Latest news with #Christian-conservative
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Australian election 2025 mini and micro party guide: how to avoid a Senate vote you might regret
The most recent federal election proved politics is no longer a two-horse race, with a record 16 independents and minor parties elected to the crossbench, as well as 10 in the Senate. This time around the teals are no longer unknowns, and there are plenty more independents hoping to make a mark in lower house contests. But the Senate ballot paper remains the true home of the most optimistic, idiosyncratic and, in some cases, extreme parties. From Clive Palmer's rebrand to a party pushing for legal cannabis, there's something for everyone. Here's a quick rundown of the lesser-known parties running candidates in the 2025 Australian federal election on 3 May, and what they stand for. With state representatives in New South Wales and Victoria, including the high-profile Georgie Purcell, the party says it is the only one dedicated to 'ensure laws are created and enforced to achieve genuine justice for animals', including representing the 'needs, capabilities and interests' of farm animals, native wildlife and pets. They are campaigning for a federal animal protection body, the prevention of animal poisoning and protection of native species, as well as the declaration of a climate emergency. Running in: the Senate in all states besides the Northern Territory, as well as lower house seats in most states. A socially conservative and Christian-conservative party that wants to 'defend life, faith, family and freedom'. It campaigns on an anti-abortion platform, opposes euthanasia and 'coercive vaccine mandates' and wants to 'protect religious freedom in schools'. It also wants to reverse same-sex marriage and ban puberty blockers for minors. Running in: the Senate in NSW and Western Australia, as well as 10 lower house seats in WA. Founded in 1988 as the Citizens Electoral Council, the party is associated with the movement founded by the controversial US campaigner Lyndon LaRouche. It says its stands for 'restoring Australia's national and economic sovereignty' through a return to protectionist policies. It says 'corporations, banks and other lackeys of the City of London and Wall Street' have profited from exploiting Australia's natural resources. It is anti-Aukus and wants to end 'foreign policy subservience to the USA and UK', become a republic and repeal the prohibition on nuclear power, as well as returning electricity to state ownership. Running in: the Senate in every state and territory, as well as 19 lower house seats. Formed by the former Liberal politician Don Chipp to 'keep the bastards honest', it was once a major player in the Senate, but the party's presence has faded almost entirely. It describes itself as the 'people's watchdog', pursuing a small-l liberal platform of 'evidence based governance', ending rorts and political accountability. Running in: the Senate in Queensland, Victoria and WA and one lower house seat in NSW. The party was founded last year after Senator Fatima Payman resigned from the Labor party to become an independent due to a rupture over Palestine policy. A ceasefire in Gaza is a major pillar of its platform, as well as addressing the housing crisis, becoming a republic, establishing a 'Public Bank of Australia' and introducing supermarket divestiture laws. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and WA. The conservative party was founded in South Australia in the early 2000s on a Judeo-Christian-right platform, to fight against 'radical anti-family attitudes' and for families, which it says are 'under threat from a radical left and libertarian right'. It is anti-abortion and wants to remove LGBTQ+ content from schools, ban gender affirmation surgery and make it 'attractive' for 'married couples' to have children. Running in: the Senate and lower house in NSW, Queensland, SA and Victoria. Commonly known simply as Fusion, the party was formed in 2021 through a merger of the Science party, Pirate party, Secular party, Vote Planet and Climate Change Justice party. It wants to address the climate emergency, invest in public education, healthcare and scientific research, and promote societal equity and liberty. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland, SA, Victoria and WA and 13 lower house seats. A new party founded, as the name suggests, by the former LNP Queensland senator Gerard Rennick. People First wants to reduce income tax, make superannuation voluntary and pay childcare subsidy payments directly to parents. It is also advocating for the reinstatement of a public bank and for a federal infrastructure bank. Running in: the Senate in NSW, SA, Queensland, Victoria and WA and 19 lower house seats. First registered as the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) party in 2016, Heart campaigns on a pseudoscientific platform against mandatory vaccination, water fluoridation, Australia's membership of the World Health Organization and the UN. It promotes allied health practitioners using 'holistic and natural treatment alternatives' and wants to increase the consumption of organic food. Running in: the Senate in the ACT, NSW, Queensland and Victoria and the lower house in Canberra and three NSW seats. Featuring all-Indigenous candidates, the grassroots party was formed in 2020 by Barkandji and Malyangapa man Uncle Owen Whyman to place First Nations voices in parliament. It wants to address Indigenous incarceration rates and the forced removal of children, and take Indigenous control of Indigenous school education. It is also lobbying for the protection of sacred sites including the Baaka river. