People Power
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Coral Rizzalli

 





Joanne Stuart

 We are a political movement of everyday Australians aiming to represent and empower grassroots people and communities in Australian life, including:

  • families (the foundation of society but unrepresented by any broad, mainstream organisation)

  • small businesses and independent owners (the backbone of our economy and employment but ignored by governments)

  • consumers (the least organised and least vocal component of our economy)

  • people with disabilities, chronic and mental illnesses and their families/carers (the most invisible and vulnerable Australians)

  • the aged (the carriers of our accumulated wisdom but regarded as redundant and unproductive in our culture)

  • volunteers in communities (the glue in society but unrepresented in any of our halls of power)

  • individuals and communities who practice self-help (whose voices are rarely heard in public life)

Both Left and Right have ignored everyday people and social relationships in their obsession with the market and the state. Social relationships - not the market or the state - should be the prism through which we assess policy and determine the public good. This is common sense. This is the Australian tradition.

 
Frequently Asked Questions

Are you really a political party?

Yes. The Commonwealth and each State and Territory have procedures for registering political parties. The Commonwealth requires a registered party to have 500 members. Most States and Territories require 100 members, with Victoria and Queensland requiring 500, and NSW 750. We are in the process of enrolling members to gain this registration. At the Commonwealth level, a registered political party can offer, amongst other things, tax deductibility for donations.

Are you a morally conservative party?

No. We do not wish to tell anyone how to live.

We support the inclusion of homosexual people in society, and favour civil unions (but not marriage) for homosexual relationships. Marriage is a heterosexual institution.

Abortion is a tragic occurrence, and should be discouraged. But sometimes it is the lesser of two evils, and should not be prohibited. Our members are encouraged to exercise a conscience decision on abortion and euthanasia.

Will you participate in elections?

Yes. But we know that it is not easy for new organisations to participate in elections. It can be made feasible only with a large number of members drawn from all walks of life, who have social connections reaching into all corners of Australia. As a rough guide, we have set ourselves a goal of 10,000 members. In politics, strength comes through numbers, and the membership numbers in the Liberal and Labor Parties are in steady long term decline.

Do you support action on climate change?

Yes. Environmental issues are important, but they have the advantage of being fashionable and flavour of the month. This means that for every one serious media story on disability, or health reform, or the concentration of corporate power, there are perhaps 30 or 40 on climate change. The preferences of environmental voters influence election outcomes. Just as the Greens have put environmental issues on the political agenda, so we aim to put society and social relationships issues on the political agenda.