GROWING A STRONG, CLEAN ECONOMY

Answer

Public ownership not privatisation

Privatisation has failed us. It’s led to huge profits for big corporations but less reliable services and increased costs for the rest of us.

Our plan will ensure everyone has access to the services they need, stop you getting ripped off by big corporations, immediately reduce your bills, make services more reliable and kick off a rapid, planned transition to renewable energy to tackle climate change.

Create a not-for-profit energy retailer to kick off the transition to renewable energy
Cap power prices and buy back essential electricity infrastructure
Create a not-for-profit bank to end the rorts and bring down prices
Break up the big banks and cap executive pay
Oppose the sell-off of the NBN and upgrade it to the best technology for fast and reliable services
Reverse the privatisation of the public sector and restore public service jobs

Jobs and training of the future

All of us should have access to meaningful, secure work so we don’t struggle to make ends meet and we have the freedom to do more of the things we love. And while most of us have to work to live, we should never be living just to work.

Employment in Australia is changing rapidly. Some of us are stuck working too many hours, while many of us can’t find enough work. Jobs are less secure, wages are flatlining and small businesses are getting squeezed by big business and their mates in the government.

To protect your rights at work, the Greens will:

Increase the minimum wage to a living wage of at least 60% of the median wage
Tackle job insecurity and the challenge of automation, casualisation and the gig economy
Reverse penalty rate cuts and enshrine penalty rates in law
Support small and medium-sized businesses to lower their energy costs and ensure small business pays less tax than big business

Respect research

Melbourne is home to world-leading science and research. However, governments routinely threaten funding cuts to this vital industry.

The Greens will:

Secure and boost research funding to 4% of GDP
Support women in science
Reverse Labor and Liberal cuts to universities and research programs
Increase funding for STEM education

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Make tax fair

Right now our economy doesn’t work for us. Big corporations are using their influence and their political donations to gain more and more for themselves, while many people across our communities are struggling to afford a roof over their head or to put food on the table.

Since 2012, both Liberal and Labor governments have taken over $100 million from big corporates and in return, they’ve sold our public assets to those vested interests, protected their record profits and left big loopholes in our tax system, to the point where 1 in 3 of the biggest corporations pay no tax at all.

That’s not good economic management. That’s economic injustice.

Our plan to make the economy work for all of us:

Introduce a super profits tax on the oil, gas and mining giants that operate in uncompetitive markets and with huge tax advantages
End the billions in corporate handouts from government
Make big corporations pay for their pollution, instead of getting government handouts
Close the tax avoidance system, to stop giant multinationals dodging their tax bill
Reverse the big tax cuts to shareholders and the super wealthy