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland and Victoria and the lower house in Durack (WA), Lingiari (NT) and Parkes (NSW). The Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie wants to 'give a leg up to the little guy' and improve her representation in parliament. The party is lobbying to 'clean out Canberra corruption', boost local manufacturing to 'Make Australia Make Again', start an inquiry into Chinese foreign interference and enact the findings of the royal commission into veteran suicide. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania. Queensland senator Bob Katter says his party is the only one 'with the guts to fight for what really matters'. His election platform this year is heavy on crime, including tougher youth crime laws and the introduction of 'Castle Law' so homeowners have the right to use lethal force in self-defence without legal repercussions. He also wants to loosen firearm laws, reduce crocodile numbers and cull flying foxes. Running in: Queensland. You guessed it – the party wants to legalise, tax and regulate cannabis, treating it in a similar way to alcohol and tobacco. It wants a moratorium on arresting users and allowing consumers to grow cannabis at home. It also advocates for civil liberties, privacy and anti-discrimination protections. You may remember its lead Senate candidate for Victoria, Fiona Patten, as the founder of Victoria's Reason party. Running in: all states and territories. Formerly known as the Liberal Democrats, the party supports civil liberties and minimum government intervention. Its policy platform is to 'prioritise prosperity, protect families, and defend freedom', including raising the income tax-free threshold, abolishing the education department and enshrining free speech into the constitution. Running in: NSW, Queensland, SA, Tasmania and Victoria. The rightwing populist party famously founded by Hanson in the 1990s wants to abolish various government departments as well as the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, reverse abortion laws and drastically reduce immigration. Running in: all states and territories. The broadly conservative party is a backer of mining, manufacturing and agriculture. It wants more self-reliance in defence, increased funding for remote and regional schools, expanded recreational fishing and federal legislation enshrining the rights of law-abiding hunters and fishers. It also holds 'rational skepticism' towards climate change. Running in: NSW. Wanting to 'give a voice to working-class struggle', the party is campaigning to 'create a democratic socialist society focused on meeting the needs of people and the planet'. It wants to place immediate sanctions on Israel and end arms exports, withdraw from Aukus, reach net zero by 2030 and give permanent protection to all refugees. It is also calling for First Nations treaties, the abolition of all anti-union laws and a wealth tax for the 'super rich'. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and WA and six lower house seats. Formed in 2010 in opposition to a large population, it advocates 'sustainable solutions' to address Australia's economic, environmental and social issues, including a universal basic income for all, the slowing of immigration, ending the housing crisis and diversifying the economy. It also wants to offer free university and Tafe and end multinational tax avoidance. Running in: all states and territories. The successor to the United Australia party (UAP), Clive Palmer's pet project is back, blanketing the country with yellow ads upholding 'democracy, individual freedoms, free speech [and] reducing government intrusion'. It wants to introduce a Trump-like Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), cut immigration, impose 'one culture, the Australian culture' and get the 'woke agenda' out of schools. Running in: all states and territories in the Senate and almost 100 lower house seats. Running on a similar 'revolutionary' platform to the national Socialist Alliance, the party has gained widespread media attention thanks to its Victorian Senate candidate Jordan van den Lamb, AKA purplepingers, who has campaigned hard on the housing crisis. It wants to 'stand for renters', tax large corporations and the wealthy, and reverse privatisation. It is also anti-war and pro-climate action and union rights. Running in: Victoria.
