Victorian voters go to the polls on 28 November to elect a new state government. It’s no surprise that a growing number of voters have little enthusiasm for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) incumbents, who plan to bulldoze 44 public housing towers and evict tenants from their homes. Labor has increased police powers and clamped down on the right to protest. The state government has overridden the Charter of Human Rights to legislate a brutal prison regime, denying inmates a guaranteed hour of open air each day. This crew legislated the toughest bail laws in the country. The result? Incarceration rates of un-sentenced people have soared, with First Nations women hit the hardest.
On Labor’s watch, thousands of jobs have been slashed. Unionists in the state public service are locked in a battle to save Vic Health. The Community and Public Sector Union is tenaciously fighting job cuts, including at the Zoo. In health, education and beyond, pay for public workers is tanking.
Yuck, yuckier and putrid. Labor Premier Ben Carroll is business’s buddy, but the Liberal and National Coalition is even worse. It is offering generous tax handouts for business and sweeping deregulation. As temperatures soar, the coalition promises “more choice” by backing fossil fuels! It plans to scrap Victoria’s landmark Treaty with First Nations. This, coupled with further cuts to the public service, is how it will fund its business largesse. In a bid to outdo the government on law and order, the coalition will fund 300 more police and tighten the bail regime, which is already the toughest in the country! As long-suffering voters turn away, one thing is certain: the right-wing populists in One Nation provide no solutions for workers and other oppressed folks. Put them last!
The good news…Socialist are everywhere! There are candidates running who are worthy of your vote. Socialist Alliance is standing in six lower house seats — Pascoe Vale, Broadmeadows, Lara, Geelong, South Barwon and Bellarine. It’s also running a team for the Legislative Council in the Northern Metropolitan Region. Its campaign slogan is “Fighting for People, NOT Billionaires.” The Victorian Socialists will run in all 88 lower house seats across the state and has announced 70 candidates already. It’s also standing candidates in the Legislative Council. Its campaign slogan is “People Before Profit.” There is little difference between their platforms; both put forward socialist solutions to the crisis. Where both are running, we recommend you take your pick and preference the other.
However we don’t believe that the change we need will come through the ballot box. As socialists, we strive for the working class to overturn capitalism, not rein it in. More people are starting to agree. But as long as many have faith in the current system, elections are one of the best ways for socialists to get a public hearing.
And a warning! In welcome news, Victoria has abolished group voting tickets, which had been hiding preference deals stitched up behind the scenes from voters. Voting will now operate much like it does for the Senate. Voters rank at least five parties in their order of preference. This gives them control over where their vote goes if their first choice is not elected. But a host of new parties with misleading names have been registered to trick unsuspecting voters and harvest their preferences. The Free Palestine Party, backed by pro-Israel right-winger, Avi Yemini, is one example. Others are Refugees Are Welcome Here, Muslim Votes Matter, and Save the Environment. All are designed to funnel progressive voters to the right. Don’t be fooled!
On 28 November, we urge you to use your vote to keep out far-right politicians and send a message rejecting capitalist business as usual. Vote socialist — and organise!
