Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre information night, where he called for a new political party based on values and decency. Photo: Wayne Jansson
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser has called on young people to organise and create a new political party based on values and decency.
He made the call during an Asylum Seeker Resource Centre event at Melbourne Town Hall on Thursday night during a question and answer session.
Earlier in a speech (below), Mr Fraser said of recent and current Australian government refugee policies:
I thought we got to the bottom of the barrel a couple of years ago, people keep on getting a better, bigger, deeper barrel.
Corinne Grant, the MC for the evening asked Mr Fraser: “If both major parties are racing to the bottom of the barrel, how do we keep them out of the barrel”?
Mr Fraser answered:
I’ve been talking to some people about the Labor Party and they’ve come to the view that the Labor Party is beyond reform, John Faulkner in Sydney has tried really hard and has been rolled absolutely. I’ve been trying to find the people to reform the Liberal Party but it would take 25 years, we haven’t got that long.
Mr Fraser went on to say: ‘the logic of that is key, a whole bunch of 30 to 40 year olds should get up and do something about it, it’s not a job for octogenarians, it’s time we had a party based on values and decency’.
The former Prime Minister suggested using IT to organise and said a bit of work has already been done by different groups in Sydney and Melbourne. He urged people to create a broad-based party with broad-based policies that can “go for government”.
Malcolm Fraser poses for a selfie after the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre information night at the Melbourne Town Hall. Photo: Wayne Jansson
Listen to Malcolm Fraser call for a new political party
No Fibs recently reported the creation of a new party The Australian Progressives, they have since submitted their application with the Australian Electoral Commission to register as a political party.
During the night, Mr Fraser labelled Billy Hughes a bigot saying there’s a couple of Billy Hughes’ right now, naming Immigration and Border Protection Minister Scott Morrison as one of those.
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I don’t like the name Australian progressives, it still sounds American, to my thinking progressive in American terms means profit at any cost, and still tied to the larger Corporations, that faux control Governments.
Not sure that there is that much connotation associated with the name. What does the name liberals conjure up? They should re-name to be Australian Libertarians.
For me progressives does not conjure up your connotation Dennis. Perhaps look at policies and ethics then decide – you never know, maybe you could persuade them to change the name from within!
Dennis, can you think of and/or suggest any other names that imply a middle groun, people and values focussed party idea?? It is bloody hard…
I launched a Centre Party of Australia a few months ago; initially called The Third Party. The idea was to govern from the centre for all interests, industry, commerce and citizens. Growth was too slow and I put it on the back burner.
I’m mystified. What is it about the Greens that render them so toxic they don’t even rate a mention in a speech such as this alongside the two major parties. The Greens are already established, field generally younger candidates, have policies based on values and decency and are crying out for new blood to support and shape ‘progressive’ ideas for Australia’s (and the world’s) future generations.
I think it is more likely that they are the current threat and he doesn’t want to be seen as favouring one of the existing options.
Don’t reinvent the wheel, join the Greens.
Y
WRT greens, I am wary of their “political nous”, I do vote for them but some of the decisions mystify me:
1. Squashed carbon trading scheme because they disagreed with one aspect
2. (nearly) voted with abbott to make people pay fuel excise when they knew miners would retain the free pass
3. They seem to be somewhat disunited (result of being too state based?) An example is that I get duplicated emails each worded slightly differently, both signed by the leader
When I vote, my choice is made as follows: Is there an independent of the Xenaphon, Windor, Oakshott mould? if no then vote green.
Don’t forget Andrew Wilkie – the very model of a modern major moderate.
Wilke is a good man, but we can’t all vote for Wilkie. Or Tony Windsor or Rob Oakeschott. There are too few like them.
I think the Greens, imperfect as they are, offer the best prospect for growing a genuinely progressive major party. I also greatly favour of progessive inedependents to “keep the bastards honest”.
+1
I too lean to the Greens but they need to reform themselves. I attended the first day of a “Greens Reboot the Future” event in Sydney and was aghast at the disorder and useless speeches talking to the converted but not a discussion on how we can do better etc, which, I was led to believe, was the object of the exercise. No, I agree with Malcolm that we need a new party and I would like to suggest the name “Values” as that’s the essence of what’s currently missing. A new party is a fresh opportunity to re-examine and discuss values and will draw members from all the other parties. I have some ideas on how IT could be used to enhance the process at http://www.virtualparty.org.au
Thanks you, Malcolm, for so eloquently expressing the disquiet I have been feeling ever since the Pugilist Wngnut too the Prime Ministership. I am pleased to see I’m not alone,
The greens are largely using the environment for politics and point scoring. DO the greens actually show much ‘leadership’?? do they practice what they preach- loudly & proudly?? Not really. The greens members do and all credit to them, but their leaders have descended into a rabble.
I know this from firsthand experience. Nobody from the @greens will talk to me because I am seen politically as a threat to them and their votes… so I keep on as an Independent, building my solar farms and trying to demonstrate the power that one man has in this world. The power is there for all to use, but the key is to actually use it and not abuse it.
The Greens fight about a national (Bob Brown, Christine Milne etc) vs state based parties is interesting in this regard. There is also the Arts Party. I’ve joined the arts party because I have a hope of them doing politics differently and making it about policy and values (knowing that you’ll never be one of the majors brings certain freedoms) – it’s early days so we’ll see what’s possible.
Unfortunately it seems as though the two ‘Progressive Parties’ are either too left-wing (might as well be the Greens) or in complete shambles. I have decided to start working towards building a truly centrist, social liberal party based on the principles of freedom, fairness and opportunity and am seeking people who will help become a part of and build this party. If anyone is interested check out the links below and email me at alliancepartyau@gmail.com.
Philosophy
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14o3jkwyiBUJnZAMtgPw9XrIQIOUA9xGIybFRWy5c1xA/edit?usp=sharing
Policy Ideas
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mp6h0qgOp7s6sMCdxMQz5L_FjULXjQVXDxp48muAEcY/edit?usp=sharing
Wishing you every possible success. My over-riding impression from the docs is that they don’t take the impact of climate change seriously enough. Which applies to all parties I think.