our proposals:

• Direct Representation through Public Plebiscites

  • In certain circumstances, Governments must require a mandate by The People, before certain decisions can be made. These decisions would be decided by a public Plebiscite.

    Government Debt

    • Require that Governments, at any level within the Commonwealth, must not incur a public debt greater than a debt ceiling that is to be decided by The People. If Governments exceed this debt ceiling, then the Governor-General, or State Governor, must automatically call for a double-dissolution election.

    State of Emergencies

    • Require that any declaration of an emergency be put to a plebiscite before it can be enacted.  When such approval is given by the people, there must be a strict time limit, decided by The People, for how long that emergency will be in force.

    Immigration

    • Require that immigration intake is to be set and can only be changed by the Australian people by plebiscite. If Governments do not adhere to the immigration intake level set by the Australian people, then the Governor-General must automatically call for a double-dissolution election.

    International Treaties

    • All treaties between any Government and a foreign or domestic entity must be agreed by way of a plebiscite of those citizens affected by that treaty. This would include the Membership or continued Membership of Australia in International bodies, such as the United Nations, World Health Organisation, Et al.

    Sale of Public Assets

    • Require that any disposal of a public assets above a certain percentage of GDP (yet to be determined by The People) must require the approval by way of a plebiscite of The People Federally, or in that State.

• Reintroduce civics education to the school curriculum.

  • Civics is the study of the theoretical, political and practical aspects of citizenship, the structure and functions of Government, the rule of law and our legal system, and the rights, duties and responsibilities of citizens.

  • Civics education seeks to advance individuals' meaningful engagement with, and participation, in the community, civil society and politics. Civics education plays a vital role in healthy democracies, by generating higher levels of political knowledge, facilitating political expression and informed debate, reducing voter apathy, and encouraging public participation by engaged citizens.

  • Our education system has failed to prepare young Americans for self-government, leaving our governmental system in danger of voter cynicism and apathy. The time has come to recommit to the education of our young people for informed, authentic, and engaged citizenship.

• Make it compulsory that voters provide photographic identification at the polling booth.

  • So much of our lives depend on having adequate photo identification. It is not unreasonable to expect the same for people validating their identity when they vote.

  • All voters must present current and unaltered photographic identification at the polling booth, prior to voting.

• Recall elections

  • Recall elections are a method by which the electorate can vote to oust elected representatives before their terms have officially expired.

  • In countries where they are implemented, recall elections are an attempt to curtail the influence of political parties on elected representatives. In essence, to ensure that elected officials are representing their constituents instead of abiding by the party machine that they are a part of.

  • Recall elections are also a method of imposing accountability upon an electorate’s elected representative.

• Citizens Initiated Referenda & Binding Plebiscites

  • In Australia, referenda are only used to alter the Constitution. While Citizens Initiated Referenda is a term used in other countries, we believe that a more appropriate term when dealing with non-Constitutional matters would be a ‘Binding Plebiscite’.

  • A Binding Plebiscite is a vote that cannot be ignored and thus the outcome would be binding to the Government of the day.

  • We believe that the concept of a Binding Plebiscite should be introduced into our Constitution. If carried by a successful public vote, a Binding Plebiscite would have legal force and the Parliament of the day would be obligated to enact the will of The People, in the same way that a referendum, when carried, cannot be ignored.

  • Citizen Initiated Referenda would apply for matters that require an alteration to the Constitution.

  • We believe that both Citizen Initiated Referenda and Binding Plebiscites would work concurrently to diffuse political power and improve voter representation.

    Citizens Initiated Referenda

    • Citizen Initiated Referenda (CIR) aim to safeguard the rights of citizens and prevent the abuse of political power, giving The People full control over their Constitution.

    • The People could drive any change that they feel needs to be made to the Constitution, eliminating the need to rely on politicians to initiate the change.

    • CIR would also exist in the States and apply to State Constitutions.

    Binding Plebiscites

    • Binding Plebiscites are a way of limiting the power of Parliamentarians; ensuring they do not exceed the authority that The People have delegated to them under the Constitution. 

    • Binding Plebiscites will be called, just like Referenda, when citizens wish to direct the Parliament as to how it is to act on an issue of significance. 

    • Provided that the Binding Plebiscite could attract enough public support, this would trigger the repeal of unpopular legislation; such as State Public Health Orders.

    • Similarly, Binding Plebiscites could also introduce legislation that is popular with the public, but delayed by unwilling parties. Examples of this could include the abolition of pay-roll tax, stamp duty or the construction of new dams.

• Abolish above the line voting in all Upper House votes, whether in the Federal or State Parliaments.

  • As over 90% of people vote above the line on Senate ballot papers, a strong advantage goes to organised political parties, rather than true independent candidates. This is fundamentally unfair.

  • When voters vote above the line, the selected political party chooses their candidate, rather than the voter choosing that candidate directly.

  • Voters should be voting for their preferred candidate, rather than their preferred political party. Above the line voting is antithetical to this notion and therefore should be abolished.