LDP
opposes bikie legislation
The legislation that removes
basic rights of NSW citizens in order to give police additional powers to
control motorcycle gangs is opposed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
"When the LDP is in a position to
implement its policies, this legislation will be among the first to be
repealed. It is equally contemptible as terrorism legislation that allows
authorities to secretly detain people for questioning," said LDP President
Peter Whelan.
"There are ample laws to address
the criminal activities of bikie gangs with no need for more. Violence, drug
dealing and conspiracy are already serious crimes. The police simply need to
enforce them, free from the grandstanding of politicians.
"The new law will inevitably be
ignored by criminal motorcycle gang members, just as they have ignored the
coercive powers of the NSW Crime Commission. Innocent gang members will then
be jailed simply for meeting their fellow members. This will attract
publicity and the community will, legitimately, be outraged at the
injustice. The law will then be quietly ignored until it is once again used
against a group that can be collectively demonised by politicians desperate
for votes. Firearm owners know all about this nonsense."
"NSW politicians ought to
remember the words of Benjamin Franklin, who wisely said, "Any society that
would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve
neither and lose both," said Mr Whelan.
The LDP also condemns the
Coalition and minor parties for failing to oppose the legislation.
"The Liberal Party was once
liberal," said Mr Whelan. "These days the only consistently liberal party is
the Liberal Democrats. All the other parties that oppose the legislation are
left wing."
$466,000 per job Mr Rudd?
The government’s $42 billion
“stimulus” package will cost Australians $466,667 per job created, assuming
it even reaches its target of 90,000.
Every Australian will be
stimulating the economy to the tune of $2,000. More accurately, taxpayers
will be paying around $5,000 each of their own money.
Future generations will also be
left with responsibility for paying for the budget deficit, reducing the
ability of governments to reduce taxes and fund the things it ought to be
doing.
“A recession is unavoidable,” the
Treasurer of the Liberal Democratic Party Mr David Leyonhjelm said.
“What the government should be
doing is laying the foundation for recovery, so that Australia comes out of
the recession with an economy ready to benefit. When times are tough in the
business world we have to downsize, become leaner and more efficient. The
LDP believes the government should get smaller, leaner and more efficient,
not larger, rewarding inefficiency and planting the seeds for future
economic problems.”
“The Rudd government is showing
its true colours with this package. It really believes politicians and
public servants know how to manage the economy better than millions of
individuals and businesses spending their own money.”
The LDP calls for much more
significant tax cuts than the $2.7 billion in the stimulus, including
abolition of payroll tax by State governments (an obvious drag on job
creation).
“If the government is serious
about stimulating employment it should also be reducing or eliminating
company taxes, at least until the recession is over, and doing nothing to
increase the cost of employment with changes to industrial relations laws.”
“The government does not create
jobs; it costs jobs. Every dollar it takes in taxes, every regulation that
increases the cost of business, has the effect of reducing employment. The
correct response to the recession is to get out of the way, not hand out
taxpayers money in a frenzy of frantic activity,” Mr Leyonhjelm concluded.
Liberal Democrats approach to economic crisis
“The Rudd government must
not repeat the mistakes of the past in an effort to overcome the current
credit crisis,” the President of the Liberal Democratic Party urged today.
“It is in danger of doing
this by handing out billions of dollars to save failing businesses,”
explained Whelan.
“These actions will do
nothing to prevent the imminent recession, but they will increase the size
of government, reward inefficiency and plant the seeds for future economic
problems,” he said.
"This recession was
caused by bad government regulation in America which created incentives for
the finance industry to offer home loans to people that could not afford
them and allowed borrowers to walk away from these loans.”
"The financial crisis has
led some commentators to blame the market and call for more government
intervention. This is the wrong way around. It was the government that
created the environment in which the financial crisis could occur.
"The crisis has created
an environment of fear, and fear leads to bad public policy.
