View Australian Labor Party Responses

1. Freedom of religion

Australia has a proud record for protecting freedom, but increasingly faith-based organisations and individuals are unduly prevented from giving expression to their religion, or being pressured to act against their conscientiously-held beliefs, particularly in the areas of employment, service delivery, and education. Would your Party ensure that, like political parties, churches and religious bodies have their right to employ staff who share their ethos protected?

• The Gillard Labor Government is committed to the maintenance of freedom of religion and religious expression as fundamental democratic rights.
• There is great diversity of religious beliefs and religious practice in the Australian community and one of our greatest strengths is our respect for the rights and freedoms of others.

2. Prayer in parliament

The preamble to Australia’s Constitution states that our nation is “humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God”. Does your Party commit to maintaining the convention of opening Parliament each day exclusively with the Lord’s Prayer?

• Under the Gillard Labor Government there will be no change to the convention of opening Parliament each day with the Lord’s Prayer.

3. Overseas aid

Will your Party confirm the current Government commitment to contribute 0.5% Gross National Income to international aid and development efforts by 2015? What timeline will it put in place to reach the internationally agreed target of 0.7% GNI?

• Federal Labor remains committed to increasing official development assistance to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income by 2015-16.
• In the 2010-11 Federal Budget, total Australian official development assistance (ODA) is forecast to increase to $4.3 billion, up from $3.8 billion in 2009-10.
• Beyond 2015-16, as economic and fiscal conditions permit, Federal Labor will progressively increase Australia’s official development assistance until we reach 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income.

Federal Labor remains committed to increasing official development assistance to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income by 2015-16.

This will result in a substantial increase in the aid budget going forward. In the 2010-11 Federal Budget, total Australian official development assistance (ODA) is forecast to increase to $4.3 billion, up from $3.8 billion in 2009-10. Beyond 2015-16, as economic and fiscal conditions permit, Federal Labor will progressively increase Australia’s official development assistance until we reach 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income.

Australians are a generous people. They help out those in need. But they also have every right to expect that our aid dollars are used wisely and have a real impact on the lives of those less fortunate.

Significant progress has been made in reducing poverty since the international community committed to the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, but there is more work to be done.
Federal Labor has placed the Millennium Development Goals at the centre of Australia’s aid program, directing more funds to education, health and other basic services. We have made education a flagship of the aid program to give children in poorer countries a chance to go to school and improve their opportunity for a better life. We have also refocussed the program to improve the quality of Australia’s aid and to make it more accountable.

Our record on international development assistance stands in stark contrast to that of the Coalition. Throughout the former Coalition Government’s term of office, Australia’s contribution to foreign aid averaged only 0.27 per cent of Gross National Income, and hit a low of 0.25 per cent.

Right now, the Coalition’s only policy on foreign aid is a $300 million cut to the foreign aid budget, an action which seriously calls into question the Coalition’s commitment to assist the world’s poorest people.

4. Refugees

The immigration debate is complex, involving the competing priorities of meeting our moral obligation to offer asylum to genuine refugees, while minimising vulnerability to people smuggling, and ensuring border protection. What measures will your Party take to balance these competing priorities?

• Federal Labor’s view is that strong border security and fair and decent asylum seeker policies are not incompatible.
• The Gillard Labor Government will work with our regional neighbours and with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to develop a regional processing centre for asylum seekers.
• Federal Labor will work towards an effective, sustainable, long term regional solution to deal with the challenge of irregular arrivals.

Since taking office, Federal Labor has implemented significant reforms to asylum and refugee policy. 

We have abolished the unjust Temporary Protection Visa regime, introduced fairer work rights arrangements for asylum seekers in the community and twice increased the size of Australia’s humanitarian program. 

Federal Labor abolished the ineffective system of imposing charges on immigration detainees and adopted a new values-based approach to immigration detention to ensure that detention policy reflects the values of Australia’s democracy. 

Fairer arrangements have also been introduced for asylum seekers on Christmas Island including independent review of decisions, access to migration advice, and oversight by the Immigration Ombudsman.

