Election 2022: what have the major parties promised?

We take a look at the announcements made so far on the issues of relevance to our sector.

We’ve passed the halfway point of this campaign and we’re just a few short weeks away from the federal election. 

By now, the parties have announced many of their major policy platforms. Last week, we shared what the sector was looking for from the incoming government. Here, we cut through the press release noise and distil the essence of what they’ve promised so far.

Housing/homelessness

Liberal

The Liberal Party’s housing pledge focuses on home ownership with a plan to increase the number of low-deposit guarantees for first-home buyers to 35,000 per financial year. The number of low-deposit guarantees for single-parent families would also be increased. In the area of public and social housing, the party has promised an extra $2 billion in low-cost financing for social and affordable dwellings. 

Labor

Similar to the Liberal Party, Labor has pledged to support homeowners through its Help to Buy scheme. This scheme will be open to 10,000 Australians each financial year. Those eligible would be required to provide a minimum 2 per cent deposit, and the Labor government would make an equity contribution of up to 40 per cent of the purchase price of a new home and 30 per cent for an existing home.

Labor’s flagship housing policy includes the creation of a $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. The fund is expected to deliver 20,000 social housing properties in its first five years, with 4,000 of those allocated to women and children fleeing family violence and older women on low incomes who are at risk of homelessness. It’s expected the fund will also provide 10,000 affordable homes for frontline pandemic workers. 

Returns on investments in the fund will also go towards housing for remote Indigenous communities, housing options for vulnerable women and housing for veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.

Greens

The Greens have made a major pledge to address Australia’s housing crisis. This includes building one million quality, sustainable and accessible public and community homes through the establishment of a Federal Housing Trust, and providing $7 billion in capital grants to improve existing public housing.

First Nations/Voice to Parliament

Advocates say this election will be crucial for Indigenous affairs.

Liberal

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the Liberal Party does not plan to hold a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament if it is re-elected.

Labor

The Labor Party has pledged to implement the full Uluru Statement, including the Voice to Parliament. To address First Nations incarceration and deaths in custody, Labor says it will provide funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services so that families of those who have died in custody can access culturally appropriate legal assistance before, during and after the coronial process. The party has also promised to establish national, real-time reporting of First Nations deaths in custody. 

Greens

The Greens support a Treaty, or Treaties, and will establish a Truth and Justice Commission. They will also establish a compensation scheme for Stolen Generations, and will raise the legal age of responsibility to 14 years and provide culturally safe support programs to get First Nations children back on track. The party says it supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.

Childcare

Liberal

The Liberal Party’s childcare platform includes an increase to the Child Care Subsidy by 30 per cent for second and subsequent children in a family with children aged five or under in child care, up to a maximum rate of 95 per cent. The Liberals have also removed the subsidy cap of $10,655 for families earning over $190,015.

Labor

Labor’s election promise on childcare is quite similar to their blue counterparts. The party has promised to increase the maximum Child Care Subsidy rate to 90 per cent for the first child in care, and increase subsidy rates for families with one child in care and less than $530,000 in household income. A higher Child Care Subsidy rate will apply for second and additional children. The increased subsidy will be extended to out-of-school-hours care.

Greens

The Greens have a plan to make childcare free for all children, and extend access to early childhood education for all three and four year olds to 24 hours per week. They’ve pledged to support Aboriginal community-controlled services to strengthen early learning for First Nations children.

Climate crisis

According to surveys, the climate crisis is the number one issue for voters at this election.

Liberal

The Liberal Party does not appear to have made any new promises during this campaign around reducing emissions. The party says Australia will reduce its emissions by 30-35 per cent by 2030.

Labor

As part of its “Powering Australia” plan, the Labor Party has promised that if elected, it will reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, and reach net zero by 2050. It would also design a National Electric Vehicle Strategy and provide discounts on electric cars, and install 400 community batteries across Australia.

Greens

The Greens have a comprehensive platform of policies related to the climate crisis. Some of these include an immediate ban on the construction of new coal, oil and gas infrastructure, creating sustainable industries to help mining workers and communities transition beyond fossil fuels, providing grants and loans to support small businesses to move from gas to electricity, increasing funding for emergency services, the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO, and phasing out coal by 2030.

Philanthropy

Liberal

Pro Bono News was unable to confirm with the Liberal Party whether they would match Labor’s commitment in this area.

Labor

Labor has made a commitment to double philanthropic giving in Australia by 2030, working in collaboration with the for-purpose, business and philanthropic sectors.

Greens

Pro Bono News has been unable to find a policy related to this area by the Greens.

Welfare

Liberal

The Liberal Party has not committed to raising the rate of JobSeeker.

Labor

The Labor Party has also ruled out raising JobSeeker.

Greens

The Greens have pledged to raise the rate of all income support payments to $88 a day.

NDIS

Liberal

The Liberal Party has not yet released its campaign plan for the future of the NDIS, however in this year’s budget the government committed to fully funding the NDIS.

Labor

Another key policy promise by Labor is to “fix the NDIS”. To do this, the party says it will conduct an expert review to make sure no plans are unfairly reduced, measure the implementation of the National Disability Strategy, review the design, operation and sustainability of the NDIS and codesign solutions with people with disability themselves.

Greens

Late in 2021, the Greens announced a plan to fully fund, staff and resource the NDIS. The Greens have also pledged to remove the age limit that prevents disabled people aged over 65 from accessing the NDIS.

Aged Care

Liberal

The current Liberal government says it is committed to a five-year plan, worth $18.8 billion, to improve aged care. This is slated to include 40,000 home care packages, over 48,000 additional training places, 7,000 new personal care workers and 8,400 respite services. 

Last month’s budget also allocated $345 million to embed pharmacy services in residential aged care facilities. Within these facilities, the government says it has committed to increasing nurse/carer time with residents, paying an additional $10 per day per resident, providing 33,000 new training places for personal carers and an Indigenous workforce, providing retention bonuses for nurses, and increasing access to respite.

Labor

Labor has made aged care a central plank in its campaign. The Labor Party has pledged to ensure that every aged care facility has a registered nurse on site 24/7. They have also promised to back workers’ calls for better pay at the Fair Work Commission, mandate that every aged care resident gets an average of 215 minutes of care per day as per the recommendation made by the Aged Care Royal Commission, and to work with the sector to improve the food served in aged care homes by developing and implementing mandatory nutrition standards.

Greens

The Greens have pledged a $6 billion package to improve aged care, including by increasing hours of care for each resident to 4 hours 18 minutes per day, introducing staff to patient ratios, increasing aged care workers’ wages by 25 per cent and phasing out for-profit providers.

Family violence

Approximately one woman a week is killed due to family violence in Australia. However, very little has been said about this crisis by the major parties within this election campaign. According to each party’s website, the following policies have been announced:

Liberal

The Liberals have vowed to “further” close the gender pay gap and make sure women are safe at home and at work. Their next National Plan to end Violence Against Women and Children will begin in the middle of this year. The party says it has fully implemented or fully funded 43 of the 55 recommendations made in the Respect@Work report, with work underway on all of the recommendations.

Labor

The Labor Party has announced several new policies in this area, including establishing a Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Commissioner, funding 500 community sector workers to support women in crisis situations, legislating 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave, and creating a separate national plan to end violence against First Nations women and children.

Greens

The Greens have vowed to “end sexism” and close the gender pay gap. They have promised to improve women’s safety by supporting the national rollout of Our Watch’s Respectful Relationships education in all public schools, providing 10 days paid domestic violence leave and $10,000 Survivor Grants for those fleeing abuse, and adopting all the recommendations in the Respect@Work report.