ISSUE NO. 9
April 2025
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News and Investigations

The Policy Commitments of the Major Parties

What are the politicians saying they will do?

Ethan Cassidy

The Australian Federal election is coming up. This is about voting for the Prime Minister and other federal politicians. It will be held on 3 May 2025.

At the time of writing these are some of the policy commitments of the major parties, in their own words, around healthcare, justice, cost-of-living pressures and housing.

Australian Labor Party

  • $8.5 billion with the aim of making 90% of GP visits be bulk-billed by 2030
  • $573.3 million for women’s healthcare, including the listing of new oral contraceptive pills on the PBS and support for women experiencing menopause
  • A $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund aiming to build 30,000 affordable homes within five years
  • A ban on foreign investors
    buying established homes for at least two years
  • The wiping of 20% off all student loan debts
  • Three days a week of subsidised early education for children from January 2026

The Liberal-National Party

  • $8.5 billion with the aim of making 90% of GP visits be bulk-billed by 2030
  • $5 billion to fund essential infrastructure, such as water, power and sewerage, at housing development sites to unlock up to 500,000 new homes
  • The freezing of further changes to the National Construction Code for 10 years
  • A two-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing homes, and a reduction in permanent migration
  • Allowing Australians to access up to $50,000 from their superannuation to buy their first home
  • The building of seven nuclear power stations at sites of former or current coal plants, with an aim of nuclear energy making up 38% of Australia’s energy mix by 2050

The Australian Federal election is coming up. This is about voting for the Prime Minister and other federal politicians. It will be held on 3 May 2025.

At the time of writing these are some of the policy commitments of the major parties, in their own words, around healthcare, justice, cost-of-living pressures and housing.

Australian Labor Party

  • $8.5 billion with the aim of making 90% of GP visits be bulk-billed by 2030
  • $573.3 million for women’s healthcare, including the listing of new oral contraceptive pills on the PBS and support for women experiencing menopause
  • A $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund aiming to build 30,000 affordable homes within five years
  • A ban on foreign investors
    buying established homes for at least two years
  • The wiping of 20% off all student loan debts
  • Three days a week of subsidised early education for children from January 2026

The Liberal-National Party

  • $8.5 billion with the aim of making 90% of GP visits be bulk-billed by 2030
  • $5 billion to fund essential infrastructure, such as water, power and sewerage, at housing development sites to unlock up to 500,000 new homes
  • The freezing of further changes to the National Construction Code for 10 years
  • A two-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing homes, and a reduction in permanent migration
  • Allowing Australians to access up to $50,000 from their superannuation to buy their first home
  • The building of seven nuclear power stations at sites of former or current coal plants, with an aim of nuclear energy making up 38% of Australia’s energy mix by 2050

The Greens

  • Putting dental and mental health services in Medicare, and making ADHD and autism diagnoses free under Medicare
  • A limit of 2% in rent increases every two years, a phase out in tax concessions for property investors and the creation of a government-owned developer to build public and affordable homes
  • An annual payment of $800 to families at the start of the schooling year for each child attending a public school to meet out-of-pocket costs
  • The wiping of student debt, at a cost of $74 billion over the decade
  • The establishment of a National Truth and Justice Commission, review of the Native Titles Act and $14 million over fours to organisations working with schools and First Nations teachers to deliver sessions in a mix of First Nations languages and English
  • $750 million for Aboriginal-Controlled Community Health Organisations for advancing policies and programs with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap

One Nation

  • Increase the Medicare rebate to better remunerate GPs and promote bulk-billing
  • A five-year ban on charging GST on building materials and the removal of mandatory disability compliance requirements for all new homes
  • Changes to the National Electricity Market rules to enable and incentivise cheaper coal and gas-fired baseload power while supporting nuclear energy in the medium-term

Australia’s Voice

  • Limit negative gearing and reduce the Capital Gains Tax discount from 50% to 25% by lowering it by 5% each year over five years
  • Using the money from this for social housing, reducing rents and making home ownership more affordable
  • Raise the student debt repayment threshold to the median wage and cap debts to 1.5 times the origins debt
  • Increase the JobSeeker payment
  • Ensure that superannuation is automatically split in cases of family and domestic violence

Trumpet of Patriots (Clive Palmer Party)

  • Banning transgender athletes from women’s sports
  • Legally recognising only two genders
  • A promise to “drain the swamp” in Canberra

The Greens

  • Putting dental and mental health services in Medicare, and making ADHD and autism diagnoses free under Medicare
  • A limit of 2% in rent increases every two years, a phase out in tax concessions for property investors and the creation of a government-owned developer to build public and affordable homes
  • An annual payment of $800 to families at the start of the schooling year for each child attending a public school to meet out-of-pocket costs
  • The wiping of student debt, at a cost of $74 billion over the decade
  • The establishment of a National Truth and Justice Commission, review of the Native Titles Act and $14 million over fours to organisations working with schools and First Nations teachers to deliver sessions in a mix of First Nations languages and English
  • $750 million for Aboriginal-Controlled Community Health Organisations for advancing policies and programs with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap

One Nation

  • Increase the Medicare rebate to better remunerate GPs and promote bulk-billing
  • A five-year ban on charging GST on building materials and the removal of mandatory disability compliance requirements for all new homes
  • Changes to the National Electricity Market rules to enable and incentivise cheaper coal and gas-fired baseload power while supporting nuclear energy in the medium-term

Australia’s Voice

  • Limit negative gearing and reduce the Capital Gains Tax discount from 50% to 25% by lowering it by 5% each year over five years
  • Using the money from this for social housing, reducing rents and making home ownership more affordable
  • Raise the student debt repayment threshold to the median wage and cap debts to 1.5 times the origins debt
  • Increase the JobSeeker payment
  • Ensure that superannuation is automatically split in cases of family and domestic violence

Trumpet of Patriots (Clive Palmer Party)

  • Banning transgender athletes from women’s sports
  • Legally recognising only two genders
  • A promise to “drain the swamp” in Canberra

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