For too long, the asylum seeker policy debate has been polarised by extreme, emotionally-charged claims and a fundamental disrespect of people’s views that we must reject.

There is nothing humane about a voyage across dangerous seas with the ever present risk of death in leaky boats captained by people smugglers.

Australians are decent people and the Gillard Labor Government will not stand back and watch people drown in the water or see children detained behind razor wire.

The Gillard Labor Government will work with our regional neighbours and with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to develop a regional processing centre for asylum seekers.

We will take away the product that people smugglers are trying to sell.

The Refugee Council of Australia has said that Federal Labor’s plan is a positive step and Julia Gillard has spoken to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to reiterate Gillard Labor Government’s support for the development of a sustainable, effective regional protection framework.

5. Religious security

Many vulnerable people experience intolerable suffering in various countries due to persecution and a lack of religious freedom, often because of laws that forbid practice of non state religions. What would your Party do to encourage apostasy laws to be repealed in such countries, so that people are free to follow their own religious convictions without fear? What else would your Party do to support vulnerable people groups overseas, and respond to specific instances of religious or ethnic persecution?

• Freedom of religion or belief is a basic right and essential to a harmonious society.
• Federal Labor will call on all states which have not signed or ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to do so, or uphold the rights contained therein.
• Federal Labor's firm position is that the right to freedom of religion must be respected in all countries, in accordance with international human rights law. 

Federal Labor believes that the right to freedom of religion or belief is a basic right, and an essential element of any harmonious society.  It is embodied in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Australia is a signatory.  Federal Labor will call on all states which have not signed or ratified the ICCPR to do so, and to uphold the rights contained therein.

During Federal  Labor's first term in Government, Australia spoke strongly in support of the Declaration on the Elimination of All forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and supported the UNGA resolution on freedom of religion and belief, most recently in 2009.

Federal Labor's firm position is that the right to freedom of religion must be respected in all countries, in accordance with international human rights instruments.  

If re-elected, the Gillard Labor Government will continue to raise issues of freedom of religion and belief with individual governments, as specific concerns arise.  

We will raise freedom of religion and belief in the course of the bilateral human rights dialogues with China, Vietnam and Laos.  

We will also call on individual countries to uphold the right to the freedom of religion during Universal Periodic Review proceedings of the Human Rights Council.

Federal Labor is also firmly committed to meeting our obligations under the Refugees Convention and to meaningfully contributing to the international protection system.

6. Homelessness and housing affordability

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, on any given night there are approximately 100,000 homeless Australians. What policies will your Party implement to address this problem? How will your Party respond to the issue of housing affordability?

• The Gillard Labor Government has made tackling homelessness a national priority, including a plan for reducing homelessness in Australia, with specific goals to halve overall homelessness by 2020 and provide accommodation to all rough sleepers who seek it by 2020.
• Federal Labor has invested $4.9 billion in new funding to address homelessness, with an additional $400 million from the States and Territories.
• Federal Labor’s National Rental Affordability Scheme will deliver more than 50,000 additional homes for the rental market in the next few years.

Federal Labor has made tackling homelessness a national priority. The Gillard Labor Government has a plan for reducing homelessness in Australia, with specific goals to halve overall homelessness by 2020 and provide accommodation to all rough sleepers who seek it by 2020.

Federal Labor has invested $4.9 billion in new funding to address homelessness, with an additional $400 million from the States and Territories.  This includes the $1.2 billion committed at the time of the release of the Homelessness White Paper in December 2008.

Reducing homelessness is a shared responsibility that will take a sustained financial commitment and reform effort by all levels of government, business, charities and the community.
Federal Labor also understands the social and economic consequences of not having enough affordable housing in Australian cities. That’s why Federal Labor’s housing policies are directed at increasing supply.

Federal Labor has committed nearly $20 billion to housing programs to tackle affordability problems – including through stimulus to increase the number of homes being built.  Under the stimulus program alone, over 16,000 new social housing homes are under construction, and more than 19,000 will be built by the end of the year.

