The policy priorities we highlighted during the previous election
Citizens Initiated Policy
The Australian Progressives support:
- policies to include citizens in the policy development process.
- policies for the development of a process for Citizens Initiated Referenda.
- the establishment of Citizens Juries, in the Irish Model, for the development of key policy objectives, including Constitutional Reform.
Digital Government
The Australian Progressives support:
- the creation of a forum for online data submission for all forms/communication.
- two factor authentication as an option for all government services.
- the creation of a secure electronic communication path for government.
- the release of selected government content to the public domain.
Separation of Church and State
The Australian Progressives support:
- that any government funding of services must come with a requirement of a secular staffing and service provision.
- the opposing of Government funding to discriminate or fund discrimination, homophobia or sexism.
- that religious belief and expression are a personal matter and are not to be funded from public funds.
- the winding up of the National Schools Chaplaincy program, with the funding to go to additional hours for qualified counsellors and student welfare services.
- policies that require Religious bodies to separate their charitable activities from their religious promotion for tax free status.
- requiring religious bodies to pay relevant taxes and council rates.
- policies to remove religious prayer as a part of parliamentary or other government process, replaced with a moment of silent reflection/thought.
Electoral Reform
The Australian Progressives support:
- the reviewing of the Australia’s electoral system, to ensure the representative nature of both chambers to their purpose.
- the establishment of Truth in Political Advertising laws.
- the establishment of impartial e-democracy tools to allow voters to simply determine where they stand on the issues, and who best represents them.
Electoral Funding Reform
The Australian Progressives support:
- policies to end corporate donations.
- policies to require union member disclosure and endorsement of major donations to political parties.
- policies to ban “cash for access” events.
- policies to expand public funding of political campaigns.
- policies to establish “realtime” declarations of donations.
Republic
The Australian Progressives support:
- holding a referendum, and supporting the case for change, on the issue of an Australian Republic.
- the establishment of a national contest for a new flag design.
- the replacement of royal and colonial imagery on coinage and notes with people and images celebrating Australians and Australian achievements.
Territorial Rights
The Australian Progressives support:
- self-determination for all Australian Territories, and will not enact federal vetoes on Territory policy.
- the process for a statehood referendum for the Northern Territory, on equal standing of any Federation State.
- the process for a statehood referendum for the Australian Capital Territory, on equal standing of any Federation State.
Constitutional Reform
The Australian Progressives support:
- a referendum to reform S.44 of the Constitution, in order to bring it in line with modern multicultural Australia.
- a complete redraft of the Australian Constitution to capture contemporary thinking, practice, and will of the Australian People.
Judicial Reform
- The Australian Progressives commit to a Royal Commission into the Family Law System.
Bill of Rights
- The Australian Progressives supportthe drafting and implementation of a legislative Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.