Party Policies


	Party Policies Prime Minister Julia Gillard has set the date for the next Federal Election as Saturday 21 August 2010. Research Australia's Election Scorecard rates each of the Parties against Research Australia Policies outlined in Vital Research for a Vital Australia. To date Parties have made no significant policy statements regarding medical research funding. Visit the Research Australia Policy page for updates on the scorecard will be updated as soon as policies are announced. Opening Statements Australian Labor Party Moving forward, of course, requires conviction, it requires confidence, it requires a willingness to embrace new ways of thinking, accept new challenges, to listen and to learn and to embrace new solutions. Moving forward with confidence also requires a strong set of convictions and a clear set of values. All of my adult life I have been driven by a very clear set of values and over the last few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to share those values with the nation. I believe in hard work, I believe in the benefits and dignity of work, I believe in what comes as an individual when you do your best and you earn your keep. I believe fundamentally in the importance of respect and valuing other people, something that can be shown from simple courtesy to making sure that we give each other a helping hand in times of need and times of distress. Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Read more Australian Labor Party Response to Research Australia Policies, August 2010 Rewarding Vital Health Research, 17 August Tony Abbott has ignored the pharmaceutical industry’s support for the Gillard Labor Government’s new R&D Tax Credit, denying many businesses better assistance for research and development. Read more Labor releases Science policy A Gillard Government will keep Australia on the high road to prosperity by continuing to invest in science engagement and scientific research. Download ALP Science Policy Science for Australia's Future Senator Kim Carr announces some of the directions Labor proposes under science for Australia’s future. The science policy intends to : plan strategically and long-term to meet Australia’s future science needs establish a new $21 million Inspiring Australia program to engage the community in science lift Australia’s profile in international science networks and collaborations and vigorously prosecute the Australia-New Zealand bid to host the huge Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio-telescope. Speech: Kim Carr, Address to staff and students, RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility Universities and industry moving forward together, 9 August 2010 Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr, said in Perth today that a Gillard Labor Government would continue to pursue closer collaboration between researchers and industry. Speaking at Curtin University of Technology, Senator Carr said Australia had made a lot of progress in breaking down the barriers to collaboration, but that more work needs to be done. “Institutions like Curtin University will be encouraged to strengthen their ties with local industry to ensure we have the best prepared graduates for the innovation economy of tomorrow. Read more Liberal Party of Australia This election is about giving a great people a better government. We are a great country but we have been let down by our government at least for the past three years. Australia will be at its best when all of our people are empowered to be at their best. But the only way to change for the better is to change the government. Only a Coalition government can end the spin and incompetence that has marked the Rudd Gillard Government and which has just got worse over the past three weeks since Labor’s faceless men executed the elected prime minister. Three weeks ago the government had lost its way but since then its just got worse. Read more Coalition response to Research Australia Policies, August 2010 Coalition announces Hospitals and Nursing Election Policy 2010, 5 August 2010: Invest in Health and Medical Research The Coalition will provide $200 million over four years in additional funding for leading-edge health and medical research. This commitment builds on the Coalition’s earlier announcement to provide $35 million over four years to establish a Clinical Trial Network for Type 1 diabetes research. Download Coalition Hospitals and Nursing Election Policy Coalition announces GP Services Election Policy 2010, 5 August 2010. The Coalition supports Medicare as the basis of primary health services for Australians wherever they live and regardless of their means. The Coalition recognises the importance of general practitioners as the cornerstone of healthcare delivery. Download Coalition GP Services Election Policy 2010 The Australian Greens The Greens offer Stable Leadership, Climate Change “I offer the electorate experienced and stable leadership, and the progressive policies and clear vision for Australia’s future which the big parties are ignoring,” Australian Greens Leader Senator Brown said in Canberra on 17 July 2010 Read more The Australian Greens are committed to making Higher Education a priority, even if the old parties won't, according to Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. Senator Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson on Education, says the cornerstone of the Greens' policy is a series of initiatives to help Australia meet its target to have 20 per cent of higher education enrolments at undergraduate level coming from low SES backgrounds by the year 2020. The Greens' plan would: Appoint a Higher Education Parliamentary Secretary to focus on Higher Education issues Reform the Australian Postgraduate Awards to support young researchers and career academics Require universities to develop a higher education workforce plan to address emerging issues, including casualisation of the academic workforce Raise the level of Youth Allowance to provide an extra $115 a fortnight for students Ensure students who have to move 90 minutes out of home to access tertiary education receive the full rate of Youth Allowance Implement a three-point plan to deal with fair and affordable student accommodation, including a $50 million student-specific division of the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) Australian Greens response to Research Australia Policies, 12 August 2010 Greens launch crucial dementia initiative, 17 August 2010 The Australian Greens have launched their comprehensive Dementia Initiative in Perth today, saying Australia faces a growing epidemic of dementia in coming years. Greens Health spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert says dementia care costs Australia an estimated $5.4 billion per annum, with the number of Australians with dementia set to double by 2030. Read more Greens point to unanswered questions in health debate, 11 August 2010 Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens Health spokesperson says say today's health debate left many unanswered questions about provision for mental illness and preventive health initiatives in Australia. "Minister Roxon says mental health can't be addressed without strengthening GPs and superclinics, e-health and Medicare Locals. This government's record on building superclinics is poor - with just three built since 2007 despite their promise to build 36," said Senator Rachel Siewert. "At this rate will we be waiting another 25 years before this government makes any significant contribution to mental health?" asked Senator Siewert. "The Greens' mental health plan has been described by mental health specialists as the only 'national program that resets the balance of services systematic community care, [which] both major parties are capable of coming on board with'. Read more Greens response to Research Australia Policies, August 2010 Government’s health spend must go further: Greens, 26 July 2010 Australian Greens Health spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert says the Government’s announcement of $96 million to increase the workforce for emergency departments is welcomed but will be ineffective in fixing the issue of patient flow and the access block to essential services. “Patient presentations are increasing to our emergency departments, but without having significantly more beds upstairs to put these patients into, extra money for nurses and doctors won’t change patient flows,” Senator Rachel Siewert said today Read more Greens release National Health Plan, 2 August. Download Media Release The Nationals The forthcoming election offers regional Australians an essential opportunity – to vote for competence over incompetence, strong economic management over reckless spending and waste, consistency and credibility over spin and broken promises. The Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss, said the election was also the opportunity for the regions to get their fair share of federal funding and attention. “For nearly three years now, regional Australia has been treated as the ignored poor cousin of the capital cities,” Mr Truss said. Read more Where the Parties stand on higher education The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) released results of a survey it has conducted of the major Australian political parties' stance on key higher education, research, industrial relations, Indigenous and other policy issues. A summary of the results and the individual party responses can be downloaded from NTEU's website, www.nteu.org.au/campaigns/federal_election_2010/questionnaire. Perhaps the best way to sum up the policies at this stage of the 2010 Federal Election campaign is that we can expect more of the same from the ALP as it continues to implement the policies announced in 2009 and it would be back to the future if the Coalition were elected, Mr Paul Kniest, Policy and Research Coordinator said. Contact: Dr Gabby Fennessy, Manager Policy & Strategy Program T: (03) 9662 9366 E: gabby.fennessy@researchaustalia.org Go to: Election 2010 Member Election Kit Research Australia Policies Media Comment