorian Socialists dare to use modern intellectual language when communicating as they’re tied into the affluent upper middle class (which would be a shock to some of their members, I’m sure), rather than the good old fashioned revolutionary language of the SEP.

They are not serious people.

Is this party trying to kill me?

The SEP are anti-war, though reading their website does make me worried they’re about to put me up against the wall for the crime of being too bourgeoisie.

Is this party trying to harm me?

Certainly their website is trying to give me a splitting headache.

Conclusion:

The SEP are unserious ideological hacks who have proven themselves over many years of not really being interested in participating in the electoral system in a meaningful way. When I checked their social media, they are still whining about the AEC deregistering them unfairly, even though they have never actually made a good faith attempt to submit their 1,500 members list to restore their registration.

A party who do not bother actually presenting policies or following straightforward bureaucratic requests to access basic things like party registration is not a party worth voting for. On top of that, if they were elected, their virulent dislike of every other politician and party does not provide any useful approach to shared decisionmaking and the role of review in the Senate.  

Kerrie Christina Harris (Ungrouped Independent)

Kerrie Christina Harris (Ungrouped Independent)

Website: https://www.theaveragewoman.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Kerrie-Harris-Independent-for-Federal-Senate-for-NSW/61572884173185/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerrieharris01

The first of the ungrouped independents this election, Kerrie Harris is a generally centrist social progressive who is a high school teacher in Cooma. She focuses on how ordinary and ‘average’ her life experience is (indeed, her campaign website is called The Average Woman) and on the struggle folk are feeling right now.

Harris is clearly inspired by the Voices for movement and very compelled by the concept that having independent representation means that she’s only beholden to voters, not other interests.

“I am attempting to get elected to the Federal Senate as a 100% true independent, taking no-donations and by running a no-cost campaign!”

This is a charmingly naive concept: while she is certainly not the only candidate on the ballot who is there for essentially a ‘testing the system’ reason (Crikey is running an ungrouped candidate in Victoria for reporting reasons), the scale of trying to run as an independent, for the Senate, in the largest state in Australia, from a regional country town does seem to have not been addressed here.

In terms of policies: honestly it’s a lot of socially progressive stuff with a regional bent.

Harris cares about housing prices, wanting rent caps, increased housing supply, more social housing and restricting negative gearing to one property.

Harris is focused on violence against women and children, and wants more action about the current number of deaths, including more educational reform in schools and long term strategies to change society (in this she sounds VERY much like the teacher she is).

She wants more regional and rural support: extra funding for rural students to attend university, better healthcare funding for rural hospitals, better internet for the country, and more access to public transport.

She wants environmental reform protecting ecosystems and animals, and a renewable energy transition.

And then there’s the general suspicion of politicians and parliament: fewer career politicians, a real time political donation register with lower caps, government contract transparency, and so on. She’s generally suspicious of anything either the ALP or the Coalition have done in government is focused on themselves first.

Look. Kerrie Harris sounds like a lovely person, and most of her policy ideas are those that clearly get talked about around the table at a cafe or the pub with friends. There’s an earnestness to her position, but I cannot help but think that there are multiple parties and organisations out there with practically identical platforms that she could coordinate with, and achieve more than standing as an ungrouped candidate.

Shawn Price (Ungrouped Independent)

Shawn Price (Ungrouped Independent)

Website: https://www.drshawnprice.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Shawn-Price/61571789398401/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drshawnprice

Shawn Price has a PhD in science focused on climate change research and has a strong family connection to the Australian Army, including being a Reservist himself.

Unsurprisingly, one of his main policy areas is climate change. Price wants climate action, a quick energy transition to renewables by 2035, focus on becoming a renewable energy exporter to Asia and in supplying green hydrogen for power, and Australia providing international leadership on action against climate change.

He’s also focused on affordable housing and the cost of living. He wants to limit housing purchases by large investors or overseas buyers, strengthen renters rights, and look to Singapore and Germany for ideas of how to make housing more affordable and increase supply. In terms of other costs, he wants cheaper energy (fund renewables!), more focus on healthy locally grown food in diets, and more preventative healthcare.

Price does have thoughts about COVID, but interestingly they’re about preparedness for future pandemics, by building a “pandemic proof healthcare system”. More stockpiles of supplies, improved pathogen surveillance, more coordination with the WHO, and more funding to make Australia a world leader in global vaccine development.

Price wants an Australian space economy! He thinks we should be more involved as a launch site (with locally controlled launch systems) and should get into building more satellites. He also thinks we should prepare for future space mining.

Yes, Price is very much a futurist. He would like regulations for ethical AI development, and better cybersecurity for Australia.

And finally: Price wants an extra, ‘77th’ senate seat for “the planet and future generations”. He thinks this would be a role looking at global issues from within parliament for the rest of parliament (aka his list of policies, basically). Personally, that doesn’t actually sound like a senator, that sounds like a minister or an advisory role, but I’m not the innovator this guy is (is he aware of the not so dearly departed Flux or Senator Online?)

I think this is a very bold platform. I also think Price is completely unaware of the constitutionality of what he’s proposing with this 77th senate seat (for him).

Warren Grzic (Ungrouped Independent)

Warren Grzic (Ungrouped Independent)

Website: https://wordsofwarren.wixsite.com/warren4senate

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrzicWarren


(My review for the 2022 Federal Election)

Everyone loves a perennial candidate! I have reviewed Grzic before; he’s a serial candidate, having run as a federal ungrouped independent in 2016 and 2022, and for NSW state and federally in 2019 for Sustainable Australia (not top of the ticket). This gives some idea of what his views are on various issues.

Grzic is promoting himself as the ‘fresh voice’ for NSW in the spirit of Jacqui Lambie or David Pocock. Given his number of attempts running and lack of success (and indeed, his lack of a box above the line) I am unswayed that he’s going to achieve this aim.

He has a genuine policy platform on his website this year (this has not always been the case in previous occasions) and honestly, it’s a lot of the general centrish wishlist a lot of parties have been running on.

Grzic has a very Sustainable Australia view on housing: he thinks we already have enough supply, and that negative gearing is great, as ‘most landlords are not that wealthy’ and ‘negative gearing enables them to offer affordable rent’ (I am dubious about this claim). He instead wants a ban on foreign ownership, abolish the capital gains discount, and empty homes and lots renovated and built upon. Also rent caps, because he does admit that renting is expensive right now.

There is a cost of living policy, but it’s mostly raise the tax free threshold to $26k, have a national gas reservation policy and more solar panels to combat electricity prices, and invest more in general practitioners for preventative medicine.

Grzic does not want more more immigration and honestly this whole policy is straight from what Sustainable Australia talk about (did they not let you run this time, Grzic?)

Grxic’s great idea to help decrease pollution is more investment in public transport (which he says environmentalists hardly ever talk about. I don’t know which ones you’ve been talking to, Grzic, but I can introduce you to plenty of them!)

As I read through his policies, my main take away is that Grzic doesn’t really have any solidly thought out policies. He has issues, and he’s got some ideas for what might help fix those issues, but a lot of it is small scale and targeted at a single part of the situation. And that’s not necessarily bad, as he is just one guy. But it feels like maybe he really should go back and talk to his former party and help them out, as a lot of his policy ideas aren’t even on the scale that if he were elected and a party was trying to buy his vote in the Senate, he would have a tangible idea of what to bargain for.