Issue

The lack of constructive thought and consideration by elected Members of Parliament when dealing with national initiatives.

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Aim

Removal of all political parties to be replaced by independent parliamentarians.

 

Background

The Australian parliamentary system is based on the concepts of Westminster; in recent years referred to as Washminster by some, because of the adoption of practices like those in Washington. Unfortunately, the practices of both Federal and State Parliaments in Australia are not democratic due to the two major party system. Rather than mature and individual input to national issues, it is rare for the parties to not vote along party lines. The result is that the current Australian parliamentary system behaves in concert with ideological principles of the governing party. This approach can run counter to the true interests of the nation and may well be reversed after the following election. This can lead to considerable financial waste, a lack of trust by the community at large and frustration on the part of the genuine voter.

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Since Federation and soon after the adoption of our electoral system, the creation of polarised political parties has set about subverting the democratic principles upon which Federation took place. For example, the Senate is supposed to have been a house of review, always acting in the interests of the people of each State. In fact, the major parties have used it as an arm of their own policies and when not in control, have regularly connived with their opponents to achieve their individual aims, regardless of the interest of the people.

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While the election of the lower house (House of Representatives) is based upon the population of each State broken into electoral areas of roughly similar numbers, the Senate is made up of twelve individual Senators per State and two per territory, supposedly elected by the people.

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The recent Royal Commission into the banking and financial sector reminds us of those many years following deregulation when the major parties both failed the nation.

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Prior to 1981, the financial sector was regulated by the government. Over the period 1983 to 1996, the Hawke/ Keating Labor Government privatised companies such as CBA and Qantas, followed by the deregulation of the financial sector with little opposition from the Coalition. The advent of foreign currency loans that followed saw the start of rampant financial sector dishonesty, even fraudulent practices, proving to be financially catastrophic to the nation.

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During all this time, it became apparent that our Parliament was content to sit on its hands with only Allan Fels, the chair of the Trade Practices Commission (TPC) seemingly operating in the interests of the nation.

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In July 1998, following the Wallis Report, two mega–regulators known as the ‘Twin Peaks’ were established: the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA); and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC). However, over the ensuing years, these entities failed to act on reports of misconduct and, worse, criminal conduct, as later proven by the Royal Commission.

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If the major parties were genuinely and sincerely governing in the interests of the nation and the people, our country would be in a far better state economically and culturally. The truth is we are not. Additionally, the ‘so called’ need for lobby groups should become unnecessary.

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Conclusion

The aim is to arrive at a membership of the national movement with numbers sufficient to combat any subsequent drive or challenge from people or organisations with vested interests or who work against the good governance of Australia

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If you would like to read more about this please click here to download the booklet or contact us for a hard copy.

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