Sustainable Australia

#Sustainable Australia
President William Bourke[1]
Founder William Bourke[1]
Founded 2010
Headquarters Sydney[2]
Political position Centre
Website
www.sustainableaustralia.org.au

Sustainable Australia (originally the Sustainable Population Party) is an Australian political party formed in 2010,[2] that describes itself as being "from the political centre" and aiming "to secure an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable Australia". It has prioritised four issues: Secure jobs via a more diverse economy; Affordable housing for first home buyers and renters; Better planning to stop over-development; A sustainable environment and population. [3]

Federal and state registration

The Party has been registered federally since 2010. In 2016 it also registered in the Australian Capital Territory, and contested the 2016 Australian Capital Election. In 2018 it also registered in Victoria for the 2018 state election and NSW for the 2019 state election.[4]

Left-right spectrum

Sustainable Australia describes itself as a centrist party with strong focus on environment, resource levels, infrastructure, and population. It criticises excessive urban densification and sprawl. It strongly supports public transport; but in the 2016 Australian Capital Territory election it opposed the proposed light rail, calling it “a Trojan horse for over-development”.[5]

Policies

The Party’s website lists over 20 policies, including: Animals and Biodiversity, Economy and Jobs, Education, Environment, Foreign Investment, Housing Affordability, Sustainable Population and Immigration, and Transport.

Attitudes to population growth and opposition to a "big Australia"

Sustainable Australia is not a one-issue party, but its policies clearly call for a significant slowing of Australia’s rapid population growth, which is a point of distinction from the current policies of the Australian Greens.[6] In this it more closely resembles the Australian Democrats, among centrist Australian political parties, which traditionally sought to keep immigration numbers per year close to emigration per year.[7]

Sustainable Australia supports a non-discriminatory permanent immigration intake of around 70,000 persons per year, down from the 2015 level of over 200,000 per year. Its website states that 70,000 is closer to Australia’s long-term traditional average intake.

In 2010 the party opposed Kevin Rudd's belief in a big Australia, saying that a "big Australia" population would be "disastrous",[8] is "way beyond [Australia's] long-term carrying capacity"[8] and that "population growth is not inevitable".[8] Queensland coordinator Aaron Webber "became alarmed when hearing of Kevin Rudd's push for a 'Big Australia'".[9] The party claims that "'stable population' policies would mean a more sustainable 26 million at 2050, not the Labor/Liberal 'big Australia' plan for 36 million and rising."[10] The party ran a candidate in the Griffith by-election, for Kevin Rudd's old seat.[11]

History

Sustainable Australia used to be called the Sustainable Population Party. Its current name was registered with the Australian Electoral Commission on 18 January 2016. The party missed out on registration for the 2010 federal election by several days, but leader William Bourke ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in New South Wales on an independent ticket with poet Mark O'Connor. The party was registered shortly after the election on 23 September 2010.[2][12] The party was registered as "Stable Population Party of Australia", but on 28 February 2014 the Australian Electoral Commission approved a name-change to the "Sustainable Population Party".[2] On 19 January 2016, the AEC approved a further name change to "#Sustainable Australia" (including a hashtag symbol).[13]

The party ran at least two Senate candidates in every state and territory in the 2013 Australian federal election and many local candidates also.[14] The Party ran a candidate in the Griffith by-election[11] and also contested the April 2014 re-run in Western Australia of the 2013 federal Senate elections.[14] The party endorsed a local candidate for the 2015 Canning by-election—Angela Smith—an environmental scientist and resident of Canning. In September 2015 the party campaigned on a number of key issues including education, paid jobs, infrastructure, health care, renewable energy and housing affordability.

In the North Sydney by-election, 2015 its candidate and founder William Bourke got one of the party's best results with over 2,000 votes.[15][16]

The party has been involved in Glenn Druery's Minor Party Alliance.[17][18]

In the 2016 federal election, Sustainable Australia was led temporarily by ex-Labor Minister for Sustainability, Andrew McNamara[19]. The party fielded two senate candidates in each of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, as well as a candidate in the Division of Sydney for the House of Representatives.[20].

The party received media attention in 2017 when Australian entrepreneur Dick Smith joined the party.[21][22]

Electoral results

Federal parliament

Senate Results
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 Name of Party (at time of poll)
2013 12,671[23] 0.09 Stable Population Party
2014 (WA by-election) 3,063 0.24 (WA only) Sustainable Population Party
2016 (NSW,VIC,QLD and ACT only) 26,341[24] 0.19 Sustainable Australia

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Bourke, William. "About Us - Founder & President". Australian Stable Population Party. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Extract from the Register of Political Parties for #Sustainable Population Party". Australian Electoral Commission website: Funding, Disclosure and Political Parties. Australian Electoral Commission. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Party Website, Home Page
  4. ↑ See the Party’s Facebook page, October 2016 posts
  5. ↑ See the policies on A.C.T.Transport on the Party’s website.
  6. ↑ Greens Population Policy
  7. ↑ See the Australian Democrats' most recent member-balloted population policy.
  8. 1 2 3 "Issue Background". Australian Stable Population Party. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "Officials". Australian Stable Population Party. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "POPULATION - THE EVERYTHING ISSUE". Flyer Distribution. 20 January 2013.
  11. 1 2 name="Griffith ABC"
  12. ↑ http://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/Registered_parties/stable-population.htm
  13. ↑ "#Sustainable Australia". Current Register of Political Parties. AEC. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Population Party - Candidates". Australian Stable Population Party. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  15. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  16. ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/north-sydney-by-election-2015/results/
  17. ↑ Bitter dispute erupts over Senate preferences in Queensland: ABC 5 September 2013
  18. ↑ Alliance of micro parties boosts odds for likes of One Nation or Shooters and Fishers gaining Senate spot through preferences: Daily Telegraph 5 September 2013
  19. ↑ https://mysunshinecoast.com.au/news/news-display/what-went-wrong,44610
  20. ↑ "Candidates for the 2016 federal election". Australian Electoral Commission. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  21. ↑ "Dick Smith joins lower immigration party". News. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  22. ↑ Masanauskas, John. "Businessman Dick Smith joins political party Sustainable Australia". Herald Sun. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  23. ↑ "Senate 2013 First Preferences By Group". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  24. ↑ "Senate 2016 First Preferences By Group". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
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