Northern Territory
Senators
to elect: 2
Current senators:
Current senators:
| LIB: | 1 |
| ALP: | 1 |
Grouped Candidates
Group A: Rise Up Australia Party
The
Party: RUA was lambasted by the media when it first appeared on
the scene, with most of the criticism aimed at the party's leader,
Pastor Danny Nalliah. In particular, his views as a young-earth
creationist, his claims that he raised three people from the dead
and his belief that Victorian laws allowing abortion were the cause
of the tragic Black Saturday bushfires have been used to publicly
discredit the party. The involvement of Christopher Monkton in the
party's origins, a vow "to be politically incorrect" and
personal attacks on political rivals have not helped to dispel these
criticisms. On the other hand, it is the only party I have found with
an explicit anti-Nazism
policy, so... good for them?
Policy 1: Foreign Affairs. RUA opposes the combination of "[l]egislative loopholes, inconsistent government oversight and our prohibitive taxation system" which they blame for increased foreign investment in Australia. The party wants all sales to foreign investors to be put through a national interest test and to impose tariffs on imported manufactured goods.
RUA opposes multiculturalism but supports becoming a 'multi-ethnic nation with one culture'. In particular RUA is concerned of the possibility of Sharia law being forced upon people, and supports "freedom of religion, provided the religion is tolerant of other religions. Islam, for example, is one religion which opposes the right to assemble and worship other gods and it vigorously fights to destroy or kill such people whom they describe as “infidels”." "To clarify," one policy write up states "we love the Muslim people but oppose their texts (Quran/Koran) and Islamic doctrine and ideology because it is oppressive and incompatible with the Australian way of life." RUA also supports a ban on wearing a burka in public and tough border protection.
Policy 2: Health. RUA's health policies include concerns on drug and alcohol abuse, which they address by opposing the legalisation of marijuana, supporting raising the drinking age to 21 and "[b]anning of television programs, such as Geordie Shore and Jersey Shore, which frequently glorify binge drinking". The party also supports more efforts towards mental health and suicide prevention, including volunteers, particularly senior citizens, to be "Community Connectors" who support people with depression and similar illnesses. RUA prevaricates in its position on abortion, and opposes any incentives for immunisation.
Policy 3: Energy. Drawing almost entirely from WND as a news source, the RUA party rejects the existence of climate change and strongly believes coal power is the most efficient and only reliable source of energy that can be used in Australia.
Source: http://riseupaustraliaparty.com/our-policies/policy-principles/
Policy 1: Foreign Affairs. RUA opposes the combination of "[l]egislative loopholes, inconsistent government oversight and our prohibitive taxation system" which they blame for increased foreign investment in Australia. The party wants all sales to foreign investors to be put through a national interest test and to impose tariffs on imported manufactured goods.
RUA opposes multiculturalism but supports becoming a 'multi-ethnic nation with one culture'. In particular RUA is concerned of the possibility of Sharia law being forced upon people, and supports "freedom of religion, provided the religion is tolerant of other religions. Islam, for example, is one religion which opposes the right to assemble and worship other gods and it vigorously fights to destroy or kill such people whom they describe as “infidels”." "To clarify," one policy write up states "we love the Muslim people but oppose their texts (Quran/Koran) and Islamic doctrine and ideology because it is oppressive and incompatible with the Australian way of life." RUA also supports a ban on wearing a burka in public and tough border protection.
Policy 2: Health. RUA's health policies include concerns on drug and alcohol abuse, which they address by opposing the legalisation of marijuana, supporting raising the drinking age to 21 and "[b]anning of television programs, such as Geordie Shore and Jersey Shore, which frequently glorify binge drinking". The party also supports more efforts towards mental health and suicide prevention, including volunteers, particularly senior citizens, to be "Community Connectors" who support people with depression and similar illnesses. RUA prevaricates in its position on abortion, and opposes any incentives for immunisation.