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Australia's mini and micro-parties: how to avoid a vote you might regret in the Senate
The most recent federal election proved politics is no longer a two-horse race, with a record 16 independents and minor parties elected to the crossbench, as well as 10 in the Senate. This time around the teals are no longer unknowns, and there are plenty more independents hoping to make a mark in lower house contests. But the Senate ballot paper remains the true home of the most optimistic, idiosyncratic and, in some cases, extreme parties. From Clive Palmer's rebrand to a party pushing for legal cannabis, there's something for everyone. Here's a quick rundown of the lesser-known parties running candidates in the 2025 Australian federal election on 3 May, and what they stand for. With state representatives in New South Wales and Victoria, including the high-profile Georgie Purcell, the party says it is the only one dedicated to 'ensure laws are created and enforced to achieve genuine justice for animals', including representing the 'needs, capabilities and interests' of farm animals, native wildlife and pets. They are campaigning for a federal animal protection body, the prevention of animal poisoning and protection of native species, as well as the declaration of a climate emergency. Running in: the Senate in all states besides the Northern Territory, as well as lower house seats in most states. A socially conservative and Christian-conservative party that wants to 'defend life, faith, family and freedom'. It campaigns on an anti-abortion platform, opposes euthanasia and 'coercive vaccine mandates' and wants to 'protect religious freedom in schools'. It also wants to reverse same-sex marriage and ban puberty blockers for minors. Running in: the Senate in NSW and Western Australia, as well as 10 lower house seats in WA. Founded in 1988 as the Citizens Electoral Council, the party is associated with the movement founded by the controversial US campaigner Lyndon LaRouche. It says its stands for 'restoring Australia's national and economic sovereignty' through a return to protectionist policies. It says 'corporations, banks and other lackeys of the City of London and Wall Street' have profited from exploiting Australia's natural resources. It is anti-Aukus and wants to end 'foreign policy subservience to the USA and UK', become a republic and repeal the prohibition on nuclear power, as well as returning electricity to state ownership. Running in: the Senate in every state and territory, as well as 19 lower house seats. Formed by the former Liberal politician Don Chipp to 'keep the bastards honest', it was once a major player in the Senate, but the party's presence has faded almost entirely. It describes itself as the 'people's watchdog', pursuing a small-l liberal platform of 'evidence based governance', ending rorts and political accountability. Running in: the Senate in Queensland, Victoria and WA and one lower house seat in NSW. The party was founded last year after Senator Fatima Payman resigned from the Labor party to become an independent due to a rupture over Palestine policy. A ceasefire in Gaza is a major pillar of its platform, as well as addressing the housing crisis, becoming a republic, establishing a 'Public Bank of Australia' and introducing supermarket divestiture laws. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and WA. The conservative party was founded in South Australia in the early 2000s on a Judeo-Christian-right platform, to fight against 'radical anti-family attitudes' and for families, which it says are 'under threat from a radical left and libertarian right'. It is anti-abortion and wants to remove LGBTQ+ content from schools, ban gender affirmation surgery and make it 'attractive' for 'married couples' to have children. Running in: the Senate and lower house in NSW, Queensland, SA and Victoria. Commonly known simply as Fusion, the party was formed in 2021 through a merger of the Science party, Pirate party, Secular party, Vote Planet and Climate Change Justice party. It wants to address the climate emergency, invest in public education, healthcare and scientific research, and promote societal equity and liberty. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland, SA, Victoria and WA and 13 lower house seats. A new party founded, as the name suggests, by the former LNP Queensland senator Gerard Rennick. People First wants to reduce income tax, make superannuation voluntary and pay childcare subsidy payments directly to parents. It is also advocating for the reinstatement of a public bank and for a federal infrastructure bank. Running in: the Senate in NSW, SA, Queensland, Victoria and WA and 19 lower house seats. First registered as the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) party in 2016, Heart campaigns on a pseudoscientific platform against mandatory vaccination, water fluoridation, Australia's membership of the World Health Organization and the UN. It promotes allied health practitioners using 'holistic and natural treatment alternatives' and wants to increase the consumption of organic food. Running in: the Senate in the ACT, NSW, Queensland and Victoria and the lower house in Canberra and three NSW seats. Featuring all-Indigenous candidates, the grassroots party was formed in 2020 by Barkandji and Malyangapa man Uncle Owen Whyman to place First Nations voices in parliament. It wants to address Indigenous incarceration rates and the forced removal of children, and take Indigenous control of Indigenous school education. It is also lobbying for the protection of sacred sites including the Baaka river. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland and Victoria and the lower house in Durack (WA), Lingiari (NT) and Parkes (NSW). The Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie wants to 'give a leg up to the little guy' and improve her representation in parliament. The party is lobbying to 'clean out Canberra corruption', boost local manufacturing to 'Make Australia Make Again', start an inquiry into Chinese foreign interference and enact the findings of the royal commission into veteran suicide. