Pirate Congress 2019/Motions

Formal Motions

None as yet

Policy and Platform Amendment Motions

PM-1: Remove the Job Guarantee Policy and adopt a position statement on Rent-Seeking and other issues

Put by: John August

Motion

Remove the Job Guarantee Policy ( https://pirateparty.org.au/wiki/Platform#Trial_a_Job_Guarantee_scheme_and_reinstate_the_Commonwealth_Employment_Service ) and adopt the position statement here regarding Rent-Seeking and other issues.

Rationale

The Job Guarantee Policy has not attracted any sympathetic responses, especially from Getup who we were hoping would recognise the policy. People who saw the merits in one half our policy dismissed us because of the mere presence of the other, that is to say Job Guarantee vs. Universal Basic Income (UBI). The UBI is more in accord with our overall policy position and worth keeping, while further the Job Guarantee policy is harder to explain and relies on esoteric economic approaches, while the UBI can be costed in a relatively straightforward fashion and positioned within a reasonably maintream economic framework, making it easier to explain and justify. Along the way, however, an appreciation has developed for the worth of the CES and the worth of appropriate Government involvement in the economy, with particular regard to rent-seeking. So, a position statement embracing and extending these sentiments is also put forward.

PM-2: Domestic Violence terminology

Put by: Sara Joyce

Motion

Replace mentions of "Domestic Violence" in the policy document with "Domestic Abuse".

Rationale

This is to keep in line with current terminology so that we are not excluding victims who have suffered non physical abuse.

PM-3: Update environment policy

Put by: Mark Gibbons

Note: PM-3 and PM-6 may be in conflict.

Motion

Update the existing existing environment policy using the policy text available here.

Rationale

The climate change and environment policies were not especially well received last election. The main reason is that the policies are five years old and the priorities of environmental groups have shifted. Also, recent study has demonstrated that the global environmental faces very rapid deterioration in the coming decades unless policy-makers step up in their ambition. A more ambitious policy from PPAU may aid public debate on the issue.

PM-4: Update energy policy

Put by: Mark Gibbons

Motion

Update the existing existing energy policy using the policy text available here.

Rationale

The climate change and environment policies were not especially well received last election. The main reason is that the policies are five years old and the priorities of environmental groups have shifted. Also, recent study has demonstrated that the global environmental faces very rapid deterioration in the coming decades unless policy-makers step up in their ambition. A more ambitious policy from PPAU may aid public debate on the issue.

PM-5: Disaster Relief Fund (Climate Change)

Put by: Sara Joyce

Note: while also modifying the environmental policies, this does not appear to conflict with any other proposal.

Motion

Add the following subsubsection to the "Land management and ecology" subsection of the platform.

Disaster Relief Fund

Create a disaster relief fund to support those affected by climate change, particularly farmers, and to enable a timely response to any nationally declared disaster by the Prime Minister. This fund would not be limited to drought victims and valued up to 10 billion dollars to deal with multiple scenarios at any given time.

PM-6: Environment policy amendments

Put by: Miles Whiticker

Note: PM-3 and PM-6 may be in conflict.

Motion

Within the "Land management and ecology" subsection of the platform:

• Change: "Expand the environmental oversight of the federal government to cover mining approvals, rivers and water areas, and national parks." to "Expand the environmental oversight of the federal government to cover mining approvals, water resources, protected areas, land clearing, climate change and air pollution."

• Change: "Threatened Species Fund" to "National Sustainability Commission", instead of focussing on threatened species the NSC would have the expanded responsibility to "undertake strategic regional planning and report on national environmental performance. The commission would also develop enforceable national, regional, threat abatement and species level conservation plans, and to propose funding distributions."

• Change: "Provide independent statutory status to areas overseeing environmental approvals." to "Establish an Environmental Protection Authority with independent statutory status to areas overseeing environmental approvals, inquiries, monitoring, compliance and enforcement."

PM-7: Set the proposed Universal Basic Income at the poverty rate

Put by: Miles Whiticker

Motion

Change (i.e. raise) the level of the basic income retaining the 37.5% tax rate. In 2019 dollars this would set the "threshold income" to $50,000/year and the basic income to $18,750 year.

Rationale

The current policy calls for a UBI of $15,000 annually, set to be similar to Newstart. This is only 66% of the poverty line as determined by the Australian Council of Social Service

PM-8A: Remove 18C-repeal policy

Put by: Sara Joyce

Note: PM-8A and PM-8B are mutually exclusive. Congress may pass either or none, but not both.

Motion

Delete the following from the platform:

"Repeal section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), ensuring that pre-existing common law protections are sufficient to manage all cases of intimidation and harassment."

Rationale

We should either remove or clarify our stance on this policy as it hit us hard during the election and was the focus of an article of how not to vote for terrible micro parties during the election by the Guardian.

PM-8B: Reverse 18C-repeal policy

Put by: Sara Joyce

Note: PM-8A and PM-8B are mutually exclusive. Congress may pass either or none, but not both.

Motion

Replace the following from the platform:

"Repeal section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), ensuring that pre-existing common law protections are sufficient to manage all cases of intimidation and harassment."

With:

"Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), should be supported and represent a genuine attempt to set parameters for civil and respectful communication, and for making a declaration that, as a society, we recognise the human dignity of all, irrespective of colour, ethnicity or country of origin."

Rationale

We should either remove or clarify our stance on this policy as it hit us hard during the election and was the focus of an article of how not to vote for terrible micro parties during the election by the Guardian.