The State of Victoria is the antithesis of a functional democratic system of government. Corruption is rife, incompetence abounds, crime has been allowed to increase to such an extent that people are questioning who in government is benefiting from it, government debt has ballooned to such an extent it has become concerning but still is projected to continue increasing, and even low-level public officials operate with impunity, which the Victorian judiciary not only allows but in their determination to allow it stoop to whatever depths necessary, including into blatant dishonesty, bias and showing a reckless indifference to the truth. In addition to that, our political class blatantly ignores the wishes of the Victorian people, and rather than adhering to their core value of transparent government, does its very best to deny transparency. These problems are not isolated incidences by a few rogue individuals, they are systemic.
Since these problems have been created or allowed by government, they can be fixed by the right government. A Classic Liberals Australia (Classic Liberals Australia) government will fix the problems by essentially taking a ‘demolition and reconstruction’ approach. This entails asking three
questions of every department, every state law, and every public servant. These being: 1) Does it ensure the safety of Victorian residents or protect their properly? 2) Does it improve the well-being of Victorian residents? 3) What needs to be done to ensure Victorian people
get better value for money?
The government that will emerge from this exercise will be small, efficient, transparent, appropriate for the 21 st century, focused on its core duty of ensuring the safety of Victorian people and protecting their property, and one that treats the people of Victoria as adults
capable of making their own decisions. Classic Liberals Australia’s policies for the State of Victoria include the following: (consider together with Classic Liberals Australia’s
general policies, as per Policies page)
Classic Liberals Australia will separate project selection from politicians, ensure management is accountable, require annual reviews of economic justification, and provide full transparency. This will ensure that infrastructure projects are protected from political interest.
Classic Liberals Australia will decentralise school education, provide educational and sport vouchers to school children, significantly reduce the size of the education department, and generally ensure that school children are being well prepared for the world that lies ahead of them as adults.
Classic Liberals Australia will remove the immunity afforded to judges, they must be accountable to the people of Victoria and must keep the legislature (politicians) in check to ensure they do not pass laws that are contrary to the wishes of most Victorians. If the judiciary does not have the power to do so, we need to give it that power. If it has the power but is not willing to exercise it, we need to change our judiciary
Classic Liberals Australia will be tough on crime and focussed on significantly reducing reoffending rates. It will establish more prisons, catering for different types of criminals, and will work with law enforcement to establish the underlying causes of crime then deal with those causes. Government should not (as it has with tobacco and alcohol excise taxes) facilitate organised crime. Such conditions must be removed. Classic Liberals Australia’s whistleblower policies will also reduce crime.
Youths must recognise that adverse consequences await criminal activity – but generally not in prison like conditions, rather in high discipline boarding schools designed as technical schools – so they leave with discipline, a work ethic and an ability to earn an income from skills learnt.
There should be no State debt, but given current debt levels and infrastructure commitments that probably won’t happen in our lifetimes. On an annual basis, government must live within its means. Any borrowing for infrastructure must be repaid and serviced through the collection of tolls, otherwise no borrowing should be permitted.
Classic Liberals Australia’s aim would be to reduce government expenditure to such an extent that the State could live off its allocation of GST revenues. The State should also get a proportional share of the fuel excise tax. Some other taxes would be collected on a ‘user-pays’ basis. For example, vehicle duty to merely cover the cost of vehicle registry service, and land tax to merely cover the cost of the land registry service. Otherwise, Payroll tax will be abolished, so will Land Tax, Vacant Residential Land Tax and the Short-Stay Levy.
Classic Liberals Australia will substantially reduce in the size of the health department and further decentralise healthcare.
Unless physical health of mother or baby is at grave risk, abortions will only be permitted during the first trimester of pregnancies.
Classic Liberals Australia is generally not supportive of a Royal Commission or other enquiry into the management of the virus. Rather, Classic Liberals Australia intends to ensure the law is changed to make it significantly more difficult for a government to impose lockdowns, enforce vaccinations, require mask wearing and so on. Any such impositions should require two-thirds majority in both houses and be supported by an independently verified cost-benefit analysis disclosed to the public.
Essentially if the addiction results in anti-social behaviour, injecting in the streets or results in their being unemployable, the user will be sent for rehabilitation, subject to a three-strike rule. So, an Classic Liberals Australia government will establish rehabilitation facilities and close injecting rooms.
with First Nations people and the related Voice to Parliament will be abolished.
Such laws and rules will be abolished, and similarly motivated policies will be scrapped. A Classic Liberals Australia government regards everyone equal under law. Government may not discriminate – all appointments must be merit based.
Individual rights to freedom of speech, religion, assembly and association must be protected by law and upheld by our judiciary, as should the right to be treated with respect by public servants and officials. These rights are subject to some restrictions such as not inciting violence, being tolerant and respectful of others and not impinging on the rights of others.
The rapid development of Ai and humanoid robotics could cause a significant increase in unemployment and underemployment in the short to medium term. Government needs to ensure those people continue to have a meaningful and active life, otherwise social problems are likely to skyrocket. A Classic Liberals Australia government will create an environment that encourages private sector growth and will establish for-profit, multi-facit regenerative agricultural enterprises where the workers share equally in the profits. These provide work opportunities for significantly more people per hectare than does industrial agriculture.
The State of Victoria needs an anti-corruption commission that is independent of government and has the powers needed to properly investigate, prosecute and effectively and stamp out corruption within government or involving public servants and politicians. A Classic Liberals Australia government will ensure that Victoria’s IBAC (anticorruption commission) has such powers and is adequately funded. Like any other body, it needs to be accountable for its conduct. It should be accountable to the people of Victoria, but the challenge is finding the best way for it to be held to account while not succumbing to political manipulation. An option is for it to report to the Governor General, and for those reports to be open for public review. Another option is for it to continue reporting to The Integrity and Oversight Committee, a joint parliamentary committee. This however needs further consideration.
Neither the State Government nor Local Councils will decide rezoning applications or determine building requirements. These will be determined by the local residents, and (with the exception of meeting safety standards) any affected residents (such as immediate neighbours) will decide whether to accept any variations to the stated building requirements for that area. If consent is not obtained from all affected, the variation will not be allowed. State Governments and Local Councils will, for example, not have the authority to forge ahead with high-rise developments against the wishes of affected residents.