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania. Queensland senator Bob Katter says his party is the only one 'with the guts to fight for what really matters'. His election platform this year is heavy on crime, including tougher youth crime laws and the introduction of 'Castle Law' so homeowners have the right to use lethal force in self-defence without legal repercussions. He also wants to loosen firearm laws, reduce crocodile numbers and cull flying foxes. Running in: Queensland. You guessed it – the party wants to legalise, tax and regulate cannabis, treating it in a similar way to alcohol and tobacco. It wants a moratorium on arresting users and allowing consumers to grow cannabis at home. It also advocates for civil liberties, privacy and anti-discrimination protections. You may remember its lead Senate candidate for Victoria, Fiona Patten, as the founder of Victoria's Reason party. Running in: all states and territories. Formerly known as the Liberal Democrats, the party supports civil liberties and minimum government intervention. Its policy platform is to 'prioritise prosperity, protect families, and defend freedom', including raising the income tax-free threshold, abolishing the education department and enshrining free speech into the constitution. Running in: NSW, Queensland, SA, Tasmania and Victoria. The rightwing populist party famously founded by Hanson in the 1990s wants to abolish various government departments as well as the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, reverse abortion laws and drastically reduce immigration. Running in: all states and territories. The broadly conservative party is a backer of mining, manufacturing and agriculture. It wants more self-reliance in defence, increased funding for remote and regional schools, expanded recreational fishing and federal legislation enshrining the rights of law-abiding hunters and fishers. It also holds 'rational skepticism' towards climate change. Running in: NSW. Wanting to 'give a voice to working-class struggle', the party is campaigning to 'create a democratic socialist society focused on meeting the needs of people and the planet'. It wants to place immediate sanctions on Israel and end arms exports, withdraw from Aukus, reach net zero by 2030 and give permanent protection to all refugees. It is also calling for First Nations treaties, the abolition of all anti-union laws and a wealth tax for the 'super rich'. Running in: the Senate in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and WA and six lower house seats. Formed in 2010 in opposition to a large population, it advocates 'sustainable solutions' to address Australia's economic, environmental and social issues, including a universal basic income for all, the slowing of immigration, ending the housing crisis and diversifying the economy. It also wants to offer free university and Tafe and end multinational tax avoidance. Running in: all states and territories. The successor to the United Australia party (UAP), Clive Palmer's pet project is back, blanketing the country with yellow ads upholding 'democracy, individual freedoms, free speech [and] reducing government intrusion'. It wants to introduce a Trump-like Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), cut immigration, impose 'one culture, the Australian culture' and get the 'woke agenda' out of schools. Running in: all states and territories in the Senate and almost 100 lower house seats. Running on a similar 'revolutionary' platform to the national Socialist Alliance, the party has gained widespread media attention thanks to its Victorian Senate candidate Jordan van den Lamb, AKA purplepingers, who has campaigned hard on the housing crisis. It wants to 'stand for renters', tax large corporations and the wealthy, and reverse privatisation. It is also anti-war and pro-climate action and union rights. Running in: Victoria.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hungary's parliament votes to limit rights of dual nationals and LGBTQ+ people
Hungary's parliament has backed a range of constitutional amendments which will limit the rights of LGBTQ+ people and dual nationals. The amendments, which the government says are aimed at protecting children's physical and moral development, will enable it to ban public LGBTQ+ gatherings. Hundreds gathered outside parliament to protest against the move, which rights campaigners have labelled a "key moment in Hungary's shift toward illiberal governance". Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose Fidesz party voted through the bill, vowed in March that an "Easter cleanup" of his critics was coming. The vote passed with 140 members voting for and 21 against. The amendments will also enable the government to temporarily suspend the citizenship of any Hungarian dual nationals who are deemed a threat to the country's security or sovereignty. Fidesz has suggested that the move is aimed at those who finance "bogus NGOs, bought politicians and the so-called independent media" from abroad - leading some to speculate it is, in part, intended to target Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros, who Orban has frequently criticised. The amendments follow a law passed last month that banned LGBTQ+ pride marches on alleged grounds they are harmful to children. Orban praised the legislation at the time, saying: "We won't let woke ideology endanger our kids." Speaking to the BBC, opposition Momentum MP David Bedo said: "It's not just about pride, it's about any assembly that is organised by the opposition." "This is only the first step they're taking in this one year campaign, and we are going to see many more laws enacted and passed in parliament that is very much against any democracy or any rule of