What are those micro parties actually about?

Before you vote this Saturday, find out what you are actually voting for.

Who hasn’t voted for a party just because you liked the name. I certainly did when I voted for the Pirate Party last federal election. After reading about one political party this year and how it was deceiving by it’s name, I decided to do some research on as many political parties I could this week. So I have tried to make it easier for you vote for things you want out of this election.

Climate and Environment

#Sustainable Australia

What they are about: Sustainable jobs, environmental restoration, more public transport, regional and rural revitalisation as well as a prosperous economy.

Where: NSW and Victoria

Find out more here - \www.votesustainable.org.au/

Health

Health Australia Party

What they are about: The Health Australia Party is getting a bit of bad publicity at the moment including from the Australian Medical Association. That bad publicity has a bit to do with their policies on no fluoride in water and believing that science is equivalent to natural to natural medicine which sees them not being supporters of vaccines. They currently do not have a mental health policy.

Where: NSW, QLD, VIC, WA

Find out more here -www.healthaustraliaparty.com.au

Recreation

Australian Cyclist Party

What they are about: The Australian Cyclist Party has a focus on all things cycling including road safety, infrastructure for cyclists, health and road congestion alternatives. This party also want the establishment of a non-partisan, cross-party commission.

Where: WA, SA, VIC, NSW, QLD, Batman and Grayndler

Find out more here - https://australian-cyclists-party.org.au/

Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party

What are they about: The Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party is about road safety, driver education, better roads, vehicle maintenance and unroadworthiness as well as access to public land for off-road vehicle activities. They also want to introduce

Where: NSW, VIC, SA

Find out more here - http://www.australianmotoringenthusiastparty.org.au

Australian Recreational Fishers Party

What they are about:This political party supports Gonski funding, corruption commision, to stop the reduction in weekend penalty rates and most of all support the fishermen. Also, I'm glad to see that they are the represented in an electorate with the same name as a fish.

Where: TAS, Lyons, Bass, Braddon,

Find out more here - www.arfparty.org

General

Nick Xenophon Team

What they are about: The newly created Nick Xenophon Team party has an extensive list of policies including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, ageing population, agriculture, australian made, food securities, overseas students, mental health, housing affordability, predatory gambling, religious freedom, small business, substance abuse, water security and superannuation.

Where: NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA, Calare, Lindsay, Macarthur, Warringah, Groom, Moreton, Adelaide, Baker, Boothby, Grey, Hindmarsh, Kingston, Makin, Mayo, Port Adelaide, Sturt, Wakefield, Higgins.

Find out more here - https://nxt.org.au/

Australian Progressives

What they are about: The Australian Progressives hold a variety of policies including reducing the working week from 38 to 32 hours, halt developments that threaten the Reef, phase out coal seam gas, coal and oil mining; require upfront capital for environmental restoration works, add dental procedures in Medicare, provide funding to increase regional and rural mental health services, pivot from criminal to health focus for addicts and recreational users, increase base pension rate by $100, banking reform, gender and marriage equality, as well as supporting Gonski funding.

Where: NSW, VIC, QLD, SA

Find out more here - https://www.australianprogressives.org.au/

Democratic Labour Party (DLP)

What are they about: The Democratic Labour Party support the NDIS, an immediate moratorium on all Coal Seam Gas (CSG) mining until independent scientific research and funding for hospitals and more policies. In addition, they believe that ‘those asylum seekers and refugees who qualify for asylum should receive it on a temporary basis of up to five years.’

Where: NSW, QLD, TAS, VIC, WA

Find out more here - http://www.dlp.org.au/

Equality

Australian Equality Party (Marriage)

What they are about: The Australian Equality Party stands for marriage equality in addition to LGBTIQ inclusion and human rights. This party has a focus on the LGBTIQ indigenous, asylum seekers, refugees, sex workers, corrective systems communities. They also have policies about feminism and domestic abuse.

Where: Victoria, South Australia and Queensland, Higgins, Melbourne Ports, and Batman.

Find out more here - http://www.equality.org.au/

Justice

Derryn Hinch's Justice Party

What they are about: This political party's leader, Derryn Hinch has a strong focus on justice reform which probably reflects Hinch’s radio history of naming suppressed sex offenders in his radio show. The party's main policy themes include justice in sentencing, bail reform, parole reform, domestic violence law reform, equal rights, animal justice, euthanasia and public registered convicted sex offenders. They call this Hinch Justice.

Where: NSW, QLD, SA,TAS, VIC, WA, Dunkley, Corangamite, Higgins, La Trobe, Lindsay, Macquarie

Find out more here -www.justiceparty.com.au

Animal Justice Party

What they are about: Banning live export and animal welfare.

Where: NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, ACT, TAS and SA

Find out more - http://animaljusticeparty.org

Australian Antipaedophile Party

What are they about: Looking for a Royal Commission into child protections and legal protections for children,

Where: SA, NSW, NT, TAS, and WA

Find out more here - http://www.antipaedophileparty.com/index.php/aims-of-the-aap

Rural and Regional

Katter's Australian Party

What they are about: Katter’s Australian Party was created by the member for Kennedy in North Queensland, Bob Katter. His party values rural affairs, small business, Australian jobs, essential public assets and infrastructure, energy, climate and the environment, First Australians and Education

Where: QLD, NSW, WA, Kennedy

Find out more here - www.ausparty.org.au

CountryMinded

What are they about: CountryMinded is a new political party that has been established to restore an uncompromised voice for rural and regional Australia. They have policies on rural mental health, production animal welfare, native vegetation, climate, firearms, climate, Indigenous Australians, irregular maritime arrivals and more.