The Gillard Labor Government is also well on its way to increasing the supply of affordable rental housing.  More than 8,500 new homes will be built by private investors and tenanted by working Australians on low and middle incomes by June next year – and these tenants will be given a 20 per cent discount on market rents. This is happening under a new program called the National Rental Affordability Scheme, which will see more than 50,000 homes being built in the next few years.

7. Taxation considerations

The ‘Henry review’ of Australia’s taxation system recommended the winding back of Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) arrangements. FBT concessions make churches and church-based service-providers in the health, community and welfare sectors more financially viable, ensuring the maintenance of services to some of our most vulnerable people. Would your Party support the retention of FBT concessions for churches and faith-based charities?

• Federal Labor understands the important role the not-for-profit sector, including churches, plays in supporting thousands of vulnerable Australians.
• In response to the recent tax review, Federal Labor advised that a number of the recommendations in the review are not Government policy, including those relating to Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT). 
• Federal Labor further will not make any changes to the tax system that harms the not for-profit sector, including removing the benefit of tax concessions.

Federal Labor understands the important role the not-for-profit sector plays in supporting thousands of vulnerable Australians.

On 2 May 2010, the Gillard Labor Government released Stronger, Fairer, Simpler – A tax plan for our future (the Gillard Labor Government’s tax plan), along with the final report of the independent Australia’s Future Tax System review (the Review).  Federal Labor’s tax plan will strengthen the economy and make the tax system fairer and simpler for Australian working families and businesses.

Federal Labor advised that a number of the recommendations in the review are not Government policy, including those relating to FBT.  Federal Labor further indicated that it would not make any changes to the tax system that harms the not-for-profit sector, including removing the benefit of tax concessions.

Federal Labor also asked the Productivity Commission to conduct a review into the contribution of the not for-profit sector, which it delivered to Gillard Labor Government at the end of January 2010. 

The taxation treatment and regulation of not-for-profit entities also fell within the scope of this review.  The Gillard Labor Government is currently considering the Commission’s report and will release its response in due course.

8. Cloning

Given that the scientific basis for ‘therapeutic cloning’ has changed since the Federal Parliament considered cloning in 2006, and that there is now an entirely ethical and uncontentious method to obtain the same specialised stem cells that cloning scientists have never managed to obtain, does your Party support a new conscience vote on laws permitting the creation of cloned human embryos solely for research?

• Legislation regulating the use of excess Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) embryos was amended by the Federal Parliament in 2006.  Cloning for human reproductive purposes is prohibited under this legislation.
• The Government is required to undertake a review of this legislation, which will be underway in the near future.
• Any changes to laws regulating the use of human stem cells and embryos – including the need for any strengthening of these laws – will be considered following the completion of the review. 

9. Euthanasia

Euthanasia is the intentional killing of a ‘suffering’ patient. Legalised euthanasia alters the social contract with the vulnerable and ‘unwanted’ in society, who will perceive the so-called ‘right to die’ more as a ‘duty to die’, and corrupts the doctor-patient relationship in profound ways. While the vote may be a conscience one, will your Party reject any moves to legalise euthanasia?

• The Gillard Labor Government recognises that euthanasia is a sensitive and complex issue and that members of the community have strong concerns about dying with dignity, compassion and with minimal pain. Those dying of terminal illness, and their families and carers, need the community’s support.
• Euthanasia is unlawful in Australia and Commonwealth laws are consistent with the laws of each State and Territory, which make it an offence to counsel or aid a person to commit suicide.
• The Gillard Labor Government does not propose to amend existing Commonwealth laws or seek changes to State and Territory laws at this time.

10. Abortion

The 2007 annual report of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity (Victoria) showed that 52 out of 181 late term babies who were aborted for “abnormalities” survived late term abortions but died neo-natally. Would your Party support a conscience vote on Medicare funding for abortions carried out on babies old enough to be viable outside the womb?

