This information relates to the 2022 Federal Election and may no longer be current. 

Greens Policy Platform – latest announcements​

Our place in the world

The Greens plan to stop public money being handed to big corporate weapons makers and instead promote peace, fund aid and help those seeking asylum.

Wars, and weapons of war, have cost too many lives and too much money. These wars distract from the fight against the climate crisis. 

Labor and Liberal have taken big donations from corporate weapons makers, and given them huge amounts of taxpayers money to make weapons we don’t need.

Did you know:
The Greens introduced War Powers legislation to change how we decide to go to war and worked with the community for the establishment of a Royal Commission in to Veterans’ Suicide.

The Greens will cancel defence contracts, and cut defence spending. We will focus on promoting peace in our region, increasing global aid to 0.7% of GNI, increasing our humanitarian intake, and looking after people in times of climate crisis. 

By refocusing on peace, the billions of dollars that are being thrown at weapons manufacturers with little scrutiny can be redirected towards the services our community needs, and prepare us to respond to climate disasters. And we will be able to provide asylum for those seeking it and fund programs to help our neighbours too.

Photo of a smiling father and daughter. Text reads, A fairer and safer world is built on peace and prosperity

Peace, Disarmament, and Demilitarisation

Our wars cost lives, billions of dollars, and make huge profits for the corporate war industry.We need a new approach to keep people safe. It’s time to stop handing public money to corporate weapons makers and build cooperative relationships with our friends and neighbours

Billions of dollars are being thrown at weapons manufacturers with little scrutiny. 

The Greens plan includes:

  • Renegotiate the US alliance to secure a new relationship focused on making us a better global citizen
  • Pass War Powers legislation to ensure governments can’t send us to war without Parliamentary approval 
  • Close all military bases that foreign militaries have set up in this country
  • Sign and ratify the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty
  • Ban the development and use of Lethal Autonomous Weapons in line with the international campaign ‘Stop Killer Robots’
  • Reduce military spending to 1.5 % of GDP by buying fewer guns and tanks, and ensuring that we have a light, readily deployable and highly mobile force that meets the needs of our place in the world,
  • Increase oversight of defence procurement by establishing a Parliamentary Defence Office to provide independent advice to Members of Parliament.
Photo of a smiling person. Text reads, Aid is not simply charity, but a matter of global justice

Human Rights and Foreign Aid

Countries in the Global South are facing the climate crisis, a public health crisis, and an economic crisis. 

As a wealthy, colonial country, we have a responsibility to contribute its fair share of aid, and pay reparations for its role in the climate crisis and the ongoing damage caused by imperialism. 

Too often our aid is used to further our national ambitions or greedy trade interests instead of addressing local needs. And those fleeing war or oppression are being locked up in onshore and offshore prisons, rather than supported as refugees seeking asylum. 

Our Pacific neighbours are already feeling the climate crisis with rising seas, more extreme weather and less drinkable water 

The Greens plan includes:

  • Increase Australia’s aid budget to 0.7% of GNI by 2030
  • Adopt a human-rights centred approach to foreign policy
  • Use diplomatic relationships to advocate for human rights around the world
  • Place the human rights and self-determination of women and girls at the centre of Australian development assistance programs
  • Provide climate finance and reparations of $4.5 billion from 2022-2025, more than tripling our current commitment
  • Establish an independent development oversight agency
  • Cancel future loan repayments from all countries in the Global South who owe debt directly to Australia
  • Advocate for other financial institutions and foreign governments to cancel any outstanding debt payments from countries in the Global South
Photo of a smiling person. Text reads, More and more people are being displaced because of war

People seeking refuge

People seeking asylum have been the subject of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment for the political benefit of the Liberal and Labor parties. 

Both major parties support indefinite detention for people who seek safety in Australia. 

And in the last Budget, the Australian Government dropped its annual humanitarian refugee intake quota from 18,750 to 13,750. 

Australia will spend $1.2 billion in 12 months to detain fewer than 300 refugees and asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea and Nauru

The Greens plan includes:

  • End offshore detention on Manus Island and Nauru, bringing refugees to safety and freedom in Australia, and ensuring we create a fairer and safer system that helps more people and meets our international obligations 
  • Increase Australia’s humanitarian intake to 50,000 per year
  • Push for a faster, fairer, and more affordable family reunion visa system that actually
    reunites families
  • Provide an additional 4000 humanitarian places for refugees from Afghanistan and protect Afghan citizens already in Australia 
  • Establish a regional solution for people seeking asylum 
  • Introduce a 7 day limit for onshore detention and provide fair support for people seeking asylum 
  • Abolish Temporary Protection Visas and reintroduce Permanent Protection Visas for refugees
Photo of a smiling person. Text reads, We should be an exporter of renewable energy not weapons

No more weapons exporting

Both major parties have previously taken donations from weapons manufacturers and now the Coalition government, supported by Labor, is intent on making us a top 10 global arms exporter. 

The ‘Defence Export Facility’ makes us complicit in overseas atrocities, like war crimes committed by the Saudi regime in Yemen.

Our government has committed over $4 billion of public money to arms exporters. 

The Greens plan includes:

  • Immediately abolish the Defence Export Facility 
  • Introduce legislation that prohibits us from exporting weapons

Together, we’re powerful.

We have a plan to reduce the cost of living, make housing more affordable, tackle the climate crisis, and make sure everyone is looked after.

We'll take on the big corporations, stop them ripping you off, and and tax them to fund the things that everyone needs. The Greens are fighting for you.