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The X Factor in this Election

August 20 2010

Moving forward is like looking back. It doesn’t matter how many times you say it. As a mantra for Labor’s 2010 election campaign it simply mirrored the Liberal’s backward-looking policies. Forward and back. Back and forward. Neither of them was happy being where they were. Neither of them was happy to be themselves.Stop the Boats, Moving Forward, Great Big New Tax, Yes We Will. When repeated over and over again in advertising, policy speeches and even general conversation it represents a blatant attempt to brainwash people. At the core of this appalling sloganeering has been an assumption on both sides of politics that the Australian people needed to be brainwashed. It’s patronising and dangerous. It borders on dictatorship-style politics and is devoid of any vision. Welcome to machine politics in Australia. The 2010 election has seen the worst of this style of campaigning and it’ll get a lot worse before it gets better. Tony Abbott said on Radio National that his vision for Australia was wrapped up in people being able to be their ‘best self’ and to have a competent government that was courteous and considerate to its citizens. Competent government is not a vision. It’s an expectation that the garbage will be collected and taxes will be paid. Julia Gillard talked about maintaining health and education standards. The status quo is not a vision either. The nearest thing that either of them got to it was Labor’s broadband proposal which really did have a ‘vision’ attached to it. But then they took the vision side of it away with a sinister censorship plan to filter the internet.So here’s a vision for Australia.What if we aim to become the most socially progressive country in the world? A country that stands for cultural and sexual diversity. For openness and friendliness. A country fuelled by ideas and science and not by religious bigotry or moral agendas from another age. A country looking to create agreement out of diversity. Not a righteous country but questioning and flexible. A country that is prepared to re-write its laws so that they reflect both the realities of society and its aspirations.A country of travellers who understand that we have much to learn from others. Compassion. Reason, Self-expression.Let’s get rid of most of ‘official’ censorship. Most of it is morally-based and on the assumption that its ok for the ruling elites to see something (government officers) but just not you and me. Let’s legalise abortion and voluntary euthanasia. Australia’s religious institutions only maintain these prohibitions through flawed understandings of life anyway. And how come a government can afford to spend $222 million on religious instruction in Australian schools and fail to come up with a simple national curriculum on sex education?Love and marriage go together like the horse and carriage says the old song. In Australian law, love is not recognised as part of the equation. What matters are notions of religion, propriety and what has been before. We need to change this so that love and the expression of love are the main factors in defining marriage.Lets end this brinkmanship on drugs. Drug use is a health matter not a criminal one. For too long now politicians have tried to tell us The war on drugs has failed and we a need a new and brave approach.Religion is like big business. It should be taxed the same way and it should be accountable for its failings in the same way. The failure to investigate organised religion’s 1,000 paedophile priests and how that came to pass is a terrible indictment of the hold religion has on the political and enforcement agencies in this country. The Australian Sex Party is radical in its name and visionary in its nature. We want to grab your attention and then hold it. We are the party of the outsiders. Our candidates will never be found on the Queens Birthday honours list or at the PM’s cocktail party. We are the Village People of Australian politics. Colourful. Engaging. Challenging. Intelligent.No guts no glory. No vision no story. Written by ASP Staff Justine MartinWA Senate CandidateAustralian Sex Party

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RHP User

15 years ago

Yeah I get it...theres an election on. I'll be doing the right thing & voting...actually filling the forms out and all! Seriously...anyone who submits a dummy vote should be tarred, feathered & have their australian citizenship withdrawn. As a tax payer, Id gladly contribute to 'taking out the trash'. Now I have that out of the way...my question to the sex party is who do your preferential votes go to? Last time I went out on a limb, I ended up inadvertantly voting for the enemy. Tho, in all honesty, having now read what you stand for, its a moot point. You've got it all over families first..but to claim social progression can be in part achieved by removing religious bigotry...have you tried catching a train at night lately? Australian women are classed as nothing more than 'uncovered meat' & afforded nil respect in their own country....(by some) Australia, love it...defend it...or get the hell outta here!

