Sustainable Australia

This article is about the political party. For the similarly named community group, see Sustainable Population Australia.
#Sustainable Australia
Leader William Bourke
President William Bourke[1]
Founder William Bourke[1]
Founded 2010
Headquarters Sydney[2]
Website
www.votesustainable.org.au

Sustainable Australia 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".[3]

Federal and State Registration

The Party has been registered federally since 2010. In 2016 it also registered in the A.C.T., and contested the 2016 elections for the ACT’s Legislative Assembly. It has expressed the intention to be registered in NSW and Victoria for their 2018 and 2019 state elections.[4]

Left-Right Spectrum

Sustainable Australia is 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 elections it opposed the proposed “Tram”, 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 currently 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 was formerly 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 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.[19]

Electoral results

Federal parliament

House of Representatives
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Government
2013 3,954 0.03 (#21)
0 / 150
 Steady 0
2016 606 0.00 (#)
0 / 150
 Decrease 0
Senate
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 # of
overall seats		 +/– Notes
2013 12,671 0.09(#30)
0 / 40
0 / 76
 Increase
2016 26,341 0.19(#)
0 / 40
0 / 76
 Increase
by-elections
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Government
Griffith by-election, 2014 666 0.86 (#7/11)
0 / 150
 Steady 0
Canning by-election, 2015 513 0.61 (#11/12)
0 / 150
 Steady 0
North Sydney by-election, 2015 2,032 3.0% (#5/13)
0 / 150
 Steady 0

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. ↑ http://vtr.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-19402-137.htm
  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. ↑ "Candidates for the 2016 federal election". Australian Electoral Commission. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
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