Where: NSW, QLD, New England, Maranoa

Find out more here - www.countryminded.org.au/

Australian Country Party

What are they about: The Australian Country Party cares about regional and rural Australia, the towns, small businesses, local communities with policies on coal seam gas and local government unnecessary involvement in the constitution.

Where: VIC, Murray, Mcewen, Indi

Find out more here - http://countryparty.org.au/about-us/

Religious

Australian Christians

What are they about: Family values and have policies about marriage, domestic abuse, single-parent families, and fatherhood. They also have policies about education, prostitution, drugs and alcohol, Aboriginal affairs, older Australians, religious freedom, health and disabilities, euthanasia, unplanned pregnancy, small business and the environment just to name a few.

Where: VIC, Ballarat, Deakin, Dunkley, McMillan, Maribyrnong, Gippsland:

Find out more here -http://australianchristians.com.au/federal-election-2016/

Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group)

What are they about: The Christian Democratic Party expect a high standard of Education, Social and Medical Care and advance the cause of the unemployed, handicapped, elderly and displaced. They also don’t support euthanasia and abortion.

Where: NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA, WA, NT, QLD, Lyons, Franklin, Denison, Braddon, Bass

Find out more here - http://www.cdp.org.au

Economic

Consumer Rights and No Tolls

What are they about: This party has a strong focus on removing toll charges for roads and tunnels. They also support Abolish Credit Card Surcharge Fees, Strengthen animal welfare laws and enforcement by adopting the RSPCA's 'model Animal Care and Protection Act' and Introduce a deposit scheme for bottles and cans to reduce waste and encourage recycling

Where: couldn’t find this information

Find out more here - http://www.no-tolls.org/

21st Century Australia Party

What they are about: The party of the future includes turning Australia Post into a bank to offer discounted home loans, introduce a fee for immigration visas, build high-speed rail system, create more water storage in drought affected areas, ensuring every student has a tablet and creating a Sovereign Wealth Fund to be an economic buffer like Norway and Dubai plus a few more policies.

In their 25 point plan.

Where: QLD, NSW, VIC, New England, Bowman, Mcewen, Dobell, Batman, Chifley, Isaccs, Makin and Gilmore.

Find out more - http://21stcenturyaustralia.com.au/25-ways-to-improve-australia/

Other

Australian Defence Veterans Party

What they are about: The Australian Defence Veterans Party have a special focus on those who have served their community or country domestically and abroad, and the ageing community as well as farmers, teachers, emergency responders, nurses, doctors, defence members and police.

Where: NSW, QLD

Find out more here - http://www.advp.org.au/index.php

Australian Liberty Alliance

What they are about: The Australian Liberty Alliance range of policies include exiting from the UN Charter of Refugees, asylum seekers being settled in countries closer to their cultures, fairer taxation, mandatory health check and immunisations for children, lowering the child benefit payment from the third child onwards, respect, privatising the SBS and parts of the ABC and refocus on more traditional methods of education plus a few more.

Where: NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA, Bradfield, Macquarie, Lindsay, Farrer, Forde, Hinkler, Griffith, Bowman, Longman, Fisher, Curtin

Find out more here - http://australianlibertyalliance.org.au/

Australian Sex Party

What are they about: This party are serious about stopping animal cruelty, saving safe schools, inclusive sex education and dying with dignity plus many more.

Where: ACT, TAS, QLD, NSW, VIC, Batman, La Trobe, Melbourne, Wills, Grayndler, Sydney

Find out more here - http://voteasxp.org.au

Bullet Train for Australia

What are they about: We here about getting a fast train every election for decades now and this party main focus is for a bullet train. They also campaign reform, adopting greener energy sources, marriage equality, euthanasia and limits to poker machines.

Where: Hume, Corio, Fenner, Canberra

Find out more here - https://bullettrainforaustralia.com.au

The Pirate Party

What are they about: The Pirate Party isn't actually about the pirates of the sea but about protecting digital freedoms as copyright censorship ruling looms including data retention, reforming copyright and modernising the patent system.

Where: NSW, VIC, QLD, Bennelong

Find out more here - https://pirateparty.org.au

Rise Up Party

What are they about: The Rise Up Party strongly support Australian Law and free speech but do not support Sharia law and political correctness. They also have policies on multiculturalism, economic party, climate change, education, foreign ownership, immigration, local manufacturing and freedom of speech. They also use the slogan ‘Keep Australia Great’ which sounds pretty similar to Donald Trump's famous slogan.

Where: VIC, NSW, QLD, NT, WA, Ballarat, Bendigo, Casey, Chisholm, Corangamite, Pateson, Corio, Brand, Durack, Forrest, Hasluck, O’Connor, Pearce, Dunkley, Flinders, Gippsland, Holt, Hotham, Indi, Leichhardt, Maranoa, Stirling, Lalor, La Trobe, Lingiari, Solomon, Mallee, McEwen, McMillan, Murray, Fisher

Find out more here - http://riseupaustraliaparty.com

You can find out about other political parties at the AEC website. http://www.aec.gov.au/parties_and_representatives/party_registration/Registered_parties/

Happy voting.

About the writer:

Laura Laura is one of those writers who gets excited about elections and feels like she should have been born French.

#election #microparty