We demand more than band aid solutions, we want real change

By Adam Bandt MP, Leader of the Australian Greens 

In the last few weeks in Canberra, we’ve been doing everything we can to try to get Labor to actually take the cost of living, housing and climate crisis seriously. Labor or the Liberals are not interested in actually solving the problems. The just keep tinkering around the edges.

They’re not interested in helping renters, mortgage holders or people getting ripped off by the supermarkets. 

They’re just papering over the cracks, refusing to do their job and fix the pressures which are causing the cracks in the first place. 

The cost of living, for many people, is a full blown economic crisis. Millions of people are going without. It’s not going to be fixed with an electricity rebate or child care subsidy.
 
When we push for more, we’re told we’re threatening the band aid solutions they’ve proposed. 

We’ve been accused of being obstructionist and extremists. We’ve been told we’re unrealistic and our policies are unaffordable pipe dreams. 

This is why people are so fed up with politics. There’s no vision. No one prepared to push for something greater than what we have now. No one prepared to reach for the stars and transform people’s lives for the better.  

And at the same time, big corporations are making record profits and 1 in 3 are paying no tax. Imagine what we could do if we started taxing them properly to fund the things everyone needs. 

Now, with their support in the polls tanking, Labor is searching for someone to blame. And, they’re looking at us. They are trying to drag us down to their level. 

If Labor wanted to tackle these problems, to make childcare free, fund a massive expansion of publicly owned renewable energy, freeze and cap rents, wipe all student debt and reduce mortgage rates they have the numbers.

We’re ready to work with them. 

If they wanted to make big corporations pay their fair share of tax, they would have the numbers. The Greens would use our numbers in Parliament to back changes which would benefit everyday people. 

We need to show courage, and we need to lead. Everything is impossible until it’s not. 

We’ve been here before – last time we negotiated with Labor, we were able to secure an extra $3B for public housing. 

We need to go out and fight for lower rents, lower mortgages, free childcare, wiping student debt, publicly owned renewable power and no more coal and gas. 

Our message to people is simple: 

We can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result. 

We deserve better, and we can achieve it.