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RHP User

15 years ago

In all states the Sex Party is directing its first preferences to other socially progressive parties like the Secular Party, the Liberty Democracy Party and the Democrats. Following these parties our preferences will flow to the Greens ahead of the two major parties.i hope this answers your question on Preferences.And yes i have caught a train lately in Perth with a Vote 1 Sex tshirt on. And have received alot of attention!

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RHP User

15 years ago

Australia, love it...defend it...or get the hell outta here! Here here...couldn't agree more!! xFunlovingx

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RHP User

15 years ago

Whilst travelling on the railway. Unfortunately, the same cant be said for many who rely on public transport. I understand tackling the big issues is a difficult task, even for the major parties, however ignoring them or brushing them off as if they are of no significance, is in my opinion, reprehensible.

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RHP User

15 years ago

is ultimately a vote for Labour? The preferntial system sucks.Cheers Nev

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RHP User

15 years ago

I am sure all those people who rely on or have been helped by the likes of the Salvation Army, St Vincent De Paul, etc etc will be pleased to know that you would intendto cripple their work.I take it you would be taking up the slack ? or just pocketing the money?Cheers Nev

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RHP User

15 years ago

Quoting 'NevandKj' I am sure all those people who rely on or have been helped by the likes of the Salvation Army, St Vincent De Paul, etc etc will be pleased to know that you would intendto cripple their work.I take it you would be taking up the slack ? or just pocketing the money?Cheers Nev I'm sure there is a way to afford genuine charitable organisations that only generate cash through their core line of business with some sort of tax break versus Corporations with a tax exemption e.g. Hillsong. Though how you do that I don't know, I'm sure the books always show them being a more or less non-profit.You Sex Party folks already got my (early) vote.Nev, vote below the line and direct your preferences exactly as you wish. The green ballot you number 1-however many candidates so you decide which way your preference flows - ignore the 'how to vote cards'.

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RHP User

15 years ago

Know what you mean about Hillsong, from what i have seen it seems a little sus, but i don't know enough about their activities to comment further. I don't know what, if any charitable non denominational community services they provide. Of course goverments do have a habit of chucking the baby out with the bathwater.....and to an extent i can understand how it happens.To me The sex Parties "Policy" on taxing religions seems like some sort of grandstanding or appealing to the lowest common denominator, without any sort of serious reflection on the general good these organisations do and the cost/benefit analysis to the greater community.Sure a lot of terrible things have happened with morally bankrupt priests etc, and of course those responsible should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, but i hardly think it is of endemic proportions considering the size of these organisations.My first post was i admit a little tounge in cheek!I am quite aware of how the preferential voting system works......unfortunately i think most are not!Personally i think Politics should be a mandatory subject at high school along with finance and economics and humanity.The ramifications of who can hold the balance of power, and their ability to do deals compared with their primary vote is way out of kilter. quite scary really!But at the end of the day at least we can have a say every three or four years.So get out there and vote people......and vote wisely!....do it for Australia!Cheers Nev

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RHP User

15 years ago

Oh no don't tax the Pope, poor fella couldn't afford it surely!!!! There's a huge difference betwen charitable organisations and religious organisiations. Sure most religions have charitable sides and I dare say the likes of the Salvos etc operate with their own ceo's and own budgets. All our big churches old and new reap a heap of money which they further invest to earn more and more. THey are self serving and hugely successful businesses, why the hell have they never been taxed? How about all those high income earners, they work their butts off to be successful and we have no qualms in asking for more than their fair share and do they get their share of the benefits - I dare again to say NO. How about we scrap all taxes and put a larger GST, much fairer to keep what you earn and pay only for your relative gluttony. Who the hell am I going to vote for? Labor/Liberal - same shit different face, Greens - some nice ideas dampened by a communist streak, Democrats - where do they keep the bastards?, Family first - oh please!!, geez by process of elimination I'm nearly forced to vote for a party with a stupid name like "The Australian Sex Party". Well I do like sex haha but also at least they have some good social ideas and no less important platforms than the dribble the rest of the parties are feeding us. eee orrr eee orrr donkey? nah I couldn't live with myself!