• Regulation of late-term abortion is a matter for States and Territories.
• The Australian Labor Party supports conscience votes on issues before the federal parliament which relate to abortion.

11. Abortion Data

There are approximately 80,000 abortions performed in Australia each year, but obtaining accurate figures is fraught by bureaucratic impediments. What will your Party do to obtain more accurate and complete abortion data in line with the cross-party recommendation of the 2008 Senate inquiry into the Health Insurance Regulations?

• As a Government, we undertook a comprehensive review of maternity services in Australia.
• A recommendation of that review is that the Government, in conjunction with the States and Territories and key stakeholders, agree and implement arrangements for consistent and comprehensive data collection, monitoring and review for maternal and peri-natal mortality and morbidity (which includes abortion).
• Federal Labor is acting on that recommendation by developing a Maternity Services Plan with the State and Territories. In addition to this, Federal Labor is working directly with the peri-natal data experts on improving Australia's data collections.

12. Chaplaincy

The 2009 research paper, “The Effectiveness of Chaplaincy”, showed that the Federal Government’s National School Chaplaincy Program was supported by more than 97% of the 688 participating school principals, who said that chaplains had been highly effective in providing pastoral care services for students and school communities. Does your Party commit to funding faith-based chaplaincy in schools beyond 2011, and at what level?

Note: since the launch of australiavotes.org.au the ALP has updated its chaplaincy policy. Please click here for details.

• The Gillard Labor Government is providing an additional amount of $42.8 million to extend the National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP), for all participating schools until December 2011.
• A broad consultation process will consider options for possible future pastoral care initiatives following the end of the program in December 2011.
• The Gillard Labor Government is committed to working with school communities, parents and other stakeholders to support the wellbeing and positive development of all Australian school children.

The Gillard Labor Government believes it is important that our schools provide a supportive environment for the wellbeing of students and their families.

Given the success of the National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP), an additional amount of $42.8 million has been recently announced to extend the program for all participating schools until December 2011. The extension of the NSCP will ensure that those schools funded under the program will be able to continue to provide valuable support in the provision of student wellbeing services.

In order to ensure the program is well targeted going forward, a broad consultation process will be undertaken with stakeholders.  These consultations will consider options for possible future pastoral care initiatives following the end of the program in December 2011. The process will involve a range of stakeholders including state education departments, major service providers, representatives of independent and faith-based school systems, peak representative bodies for parent and community organisations, principals and other relevant interest groups.

This program demonstrates the Gillard Labor Government’s commitment to working with school communities, parents and other stakeholders to support the wellbeing and positive development of all Australian school children.

13. Youth unemployment

The national youth unemployment rate is 17% but in some locations it is over 40%. What policies will your Party implement to support and encourage young Australians to engage in active employment?

• Young people were among the hardest hit by the global recession, but Federal Labor has been working hard to make sure young people get the training and skills they need to get and keep a job.
• The Gillard Labor Government has put in place a range of specific programs to help get young people into jobs including our Learn or Earn policy, Apprentice Kickstart and the National Green Jobs Corps.

Young people were among the hardest hit by the global recession.

We know that young people who finish Year 12 are twice as likely to find full-time work or continue with further study.

That’s why the Gillard Labor Government is working hard to make sure young people have the skills and qualifications needed to take up jobs.

Young people must now stay in school until they reach Year 10, and then participate fulltime (at least 25 hours per week) in education, training or employment until they’re 17.

And under our Learn or Earn policy, young people must have finished Year 12 or be in full time education, employment or training to be eligible for employment benefits.

We tripled the commencement bonus we give employers for taking on a young apprentice. Over the summer we saw more than 24,000 young apprentices start a trade apprenticeship. We’ve also extended the bonus and are working with employers to give another 22,500 young apprentices a start before November.

Through the National Green Jobs Corps the Government is providing 10,000 environmental work experience and training places for young Australians aged 18 to 24.

Tony Abbott's solution to the problem of youth unemployment is to take young people away from their families and communities and move them across the country to work in the mining industry, without any training or support.

