Sustainability Party of Australia

[freediver]

Sustainability Party of Australia

Expressions of interest are sought for a new political party. For the moment it will be called the sustainability party.

The party will focus on two general areas which tend to get ignored in mainstream politics:
long term sustainability of our society
using revenue raising tools (taxes) to correct market failures

http://www.ozpolitic.com/articles/sustainability-party.html

[Hakluyt]

An end to the baby bonus and limits on immigration to achieve zero net population growth.
This is good.

We call for an immediate end to:

farming subsidies, especially in the US and EU
I don't really understand this. Is it better to increase imports from parts of the world that have even worse farming practices, meanwhile destroying the last remnants of our rural populations?

Anyway, this group should work to gain leadership and change policies within the Australian Greens rather than starting their own party. I understand the Greens did very well last election.

[John Abney-Hastings]

How about an end to the baby bonus for non-whites, enabling us to double the bonus for whites at no extra cost, and removing an incentive for the muds to multiply?

Limits on immigration: this should be the White Australia Policy that served us well for so long.

Don't stop American farm subsidies. If they didn't waste the money in that way, they'd spend it all on weapons, making the world on balance a more dangerous place.

[Anti-Humanist]

population cap rejected (http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Qld-govt-rejects-population-cap/2007/04/22/1177180460654.html)

Group spokesman Simon Baltais said efforts to reduce water use through strict level five water restrictions were being eroded by the government's support for population growth.

"We're being told to conserve water, yet any reductions we make by way of consumption is whittled away by population growth," he told ABC Radio.

"So you can only describe it as madness, in that we've been asked to get less and pay more for it, but by the way we're handing on anything we save to others who come that we're inviting - so it's quite a state of madness."

That's because population growth, and along with racialism, eugenics, immigration, etc are all taboo to the religion of Liberalism

[John Abney-Hastings]

the term "Liberalism" has been distorted over the years to mean "Politically Correct Semi-Socialism". As a libertarian, I tend to be referred to as a "Paleo-conservative", which I don't mind in the context of constitutional law and limited government.

[freediver]

I don't really understand this. Is it better to increase imports from parts of the world that have even worse farming practices, meanwhile destroying the last remnants of our rural populations?

I don't think you can get much worse than the US farming practices. However, generalisations like that aren't much help. If a country has a specific problem, they should ban imports of specific goods from specific countries, not subsidise agricultre in their own country. In my opinion, the more manual labour involved in farming, the better it tends to be for the environment. Just a generalisation of course.

Also, Australian farmers don't really care about welfare for American farmers, as it is that welfare that is undercutting them.

Anyway, this group should work to gain leadership and change policies within the Australian Greens rather than starting their own party. I understand the Greens did very well last election.

The greens have staked out a niche in broader left wing social issues. While this is necessary to become a major political party, it drives away many 'environmentalists.' Also, a lot of our economic policies could probably be described as 'hard nosed economic rationism.' Both our major parties, and the greens, have moved towards more handouts and higher taxes. I am hoping to get support from traditional supporters of both major parties and both sides of the left/right spectrum.

How about an end to the baby bonus for non-whites, enabling us to double the bonus for whites at no extra cost, and removing an incentive for the muds to multiply?

LOL. No.

That's because population growth, and along with racialism, eugenics, immigration, etc are all taboo to the religion of Liberalism

I don't think population is taboo. It's just that people are stuck in an expansionist mindset and still see higher population as inherently good.

If anyone is interested please send me your email addy, and what state you are from, via PM or email.

I have added a policy on the dodgy first home owner scheme.

[Anti-Humanist]

:rolleyes: Not another Intelligent Design salesman...

[Hakluyt]

I don't think you can get much worse than the US farming practices. However, generalisations like that aren't much help. If a country has a specific problem, they should ban imports of specific goods from specific countries, not subsidise agricultre in their own country. In my opinion, the more manual labour involved in farming, the better it tends to be for the environment. Just a generalisation of course.
Do you mean that ending subsidies would discourage factory farming and encourage a return to manual labour?

Also, Australian farmers don't really care about welfare for American farmers, as it is that welfare that is undercutting them.
It doesn't seem impossible to me that all countries could maintain mutual subsidies/duties so that local products are everywhere cheaper than imports. Subsidies shouldn't be put in place with the sole intention of helping farmers compete on international markets, though.

The greens have staked out a niche in broader left wing social issues. While this is necessary to become a major political party, it drives away many 'environmentalists.' Also, a lot of our economic policies could probably be described as 'hard nosed economic rationism.' Both our major parties, and the greens, have moved towards more handouts and higher taxes. I am hoping to get support from traditional supporters of both major parties and both sides of the left/right spectrum.
I would support (your?) party if I were Australian. I hope to have a hand in something similar in Canada in the next few years, though our strategy will first be to contest the Green Party leadership. Our party still has a large contingent of former Conservatives and Social-Crediters, and immigration remains very controversial (Paul Watson, co-founder of Greenpeace, who as you might know is vehemently opposed to immigration and population growth, has been working within the party and is critical of the current leadership).

[freediver]

Please forward this on to interested people.

Not another Intelligent Design salesman...

What on earth gave you that idea?

Do you mean that ending subsidies would discourage factory farming and encourage a return to manual labour?

No. But it will reduce the amount produced in the US and the EU, and allow third world farmers to get a living wage from their land.

It doesn't seem impossible to me that all countries could maintain mutual subsidies/duties so that local products are everywhere cheaper than imports.

You could possibly balance out the subsidies, but it would be very difficult and you would still have huge market distortions that are bad for the economy. You would be taxing your other industries to subsidise farmers.

I hope to have a hand in something similar in Canada in the next few years

Let me know how you go. We can exchange ideas etc.

[Anti-Humanist]

.

Not another Intelligent Design salesman...

What on earth gave you that idea?

Hmm, apparently the chapters titled "Evolution is not a science" (http://www.ozpolitic.com/evolution/evolution-not-scientific-theory.html), "A Christian foundation for Science" (http://www.ozpolitic.com/evolution/christian-foundation-science.html), and "Has Evolution become a Religion" (http://www.ozpolitic.com/evolution/evolution-become-religion.html) completely gave me the wrong impression then.

[freediver]

You'd be surprised how often that happens.