Cate Speaks

Politics, Poetry and Reviews

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Federal Election 2019: Meet the Centre Alliance

Summary

Website: https://centrealliance.org.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centrealliance/
Previous names: Nick Xenophon Team, SA-BEST (sort of – it’s kind of the local branch)
Slogans:
Making sure South Australia always comes first.
Themes: South Australia.  Common sense and the sensible centre.  Quite a reasonable mix of actually centrist policies.  Mild action on climate change, pro-penalty rates but also pro-small business, offshore processing of refugees, but with much more oversight and make it more efficient and increase our intake.  You could do far worse.
Electorate:
Upper House: SA
Lower House: Barker, Grey, Mayo
Preferences: Once again, we are given no hint of the Centre Alliance’s true leanings.  They advise voters to put them first and ‘Now place at least the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in your preferred order for remaining parties or groups.  If you choose, you may continue numbering other groups in your order of choice.’
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Federal Election 2019: Meet the Australian Christians

Summary

Website: https://australianchristians.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AustralianChristians/
Previous names: None, but they are kind of an offspring of the CDP, and their Victorian branch has merged into the Australian Conservatives.
Slogans:
A political voice for Christian Values
When you believe in freedom and family, you vote 1 for Australian Christians
Themes: Christian right, though not quite as far right as some.  Climate change isn’t real.  Family is important.  Right wing economic policy and small government, particularly when it comes to welfare.
Electorate:
Upper House: WA
Lower House: Brand, Burt, Canning, Cowan, Curtin, Fremantle, Hasluck, Moore, O’Connor, Pearce, Stirling, Swan, Tangney
Preferences: In the Upper House, the AC unsurprisingly favour the Australian Conservatives, followed by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, the Liberals, the Nationals, One Nation and Palmer United.  Your basic right wing selection, with a little frisson of racism and the right to bear arms.

In the Lower House, they always put the Greens last and Labor second last, with One Nation generally scoring third billing after the Liberals or the Nationals.  Sometimes the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers score better than One Nation.  And apparently, they find Fraser Anning’s party less distressing than the Greens, Labor, Animal Justice or the Socialist Alliance, which tells you something unpleasant about their priorities.

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Federal Election 2019: Meet the Seniors United Party of Australia

Summary

Website: https://www.supa.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeniorsUnitedAustralia/
Previous Names:
Seniors United NSW
Recently merged with the Pensioners, Veterans & Seniors Party
Slogans:
Making Australia a better place for those coming after us.
Themes: Better healthcare, housing, employment and income for seniors.  The rest of us get nothing.
Electorate:
Upper House: NSW
Preferences: None – they simply advise voters to put them first and number 5 other parties in an order of their choice
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Federal Election 2019: Meet Ken Betts

Summary

Website: https://www.kennethbetts.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008014699300
Slogans:
Truly Independent Pensioner
Your Voice for Victoria
Themes: Representing the voices of youth and of pensioners.  Volunteers with migrant groups, good on refugees.  Very community minded!  Believes in ‘Traditional Aussie Family Values’.
Electorate:
Upper House: VIC (Ungrouped Independent)
Preferences: Not indicated.

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Federal Election 2019: Meet Katter’s Australian Party

Summary

Website: https://www.kap.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KattersAusParty/
Slogans:
The Voice of Regional Australia
Themes: Aaaaaaalll the crazy.  Crocodiles, better rights for regional pubs, north Queensland to be a separate state.  And that’s only the beginning!  Oh, also less gun control, more Christianity, and we need to grow the population, but not through immigration.  Hold onto your hats, my friends, for this is a wild ride indeed.  (And yes, there is a policy on rodeos)
Electorate:
Upper House: QLD
Lower House: Capricornia, Dawson, Herbert, Kennedy, Leichhardt, Maranoa, Wright
Preferences: To be updated if and when the how to vote cards are released.
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Federal Election 2019: Meet the Non-Custodial Parents’ Party (Equal Parenting)