Even industry says this is a bad idea and won’t work. They want young people trained and ready to work.

That’s what the Gillard Labor Government is doing.

You can't trust Tony Abbott to fix youth unemployment.

14. National curriculum

The national curriculum stresses teaching all subjects from indigenous, Asian and environmental perspectives, but the proposed history curriculum fails to acknowledge the significance of Australia’s Judeo-Christian heritage. What actions will your Party take to ensure a more balanced approach to the national curriculum, one that properly recognises Christianity’s historical and on-going contribution to Australia’s social, political and legal structures? What place, if any, should the Bible have in the national English curriculum, given its status as the most printed and translated literary work, and its obvious effect on the development of Western culture, literature and art?

• Federal Labor has delivered on its 2007 election commitment to deliver Australia’s first national curriculum.
• The Gillard Labor Government has established the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to develop a rigorous and world-class Australian Curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 12, beginning with the learning areas of English, mathematics, science and history. Federal Labor strongly believes that the curriculum should be developed by experts, not politicians.
• In its work to date to develop the Australian Curriculum, ACARA has drawn upon the considerable curriculum expertise in the States and Territories. ACARA has also engaged in extensive consultations with the education community, including parents, teachers, principals, professional organisations, academics and representatives from business and industry.

The Australian Curriculum Consultation Portal has been developed by ACARA to make it as easy as possible for all interested parties to view and comment on the draft curriculum documents as they are released.

The feedback that is received from ACARA’s consultation processes will be used to revise and refine the draft Australian Curriculum documents.

The Gillard Labor Government is committed to a collaborative approach to delivering its schooling reform agenda. This approach recognises and builds on the strengths of Australia’s school system, which boasts many excellent schools and high-quality, dedicated teachers and principals.

ACARA is working closely with interested parties to move the draft Australian Curriculum forward.

15. School funding

Given that many of the students attending low fee independent and Christian schools come from families of a similar socio-economic background as those of public schools, will your Party guarantee that any review of funding for the non-government school sector will result in no reduction in the level of funding in both real and relative terms for these schools?

Note: since the launch of australiavotes.org.au the ALP has updated its school funding policy. Please click here for details.

• The Education Revolution in this country is well under way. In less than three years the Gillard Labor Government has delivered more for education at every level than the former Coalition Government was able to achieve in more than a decade. We have almost doubled funding for schools in less than three years.
• Federal Labor will conduct a transparent review to inform new funding arrangements for 2013 onwards.
• The Review is not about taking money away from schools. While enrolments will always change and students will move in and out of schools, no school will lose a dollar of funding in the sense that their school budget per student will not reduce in dollar terms. 

The Gillard Labor Government is investing more than $63.7 billion in school education funding from 2009-2012, compared to $33.5 billion the Coalition invested in 2005-2008.

Federal Labor made a commitment prior to the last election to maintain the current funding arrangements for schools from 2008-2012 and conduct a transparent review to inform new funding arrangements for 2013 onwards.

The Gillard Labor Government has delivered on this commitment and announced a thorough and wide-ranging review of funding for schooling in Australia.

The review is intended to ensure that the strongest possible platform is built for long term investment and improvement in educational outcomes beyond 2012, the year the current funding period concludes.

The review is being conducted by a panel of eminent Australians in an open and transparent way and will report to the Australian Government in 2011. Further information is available at www.deewr.gov.au/fundingreview.

The Review is not about taking money away from schools.

While enrolments will always change and students will move in and out of schools, no school will lose a dollar of funding in the sense that their school budget per student will not reduce in dollar terms. 

Under the current system, any school whose socio-economic status (SES) score changes from one quadrennium to the next receives a Funding Guarantee, if the result of their changed score is that they would receive less recurrent funding under their new score.  

The Gillard Labor Government has made a commitment that, following the conclusions of this Funding Review, the same Funding Guarantee will apply to any school.  It will continue to receive the same funding as before until its new funding allocation reaches that level and begins to overtake it.