"The LDP believes it is
too late to stop the recession, but there are three things the government
could do now to help fix the fundamentals of the economy. Only then can we
experience stronger growth and a lower chance of recessions in the future.
"The first is to
immediately cut taxes. The government wants to get money into the hands of
Australians. However, there is a world of difference between tax cuts and
handouts. Tax cuts encourage responsible behaviour, reward hard work,
decrease inefficiencies in the economy and lead to higher wages and more
jobs. Spending offers short-term relief to the recipients, but it undermines
responsible behaviour.
“We have now witnessed
the foolishness of the recent Rudd government’s handout of $10 billion; it
was a short-term gift, rather than a long-term solution. The Australian tax
rates are too high. Now is an appropriate time to cut them.”
"The
second step is to ensure that we have a flexible labour market. That means
abandoning the Labor Party's Fair Work Bill and looking at ways to increase
flexibility. A recession means there is less money to go around. If the
government insists on increasing union power, this will come at the expense
of jobs. It's a simple equation - less flexibility, fewer jobs; more
flexibility, more jobs. The LDP supports a flexible labour market.
"The third step is that
the government must not bail-out any failing business. While it is
politically popular to hand out taxpayers’ money and stop all failures, the
market system relies on 'creative destruction' and the acceptance of risk.
The government should not punish businesses when they succeed, nor bail them
out when they fail.
"In this time of crisis
the other parties are shifting to economic populism and outdated Keynesian
responses which will do more harm than good. The LDP wants to pursue market
solutions that will ensure the long-term strength of the Australian
economy,” Mr Whelan concluded.
Liberal
Democratic Party Gets Its Name Back
After a process lasting
almost an entire year, the Australian Electoral Commission has restored the
original name of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The party now plans to
resume the campaign for smaller government, lower taxes and reduced nanny
state interference that began in the ACT in 2001.
National President, Mr
Peter Whelan, announced the success in advance of the party’s National
Conference, held on Sunday 25th January 2009 in Sydney.
Whelan said, “We are the
true liberals, with policies based on classical liberal (or moderate
libertarian) principles. Many ex-Liberal Party members have joined the LDP
after becoming disenchanted with inconsistent Coalition policies, branch
stacking and frequent leadership changes at the State and Federal levels.”
“The Australian Electoral
Commission refused to register the party as the Liberal Democrats prior to
the 2007 election. We always felt we would ultimately succeed in overturning
that decision, but there wasn’t time prior to the election. We were forced
to use the name “Liberty and Democracy Party” for the 2007 Federal election.
We also used that name in the Gippsland by election in mid 2008 when we got
4.2% of the vote.”
“Immediately after the
Federal election we applied to change the name back. The process was
severely delayed by the Gippsland, Page and Mayo by-elections. But, despite
objections by both the Liberal Party and the Democrats, our arguments
finally prevailed.”
Whelan explained that with
the original name restored, the party’s policies would now be more actively
promoted.
“The LDP has for many years
promoted its 30/30 tax policy and is considering other means of streamlining
the tax laws and reducing the interference of State and Federal governments
in our daily lives.”
“The measures being taken
by the Rudd Labor Government to overcome the financial crisis are far from
convincing, while the Coalition is no better; simply printing more money or
giving back some money to taxpayers doesn’t get to the root of the problem.
For too long Australians have been paying too much tax. Now is the time to
consider the positive aspects of cutting personal income tax and eliminating
company tax.”
Major Parties Miss The Point On Affordable
Housing
Both the Liberal and Labor parties will today address a meeting on
affordable housing organised by ACT Shelter.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/15/2391346.htm
Both parties are more interested in being seen to be addressing the issue
of affordable housing than implementing the obvious solution.
It is widely known that increasing the supply of land for development is
the most efficient way of ensuring that house prices are affordable.
David McAlary, LDP candidate for Molonglo, said: "When I spoke to
Liberals leader Zed Seselja, he was emphatic that he would never release
land in sufficient quantities to bring prices down. His reasoning was simple
- he did not want to compromise values for existing property owners.
