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Now that I have voted it is time to find out what the parties stand for (this is how it works, yes?)
Minor Parties
Australians Against Further Immigration - This seems self-explanatory. Certainly their website does not do much explaining. According to their Wikipedia article (but unsourced) it is their policy to deport all immigrants who arrived since 1990. Supposedly this will solve many of our environmental problems. There is nothing offered to allay the suspicion of racism which always follows anti-immigration rhetoric in Australia, no other platform or reason to support offered.
Christian Democratic Party - Ick, no. I don't vote for immoral parties or candidates if possible. Their very first listed federal policy: "Marriage between a man and woman only – no same-sex adoptions" would be sufficient to make them unsupportable. It would be if their very name did not already. No Christian, no Muslim, no Atheist*, no religious party of any affiliation supported. Maybe Discordians. Their draft State policy also includes false statements about the potential of embryonic stem cell research. In their 'list of other areas' at the end of the document it appears they wish to ban both Big Brother and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. As much as I dislike both shows, the government should not be banning them. I have never understood the whole idea of governments supporting non-government schools. I should stop here, but first say I don't trust their mentions of reviews into abortion and concern over RU-486. Some of their policies do seem supportable such as pay for nurses but I expect such policies to be largely uniform among the parties that want to be elected. I am looking for the bad in each party's platform.
Oh! They do provide a handy checklist of Christian values and how various parties match up. Makes me pleased with myself for today but nervous about the outcome.
Horse Riders Party - not much to say here.
Outdoor Recreation Party - Eh. They talk good.
Human Rights Party - If only I knew of them before. Feared the title might be dreadfully ironic, it seems not to be.
Save Our Suburbs - Decentralisation of urban planning party.
Restore the Workers' Rights Party - Reaction to the latest industrial reform laws.
Socialist Alliance - They have mostly good policies. I'm not so sure about the ban on genetically modified crops. Their stance on crime mostly aligns with what I have been saying for years. "Legislate against the use of non-violent homosexual “advance” as a defence of “provocation” in violent crime." "We will... egislate for the right of transgendered people to be issued with
passports, drivers licences and other documents specifying the gender
of their choice." Most of the rest of their policies - that I read - sound generally good to me although of course I have not taken the time to vet these for practicality. Many could turn out to be impossible to actually enact or counter-productive for all I know. I am not in support of their policy to force anti-discrimination hiring laws on religious organisations. However much I detest that they do so, it does not seem right that an ideological organisation be forced to hire people in opposition to their ideology.
The Fishing Party - I don't know enough about fishing matters to pass judgement on their policies but their stance seems generally conservationist.
The Shooters Party - Guns and four-wheel drives, oh my.
Unity Party - Nothing stands out especially good or bad.
Aaaaaand I'm getting tired now so the major parties can wait for some other time.
It was very off-putting, all the negative campaigning for this election. Barely a single ad talked about what a party was promising to do. The Liberals and Labor spent to whole time talking about how horrible and untrustworthy the others were. I would not have been surprised to hear a voiceover saying "Morris Iemma is a shapeshifting reptile from outer space who eats babies..."
Minor Parties
Australians Against Further Immigration - This seems self-explanatory. Certainly their website does not do much explaining. According to their Wikipedia article (but unsourced) it is their policy to deport all immigrants who arrived since 1990. Supposedly this will solve many of our environmental problems. There is nothing offered to allay the suspicion of racism which always follows anti-immigration rhetoric in Australia, no other platform or reason to support offered.
Christian Democratic Party - Ick, no. I don't vote for immoral parties or candidates if possible. Their very first listed federal policy: "Marriage between a man and woman only – no same-sex adoptions" would be sufficient to make them unsupportable. It would be if their very name did not already. No Christian, no Muslim, no Atheist*, no religious party of any affiliation supported. Maybe Discordians. Their draft State policy also includes false statements about the potential of embryonic stem cell research. In their 'list of other areas' at the end of the document it appears they wish to ban both Big Brother and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. As much as I dislike both shows, the government should not be banning them. I have never understood the whole idea of governments supporting non-government schools. I should stop here, but first say I don't trust their mentions of reviews into abortion and concern over RU-486. Some of their policies do seem supportable such as pay for nurses but I expect such policies to be largely uniform among the parties that want to be elected. I am looking for the bad in each party's platform.
Oh! They do provide a handy checklist of Christian values and how various parties match up. Makes me pleased with myself for today but nervous about the outcome.
Horse Riders Party - not much to say here.
Outdoor Recreation Party - Eh. They talk good.
Human Rights Party - If only I knew of them before. Feared the title might be dreadfully ironic, it seems not to be.
Save Our Suburbs - Decentralisation of urban planning party.
Restore the Workers' Rights Party - Reaction to the latest industrial reform laws.
Socialist Alliance - They have mostly good policies. I'm not so sure about the ban on genetically modified crops. Their stance on crime mostly aligns with what I have been saying for years. "Legislate against the use of non-violent homosexual “advance” as a defence of “provocation” in violent crime." "We will... egislate for the right of transgendered people to be issued with
passports, drivers licences and other documents specifying the gender
of their choice." Most of the rest of their policies - that I read - sound generally good to me although of course I have not taken the time to vet these for practicality. Many could turn out to be impossible to actually enact or counter-productive for all I know. I am not in support of their policy to force anti-discrimination hiring laws on religious organisations. However much I detest that they do so, it does not seem right that an ideological organisation be forced to hire people in opposition to their ideology.
The Fishing Party - I don't know enough about fishing matters to pass judgement on their policies but their stance seems generally conservationist.
The Shooters Party - Guns and four-wheel drives, oh my.
Unity Party - Nothing stands out especially good or bad.
Aaaaaand I'm getting tired now so the major parties can wait for some other time.
It was very off-putting, all the negative campaigning for this election. Barely a single ad talked about what a party was promising to do. The Liberals and Labor spent to whole time talking about how horrible and untrustworthy the others were. I would not have been surprised to hear a voiceover saying "Morris Iemma is a shapeshifting reptile from outer space who eats babies..."
