• Population
• Coasts and Oceans
• Invasive Species

Closing date is Friday 25th May 2012 10pm Central Standard Time.  Don’t miss out.  Place your vote today.  All eligible members should have received their voting packs along with the May National Journal.  If you haven’t received your voting pack, contact the Party Secretary :

Roger Howe
secretary@democrats.org.au
Mb: 0431 527 845

Happy voting!

See the article from the ABC here: Abbott outlines Coalition Immigration plans

For more information on how the Australian Democrats make policy, click here >>

The LNP now has absolute power with Labor holding only 7 seats in their uni-cameral Parliament (QLD only has a lower house of parliament.)  The lower house is called the Legislative Assembly and is comprised of 89 seats.

The scary part of the QLD election held 2 weeks ago is that the LNP won a huge proportion of seats compared to its primary vote.  Here are some figures below courtesy of Electoral Reform Australia (NSW chapter):

The disparity between votes and seats won is of massive concern and a clear demonstration of the need for Queensland to move to introduce Proportional Representation.  The Alternative Vote method currently used disenfranchises electors particularly those who cast a vote for Labor, the Greens or Katter Party in the QLD election.  26.74% of voters cast a ballot for Labor, but Labor only won approx 8% of the seats.  LNP on the other hand only attracted 49.83% of the vote but won 87% of the seats!

As there is no upper house in Queensland, there is no check on the power of the newly formed LNP Government.  The potential for increased mismanagement and corruption in Queensland does not bode well for Queenslanders.  With no effective opposition from Labor and no upper house, the LNP can and will ride roughshod over the people of Queensland.

Recently, some of our critics and opponents have said that no one knows what the Australian Democrats stand for anymore.  This statement is a furphy.  The Democrats have not vastly changed their values or objectives therefore, we still stick to the core beliefs we have espoused since our founding in 1977.

The Australian Democrats have made a difference. We’ve helped develop the Australia we have today. We’ve stood for equality, fairness and our environment again and again.

Recently, we have simplified the message so that people can understand where we stand.

We are a party that stands for fairness and social justice with an aspiration for a strong prosperous economy that benefits all Australians but at the same time is sensitive to our unique environment.  This has been simplified to four words:

• Humanity
• Equity
• Prosperity
• Democracy

For a list of our policies please click here