"Jon Stanhope received a similar warning about the "dangers" of too much
land release from the Master Builders Association at the start of the
election campaign:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/12/2333220.htm
"The slow release of land for housing development has been a significant
contributor to the recent ACT housing bubble. Both major parties are now
committed to keeping prices high for political purposes. Too bad about the
people trying to buy their own place. "
The LDP policy of allowing market forces to drive housing development
would deliver long term affordable housing solutions and prevent housing
prices from overheating. The current system run by politicians and
bureaucrats has left the ACT with the most unaffordable housing in
Australia.
Liberals backflip on Assembly size
The Liberal Democratic party applauds the decision of ACT opposition
leader Zed Seselja to abandon the Liberals policy to increase the size of
the ACT Legislative Assembly from 17 to 21 members.
The Labor party continues to favor an increase to 25 members while the
Greens want 21 members.
Increasing the size of the Assembly has widespread disapproval amongst
the Canberra electorate which is why all parties supporting such a move have
been keen to keep it in the background.
The Liberal Democratic Party have been campaigning on this issue for the
last four months and believes that the policy backflip announced by the
Liberals last week is a direct result of this campaign.
We will continue to keep the issue of an increased Assembly firmly in the
spotlight and call on both the Labor and Green parties to rethink their
current positions
Success For LDP In Gippsland
The Gippsland by-election, in which the LDP gained 4.6% of the vote, has
confirmed the LDP is no longer just a micro party. It could now be correctly
referred to as a minor party. The difference is important.
“This is a really great result and I would like to thank the people of
Gippsland who put their faith in the LDP and Ben Buckley, with the "Give
Buckley a chance" campaign. I would also like to thank all our supporters
who helped at one quarter of the polling stations across the electorate,”
said LDP President Peter Whelan.
Whelan explained, "Ben worked tirelessly from the start, addressing
community forums from Yarrum, through Sale and Heyfield, to Omeo, as well as
numerous TV, radio and press interviews.
“We were able to get our message of small government, less red tape and
lower taxes across, through the many community forums, where Ben’s personal
following, commitment and sincerity shone through. He was not perturbed or
intimidated by the coziness between the “Three Old Parties” and certain
sections of the rural press.
"The LDP’s low cost TV campaign on free-to-air and YouTube.com was also
very well received as it did not engage in fear politics or denigrate the
other candidates. Gippslanders did not take kindly to this style of
campaigning by the old parties.
"This by-election result confirms that people who support our philosophy
of low taxes and less government interference will vote for us, as long as
they get to hear about us. We believe a lot of Australians are looking for
an alternative to Liberal and Labor but are not keen on left-wing options
like the Greens or social conservatives like Family First and the Christian
Democrats. The LDP offers that alternative.
"The Gippsland result shows we can achieve the figures of a minor party.
The preferences of minor parties determine the outcome in marginal seats and
sometimes entire elections. We are now in the same category as the Greens,
Family First and Nationals", Mr Whelan said.
“Already the flood of requests for membership details and unsolicited
feedback indicates that many of the 4000 Gippslanders who gave the LDP their
first preference vote are keen on our message.
The LDP intends to use its success to embark on a renewed membership
drive to achieve state registration as a political party in Victoria and
NSW.
"A lot of our policies are relevant to the State political environment.
Restrictions on commerce, petty taxes and interfering bureaucrats are
endemic to state governments", Mr Whelan said.
"Our aim is to run candidates in the next Victorian and NSW state
elections. It's pretty obvious Labor has peaked and is now in decline. As a
minor party our votes could be the key decider and will certainly give the
Liberals and Labor a reason to review their incessant nanny-state
interference."
LDP Wants Lower Fuel Tax And An Honest Debate
"The Liberal and Labor parties aren't being honest about the fuel price
debate. They are both offering to increase and decrease the fuel tax --
depending on who they are talking to," said LDP Vice-President John
Humphreys.