Policy 3: Energy. Drawing almost entirely from WND as a news source, the RUA party rejects the existence of climate change and strongly believes coal power is the most efficient and only reliable source of energy that can be used in Australia.
Source: http://riseupaustraliaparty.com/our-policies/policy-principles/
Group B: Marijuana (HEMP) Party
The
Party: Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll. HEMP obviously has the
second option covered, and if you're voting in Queensland, South
Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia or the Northern Territory
you're looking at a combined HEMP-Sex Party ticket. So two out of
three ain't bad? I don't know. Meatloaf counts as Rock and Roll,
right? We're straying from my area of expertise now - lets look at
the joint party's policies instead.
Policy 1 (HEMP): Legalisation of Cannabis. HEMP is a single-issue party, unsurprisingly, and its the ASP that has fleshed out the other policies here. The HEMP party supports the industrial production of hemp and hemp-seed oil which is used in paints and other products, as well as cosmetics; it supports the use of medical marijuana for treatment; and it supports the recreational use of marijuana.
Policy 1 (HEMP): Legalisation of Cannabis. HEMP is a single-issue party, unsurprisingly, and its the ASP that has fleshed out the other policies here. The HEMP party supports the industrial production of hemp and hemp-seed oil which is used in paints and other products, as well as cosmetics; it supports the use of medical marijuana for treatment; and it supports the recreational use of marijuana.
Policy 2 (ASP): LGBT Issues.
One of the Sex Party's core ideals has always been sexual equality.
The ASP supports same sex marriage; assisted reproduction, surrogacy
and adoption for same-sex couples and accepting refugees fleeing
foreign lands on the grounds of persecution for their sexual
preferences or identities. The party also supports the controversial
"safe schools" program and compulsory, comprehensive sex
education up to Year 10, argues for federal legislation protecting
sexual minorities from vilification, and wishes to end harmful and
ineffective "conversion therapy".
Policy 3 (ASP): Religion. After the Sex Party's controversial video criticising the Catholic Church, religion has become a major issue for the ASP. The party argues for an end to religious tax exemptions, specifically removing ‘advancing religion’ as a charitable purpose in the Charities Act, and requiring churches to meet the normal accounting and reporting obligations to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. The party also wants to abolish the Abbott government school chaplaincy program, special religious instruction in schools and private-school exemptions to discrimination legislation.
Source: https://australianhempparty.com/ and http://www.sexparty.org.au/policies/federal-policies
Policy 3 (ASP): Religion. After the Sex Party's controversial video criticising the Catholic Church, religion has become a major issue for the ASP. The party argues for an end to religious tax exemptions, specifically removing ‘advancing religion’ as a charitable purpose in the Charities Act, and requiring churches to meet the normal accounting and reporting obligations to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. The party also wants to abolish the Abbott government school chaplaincy program, special religious instruction in schools and private-school exemptions to discrimination legislation.
Source: https://australianhempparty.com/ and http://www.sexparty.org.au/policies/federal-policies
Group C: Citizens Electoral Council
The
Party: If you recognise the
name Lyndon LaRouche, you'll recognise the CEC's policies. The
party's "about
us" page discusses a need to "replace the evil,
collapsing world order of globalisation", a conspiracy against
the party by "the City of London/Wall St. financial
establishment, to enforce economic rationalism and globalisation upon
Australia" and directs readers to "the CEC's March 2001
pamphlet, The real
story behind Queen
Elizabeth's fascist racial vilification legislation."
