As part of the rebuilding process we are currently reviewing all policies and have implemented a new comprehensive policy development structure to facilitate this. There are currently 118 ordinary members of the Australian Democrats working in 28 working groups on the new suite of policies.
The following are general positions that we have held for some time and expect the new policy suite will continue to reflect.
Business: Australian Democrats are big advocates for triple bottom line businesses that include society and the environment in their business decisions and run smart, sustainable businesses. We support all business, big and small, that work towards that goal, but are less willing to subsidise businesses who are big polluters or not good corporate citizens.
Agriculture: The Australian Democrats have a very strong history and commitment to empowering farmers to be great farmers, and supporting them through strong systems and science. We also place a high priority on looking after our rural communities.
Economy: There are many economic conservatives and free marketers in the Australian Democrats – mostly because they believe in liberty in our personal lives as well as the market. The classic Australian Democrats position is a bit more Keyensian than the Liberal Party position, and we are more ready to intervene in the market or provide respite for those less fortunate or otherwise needing assistance.
Workplace Relations: The Australian Democrats believe in a balanced approach to workplace relations, allowing the maximum freedom and flexibility for workplace relations while maintaining safeguards for workers.
Health: We have a very strong focus on preventative health, with a strong commitment to ensuring we provide high quality health care that is affordable for all Australians.
Education: The Australian Democrats believe strongly that education is the cornerstone of our society. We absolutely must do everything that we can to provide the highest quality education for our children, including free well funded public schooling, a national curriculum and a strong and independent tertiary education sector.
Social Justice: This is one of the key issues for the Australian Democrats. We are very strong advocates on social justice issues including driving true equality for gay and lesbian Australians, having compassion for refugees, supporting women’s rights including strongly advocating for paid parental leave and reproductive choice, and advocating on behalf of many minority groups and their many injustices.
Environment: The Australian Democrats were the original environmental party, stopping the Franklin Dam before the Greens existed. We take the health and welfare of our environment very seriously and work to ensure environmental impact and care is included in deliberations across the policy spectrum. We supported the CPRS as an essential part of getting emissions included in our economy; we didn’t think it was fantastic, but believed once it is in place we can work on the details to make it better. Baby steps are better than none.
Energy: The Australian Democrats strongly support the continuing development of renewable energies and advancements to enable us to use less resources to support our activities. We are opposed to nuclear power.
Republic: The Australian Democrats support our nation becoming a republic, once a national plebiscite has indicated that the people of Australia wish to become a republic. We also support more regular referendums including those initiated by citizens and other measure to enhance involvement in our democracy.
Immigration: The Australian Democrats believe in a non-discriminatory immigration program, which gives priority to refugees and family reunion, with limits to be imposed so as not to overly tax our natural resources.
Communication: The Australian Democrats strongly support freedom of information and oppose unnecessary censorship or restriction of access to information. We support and encourage diversity in media and regard communication as a fundamental public service for the wellbeing of our community.
Defence and security: The Australian Democrats support the need for proper defence of our nation and its people, as well as acting to secure human rights, peace and prosperity throughout the world as part of our UN obligations. We will continue to push for parliamentary approval of war acts.
You can view our past policies here, however, please keep in mind that all of those policies are somewhat dated and/or under review; we expect there will be substantial changes to the detail of the policies that we take to the next election.