"Only the Greens and LDP are being honest about their positions. The
Greens argue for an increase in fuel tax. To their credit, they are
consistent and honest about their policy. The LDP is equally consistent and
honest, but we take the opposite view and would like tax on fuel to be
reduced.
The LDP is one of only five parties fielding a candidate in Saturday's
Gippsland by-election. Its candidate is local Councillor Ben Buckley. Of the
other parties, the Liberals, Nationals and Labor have given mixed signals
about fuel prices, while the Greens want higher fuel prices. Only Buckley
and the LDP have a clear policy of fuel tax cuts.
The LDP contested the federal election last year with a policy of 10
cents a litre reduction in the fuel tax, well before the Liberals picked up
the idea with their 5 cents a litre suggestion.
"The LDP is the only party not being caught up in the fear campaign of
global warm-mongering."
"The LDP accepts the basic science behind man-made global warming, and we
understand that this represents a potential risk for future generations.
However, in contrast to the other parties we do not believe in running an
exaggerated fear campaign to justify drastic large-scale government action.
"We believe that technological progress and human adaptability will help
us to adjust to the challenges and opportunities of climate change. Further,
we strongly reject the idea that the government should introduce bad policy
simply to look like they're doing something. The policies of the Greens,
Liberals and Labor include taxes, subsidies and regulations which would
provide little benefits and significant costs. The LDP will not join this
bidding war of bad policy.
"Last year I suggested a minimalist approach to climate change policy
that will help to encourage alternative energy sources, while having little
impact on the economy and actually reducing fuel taxes. The idea is to
replace the fuel tax with a lower but broader carbon tax which covers not
only fuel but also electricity-generation. The consequence would be slightly
higher electricity prices, and a 30c tax cut on fuel."
In October 2007 the Centre for Independent Studies released a monograph
entitled "Exploring a Carbon Tax for Australia", written by John Humphreys.
The monograph is available at:
http://www.cis.org.au/policy_monographs/pm80.pdf
"The carbon-fuel tax swap addresses two problems at the same time. The
most important area for climate change policy is addressing carbon emissions
from coal-fired power stations. At the same time, Australian families are
suffering considerably under the strain of an historically high fuel tax
which needs to be reduced. Both issues are addressed by shifting some of the
tax burden from fuel to electricity.
"The Liberals and Labor say they want to combat high fuel prices. They
are lying. Both parties are committed to drastic climate change policies
that will increase fuel prices. Only the LDP believes in taking a moderate,
measured, response to climate change and only the LDP believes in reducing
the fuel tax," concluded Mr Humphreys.
Save $60m with a $10m competition for a domestic
“green” vehicle
The government should abandon its $70 million donation to Toyota to
encourage local production of a hybrid car and hold a $10 million
competition for the best, most innovative plan for a “green” vehicle, claims
Ben Buckley, LDP candidate for the Gippsland by-election.
“In 1927, aviator Charles Lindbergh flew non-stop from New York to Paris
to claim a prize offered for innovation in flight. That led to aircraft
development and greater confidence in trans-Atlantic commercial flights.”
“In 2004 SpaceShipOne collected the $10 million prize aimed at making
space flight a commercial reality. That’s now been picked up by Richard
Branson as Virgin Galactic. Why can’t Australia offer a similarly inspiring
prize for a domestic, commercially-viable ‘green’ vehicle?” he asked.
Buckley continued, “Instead of handing over tens of millions that Toyota
didn’t ask for and doesn’t need, the Government should be encouraging
developments independently of the manufacturer. If Toyota has the best
innovation, that’s fine, but it shouldn’t be given first prize without
considering any other entries”, he said.
The LDP has an open policy on sources of energy and believes that the
market will decide what works best without government interference.
“We don’t think the government has any business spending our money on
something that the market will sort out. But since it seems determined to
throw money away, it should at least throw it somewhere that might have a
benefit.”