law," he added. Government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X that those in government viewed the changes as a "constitutional safeguard against ideological influences that they argue threaten the well-being of children, particularly in the context of events like Pride parades". The changes are seen by some within Hungary as an attempt to reshape the country's identity along Christian-conservative lines. Viktor Orban's party has been in office since 2010. But polls suggest that the new centre-right party Tisza is in the lead nationally ahead of next year's parliamentary election. Tisza, which wants a more constructive relationship with the EU, shot up in popularity after Peter Magyar, a one-time Fidesz politician, broke with the ruling party in February 2024 over what he said was its poor running of Hungary. The government hopes to force Peter Magyar to come out in favour of Pride - and thereby alienate his more conservative supporters. He has refused so far to take the bait. Hungary bans LGBTQ+ Pride marches Hungary withdraws from International Criminal Court during Netanyahu visit EU court fines Hungary €200m over its asylum policy
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Hungary's parliament votes to limit rights of dual nationals and LGBTQ+ people
Hungary's parliament has backed a range of constitutional amendments which will limit the rights of LGBTQ+ people and dual amendments, which the government says are aimed at protecting children's physical and moral development, will enable it to ban public LGBTQ+ gathered outside parliament to protest against the move, which rights campaigners have labelled a "key moment in Hungary's shift toward illiberal governance".Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose Fidesz party voted through the bill, vowed in March that an "Easter cleanup" of his critics was coming. The vote passed with 140 members voting for and 21 amendments will also enable the government to temporarily suspend the citizenship of any Hungarian dual nationals who are deemed a threat to the country's security or has suggested that the move is aimed at those who finance "bogus NGOs, bought politicians and the so-called independent media" from abroad - leading some to speculate it is, in part, intended to target Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros, who Orban has frequently amendments follow a law passed last month that banned LGBTQ+ pride marches on alleged grounds they are harmful to praised the legislation at the time, saying: "We won't let woke ideology endanger our kids."Speaking to the BBC, opposition Momentum MP David Bedo said: "It's not just about pride, it's about any assembly that is organised by the opposition.""This is only the first step they're taking in this one year campaign, and we are going to see many more laws enacted and passed in parliament that is very much against any democracy or any rule of law," he spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X that those in government viewed the changes as a "constitutional safeguard against ideological influences that they argue threaten the well-being of children, particularly in the context of events like Pride parades".The changes are seen by some within Hungary as an attempt to reshape the country's identity along Christian-conservative Orban's party has been in office since 2010. But polls suggest that the new centre-right party Tisza is in the lead nationally ahead of next year's parliamentary which wants a more constructive relationship with the EU, shot up in popularity after Peter Magyar, a one-time Fidesz politician, broke with the ruling party in February 2024 over what he said was its poor running of government hopes to force Peter Magyar to come out in favour of Pride - and thereby alienate his more conservative supporters. He has refused so far to take the bait.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hungary plans legislation preventing blockade of bridges during protests, Orban says
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's government is planning a law that would prevent protesters blocking bridges in order to defend the rights of those not protesting, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. Bridges, particularly in the capital Budapest, which is divided by the Danube river, have become a focal point of anti-government protests over the past years, as demonstrators seek to press their demands. On Tuesday, thousands of people demonstrated on Elisabeth Bridge in the city as they again protested against a law that aims to ban the annual Pride march by LGBTQ+ groups, and which is seen by critics as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a 2026 parliamentary election. Orban, who faces a strong challenge from a surging opposition party ahead of the vote, has criticised the LGBTQ+ community and pledged to curb foreign funding of independent media and non-governmental organisations in Hungary. "Freedom of assembly is important ... but it is not normal that in the meantime thousands or tens of thousands are stuck in a traffic jam," Orban said in an interview on state radio. Orban, in power since 2010, said the new law was needed to prevent bridge blockades as currently a court decision allowed them to take place. "Judges apply the law passed by the government ... We can do one thing, we can change the law in order to prevent the blockage of several bridges based on court decisions," said Orban, who promotes a Christian-conservative agenda. Parliament, dominated by Orban's Fidesz party, passed a law last month to ban the Pride march on the grounds that it could be harmful to children. Festival organisers say it poses no threat to children and plan to hold the event despite the ban. Previously Orban has said the fact that rallies such as the one on Tuesday can take place means there is no threat to democracy in the country, calling opposition protests against the Pride ban a "provocation".