16. Marriage

Marriage is clearly defined in the Marriage Act as the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life. Would your Party commit to support this definition for the life of the Government and beyond?

• Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Australian Labor Party remain committed to maintaining the definition of marriage as currently set out in the Marriage Act as being between a man and a woman.
• Federal Labor has introduced reforms to remove discrimination from 85 Commonwealth laws.  The reforms remove discrimination in areas of Commonwealth activity including taxation, social security, health, aged care, superannuation, immigration, child support and family law. 
• These reforms extend to same sex couples the same entitlements and obligations that apply to opposite sex couples.  Equal treatment means some same-sex couples will get access to benefits they could not previously access.

17. Parenting

Now that a paid parental leave scheme has been legislated and will begin operation on 1 January 2011, what policies will your Party implement to redress the inequality in Government support experienced by women who work exclusively in the home?

• The Gillard Labor Government values the hard work of mothers regardless of whether they are in paid work or not.
• Federal Labor will continue to support families to make their own work and family choices.

The Gillard Labor Government will support stay-at-home mums through a range of measures including the Baby Bonus, Family Tax Benefits A and B and the Health Care Card. 

Even after the introduction of Federal Labor’s paid parental leave scheme, stay-at-home mums who meet the income test can still receive the non-taxable Baby Bonus paid over 13 fortnights ($5,300 from 1 July 2010).

Mr Abbott’s Paid Parental Leave scheme is unsustainable and inequitable.

Under Mr Abbott’s scheme, businesses like Woolworths, Big W and Myer would be taxed so that women earning more than $150,000 can receive replacement wages for six months.

Mr Abbott’s new tax would increase the cost of living for low and middle income families and pensioners to pay for the highest earning women to receive paid parental leave.

Mr Abbott’s scheme would see high income double income families receive up to $75,000 in paid parental leave payments while stay-at-home mums receive no extra support.

The Gillard Labor Government has delivered for both single income families where one parent works in the home and for families where both parents work. We will continue to support flexibility and choice for all families.

18. Surrogacy and ART

The Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) intends to achieve uniform national surrogacy law. Some States allow surrogacy for single people and same-gender couples to obtain a child, who then has no possibility of having both a mother and a father. In constructing nationally consistent surrogacy laws, will your Party oppose any provision for single and same-gender surrogacy?

• State and Territory governments have responsibility for surrogacy laws. The Australian Government  supports States and Territories working together to create nationally consistent laws as far as this is possible.
• The Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) has recently agreed to model provisions and model principles for jurisdictions to apply in this area.
• These principles and provisions are gender neutral. This means that it is up to individual jurisdictions to determine how to regulate surrogacy by same-sex couples, which the Australian Government believes is appropriate.

In March 2008 the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) agreed to develop a unified framework for the legal recognition of parentage achieved by surrogacy arrangements, based on the following principles:

• The rationale for the legislation is to ensure the best interests of the child are the paramount consideration in recognising surrogacy arrangements
• The model regime should aim to minimise scope for dispute between the surrogate mother and the intended parents.
• The model should aim for minimal intervention in people’s lives.

A consultation paper, A Proposal for a National Model to Harmonise Regulation of Surrogacy, was released in January 2009 and attracted a significant number of submissions from a range of stakeholders.

In November 2009 SCAG Ministers agreed to a set of 15 draft principles upon which the model provisions to form the basis of surrogacy laws in Australia could be based.

These principles and provisions are gender neutral. This means that it is up to individual jurisdictions to determine how to regulate surrogacy by same-sex couples, which the Australian Government believes is appropriate.

In May 2010, officials considered a set of draft model provisions based on the 15 principles for surrogacy laws endorsed in their November 2009 meeting and agreed to refer the draft model provisions to Health and Community Services Ministers for their consideration.