Summary

Website: http://www.equalparenting.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/www.equalparenting.org.au/
Previous names: Non-custodial Parents Party
Slogans:
Because children need both parents
Themes: Misogyny.  Oh, alright, father’s rights, being right wing, not paying child support, hating your ex, being generally selfish.  In case you can’t tell, I didn’t take to the NCPP.
Electorate:
Lower House: Cunningham
Preferences: A straight conservative ticket: the Liberals, United Australia, Sustainable Australia, Labor and the Greens.    Sustainable’s place on the ticket might indicate a care for the environment, but I suspect it mostly indicates a distaste for Labor and the Greens…
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Federal Election 2019: Meet the Australian Mental Health Party

Summary

Website: https://www.amhp.org.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAustralianMentalHealthParty/
Slogans:
Better Minds, Inclusive Society, Smarter Economy
Themes: Policies which allow the whole person to flourish.  Centrist, but probably more left-leaning, since they are very much people before economy.  Climate change is real, and while their policies are non-specific, they evidently feel we ought to do *something*.  Very big on person-centred systems.
Electorate:
Upper House: QLD, WA (running as Ungrouped Independents in both states)
Preferences: In both states, the AMHP has preferenced only candidates from the Greens, Labor and the LNP, but rather idiosyncratically ordered.  According to their website ‘Based on our analysis and debate within the party, we think these candidates will best represent good policy on mental health and well-being.’

So in WA, their first two preferences are Greens candidates with strong disability advocacy cred, and their first Labor candidate is a Yawaru man from Broome who advocates for constructive relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.  Their first Liberal Party candidate is Trish Botha, who is fourth on the Liberal ticket, and an evangelical pastor.

In QLD, they preference Tania Major, a Kokoberra woman and an Aboriginal activist, and the fourth ranked candidate on the Labor ticket, followed by Paul Scarr, from the moderate wing of the Liberal Party, then Frank Gilbert of Labor, who I suspect was chosen for his experience working at Lifeline, and Nicole Tobin of the Liberal Party, who is an advocate for special needs children.

Essentially, it looks to me as though the AMHP takes the view that they don’t really care about your other political leanings, provided you are committed to disability and/or mental health advocacy.  I’m a bit concerned about the evangelical pastor, however, because some evangelical churches are extremely poor at dealing with mental health issues.

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Federal Election 2019: Meet the Victorian Socialists and the Socialist Alliance

Summary

Website: https://www.victoriansocialists.org.au
https://socialist-alliance.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicsocialists/
https://www.facebook.com/SocialistAlliance/
Slogans:
For the billions, not the billionaires
Our lives are worth more than their profits
People before profit
Themes: Socialism.  Solidarity with everyone.  Equality, pro-union, anti-discrimination.  Ambitious climate change policy.
Electorate:
Socialist Alliance
Upper House: NSW, WA
Lower House: Brisbane, Fremantle, Lilley

Victorian Socialists
Lower House: Calwell, Cooper, Wills
Preferences: As usual, the Socialist Alliance provides a fine barometer of which parties on the ballot are the most left-leaning.  Accordingly, they put the Greens first in both states; in Victoria, they are followed by the Australian Workers Party and Independents for Climate Action Now, neither of which are running candidates in WA.  After that, in both states, we have HEMP; NSW then gets affordable housing, WA and NSW then have the Animal Justice PArty; NSW takes a quick break for some Pirates, after which all votes are funneled to their traditional home in the ALP.
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Federal Election 2019: Meet Reason Australia

Summary

Website: https://reason.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReasonAustralia/
Previous names: Australian Sex Party
Fiona Patten’s Reason Party
Slogans:
It’s time for Reason!
People before Politics
Themes: Evidence-based policy, in favour of action on climate change, pro-euthanasia and safe zones around abortion clinics, pro-legalisation of sex work, decriminalisation of drugs, surprisingly good on aged care.
Electorate:
Lower House: Cooper, Melbourne, Menzies
Preferences: I can’t find any How to Vote cards online.  Evidently, that would be unreasonable.
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