Budget Speech Media Release

1 April 2019

MULLUMBIMBY – Australia’s newest political party Together has called for the reallocation $500 billion in the Australian budget for education, health, the climate economy and corporate regulation as the first step in a program to reduce the growing quality in one of the world’s wealthiest countries.

“Disruption is everywhere and now it’s coming to politics. People are disengaging with the traditional partys and their politics as witnessed by falling voter participation rates in elections across the country despite Australia’ proud traditional of compulsory voting,”Mark Swivel, Together founder?? and Senate candidate for New South Wales in the upcoming Federal election, said.

“it’s time for a new politics, neither the increasingly meaningless descriptors left nor right

Swivel said that the budget is is an opportunity to set the priorities for Australia as budget allocations picks winners and losers. In 2019, Australia spends lots of money on the wrong things.  The budget is an opportunity to look at priorities and fund what is most important.

Together believes  those things are our climate, housing, the vulnerable, the direction of industry, our shared culture that we are all part of, our public services and institutions like Medicare, public hospitals and unis that make Australia what it is.

“By reallocating $50 billion from the budget we are showing the people of Australia that there is a different better path towards a more equitable future for all everyone.”

Australia is the 10th biggest economy in the world, measured by nominal Gross Domestic Product which is $1.5 trillion a year.  Australia are ranked 3rd in the world on the Human Development Index - because its quality of life is excellent and democratic institutions are very solid.

“As an economy, as a society huge sums of money are paid into programs and projects: into public servants, into outsourced contracts and consultants. Into Politicians pension plans. Among other things Together believes we need to get more bang for our buck.”

The budget tonight will be full of cash handouts, easy Inducements to support the government’s efforts to be re-elected, Swivel explained.

“It’s already started and we will see ore and more of this but Together not want to focus on that, instead we want to focus on a better way forward.”

Together wants Australia to take 10% of its budget – that’s $50 billion and spend it differently:

  • A Climate Economy Fund - $10b – to invest in renewables generation, an emissions trading scheme, repairing our rivers and reefs, supporting new businesses and jobs.  We are not responding to climate change but building a Climate Economy that is the future of Australian business and workers.  

  • Homes for all Australians - $10b – to build homes for the homeless, for renters and first home buyers, government needs to get back in the game of making homes for our people.  House prices may fall for some but the overall social benefit will be greater.  All Australians deserve a home.

  • Our Learning Nation - $10b - for funding places at university and TAFE for lower income students, investing in research - real R&D - and innovation, and developing a national curriculum.  We can lead education in our region but should not be dominated by commercial goals.  We should also be reinvesting in public education.

  • More Medicare - $10b – for better public hospitals, for access to specialists for all Australians, and including dental services and ambulances in Medicare – with increased spending for older Australians and indigenous Australia. 

  • Better Society - $5b - to double the ABC budget, arts funding and legal aid, creating a federal ICAC including community representatives, a national domestic violence action plan; and working with indigenous Australia to accelerating progress to a treaty and a republic.

  • Trickle Up Economics - $5b injecting into new business start-ups, grass-roots social enterprise, regional businesses including agriculture, with enhancements for NDIS and Newstart, and trials for universal basic income.  We need a new culture of innovation, risk-taking and investment.

  • Other specific measures we support are:

    • spending $12 bil on state schools and $8 bil on non-government schools 

    • double spending on indigenous health to $2 bil s 

    • funding free ambulances rather than school chaplains – to the tune of over $200m

    • using the Banking Levy to start a publicly owned bank - $2 billion.

    • $1b to toughen up corporate and tax regulation especially at ASIC, APRA and the ATO.

Together wants action on tax.  Companies like Exxon, Energy Australia and Ikea need to pay their fair share, then we can shift the balance even further.  

The budget currently picks winners and we need to pick new ones.   We can:

  • move subsidies for fossil fuels into renewables – to fund Climate Economy projects

  • wind back negative gearing – to fund Homes for All Australians

  • withdraw middle class welfare tax concessions – to fund more Homes for All Australians

  • reverse increases in defence spending over the last 5 years - to fund Our Learning Nation

  • use the Banking Levy to start a publicly owned bank

  • move billions spent on off-shore detention into Legal Aid on-shore.

The time for tinkering is over.  The time for bribing the nation with tax cuts is done.

Swivel presented the group’s alternative budget at the Mullumbimby in the first event of the party’s first roadshow that will also take in Bellingen, Coffs Harbour, and Newcastle  - as well as three dates in Sydney ( North Sydney, Bondi, Marackville)

On Monday, ahead of the budget former Liberal Party leader John Hewson told the ABC that rather than tax cuts, the government should spend more on health and education.

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Email: hello@thetogetherparty.org.au

Website: https://thetogetherparty.org.au

Facebook: @TheTogetherParty
Twitter: @TogetherParty1 #thetogetherparty
Instagram: @thetogetherparty
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1DBlSssdaPeXBKcS9UL1wA/featured

Minifesto: https://thetogetherparty.org.au/manifesto/

NSW Senate Candidate:
Mark Swivel 0407 875 398

Party Chair:
Madeleine Faught 0428 965762

Campaign Manager:
Victoria Dombroski 0419 680 593

Media Liaison:
Michael Sainsbury +66 927 620321 (Whatsapp) sainsburychina@gmail.com
Susie Riddell Danoy 0434 729 230

Local Media Liaison:
Victoria Dombroski 0419 680 593

Written and authorized by Belinda Kinkead, Secretary, The Together Party, - 12/7 Grevillea Street Byron Bay 2481.