Report card – A Fairer Australia – Election 2022

A Fairer Australia contains five policy pillars and several specific policy asks under each pillar.

The Society’s policy positions are qualified by the experiences of those we assist and our members, as well as by the extensive social policy evidence base.

The policy asks outlined in A Fairer Australia are limited to the social policy areas most relevant to, and likely to impact on, the lives of those we help.

The aim of the Report Card is to make it easy for readers to assess the extent to which our specific policy asks have been addressed by the major parties. The Report Card is in no way intended to inform voter decisions.

In developing the Report Card, the Society has relied on publicly released policy materials. In many instances, these policy materials do not provide sufficient detail to accurately determine a position on our policy asks.

How the card works

• Red cell—after conducting further searches, a policy position against our asks is not identifiable.
• Green cell—our policy ask is addressed and the party’s position is in line with our ask.
• Yellow cell—a party’s policy touches on aspects of our policy asks.

As a registered charity, an impartial approach has been used to classify policy platforms – one that relies on, and is limited to, information that is publicly available. The assessment does not second-guess policy positions or fill in the gaps.

Readers should be aware that while every effort has been made to identify and consider all major parties’ policies and to keep this information up to date, readers should also conduct their own research. Readers can access a list of all registered candidates by electorate through the AEC website.

Key:

People seeking asylum

Notes:

1. Increase intake to 50,000 people per year, plus an additional 10,000 per year through a sponsorship program.
2. 16,500 Afghan places available in addition to Sponsorship Program.
3. Sponsorship Program available.
4. NZ offer accepted. Six remain in detention after transferred from PNG & Nauru.
5. Accept NZ offer. Negotiate resettlement to other third countries.
6. Means-tested access to some services. Work rights, Medicare, social security and education accessible while cases are assessed.  

Key:

First Nations peoples

Notes:

1. Also establish a Makarrata Commission
2. Treaty before Constitutional recognition.
3. To be reviewed with states/ territories
4. Sustain progress by funding health and housing. 
5. $371 million to community-led health organisations and funding under the National Legal Assistance Partnership to be doubled.

Key:

Secure work

Notes:

1. Secure Australian Jobs Plan and gender pay equity made an objective under the Fair Work Act.
2. Remove mutual obligations and undertake fundamental reforms to address employment services. Replace Jobactive with public employment service.
3. 450,000 regional jobs, 29,000 regional apprentices.
4. 465,000 fee-free TAFE places. Jobs and Skills Australia. New energy skills and apprenticeships.

Key:

Affordable housing, reducing homelessness

Notes:

1. Plan for Housing and Home Ownership includes enabling first home buyers to access up to 40 percent ($50,000) of their superannuation to purchase a home; persons aged over 55 years investing up to $300,000 from the sale of their primary residence into superannuation; doubling the assets test exemption to two years when pensioners downsize from their family home; raising the number of low-deposit guarantees for first home buyers to 35,000 per year; increasing property price gaps for the Home Guarantee Scheme; and $2 billion in low-cost financing for social and affordable dwellings.
2. Establishment of a National Housing Supply and Affordability Council with key stakeholders.
3. NHHA base funding increased by $550 million per year for homelessness services and indexed.
4. First Home Guarantee Scheme extended to 50,000 places a year.
5. Fund will build 30,000 social and affordable homes over 5 years. Help to Buy program available to 10,000 people a year. 
6. $7.5 billion over forward estimates. $22.9 billion over the decade. Federal Housing Trust to build one million homes including 125,000 rental homes. $1.5 billion each year over 3 years - Capital Grants Fund.
7. 2017-18 call to increase CRA by 30%.
8. $25-$100 thousand to disconnect gas. $10-$50 thousand loans for household batteries.
9. National Standard of Renters’ Rights. Tenancy service funding increased by $30 million per year.

Key:

Income support

Notes:

1. Payment rates benchmarked twice-annually - if the indexed payment ever falls below the poverty line, the payment rate would be increased to above the Henderson Poverty Line.
2. Liveable income guarantee.
3. Deeming rates frozen for 2 years for 900,000 social security recipients.

Other feedback

The following feedback has been received from other parties and independents, noting there is insufficient detail to assess against all of our key asks:

• The Australian Values Party states they agree with our policy positions.
• The Indigenous Party of Australia states they support all our objectives.
• Dr Helen Haines (Independent) states overall support noting that for some asks, support is in principle and requires review of specific details. This applies to ‘reinstate or replace the National Rental Affordability Scheme’, ‘develop national minimum standards for renters and landlords’, ‘increase the earnings threshold of income support recipient’, ‘redefine casual work and create pathways to permanency’ and ‘develop a national system of labour hire licencing’.

Thank you

Thanks goes to the following who have acknowledged our requests for feedback:

• The Greens
• Australian Labor Party
• Pitman – Blair – Australian Values Party
• Nott – Cowper – The Greens
• O’Halloran – Forde – United Australia Party
• Rubenstein – ACT – Independent
• Carter – Boothby – The Greens
• Stark – Goldstein – One Nation
• Haines – Indi – Independent
• Duroux – Page – Indigenous Party of Australia
• Steele – Hughes - Independent