Minutes/Policy Development Committee Meeting/2013-01-23

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Meeting Minutes
This document is a record of a meeting. Do not edit this document without contacting the relevant group first.


Policy Development Committee: Second IRC meeting (#ppau-pdc)

Start: 20:00 23/01/13 AEST
Finish: 22:41 23/01/13 AEST

Agenda

  • Review / approval of policy ideas
  • Policy timetable
  • Meeting timetable
  • communication with members re meetings and input requests


Attendance

  • Mark Gibbons
  • Andrew Downing
  • David Crafti
  • Melanie Thomas
  • Daniel Judge
  • Sam Kearns
  • Rodney Serkowski

Minutes

Review / approval of policy ideas

Sample Polly Table
Internal Process (from scratchpad/last meeting)

Step one (January 9): All contributors to record ideas in PDC scratchpad. Step two (January 23): Ideas to be reviewed singly and evaluated, feedback to be provided and originator to answer questions. Policy ideas to be approved by motion. Step three (February): Originators of approved policy ideas to lay out their values & criteria through the Polly process. Step four (February): Polly tables to be reviewed. Policy text to be written in detail based on comments & data from Polly tables. Step five (March): Second round feedback & final approval for developed policies.


MarkG SamK: improve protection for whistleblowers
  • MarkG SamK: adopt practices of the Wilkie bill - see here: http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2012B00189).
  • DavidC SamK- Go beyond the Wilkie proposals for whistleblowers - encourage Wikileaks-style organisations to compete, in a free-market way, for business - (see essay below)
  • dcrafti's "essay" tabled: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-1eOIWRfpefZFN4dXpVeUNkNlU/edit
  • summary: Instead of requiring disclosure through official channels, the following proposals allow internal disclosure, but encourage disclosure to channels subjectively believed by the whistleblower to be highly likely to act responsibly with the information.
  • dcraft with Melanie to develop/head and that proposal draft should include the policy detail and polly table
  • propsoal should be made available some days prior to next meeting for reading time
MarkG SamK DavidC- Decriminalise drugs. End the Drug war and adopt a scientific treatment-based approach.
  • scope?
  • scientific approach
  • improvement to law and order
  • public health issue
  • detailed policy vs general 'position'
MarkG SamK - create standardised national feed-in tarriff for solar energy


DanielJ SamK - Legalise/Recognise Gay Marriage
  • Brendan policy: Abolish Marriage Act & replace with civil unions (or nothing) - Govt to no longer have a place in relationships and cultural institutions
  • Germany abolished act without great drama
  • replace marriage with civil unios across the board as a govt administered thing
  • need to seek out external opinions, research, consult with LGBT community etc
  • need to retain protection for minors, no forced marriage etc
  • what about polygamy?
DavidC SamK- Create a constitutional bill of rights
  • limited to begin with to allow for the broadest support. General principles would include: Privacy for natural persons, transparency for government. Freedom of speech, association for all natural persons.
  • would require referendum
  • policy would be to have a referendum
  • long term goal
  • short and lean
  • lower priority policy
  • free speech and privacy
Brendan: No tax-free religious institutions.
  • DavidC - Remove from the definition of a trust for charitable purposes option that it can be for "promotion of religion" - maybe allow it to change to "promotion of a non-violent cause", so that if religions get it, then so does the secular society, etc. Preferably just get rid of it though.
  • exceptions re charitable work: same reqs as any other charity,audited etc
  • tax free donation stuff must be for charities
  • assist things like NGOs
  • no tax breaks if you discriminate
DavidC - Remove the government's tax break for innovation,
  • Remove the government's tax break for innovation, and find another way to use the money to spur innovation, like a kickstarter approach or more investment in hackerspaces/shared office space. The current tax break is used by big companies to claim money back for pretty much all new projects that are worked on, whether or not they are really the kind/size of innovation the government intended.
  • policy already facing axe/on way out maybe
  • assist startups (but not just them)
  • we don't want to create a government oversight department, but it can also be really easy to game if left unattended.
MarkG - increase carbon tax to levels high enough to drive serious renewables investment. Abolish payroll tax
  • owner of a solar engineering company who's basically said the carbon tax would be exponentially more effective if it was somewhat (50% say) higher.
  • payroll tax a state issue
  • concerns over removing power/economic autonomy from states
  • what about pro fossil fuel subsidies
  • broaden scope to include looking at general carbon tax, emissions, renewables etc ie 'sustainable energy policy'
  • payroll tax perceived as tax on job creation
  • you offer funds on condition that the state abolishes its tax
  • removing payroll tax takes away sting for business
  • ensure removing payroll a good idea rather than just based off rants of small business owners



