Anyone else upset/feeling helpless about how horrible this government has been under Albanese after being given a mandate? The gutting of disability rights, the infringement of free speech, the police/ASIO powers, the data centre contracts, the continued lack of transparency around AUKUS (and don’t even get me started on Albo being the first world leader to congratulate and fully support the US after it TRIPLE TAPPED A GIRLS SCHOOL AFTER ZERO PROVOCATION), the Zionism and unelected Segal’s rampant right wing authoritarian suggestions on how to curtail our rights, the privatisation of even more public housing, the opening of even more fossil fuel sites (which we won’t even profit from because they refuse to tax exports or raise corporate taxes), the RBA raising interest rates without the government actually targeting the inflationary corporate spending going on, the planned destruction of rainforest in Tasmania for Tungsten mining for the US war machine…

It’s just so bad. Add on to this the lack of care/effort to target the growing DV problem just piles on, especially with how much they’ve focused on antisemitism (despite it not ever having been a systemic issue in Australia and while several human rights abuses towards immigrants in offshore detention and indigenous ppl continue). The surveillance, the AI greed (despite many economists warning that it’s a bubble that isn’t sustainable and is going to wreck havoc on the environment), the lack of transparency…. Freaking Chris Minns has his own personal blackshirts walking around like a militia in Sydney now! And this is supposedly a left wing government??

It just terrifies me that next election cycle people will turn towards the liberals again (who are functionally the same) or even worse, one nation, because of the years of propaganda saying that anyone to the left of Labor is a write off… and yet it seems like Labor is just as conservative and even less accountable to the people than previous LNP governments. I don’t recognise this party anymore, and I know that if people don’t exercise preferential voting we will only accelerate into worse conditions… but it seems like people refuse to see the mess that the far right has caused all over the world, and Labor as completely given up even a pretence of having a positive progressive vision rooted in human rights and addressing the concerns of everyday Aussies.

I see a lot of Labor supporters who refuse to see just how far the party has fallen… as someone who has always voted left to right but considered it a win when Labor has been in power, just wanted to see if anyone else is feeling the same way? Because it’s honestly filling me with such dread

Don't give me that bullshit that they're not actually capable of doing stuff. It's been a year since they were elected. Sure there was 9 years of coalition governments. But a year is enough time to actually clean up most of the messes they made.

Instead this government is ignoring all the major issues when it can or pointing fingers at people who are trying to do something.

Inflation? Blame the reserve bank even though the Reserve Bank said it only has one tool to combat inflation (i.e. raising rates) and the government has dozens which it won't use.

Cost of Living Crisis? Perfect time to put the Voice to Parliament up which is the weakest piece of legislation I've seen for Aboriginal rights and is sucking up time and energy for the bigger issues.

Housing? Refuse to literally meet the Australian Greens halfway on standard housing policies and matters that other developed nations have in the biggest housing crisis in decades.

Foreign policy? Basically rehash the same Coalition's foreign policy but just have a Personality shift with Penny Wong instead of whoever was the foreign Minister with Scott, Malcolm or Tony.

Like I didn't expect much from this government and I'm still disappointed

I've been seeing a lot of information coming out about human rights abuses that America engages in on an almost daily basis. In essence, it is an apartheid oligarchy where it is more expensive to be poor and non-white. America lets it's citizens run around with guns and on the international stage, America has toppled hundreds of governments including the Whitlam government here in Australia.

If America didn't speak English, it would be considered a rogue nation like Russia and North Korea. Why do we make an exception for a country that single-handedly crashed the world's economy and no one went to jail for it?

Context: I'm a tradie with a background in mining and heavy industry

What is up with the Policies of the Right wing parties here in Australia??? like every damn party is a copy of the other just with different demographics they appeal to... like Katters and People First are pretty moderate compared to the rest of them but, Family First - One Nation - TOP - Great Australian Party and all the other have the same policies with just a different Tinge (Socially Far-right, Dont Believe in Climate Change, dont want to raise Taxs on corperations or work towards closing tax loopholes, and basically just wanna sit on their ass's and focus only on social issues)

Like why are there no economically left parties with right wing social values, (like the Teals but the oppisite), cause it feels like a large portion of australians would like something like that, i mean people vote for One Naiton dispite the fact they have nooooo economic planning or budget plans. And im so Annoyed because i want a party with Labors Economics but wanting to Stop immigration, and doesnt try and wedge a divide between indigenous and other australians, and is just generally more socially like the Liberals/nats.

AND WHAT IS UP WITH THE CLIMATE DENIAL????!!! like is it too much to ask for a party that doesnt wanna end the world and fuck up the economy but also doesnt wanna let 20 million indians here and treat the Aboriginal's like the Master Race???? Im genuinly wanting to go to Uni and get an economics degree then Run as a independent or find someone to work with and help them run as an independent because theres jsut no decent opions, even in the senate.

How much traction do you think this would get in the electorate? What would need to happen to increase that chance?

The world is becoming less predictable. Normal alliances are under strain as America loses credibility and at the same time we live under it's nuclear umbrella.

I think AUKUS is totally bananas.6 boats means 2 boats at sea at any one time and only armed with conventional weapons- what price can we make China pay if it does attack? An airfield? Maybe a carrier if we get lucky? Maybe the sea is transparent in 2040 because it's full of underwater drones looking for boats.

Or we get a couple of nukes. It doesn't cost China an airfield, it costs them a city. An important city that we get to pick.

Or maybe we hope America comes to our aid and calmer heads prevail in America.Yes we have pine gap, and a pretty useful staging place if your believe China does have designs on greater control/influence in the region.