“Our plan would save $60 million that could go into tax cuts. The
remaining $10 million may possibly kick-start innovation in this area. With
the technical and engineering capabilities already present in Gippsland, a
local firm or TAFE college may benefit from such an open competition”,
explained Buckley.
LDP To Stand In ACT Election
The Liberal Democratic Party is intending to run in the upcoming ACT
election. This will be the third time the libertarian party has contested
ACT elections.
The party's campaign will focus on three themes:
1) Opposition to Jon Stanhopes plan to increase the size of the ACT
Legislative Assembly.
2) The introduction of a school voucher system to address funding
inequality for non government schools.
3) Implementation of an affordable housing strategy that embraces private
sector solutions including the sale of most public housing in the ACT.
Canberra businessman David McAlary has been confirmed as the party's lead
candidate in the seat of Molongolo, with other candidates to be announced
over coming weeks.
"In spite of the ACT having Australia's healthiest, youngest and most
affluent population, we have the highest percentage of public housing in
Australia. One in 10 residential dwellings in the ACT is owned by the
Government compared to the national average of around 4%," Mr McAlary said.
"The LDP will campaign on a platform of reducing the amount of public
housing stock in the ACT to bring it in line with the national average. With
the private sector in the ACT so willing and able to meet the high demand
for housing, there is little need for the local government to be involved."
"The high rate of public housing has done nothing to relieve the current
housing shortage. In fact the ACT has the nation's tightest and most
expensive rental market. The ACT Government should give the private sector
the freedom it needs to expand to meet the demand for accommodation."
"The LDP also believes in restoring to parents both the right and ability
to choose where to educate their children. Its policies are aimed at
ensuring schools compete with each other for students on the basis of
quality and cost."
"And we absolutely oppose any increase in the size of the ACT Legislative
Assembly. More pollies just means more waste and taxes. We have more than
enough of them already," he said.
RED TAPE AND TAXATION: "LESS IS BEST" SAYS
LDP CANDIDATE BEN BUCKLEY
“With a budget surplus of $22 billion, the Rudd government is not only
spending taxpayers’ hard earned money at unprecedented levels but also
stockpiling large sums in huge, government-controlled slush funds," Ben
Buckley, Gippsland candidate for the Liberty & Democracy Party (LDP) said
today.
"The major parties have agreed to shuffle the tax brackets around and
drop rates by a few percentage points, but their plan will not ultimately
fix the mess.
"The LDP is the only political party contesting the Gippsland by-election
with a plan for fundamental tax reform. We are calling for a flat income tax
of 30% over a tax-free threshold of $30,000. Under this approach no
low-income Australian would pay tax, and other Australians would receive a
significant tax cut. This will help working families as well as other
Australians and lead to strong economic growth.
"We need to keep our hard earned dollars in Gippsland, not send them to
Canberra,” explained Buckley.
The current system is complex and inefficient and the level of taxation
is simply too high. Our top marginal tax rate is higher than the rate in
communist China, our income tax burden is one of the highest in the
developed world and Australians are currently suffering from the highest
level of taxes in our history. An estimated 80,000 people are employed to
interpret, minimise, monitor compliance or enforce our tax system.
"The LDP plans to eliminate much of that red tape for businesses and
individual taxpayers," claimed Buckley.
Unfortunately the Labor government has no plan to do anything differently
from its Coalition predecessor. It has offered small tax cuts, but prefers
to simply blame petrol companies and retailers for the cost of living. When
average people are paying so much to the government, that's totally
ridiculous", Mr Buckley said.
"Neither major party believes in reducing taxes any more. The LDP is the
only party contesting the Gippsland by-election that believes in reducing
the number of government employees, cutting red tape and bold tax reform.
"The LDP supports free markets, personal liberty and limits to government
intrusion. Until now voters that believe in small government have only been
able to choose between big and bigger. Now voters in Gippsland have a
meaningful choice", Mr Buckley said.