Policy 1: Energy. Here is a link to the CEC's page of links that form the basis of their view that - as the title reads "Global Warming is a Fraud". It includes references to the "British Monarchy's Agenda of Fascism and Genocide" and names Sir David Attenborough as "[o]ne of the British Empire's leading spokesmen for their policy of intentional genocide". Unwilling to accept the argument that carbon emissions are a relevant factor in any energy policy, the CEC sees solar and wind power as "backward leaps from oil and coal, being of a far inferior energy density" but actively supports nuclear power and the nationalisation of our oil and gas resources.Policy 2: Food. Citing world hunger as an international food crisis the CEC believes Australia must play a role in feeding the world. Steps involved in this, according to the CEC, include the government ensurign a minimum price for all food growers, purchasing all food reserves to provide as aid, cease all subsidies for biofuel production to send the involved grain to countries in need, regulate fertilizer prices, provide discounts on petroleum products for the agricultural sector and immediately divert all water currently allocated to sustaining the Murray-Darling Basin's environment and diversity into food production.Policy 3: Electoral Reform. Many parties are proposing electoral form on some level, but the CEC is certainly the most audacious in its plans; it demands an end to compulsory voting; that preferential voting be replaced with a first-past-the-post system; an end to government advertising; the establishment of “Media Directorates" to give equal media coverage to all candidates and parties in an election; and the end of political contributions from corporations, unions and any body that is not a natural human.Source: http://cecaust.com.au/main.asp?sub=policy&id=Mainpolicy.html
Policy 1: Energy. Here is a link to the CEC's page of links that form the basis of their view that - as the title reads "Global Warming is a Fraud". It includes references to the "British Monarchy's Agenda of Fascism and Genocide" and names Sir David Attenborough as "[o]ne of the British Empire's leading spokesmen for their policy of intentional genocide". Unwilling to accept the argument that carbon emissions are a relevant factor in any energy policy, the CEC sees solar and wind power as "backward leaps from oil and coal, being of a far inferior energy density" but actively supports nuclear power and the nationalisation of our oil and gas resources.Policy 2: Food. Citing world hunger as an international food crisis the CEC believes Australia must play a role in feeding the world. Steps involved in this, according to the CEC, include the government ensurign a minimum price for all food growers, purchasing all food reserves to provide as aid, cease all subsidies for biofuel production to send the involved grain to countries in need, regulate fertilizer prices, provide discounts on petroleum products for the agricultural sector and immediately divert all water currently allocated to sustaining the Murray-Darling Basin's environment and diversity into food production.Policy 3: Electoral Reform. Many parties are proposing electoral form on some level, but the CEC is certainly the most audacious in its plans; it demands an end to compulsory voting; that preferential voting be replaced with a first-past-the-post system; an end to government advertising; the establishment of “Media Directorates" to give equal media coverage to all candidates and parties in an election; and the end of political contributions from corporations, unions and any body that is not a natural human.Source: http://cecaust.com.au/main.asp?sub=policy&id=Mainpolicy.html
Group D: The Greens
The
Party: Quickly becoming the boogieman of Australian politics, the
greens have taken a battering from both major parties. Many of their
policies are well known, so I had the choice of choosing some of the
party's lesser known platforms like some desperate political hack
seeking to "expose the real Greens agenda" or stick with
the main issues they'll most likely prioritise in government.
Policy 1: Environmental Protections. Instituting a price on carbon emissions and heavily regulating genetically modified organisms are large issues in this area, along with bringing an end to logging of native forests and extending the area of the Tarkine under international heritage protection.
Policy 2: Same Sex Marriage. The Greens outspoken support for the LGBTQIA+ community used to be an important point of difference, particularly on the matter of marriage equality. With the ALP promising marriage equality within (from memory) 100 days of being elected and the Coalition pushing for a plebiscite that should provide overwhelming support and give a mandate for the same, this is less stark. Nevertheless, a vote for the Greens will be a vote for marriage equality, equal adoption and parenting rights, equivalent national age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sex acts and so forth.
Policy 3:Refugees. The Greens support an end to practices leading to mandatory detention of refugees, advocate for "humane, transparent, predictable and consistent" processes, with a separate processing system for children, and object to considerations of nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, disability, sexuality, age or socioeconomic background in determining an individuals suitability for settlement in Australia.
