(Updated 3 Dec 2024)
All incumbent governments face a huge challenge getting re-elected with the cost of living so high and rampant populist oppositions.
A divisive campaign
To survive the 2025 election I suggest we should position ourselves as being on the side of the “Ordinary Australians” vs. “The Wealthy Elite“.
This would disrupt the Ordinary Australians vs. “The Woke Elite” / “The Educated Elite” narrative being pedalled by far right parties globally.8
Ordinary Australians: 80%
The Wealthy Elite: 20%
| Ordinary Australians | The Wealthy Elite |
|---|---|
| Ordinary workers, students, renters & pensioners | CEO’s, billionaires, speculators & scammers |
| Zero or one Property | Multiple Properties |
| Ordinary house, ordinary car | Luxury mansions, cars, yachts |
| High rent or mortgage costs | Mega-rich, no problems |
| No CGT Discount1 | Exploiting CGT Discount |
| Few direct shares | Large shareholdings |
| No Franking Credits2 | Exploiting Franking Credits |
| Government schools | Elite private schools |
| Super | Crypto |
Suggested 2025 agenda
| Cheapest possible electricity generation3 |
| Expand Medicare to some dental and physio items |
| Lower interest rates (let the RBA vary super contribution % instead of just interest rates) |
| Break up profit-gouging near-monopolies (The Wealthy Elite are the problem – not us!) |
| Lower tax on the 80% |
| More benefits for the 80% |
| Workers rights |
| Work From Home as a right |
| Tough on the causes of crime ➧ Bonuses for kids passing assessments in government schools ➧ Legalise marijuana, more resources to crack down on ‘hard drugs’ ➧ Might need to back off on tobacco excise ➧ Volumetric taxing of alcohol |
The “Echidna” Defensive Strategy ➧ No Aussie troops for wars on Islam or China ➧ Reduce the need for imported oil |
Suggested 2025 platform
| Less Tax for the 80% | More Tax for The Wealthy Elite |
|---|---|
| ➧ $2,000 Low and middle income tax offset (LMITO) ➧ Cheaper EV’s (Cut reliance on foreign oil) ➧ Bonus for kids passing exams at government schools | ➧ More tax on fossil fuel exports ➧ Mansion tax ➧ Luxury yacht tax ➧ Supercar tax ➧ Crackdown on fake charities, crypto, scams and cults |
| ➧ Add some dental & physio items to Medicare ➧ Scrap Medicare levy surcharge | ➧ Cap Franking Credits to exclude the top 20% |
| ➧ Buy underutilised commercial sites and build affordable housing | ➧ Scrap the CGT discount ➧ Rent caps linked to average wage |
| ➧ More funding for government schools | ➧ Less funding for wealthy elite schools |
| ➧ WFH where possible much of the time | |
| ➧ Subsidy for “non-toxic” local media not stirring up hatred, division and misinformation. | ➧ Tax on advertising or using a social media platform with excessive toxic content. |
WFH as a right
Suggest create a right to WFH where practical for 70% of the time.
- Big cost savings to workers without costing the taxpayer
- Big greenhouse gas and traffic reductions
- Infrastructure savings.
Avoid a trade war with the USA
Donald Trump is the tariff man. Tariffs could apply to us as we are a “left wing” country. If this happened there are various options:
- Reciprocate in full: Make us an enemy of the USA and increase our inflation
- Apply tariffs to red states only: Make us an enemy of the MAGA Republicans and increase our inflation
- Do nothing.
- Use the USA’s tariff increase as cover to introduce non-discriminatory tariffs on things we don’t like (inefficient vehicles, toxic social media, harmful products, etc.) some of which come from the USA – like RAM trucks.
I recommend (3) or (4).
Wedge referendums
I suggest we “Flood the Zone” with these referendums to be held with the federal election.
- Low cost as at polls anyway
- No YES or NO campaign funding
- AEC & us just say “Voters to choose what they want”
- Coalition must campaign against some and then could be trapped into opposing all of them
- Greens & Teals should support these, may add some of their own.
No changes, nothing to see here
| Referendum / Plebiscite | Summary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abortion Access | Guarantee right to free abortion until at least X weeks | Set X to split Coalition, not us. Consider opinion polls. |
| No Nuclear Power subsidies | Prohibit any taxpayer subsidies to build nuclear fission or fossil fuel power generation facilities. | If nuclear power and coal are so good why would they need subsidies? Coalition would have to oppose. |
| Guarantee access to affordable medicines and vaccines | …where those medicines and vaccines are recommended by a majority of experts | Far right opposes vaccines |
| Guarantee Medicare | Guarantee substantially free and universal health care for Australian citizens | Against coalition policy |
| Strengthen section 44 (Sections i and iv) | A candidate: i) Has to be an Australian Citizen and Resident for at least X years (Replaces the problematic “is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power” that you might not know about.) iv) Must not derive substantial income from a foreign government, institution or company (Replaces ‘office of profit under the crown’ wording that bans public servants, teachers, nurses, etc.) | Hard for the coalition to argue against coherently I note North Korea could grant all Australian MP’s citizenship at any time for a joke. |
| Decriminalise Cannabis (Plebiscite) | Possession of cannabis will not be a criminal offence | Now has 80% support. Coalition would have to campaign against it. |
| Four year fixed terms | Some wording to make this happen that’s a bit different to the 1988 referendum. | Coalition opposed in 1988 so would have to again. |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Board | The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Board, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures. | Just an “Advisory Board”. Completely harmless. Nothing to see here! |
| Change parties – must resign | MP’s and senators that are ejected by their registered party (if any) have to resign if they leave that party. Replaced by the registered party. | This is the Crikey list of turncoats. |
| War powers | Parliament must approve deployment of armed forces to a conflict overseas of longer than 3 months. Re-approval each 3 months. | Still allows for quick emergency deployment to rescue hostages etc. |
| Other | What else would most people agree with? |
Suggest just try to preserve laws related to the below as they are.
In this election just trying not to go backwards.
| Far Right Trigger Issue | Notes |
|---|---|
| LGBTIQA+ rights | No changes planned |
| Migration | No changes planned |
| Pronouns | No changes planned |
| Environment | No changes planned |
| XY persons in women’s sport | Up to the sporting codes / States |
| History curriculum | Up to the States |
| Affirmative action | No changes planned |
| Makarrata / treaty | Up to the States |
| Unisex toilets | See your local government |
| 15-minute cities | See your local government |
References
- Who benefits from negative gearing (PDF, Australia Institute)
- Who benefits from Franking Credits (Australia Institute)
- Cheapest power generation (Guardian)
- Previous Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (ATO)
- QLD police lockup conditions (Guardian)
- Section 44 (APH)
- Support for cannabis legalisation at 80% (AIHW)
- Previous four year terms referendum (Parliamentary Library)
- Ross Gittins on the the tertiary educated (30%) vs. not tertiary educated (70%) divide.
- IMF says scrap GGT discount