We recently looked at how the Coalition went in their last term of government, and what they are promising in the 2022 election.
This is a selection of the promises being made by Labor.
Childcare
The Policy includes an intention to lift the maximum child care rate to 90% for families for the first child in care (after a Productivity Commission examination of how it could be implemented) and keeping higher child care subsidy rates for second and additional children in care. It has been suggested the proposal would cost an additional $63billion in expenditure over ten years.
Aged Care
Labor’s aged care package includes 24/7 registered nurses for all residential care facilities, better pay for aged care workers, more care, better food for residents, and greater accountability for providers. The immediate cost of the commitment is estimated at $2.5 billion over four years, and could be up to $4 billion, depending on an upcoming Fair Work Commission’s case considering a work value case for aged care workers.
Powering Australia (including Climate Change)
The intention is to achieve an emissions reduction outcome of 43% of Australia’s emissions by 2030. This includes using a ‘safeguards mechanism’ contained in current legislation introduced by the Coalition which requires 215 larger polluters to keep emissions below a certain level. The Government argued that using the mechanism was a ‘sneaky carbon tax’. The description has been disputed.
National Reconstruction Fund
The proposal is to create a $15 billion fund using a governance model similar to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to ‘drive investment in key sectors’. There is no indication as to from where the money for the fund will be drawn. The proposal seems extremely similar to the current Government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy.
Taxing multinationals
Proposals include supporting the OECD’s proposed global 15% minimum tax for multinationals (supported by the Coalition) and capping muiltinational debt related deductions.
Constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament – Implementing the Uluru Statement From the Heart
The Statement is to be recognised in the Australian Constitution, although a referendum won’t be held in a first term unless there is confidence in securing voter support.
Driving the Nation
Funding is proposed to roll out a national electric vehicle charging network and the provision of hydrogen refuelling points on major highways, with taxpayer funded proposals delivered through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
Jobs and Skills Australia
Labor will ‘establish Jobs and Skills Australia as a national partnership to drive VET education and strengthen workforce planning by working together with employers, unions and the training and education sector’. It is difficult to see how different it will be to the current Government’s National Skills Commission.
Housing Australia Future Fund
It is a fund designed to finance social housing. The funding structure is based on existing models, such as the Medical Research Future Fund and the Disability Care Australia Fund.
Industrial Relations
Proposals include extending the Fair Work Commission’s powers so it can deal with ‘employee-like’ workers as well as legislating for a fair, objective test to determine when a worker can be classified as a casual to deal with, amongst other things, the gig economy (something some employers oppose because of a loss of flexibility in the workplace), limiting the number of consecutive fixed term contracts an employer can offer for the same role, and abolishing the Australian Building and Construction Commission and Registered Organisations Commission, which some employer groups suggest would be costly to the economy.
Help to Buy Programme
Based on a proposal from the Grattan Institute. It is a scheme of limited size – 10,000 places a year, or about one-tenth of the number of first home buyers entering the market each year.
National Housing Supply and Affordability Council
Presumably based on a US model. In that model the US Government ‘creates a federal housing policy grant program that would provide funding for planning and implementing policies that increase housing supply, increase housing affordability, and reduce barriers to housing development. The (Government) requires these housing policies to prioritize avoiding displacement’. It will be interesting to see how this model would operate under Australia’s federal structure.
All the Labor policies are here.