LDP AGAINST COMPULSORY VOTING AND TAXPAYER
FUNDING FOR POLITICAL PARTIES
Ben Buckley, the LDP (Liberty and Democracy Part) candidate for Gippsland,
claims the LDP is the only political party in Australia that believes voting
is a right.
“To force people to vote, under threat of prosecution, is not a right. It
is a legal obligation. Yet that is what every other party supports. Every
other political party wants to take away your right to choose by forcing you
to vote,” explained Ben.
The LDP is also against taxpayer funding of political parties. The
Australian Electoral Commission funds each political party to the tune of
$2.14 for each vote it receives, once it passes the 4% level.
“As a result of last November’s Federal Election, the Labor Party
received just over $22 million of taxpayers funds.”
“No wonder the major parties don’t want to introduce voluntary voting,”
Ben said. “It is a lucrative rort.”
“Compulsory voting takes away choice and also undermines our democracy.”
“Party supporters can be ignored because their vote is guaranteed, and
political parties can spend all of their time trying to buy the votes of the
20-30% of Australians who are swinging voters. Under voluntary voting,
Liberal supporters who opposed the direction of the Liberals could protest
by not voting at all. The same applies to Labor and the Nationals.
“The option of not voting also means that no electorate in the country is
ever truly safe, because a low turn-out of supporters could mean a major
upset.
“In addition, voter turnout is an important indicator of how well
politicians are engaging with the Australian people. It is the job of
politicians to earn respect and support, not simply be the least worst
candidate in a forced ballot.
“Some people in Australia value their vote and care deeply about the
democratic system. Every time an indifferent voter picks a random candidate
for no real reason except that they are forced to, they cancel out a serious
vote. If people don’t care and don’t want to vote, they should have the
right to stay at home,” he said.
LDP ANNOUNCES GIPPSLAND CANDIDATE
The Liberty and Democracy Party (LDP) will be contesting the June 28th
Gippsland by-election. The LDP’s candidate is well known Gippsland identity,
Ben Buckley.
Describing how the LDP will appeal to Gippsland voters, Ben said, “The LDP
stands for low taxes, small government and individual freedom. That's also
what I believe in, and I think a lot of Gippsland people do too."
“Australians pay far too much tax and both Coalition and Labor governments
try to bribe us with our own money. On average
people are paying 30% more tax than 10 years ago, even after adjusting for
inflation. Neither the Liberals, Nationals nor Labor have any real
commitment to restructure our taxation system to correct this. With all the
money being generated from GST, company tax, petrol tax, traffic fines etc,
we could be paying zero personal tax,” Ben explained.
The LDP has a well-developed policy to reduce taxes that involves a tax-free
threshold of $30,000 and a flat 30% tax rate above this. It is also
committed to reducing or removing other taxes such as land taxes and Council
rates, to significantly decrease the tax burden on all Australians.”
“Governments are also far too authoritarian and intrusive. None of the major
parties has any commitment to individual choice and responsibility. While
the proper role of government is to protect our lives, freedom and property,
our governments are transforming Australia into a place where every aspect
of life is controlled.
"The LDP stands for reduced government intrusion in the lives of ordinary
people. That includes things like voluntary voting, assisted suicide and
removing the petty rules and penalties that torment businesses. It would
restore to property owners the right to permit smoking on their property and
to cut down their own trees. Even when the choices that individuals make are
unwise and could harm them, so long as nobody else is forced to suffer harm,
‘It's your choice, not the government's’”, Mr. Buckley said.
The LDP is unlike most small political parties because it is not focused on
a narrow range of issues and does not reflect the views of a dominant
individual. It is also not pursuing a left or right wing political agenda.
It is a genuinely broad-based party, defining itself as anti-left,
anti-right and pro-liberty. Parties with a similar approach include ACT in
New Zealand and the Libertarian Party in the USA.