remaining policy ideas to be discussed at next meeting Monday 28th Feb

communication with members re meetings and input requests

  • committees need to have transparent processes so anybody can get involved.
  • working group pages on wiki
  • under /Policy_Development_Committee - ie: https://pirateparty.org.au/wiki/Policy_Development_Committee/nameofworkinggroup
  • category: PDC Working Group
  • email re working groups, initially in one big email
    • include meeting times etc, links to wiki pages
    • We make decisions that change WG's at PDC meetings., So notify the members about WG changes after each PDC meeting
  • make info available at publicised link, don't want to spam too much

voice chat in meetings

  • next meeting to trial voice chat option
  • facilitate & speed up discussion
  • supplement, not replacement to IRC
  • Text for specific wording and decisions etc. Voice to get ideas around
  • AndrewD to set up and trial a Google+ Hangout for next meeting


Motions

Motion: PDC meetings start by appointing a minute taker and that said minutes be written live in an EtherPad (or similar) such that we can all see (live), what decisions are agreed to

  • 5 ayes
  • carried

Motion: That the PDC will prioritise the development of policy to improve protection for whistleblowers. A working group will be formed for this policy area chaired by David Crafti to draft a formal proposal to be presented at the next PDC meeting

  • 5 Ayes
  • carried

Motion: That the PDC will develop policy relating to the decriminalisation of drugs and adoption of a scientific, harm minimisation approach as a public health issue. A working group will be formed chaired by MarkG and a draft proposal including detailed policy and polly tables will be presented at the next PDC meeting.

  • 6 ayes
  • carried

Motion: That the PDC will develop policy relating to a national standard on the feed-in tarriff for solar energy generation. A working group will be formed chaired by SamK and a draft proposal including detailed policy and polly tables will be presented at the next PDC meeting.

  • 7 ayes
  • carried

Motion: The PDC will, as a priority, form a working group to research policy on the best way to remove discrimination caused by The Marriage Act. The working group will be chaired by Melanie Thomas and will produce a report on research findings for discussion at the next PDC meeting.

  • 6 ayes
  • carried


Motion: That the PDC will develop policy to hold a referendum for the purpose of introducing a bill of rights to the Australian constitution. A working group will be formed chaired by Andrew D which will produce a draft proposal including detailed policy and polly tables for the PDC meeting to be held on or near February 20th 2013

  • 6 ayes
  • carried


Motion: That the PDC will develop policy to abolish tax free status for religious institutions. A working group will be formed chaired by Roderick Serkowski that will produce a draft proposal including detailed policy and polly tables for the PDC meeting to be held nearest to February 20th 2013.

  • 7 ayes
  • carried

Motion: That the PDC will develop policy to abolish the current tax break for innovation and institute a new innovation program. A working group will be formed chared by Mark Gibbons that will produce a draft proposal including detailed policy and polly tables for PDC meeting nearest to 20th February 2013.

  • 6 ayes
  • carried

Motion: That the PDC will develop policy to abolish payroll tax, increase incentives for renewable energy investment and increase disincentives for fossil fuel use. A working group will be formed chaired by Mark Gibbons that will produce a draft proposal including detailed policy and polly tables for the PDC meeting held nearest to 20th of February 2013.

  • 6 ayes
  • 1 abstain
  • carried

Motion: That all working groups created by the PDC must create a PPAU wiki page detailing the purpose of the working group, requesting input from the membership and detailing when and where working group meetings will be held. The PDC will notify the membership of these resources via email to the national discussion list.

  • 7 ayes
  • carried

Motion: To adjourn the meeting until 8:30pm Monday 28th January

  • 5 ayes
  • carried


Action Items

  • Whistleblower protection draft policy to be developed by working group headed by dcrafti and Melanie by next meeting
  • Drug decriminalisation draft policy to be developed by working group headed by MarkG by next meeting
  • Solar power feed-in tariff draft policy to be developed by working group headed by SamK by next meeting
  • Marriage Act reform/Gay Marriage research report to be developed by working group headed by Melanie Thomas by next meeting
  • Bill of rights policy draft to be developed by working group headed by AndrewD by next meeting
  • Religion tax-free status policy draft to be developed by working group headed by Rodney Serkowski by meeting nearest 20 Feb 2013
  • Innovation program tax break abolition draft policy to be developed by working group headed by MarkG by meeting nearest 20 Feb 2013
  • Renewable energy, fossil fuel subsidy, payroll tax abolition draft policy to be developed by working group headed by MarkG by meeting nearest 20 Feb 2013
  • Working group heads to create wiki pages
  • MarkG to ensure draft member notification email is sent
  • AndrewD to set up a Google Hangout half hour before next meeting
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