We choose the best option for Australia. We choose the Greens.
For many years, Australia has caught the imagination of the entire world
in different ways. Whether for its amazing natural beauty, the kindness of its
multicultural society or its highly developed economy, Australia is one of
those hard-to-forget places in the world. Now, what does this have to do with politics
and, particularly, liberalism? In many ways, Australia is an example of
liberalism. The country’s economic development has been possible thanks to its
business-friendly atmosphere combined with the provision of excellent public
services and an enabling state that gives all citizens a chance to realise their
potential, without trapping them in the hands of dependency. The country’s
multicultural society has also been a product of liberal immigration policies
during the last decades –policies that, by the way, have made possible the
degree of economic competitiveness Australia has achieved in the global market.
Unfortunately, during the last decade Australian politics has been
moving in an increasingly right-wing direction, adopting policies that damage
the environment, worsen the effects of global climate change, close the country’s
borders to immigrants and even asylum seekers, and prevent further progress
toward a more inclusive society for historically discriminated groups. This
right-wing shift started under the government of former Liberal Party Prime
Minister John Howard and has continued, with some minor exceptions, under Labor.
When deciding our vote of confidence for Saturday’s election, we first fell
into the temptation of trying to choose between “the lesser of two evils”: Labor
or Liberal (in Coalition with the Nationals). But then we looked again at the
political scenario and the voting system, and decided it was time to give our vote
of confidence to something different, to something radical to shake up Aussie
politics and bring it back to its senses. We decided it was time to say no to
the politics of fear-mongering, populism and demagoguery that have
characterized the Liberal Party (and its Coalition partner) and the Australian Labor
Party during the last years. We decided to look beyond fear and, inspired by
what Australia represents, choose a party that has shown a mature approach to
the most pressing issues facing Australia and the world: climate change,
immigration, economic development and equal rights. In today’s Australia, there
is only one party that can be trusted on delivering real solutions to all these
major issues. That’s why RealLibs.com gives its vote of
confidence to Australia’s fastest growing political party: the Greens.
We are liberals so, why not choose the ‘Liberal’
Party?
Despite its name, the Australian Liberal Party espouses a conservative
philosophy that has become more and more right-wing under the government of
former Prime Minister John Howard. The liberal elements of the party have been losing
ground to the more conservative and traditionalist segments.
When Malcolm Turnbull was elected leader of the Liberals, we thought the
party had gotten the message of modernisation its new leader was preaching,
similar to the message David Cameron was espousing in Britain. Turnbull started
to show why the Liberal Party could still call itself ‘liberal’. He began a
strong campaign to fight global climate change despite the scepticism of the
majority of its members and MPs. He understood it was time to modernise the
party and leave behind the Howard era. Unfortunately, that is not what most of
the members of his party were thinking. He was quickly replaced by somebody
whose thinking is almost indistinguishable from Mr. Howard: Tony Abbott. With
Mr. Abbott’s election as Liberal leader, any hope of modernisation and of
making the Australian Liberals look more like Cameron’s Conservatives were
buried. Mr. Abbott, famous for being a climate change denier (not long ago he
said climate change was “absolute crap”), started rolling back the changes his
predecessor had tried to implement. He adopted a strong right-wing message,
proposing unaffordable tax cuts and aiming his weapons towards the “boat people,”
asylum seekers looking for a place to refuge from persecution and hunger. This
would be enough for any liberal to say no to Mr. Abbott, but it’s not all.
Abbott has a record of making troubled statements about social topics, one of
them homosexuality. He even suggested once that he felt “a bit threatened” by gay
and lesbian people. Is that what a real liberal leader would say? While we
could have supported Malcolm Turnbull’s party, we cannot give our support to Mr.
Abbott’s party.
Is Labor any different?
The Labor Party, on the other hand, while showing more concern for
climate change at the beginning of Kevin Rudd’s premiership, seems to have lost
its way. While Mr. Rudd did manage to make Australia sign the Kyoto Protocol
(long rejected by John Howard), during the last months the government was unable
to pass its scheme to put a price on carbon. Moreover, newly elected Labor
leader Julia Gillard does not seem very interested in pushing for a price on
carbon. On immigration, Labor’s proposals are hardly distinguishable from those
of its conservative opponents. They have adopted the same populist message of
stopping the “boat people” from coming into Australia. But Labor’s illiberal
record does not end with immigration and the environment, their proposed internet
filter represents an appalling violation of civil liberties.
Why not the Democrats?
We have said it in the past and we say it again today: the Australian
Democrats are the real liberals in Australia. Unfortunately, the party has
practically disappeared from the Australian political landscape. While we would
be delighted to support a truly liberal party like the Democrats, their lack of
organisation and influence makes it impossible for us to endorse them. We are
still confident that a strong, liberal party will emerge in the near future to
revitalise the progressive centre of the political spectrum, and we hope that
party is the Australian Democrats.
Are the Greens a liberal party?
While the Greens are not a liberal party, they are the only party, with
real possibilities of winning seats, proposing liberal answers to many of Australia’s
most pressing issues. On climate change, the Greens are the only party
proposing a carbon tax –an idea RealLibs.com
has always supported. On immigration, the Greens are the only party standing up
for open borders and a humane approach to asylum seekers and refugees. On gay
rights, the Greens are the only party calling for marriage equality. On civil
liberties, the Greens are the strongest opponents of Labor’s censorship filter.
On economic sustainability, the Greens are the strongest supporters of a modern
high-speed rail system connecting
Australia’s major cities. Do we agree with every policy in their plan? No, we
don’t. As liberals, we support less red tape and free and open trade, topics
where the Greens have proved to be more statist. We also dislike the Greens’
somewhat negative message towards business. However, on the central topics
facing today’s Australia, the Greens are the only party providing the right
answers.
In the end, we know
Australia won’t have a Green Prime Minister on Sunday the 22nd, but
we think electing as many Green Senators and MPs as possible will be essential
in pushing Australian politics back to the sensible liberal centre. That’s why
we ask Australian voters to choose the Greens as option 1 and the Labor Party
as option 2 on Saturday. We think Prime Minister Julia Gillard has shown more
leadership skills and more rationality in her approach than her Liberal opponent
Tony Abbott. A strong Green presence in the Senate will be able to block Labor’s
most illiberal policies (like the internet filter and the populist immigration
approach) and may also be able to promote a greener approach to climate change
and a long-overdue legalisation of same-sex marriage or, at least, civil partnerships for
gay and lesbian couples.
If you want a greener, more
tolerant and yes, more liberal Australia, vote Greens on Saturday.