Source: http://greens.org.au/policy
Policy 1: Environmental Protections. Instituting a price on carbon emissions and heavily regulating genetically modified organisms are large issues in this area, along with bringing an end to logging of native forests and extending the area of the Tarkine under international heritage protection.
Policy 2: Same Sex Marriage. The Greens outspoken support for the LGBTQIA+ community used to be an important point of difference, particularly on the matter of marriage equality. With the ALP promising marriage equality within (from memory) 100 days of being elected and the Coalition pushing for a plebiscite that should provide overwhelming support and give a mandate for the same, this is less stark. Nevertheless, a vote for the Greens will be a vote for marriage equality, equal adoption and parenting rights, equivalent national age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sex acts and so forth.
Policy 3:Refugees. The Greens support an end to practices leading to mandatory detention of refugees, advocate for "humane, transparent, predictable and consistent" processes, with a separate processing system for children, and object to considerations of nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, disability, sexuality, age or socioeconomic background in determining an individuals suitability for settlement in Australia.
Source: http://greens.org.au/policy
Group E: Country Liberals (NT)
The Party: The dominant partner of the current ruling
Coalition, the Liberals are billing themselves as the party of stability
and responsible government. Founded by Menzies after the Second World
War from the remnants of older parties that have evolved and adapted
since federation, the Liberals are largely seen as one of the two major
parties of Australian politics, the other being Labor. The reality is
more complex, with the party often ruling with a technical minority and
de facto majority thanks to a permanent coalition with the Nationals.
Policy 2: Construction Commission. Reintroducing the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) is a major policy for the Coalition, not least of all because it was the legislation that triggered the double dissolution. In order to crack down on what the Liberals describe as "bullying, intimidation and lawlessness" in the construction industry, the ABCC is intended to be supplemented by a Registered Organisations Commission which will have oversight over the unions -- particularly the CFMEU -- with bowers of both monitoring and regulation.
Policy 3: Making the Boats not Unstop. Given the Coalitions successful stop the boats campaign last election, and their repeated announcements of success during their term, it is not surprising that the Liberals would rely on an argument that the nations borders were more secure under a Liberal government. The party is, however, keen to emphasise it's humanitarian works in this area, too, pointing out that "[t]he Coalition removed all children who arrived by boat from detention in Australia", that "[a]ccording to UNHCR data, Australia is one of the three most generous nations when it comes to permanently resettling refugees ... [and] these places are going to those most in need around the world, not people arriving by boat" and that "[s]topping the boats also enabled Australia to take an additional 12,000 refugees from the conflicts in Syria and Iraq".
Interestingly, the controversial Border Force agency is proudly celebrated, despite being described as a "paramilitary" organisation in the Sydney Morning Herald following a large protest at perceived racist and even totalitarian approaches to border control. Border Force is again under scrutiny, with allegations of corruption and association with criminal organisations for the purpose of rorting and dodging Australia's visa system.
Source: https://www.liberal.org.au/our-plan
Group F: Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory) Branch
The
Party: The oldest political
party in Australia and one of the two governing parties since the
second world war, the ALP needs little introduction. The left-wing
party of Australia's two-party mindset, Labor is the opposition
leading into this election and is likely to pick up a swing back from
the anti-Rudd landslide of 2013, though not enough to govern in their
own right. Labor has announced "100 positive policies" this
election, so picking three would be hard, if it were not for the
nature of modern politics that allows me to focus on the ones that
became the key sound-bites that the ALP has tried to hammer
home.
Policy 1: Protecting Medicare. Labor claims that the Turnbull government has created a medicare privitisation taskforce, and is hammering this hard in the final days of the election. The government has labelled this a lie, and voters are divided on whether they believe this (with a majority of Labor supporters believing Labor and most Liberal voters believing the Liberals). There certainly is a move to outsource claims and payment services for both Medicare and the PBS, but it's a matter of opinion whether this is "privatisation" and what effects -- positive or negative -- this will have on the system. This is complicated by Labor considering similar reforms in government, the Coalition making the freeze on Medicare rebates semi-permanent (which Labor promises to undo) and a long, long, long history of politicians promising not to do something they then do in office.