19. Classification

There are a number of Codes of Practice across a range of media platforms, with some types of media self-regulated, others falling under the scope of the ACMA or the Classification Board. This multiplicity of media regulation is ill-equipped to keep pace with rapid technological changes, lacks effective enforcement mechanisms, and leaves children vulnerable to harm from inappropriate media products. Will your Party commit to a comprehensive review of Australia’s media regulatory environment, with a view to establish an effective classification system across all media, including advertising and games?

• Labor considers that the current classification system provides a valuable guide to Australians. 
• A Gillard Labor Government would work with States and Territories to ensure our classification system keeps pace with technological change to maintain the community’s confidence.

20. Internet safety

Recent Government trials have shown that blocking Refused Classification (RC) material at the ISP level is technically feasible. Will your Party commit to the filtering of RC material at the ISP level to provide a safer internet environment for children? Some ISPs already provide commercial filtering products for parents to protect children from legal but otherwise harmful internet content. What would your Party do to encourage wider availability of such services?

• Our Cyber-Safety Plan includes education, law enforcement, research and mandatory Internet Service Provider (ISP) filtering of Refused Classification content.
• We will introduce mandatory ISP level filtering of content that is rated Refused Classification (RC) and have also introduced a grants program to encourage ISP’s to offer additional level filtering services to households who want them
• Federal Labor welcomes the decision of three of our largest Internet Service Providers to voluntarily block, at the ISP level, a list of child abuse URLs compiled and maintained by the independent regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Federal Labor believes that while the Internet offers fantastic opportunities, governments have a responsibility to put in place measures that ensure Australians, in particular children, have a safe experience online.

There is no silver bullet solution to cyber-safety. That’s why our Cyber-Safety Plan includes education, law enforcement, research and mandatory ISP filtering of Refused Classification content.
We’ve expanded the Australian Federal Police Child Protection Unit by 91 staff and are funding education programs which have reached 144,000 parents, teachers and students through the delivery of the Australian Federal Police Outreach program.

Following completion of a live pilot of ISP level filtering, the Government announced enhancements to its Cyber-Safety Plan including the introduction of mandatory ISP level filtering of content that is rated Refused Classification (RC). We have also introduced a grants program to encourage ISPs to offer additional level filtering services to households who want them.

Federal Labor welcomes the announcement that three of Australia’s largest ISPs - Telstra, Optus and Primus - representing around 70 per cent of end users - have agreed to voluntarily block at the ISP level, a list of child abuse URLs compiled and maintained by the independent regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

21. Climate Change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted devastating effects of climate change on the global environment and population. At the same time a body of contrary scientific evidence is beginning to emerge in the debate. What is your Party’s position on climate change, and what are the policies it plans to implement on that basis, including for the world’s poorest?

• Climate change is real and we need to build a community consensus about putting a price on carbon in the future.
• Julia Gillard and Labor are already taking real action to increase the use of renewable energy and reduce our carbon emissions.
• Federal  Labor is implementing the Water for the Future Plan, including the first ever purchase of water entitlements by the Federal Government to restore the health of the Murray-Darling System.

Federal Labor’s position on climate change is very strong and was demonstrated when one of the first acts of the new Labor Government was the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol in 2007.

The Gillard Labor Government’s plans will modernise our economy by investing in clean energy initiatives, including over $4.5 billion to support ground-breaking clean coal technologies and renewable energy projects. We have begun the transformation of the automotive industry with the completed production of the first Australian-built hybrid car.

Federal Labor introduced the Renewable Energy Target to ensure 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity will come from renewable energy sources by 2020. In addition we are helping households move to renewable energy by providing solar rebates to more than 90,000 households and community organisations to tackle climate change and help families save on energy costs.

Federal Labor is implementing the Water for the Future Plan, including the first ever purchase of water entitlements by the Federal Government to restore the health of the Murray-Darling System. Helping secure our urban water supplies by providing funding to help build desalination, water recycling & stormwater harvesting projects in our major cities and towns.

22. Sharia law

In 2009 the Islamic Council of Victoria rebuffed an attempt by one of its board members to propose the establishment of a Sharia court to handle disputes in the Muslim community over divorce, child access, wills and the like. Would your party commit to opposing the adoption of a parallel Sharia Law legal system within Australia?