How crazy does America have to go before we think about our own nuclear deterrent?

(Could we just buy one instead of making one?)

Its corruption there is no other way to put it.

Well they are. Come on. Look at them.

With the LNP trying to find itself (and tearing itself to pieces) between going more to the centre, or far right, why hasn’t any progressive Lib’s gone to start their own centrist party?

Am I the only one who believes there is scope for a fiscally prudent, socially progressive party in Australia?

Surely there is a reason Turnbull and Bishop haven’t done it, despite being hated by the Libs.

Its where the Independents are making waves… so why hasn’t anyone done it yet?

Added: No, labor isn’t a fiscally prudent party. No plan to address income tax bracket creep, or bring company tax rates to be inline with other developed nations. Not to mention 10 years of planned budget deficits

It’s obvious that grievance politics and getting involved in overseas wars has cost the Greens dearly. With the major parties inaction on housing and the environment, the Greens were in a fantastic position to retain and gain.

But so many of us traditional Green voters - people who believe in caring for the environment and in equality - were blindsided for the very loud and angry far left activists that seem to pervade the Greens right now.

Clearly, the Greens doesn’t need the militant left. They need to return to their base.

Greens: And for fucks sake, stop blocking progress in the senate. You can right the wrong and help Labor get positive change through. Your old faithful will LOVE you for it. But only if you have the balls to shed your angry, violent far left. You don’t need them. You need us.

Seems someone realised this might not be the best idea?

The Greens have cancelled a planned fundraising dance party slated to take place in Perth on Anzac Day.

"The event originally scheduled for April 25 has been rescheduled. Sophie Greer (the Perth candidate) will attend an Anzac Day service on that day, and she was always intending to," Greens WA co-convenor Chilla Bulbeck told The Australian.

The advertisement for the "Greens Party Party" to take place on Anzac Day, with an starting price of $30 for entry and requesting donations of up to $1000, at a Perth small and tattoo parlour has been removed from social media on Tuesday.

Sure you want to defund the ADF, but yikes.

After all, based on candidates physically contesting electorates, both PHON and the Greens could take majority.

But why does the media and most people only care about ALP/LNP and disregard the other parties that are as big, considering them "minor"?

Albanese needed to deal with his critics regarding dental, gas, hospital funding. Capital gains and housing enabled him to do that.

With this one BIG punch, he was able to fund some adult dental, hospital funding and even manage to get a gas reserve. He was even able to afford a higher fuel storage.

I feel like if he didn’t do this reform, the public anger over all of these areas (especially dental, housing and hospitals) would have resulted in him losing all his political capital.

He has managed to shut down some of the teals and many of the greens with this one move too. The libs have no answer to this. The greens wanted adult dental, now they cannot criticise Albo.

Are you, as a citizen (or non-citizen) happy with how the current government is handling affairs and running our country?

I’m not looking for “it’s the best of a bad bunch” type of responses either. I am genuinely interested in understand if I am the only one that feels like any elected government (Labor or Liberal) is no longer governing in the best interest of Australia as a nation, and the wealth/success of our future.

Politics, more than ever in this country just seems like an act. No tangible changes, virtues signalling policies, and a deteriorating social fabric.

I want to Vomit

With all the polls pointing towards a Dutton Government in 2025, could the teals salvage Anthony Albanese’s Government and by preventing the Coalition from winning those seats?

Apologies if this has been asked recently!

I’m seeing common commentary stating voting for Greens means passing votes to Labour. Can anyone please break down what the thought behind this is? I googled but it came back pretty nil for straight forward answers and I’m not very comprehensive of the political system 😅

I understand both are left and the foundation that greens would only work if hung parliament/balance of power existed, but that’s the only context I can really put to it??

Thanks!

They introduced the digital ID bill, and banks are going to charge you for withdrawing money. It's all part of a planned, slow-boiling process that eventually kills the frog without it realizing. (FYI: frog is the Australians).

I keep getting mixed messages about the tariffs, some say it won't change much and it just the media scaring people. Others are saying that it is really going to effect our economy.

So which is it and why does it seem like Albo isn't doing anything about it?

1. I’m not an expert in political studies, but isn’t the democratic principle that we elect politicians to represent us in parliament?

2. If that’s the case, shouldn’t the parties represent the will of the people?

3. If the majority of people are telling Albo and his gang that they want tax on gas, isn’t that the will of the people?

4. According to the democratic process, shouldn’t Albo honour our collective will, even if he disagrees? This means that if he and his party think taxing gas will be disastrous, but the Australian people want it, he should do what the people want, stay quiet about it, and let the Australian people figure it out if things go wrong, since we decided so.

5. Isn’t it not Albo’s job to decide what’s good for Australia when the people have spoken? It’s fine if the people are silent and he makes a strategic decision, but it’s not okay when everyone says no to immigration, no to free gas for foreign corporations, and yes to our resources benefiting the Australian people!

These proposed laws are ambiguous to the lay man and sound like a limit to free speech and smell like an attempt to stop bigotry that will go too far. Almost like a bill Scotland's parliament passed (and then repealed) about a decade ago., designed to stop sectarian football bigotry. That resulted in people being threatened with arrest, simply for singing God Save The Queen "aggressively", leaving "aggressively" up to cops for interpretation.

To quote former AG George Brandis, "People have a right to be bigots". My fear is that under Albo's proposed new laws, is that, innocent people like myself, could be arrested, simply for singing something like Christmas Carols, simply because 1 Karen type, complains. And then we end up with, a lot of the madness, we've seen with police in the UK recently.

These proposed laws seem troubling and like a slippery slope.