With just one week left within the federal election marketing campaign, there are nonetheless a number of vital coverage points Labor and the Coalition have up to now been unwilling to the touch.
Many of those points featured prominently in earlier election campaigns however, up to now, they’ve been sidelined by the federal government and the opposition.
Let’s check out a number of of them.
The place subsequent after the voice referendum?
The voice referendum was alleged to be one of many greatest reforms of the Albanese authorities. After a bruising referendum marketing campaign for Labor, Indigenous affairs has barely featured on this election marketing campaign. Thus far, there was scant element about insurance policies instantly affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Labor says it stays dedicated to the “principles of truth-telling” however each events have pledged to concentrate on sensible fairly than symbolic methods to shut the hole between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Playing advert ban
The Albanese authorities was planning to introduce a spread of reforms final yr in response to a significant inquiry into playing hurt that known as for a complete ban on adverts after a three-year transition interval. This by no means occurred, due to stress from broadcasters and sporting codes. No coverage has been taken to this election by Labor. The Coalition has not modified its coverage introduced in mid-2023. Labor has vowed to do extra if elected, however has not offered any particulars. Inaction has been highlighted by a number of backbenchers in marginal seats.
Environmental safety
Earlier than the 2022 federal election, Labor vowed to introduce a nationwide Environmental Safety Company. This by no means occurred, once more, due to stress from vested pursuits. Labor has flagged it might introduce some type of an company if re-elected, however has not offered particulars on how it might differ from what it didn’t ship in 2024.
The Nice Barrier Reef
In earlier elections, the most important events have been eager to splash money on the reef to spice up their environmental credentials and assist the tourism trade. In 2022, Scott Morrison promised $1bn value of conservation packages over the subsequent decade. This yr, the Albanese authorities introduced a $10m package deal for instructional packages highlighting the significance of sustainable tourism. Greater than half of this cash gives rebates for college students to go to the reef. The main events have talked about the reef, however the cash dedicated to its safety is marginal in contrast with earlier campaigns.
Jobseeker
The fortnightly welfare fee is simply $781 for single folks, serving to maintain about 858,000 Australians in poverty. An extended record of organisations need it and the Youth Allowance elevated, however their calls have fallen on deaf ears within the main events, though the crossbench and the Greens have highlighted the necessity for change.
Renters
The main events have targeting serving to first-home patrons however have supplied no assist to renters and mentioned little about reasonably priced housing. The height housing physique All people’s House needs limits on lease will increase, longer tenancy agreements and nationwide minimal requirements. It has additionally requested for a extra formidable goal of 940,000 new social houses to be constructed throughout the subsequent 20 years.
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Excessive pace rail
For months, the Albanese authorities has been sitting on a enterprise case for the primary stage of its a lot hyped east-coast excessive pace rail line. Its promise to start by constructing the Sydney-Newcastle part was a flagship coverage of its 2022 election marketing campaign. Regardless of all that, Labor has but to announce a plan for top pace rail. In the meantime, the Coalition has talked down the undertaking’s seemingly enormous value.
Employment providers
Numerous evaluations and inquiries have discovered that Australia’s employment providers system is pricey and ineffective however any discuss of reforming it has been omitted from this marketing campaign. Financial Justice Australia and the Antipoverty Centre need the mutual obligation system abolished, with Acoss calling for a direct finish to the focused compliance framework and automatic fee suspensions.
Airways
Labor has largely prevented speaking about aviation regardless of widespread dialogue about Australia’s lack of airline competitors, excessive air fares, poor service and hypothesis concerning the authorities’s relationship with Qantas. In distinction, the Coalition has proposed loosening restrictions barring international airways from working home flights to spice up competitors and scale back ticket prices – however this is able to be a trial restricted to the Northern Territory solely.
The NBN
Point out of the NBN, as soon as an election-deciding difficulty, is notably absent from this marketing campaign. There was a one-line point out of it from the prime minister in Labor’s marketing campaign launch – simply concerning the fibre-to-the-premises improve introduced previous to the election, and stating Labor would maintain the community in public arms – regardless of the Coalition ruling out privatising it. There was no point out of the NBN so removed from the Coalition. Nevertheless, the Liberal coverage web page says the occasion would “improve access to telecommunications and high-speed internet, including investing $3bn for further work on the NBN”.
Labor and the Opposition assist a social media ban for customers beneath the age of 16 so the thought isn’t up for debate. Each events additionally matched one another with $6m for digital literacy programs for college college students. Maybe not desirous to danger the ire of Donald Trump and the tech oligarchs, neither occasion has campaigned about regulating social media platforms, or getting Fb, Google and TikTok to pay for information.
Aged care
This was an enormous difficulty within the 2022 election marketing campaign however has up to now barely rated a point out. It might be as a result of the primary events supported a brand new Aged Care Act, however the chair of Palliative Care Australia, Dr Peter Allcroft, is annoyed about how little has been mentioned in the course of the marketing campaign about enhancing entry to care in a sector that faces persistent workforce shortages.