Policy 2: Protecting Penalty Rates. In opposition to Coalition and cross-bench attempts to remove penalty rates as a means of reducing the cost of business and boosting, Labor promises that weekend and public holiday penalty rates will remain to compensate (often low-paid) workers who sacrifice these hours for their employers.
Policy 3: "Budget Repair that's Fair". From the 'it rhymes, so vote for it' school of sloganeering. Labor has recently admitted that in the short term its deficits will be greater than the Coalitions, although it expects this to correct over time. Fair budget repair includes lowering the company tax rate for small business, pursuing multinational companies that avoid Australian taxation laws, and cutting government waste by repealing Government programs like the Direct Action climate policy, a new Baby Bonus, and legislating for marriage equality without a plebiscite.
Source: http://www.100positivepolicies.org.au/?_ga=1.5386545.30157155.1466954149
Policy 1: Protecting Medicare. Labor claims that the Turnbull government has created a medicare privitisation taskforce, and is hammering this hard in the final days of the election. The government has labelled this a lie, and voters are divided on whether they believe this (with a majority of Labor supporters believing Labor and most Liberal voters believing the Liberals). There certainly is a move to outsource claims and payment services for both Medicare and the PBS, but it's a matter of opinion whether this is "privatisation" and what effects -- positive or negative -- this will have on the system. This is complicated by Labor considering similar reforms in government, the Coalition making the freeze on Medicare rebates semi-permanent (which Labor promises to undo) and a long, long, long history of politicians promising not to do something they then do in office.
Policy 2: Protecting Penalty Rates. In opposition to Coalition and cross-bench attempts to remove penalty rates as a means of reducing the cost of business and boosting, Labor promises that weekend and public holiday penalty rates will remain to compensate (often low-paid) workers who sacrifice these hours for their employers.
Policy 3: "Budget Repair that's Fair". From the 'it rhymes, so vote for it' school of sloganeering. Labor has recently admitted that in the short term its deficits will be greater than the Coalitions, although it expects this to correct over time. Fair budget repair includes lowering the company tax rate for small business, pursuing multinational companies that avoid Australian taxation laws, and cutting government waste by repealing Government programs like the Direct Action climate policy, a new Baby Bonus, and legislating for marriage equality without a plebiscite.
Source: http://www.100positivepolicies.org.au/?_ga=1.5386545.30157155.1466954149
Group G: Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group)
The Party: Why is it that although I know many progressive and liberal Christians, you know the moment a party uses Christian in its name that it'll be a conservative right-wing group? Perhaps the Fred Nile Group is part of the reason. This is an old party and stands by all the usual right-wing policies you've come to expect of any group by this name. Their plans are only provided as a brief blurb at the provided link, so I've quoted them in their entirety. Further information on some specific views - such as government funding for chaplaincy in schools, opposition to euthanasia and the party's objection to same-sex marriage are discussed elsewhere in press releases that cna be found on their website.Policy 1: Family. "We believe that the institution of the family is the most important pillar of society. We reject any attempt to redefine or the nature of what is a family, and remain firm supporters of the needs of mothers, fathers and children."
Policy 2: Church. "With the legal system beginning to reflect an increasingly secular world, churches have a voice to protect their religious freedoms and their ability to preach openly. Secular political parties cannot make this guarantee, however the Christian Democratic Party can."
Policy 3: Community.
"Increasingly our local community is coming under pressure from
Big Government and Big Business. The Christian Democratic Party is
the values-based party that will defend the interests of locals
concerning issues such as building over-development, coal seam gas
mining and the building of mosques. We believe that political
decisions should be made on most local level, so that the interests
of the local community affected are properly represented."
Ungrouped Candidates
Maurie
Japarta Ryan
Marney
MacDonald
Greg
Strettles
No comments:
Post a Comment