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RHP User

15 years ago

The thing about the current system is that we don't really vote for representatives but rather a party stand. They vote as a block disciplined by the party whip. So if the party leader wants to takes us back to the dark ages... then the party minions are bound to follow regardless. A bit of this is seen regarding the proposed disbanding the National Broadband Network. The problem is that its usually the younger minority generation that fully appreciates the virtues of faster speeds. Though obviously older people in the know are tuned into this as well. Sadly there are still people who have no Internet, nor any interest in it. But then the other party want to pursue a filter which school children have already demonstrated how to bypass. Too often the politicians stuff things up with half baked ideas or things just don't happen. How many promises do they keep? It's sometimes hard to get enthused by a bunch who are preoccupied by their own importance and have a habit of cutting throats... including those within their own party.

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RHP User

15 years ago

They say one should never talk about politics, sex and religion from the podium to win friends and influence people. Unfortunately "they" are the same ones running this country and ruining the minds and economy broadscale in Australia. | Religion should not be taught in schools...and we should not fund schools from public funds for the more wealthy amongst us. These schools are run by the "religious"...or is that self-righteous? Guess that would depend on how you spin the web...or play the record backwards to hear the hidden meaning! | Back to schools...produce an independantly audited full disclosure document of all spending and capital reserves held in the system both on a federal and state level. Put education reform and availability of self determining schools under the governance of local school boards with elected members that represent the community....not the "church" and surely not the elite that could afford to fund "private" education themselves if that is what makes their Cayene shine or the puts the zoom in their BMW. | Knowledge is power....let's keep a lid on that. Clone them early, teach them poorly and by all means let's not give all children and all families the access to a diversified and multicultural education broadly on a funded public basis that teaches equality. What would Australia do without more snobs. This is the only country out of several I have lived in that imparts a caste system based on what high school you attended. Oh and universities should be free....but then again, let's not make this a country of higher education. Best to have only a few come out of the mill alive and find out they can move overseas with their talent and have a much better life and lifestyle, | Don't teach "sex" in the schools at all...this is self taught in the parking lots and under the bleachers anyway. Take the "safe search" off Google and type in a few key words....your 10 year old probably has already started his/her own education already. Teach social responsibility and relationship development instead. No, that's a contrarian view. | This is not a paid political announcement...so it's probably at least a valid opinion. Good luck today when you vote. It's a bit like the fellow on death row that is asked..."Do you prefer to be shot, hung or ride the lighening?" Anyway you look at it...the outcome is going to be the same. | Change is an evolutionary process. Darwin was right. The only difference here is that we don't have to sit on our brain buckets and wait another million or so years to change it. | Oh and let's ignore all but about 5 points in both the Henry and Cooper reviews that just cost us millions and millions of dollars. We can easily agree with these 5....it's the other several hundred we don't like so let's ignore them....especially when the preamble of one starts out by telling us that the country has an archaic and outdated system of near socialist views that can not be supported going forward, was integrated in the true Victorian era and is at least 100 years out of date. Nice! | And thus ends the rant....a little education goes a long way. A lot of it goes even further!

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RHP User

15 years ago

Every year it's the same old same old, well this year i voted early and took my Mother with me we had plan's of doing doodles all over the paper but got in there and what do ya know, i spotted the Australian Sex Party on the ballot paper, i eagerly jabbed at Mum with my elbow and showed her what i saw.... i said thats what im going to vote for and then she said ....cant hurt.... she was giggling like a little girl and we both walked out the door laughing... my Mum is 71... In spite of what anyone thinks, it felt good not voting for the others for once...and at least this year wasnt a drag like other years... Dellaroo.....

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RHP User

15 years ago

Sonny's looking quite promising this year. could be getting eggsited but who knows. ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ok, that was a little eggstreme ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Earl

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RHP User

15 years ago

I think that the desire to become a politician should mean they never become one!! Compulsory voting? Get rid of it then stand back and watch the fun!

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