• The Gillard Labor Government does not support the introduction of Sharia law in Australia
• The Gillard Labor Government is not contemplating the introduction of alternative dispute resolution based on Sharia principles.
• The Gillard Labor Government believes secular law remains separate from religious law and is intended to apply to everyone equally.

Australia has a legal tradition whereby secular law remains separate from religious law and is intended to apply to everyone equally. 

The Gillard Labor Government is not contemplating the introduction of Sharia law in Australia, or the introduction of alternative dispute resolution based on Sharia principles.  Gillard Labor Government remains committed to ensuring that all Australians respect the freedom of religion, which forms an integral part of our legal and social structure. 

Concerns relating to religious matters are more appropriately left to the relevant religious communities to resolve.

23. Human Rights Act

The National Human Rights Consultation recommended the enactment of a federal Human Rights Act. However many Christian churches and groups opposed a HRA because of little evidence of overseas versions improving human rights and their being used by activists to undermine freedom of religion. Given the time and expense of assessing Parliament’s present position on the HRA, will your Party rule out introducing a Human Rights Act or equivalent instrument in the next and subsequent parliament?

• The Gillard Labor Government has no intention of introducing a Charter of Human Rights.
• The Gillard Labor Government has introduced the Human Rights Framework announced in April 2010 which contains positive and practical measures to improve human rights protection in Australia, with education as the centrepiece.

The Gillard Labor Government has no intention of introducing a Charter of Human Rights.

The Attorney-General said in April 2010 in announcing that the Gillard Labor Government would not introduce a Human Rights Charter:
While there is overwhelming support for human rights in our community, many Australians remain concerned about the possible consequences of such an Act. Rudd Labor Government believes that the enhancement of human rights should be done in a way that as far as possible unites, rather than divides, our community. The Rudd Labor Government is committed to positive and practical change to promote and protect human rights. Advancing the cause of human rights in Australia would not be served by an approach that is divisive or creates an atmosphere of uncertainty or suspicion in the community. 

The Human Rights Framework announced in April 2010 contains positive and practical measures to improve human rights protection in Australia, with education as the centrepiece. Funding of an additional $6.6 million over four years to the Australian Human Rights Commission will enable the Commission to build on its extensive experience and expertise in the promotion of human rights – to expand its community education role on human rights and to provide information and support for human rights education programs.

24. Indigenous welfare

Social justice for indigenous people remains a major issue for Christian churches. What initiatives and policies would your Party introduce to ensure not only better health, housing, education and employment opportunities for indigenous Australians, but also to facilitate long-term social inclusion and a sense of hope and purpose for the first Australians? What would your Party do during the next term of Parliament to specifically address these goals?

• The Gillard Labor Government has allocated $1.7 billion to the Northern Territory through the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing and has made major progress on delivering this commitment.
• Federal Labor has increased annual expenditure on Indigenous specific health programs to almost $1.2 billion since 2007-08, an increase of 87 per cent. 
• The Gillard Labor Government is making income management reforms in the Northern territory that target support to vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians, and will consider extending these reforms to other disadvantaged communities around Australia.

The Gillard Labor Government regards closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians as an urgent national priority and has committed to:

• Close the life expectancy gap within a generation.
• Halve the gap in mortality rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under five within a decade.
• Ensure access to early childhood education for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander four year olds in remote communities within five years.
• Halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children within a decade.
• Halve the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Year 12 attainment or equivalent by 2020.
• Halve the gap in employment outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians within a decade.

Federal Labor’s policy on income management is based on a range of evidence which shows that income management helps families and is designed to help protect children and families.

Our reforms will target support to vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians, and ensure that welfare payments are first and foremost spent in the best interest of children and families.

The stark reality is that the gap in life expectancy remains 11.5 years for Indigenous men and 9.7 years for Indigenous women. Federal Labor is turning around a decade of underinvestment with record funding to Indigenous health.