Socialist Alliance's priority pledges for the 2002 Tasmanian election

Wednesday, July 17, 2002 - 10:00

  • Make Tasmania a refugee safe haven. End mandatory detention.

  • Jobs not profits. A shorter working week with no loss in pay. Nationalise under workers' and community control companies that threaten mass sackings. Abolish youth wages.

  • A massive boost in funding for health and education budgets. Reduce hospital and nursing home waiting lists. Expand the public housing stock.

  • Stop clearfelling in old-growth forests. Stop the Southwood woodchip mill. Guaranteed jobs for timber workers. End subsidies to the woodchip industry.

  • Pay justice and safe staffing levels for nurses. Increase nurses' salaries.

  • Increase tax on business. Reduce politicians' salaries and superannuation to that of an average worker.

  • Reverse corporatisation of the Hydro. Reschedule electricity prices so ordinary households pay less and business pays more. Stop Basslink.

  • Publicly funded, free abortion service in the north and south of the state. Remove abortion from the crimes act.

  • A massive expansion of public transport. Increase urban bus routes, introduce urban trams. Re-establish a passenger train service between Hobart, Launceston, Devonport & Burnie.

  • Expand sexual assault support services, refuges and childcare services. Make childcare free.

  • Nationalise the insurance industry to solve the insurance crisis. Government insurance for midwives. Increase workers' compensation benefits and restore workers' common law rights.

  • Public ownership not corporate subsidies.

  • Return Aboriginal land. Negotiate a treaty with the Aboriginal community.

  • End nuclear and non-nuclear warship visits. No support for the misnamed "war on terrorism".

  • Tackle the causes of crime and violence. Seek alternatives to prison for offenders.

From GLW issue 500