Who should I vote for? Labor and Liberal policies explained before federal election
If you still have no idea who to vote for in the federal election, here’s a complete breakdown to make your decision a little easier.
Federal Election
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It’s been a long election campaign but election day is here.
Many Aussies have already begun voting early ahead of election day on Saturday, May 21.
Both major parties have announced a grab-bag of goodies as they have zipped around the country.
To find out what it means for you, complete our Election Calculator and see how much better off you would be under each leader.
Still unsure who to vote for? Here is a rundown of their major policies and promises.
COST OF LIVING
What Labor says
Labor blames the Coalition for the “triple whammy” of skyrocketing inflation, falling real wages and interest rate rises.
It says it will get wages moving, including supporting a rise in the minimum wage by up to 5.1 per cent — to keep pace with inflation — if it is recommended by the Fair Work Commission.
It will make childcare up to $1600 a year cheaper for families, and bring power bills down by an average of $275 a year by 2025 to help alleviate cost of living pressures.
The cost of scripts will be brought down by $12.50, and Labor will also match the government’s expansion of the eligibility for the seniors health care card. Pensioners will have their deeming rates frozen at current levels for two years.
What Coalition says
Higher inflation is being blamed on “things beyond Australia’s control” including higher electricity prices due to rising coal prices thanks to the war on Ukraine, and disrupted supply chains due to Covid.
The Coalition has halved the petrol excise for six months, making it cheaper to fill up at the bowser, and is also doling out one-off payments of $250 to pensioners. Low and middle-income earners will also receive a $420 offset when they do their tax returns this year.
The Coalition will bring the cost of scripts down by $10 and expand eligibility for the seniors heath care card, while also ensuring 900,000 pensioners continue getting a certain level of payments by freezing deeming rates for two years.
ECONOMY AND JOBS
What Labor says
Multinationals will face a crackdown on loopholes allowing them to avoid paying tax, and Labor says it will invest public money more wisely, as well as conducting a waste and rorts audit. It will save money by cutting contractors in the public service.
Labor will also try to boost wages by supporting wage reviews, make gender pay equity an objective of the Fair Work Act and strengthen powers to order pay increases for workers in low paid, female-dominated industries.
It will enshrine “same job, same pay” into law, provide new protections for gig workers, and make wage theft a crime nationally.
To drive productivity growth, Labor will invest in education, make childcare cheaper, provide more university and TAFE places, and expand full-fibre NBN access.
It will also have a $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, including $1 billion earmarked for investment in advanced manufacturing projects that innovate in transport, defence, resources, agricultural, medical science, renewables and low emission technologies manufacturing, as well as $1 billion for investment in critical technologies including quantum computing, artificial intelligence, robotics and software development.
All of its promises will cost $8.4 billion more than what the Coalition plans to spend over four years. However, the government estimates cumulative deficits are expected to be at least $223 billion over the same period, regardless of who wins the election.
What Coalition says
The Coalition has pledged to create 1.3 million jobs over the next five years with one in three of them to be located in the regions.
It says it has brought unemployment down to 3.9 per cent — its equal lowest level in 48 years — and has maintained its Triple AAA credit rating.
The PM says the party’s economic management will put downward pressure on rising costs and interest rates.
Jobs will be created through its $464 million investment in up to seven new hydrogen hubs around Australia, as well as millions in funding to support businesses in the wine industry.
There will also be money for a zinc manufacturer, distillery, milk factory and aluminium smelter waste recycler.
A $50 million program to develop solar, hydrogen and other technology solutions between businesses and the universities of NSW and Newcastle, has also been announced.
EDUCATION
What Labor says
Boosting teacher numbers and lifting standards will be part of a $146.5 million plan that will see 5000 students with high ATAR scores paid a bursary of up to $12,000 a year to study teaching. Labor will also try to lure professionals from other fields to retrain as teachers.
An extra 45,000 extra fee-free TAFE places and an extra 20,000 extra university places will be provided over 2022 and 2023, with a focus on areas of skills shortage.
Major government projects will also be asked to focus on providing work for apprentices, trainees and cadets.
What Coalition says
It will provide up to 800,000 new training positions in the VET sector and boost regional apprentices, giving them an extra five per cent wage subsidy in their first year, above that of subsidies in the rest of the country.
It will support university innovation and industry collaborations through the $362 million Trailblazer Universities program, which includes Deakin University working with industry partners to accelerate ideas into innovative, sustainable manufacturing solutions in the hydrogen and recycling industries.
The Coalition will also put millions towards encouraging women to undertake non-traditional trade apprenticeships, enter the manufacturing industry or digitally skilled roles.
It will invest in up to 300 training places for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in carer professions, and will establish ReBoot, a pre-employment program for young people to build life and work skills.
An extra 1500 Aussies will be trained for jobs in defence manufacturing and technology industry as part of an expansion of the Defence Industry Pathways Program.
ENVIRONMENT
What Labor says
Labor plans to ramp up Australia’s response to climate change more quickly than the Coalition, promising to cut emissions by 43 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030, although both parties say they will get to net zero by 2050.
It will make electric vehicles (EVs) cheaper and build a national EV charging network and invest in hydrogen highways for heavy transport.
Around $20 billion in low-cost financing will be provided for upgrades to Australia's transmission grid, and there’ll be changes to the safeguard mechanism to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases allowed to be emitted each year by certain companies.
Labor will put an extra $194.5 million into Great Barrier Reef protection programs and extend funding for the Reef 2050 Plan beyond mid-2023. There’ll also be more funding for restoring urban rivers and catchments, Indigenous rangers and for establishing a National Water Commission.
What Coalition says
The Coalition will stick to its pledge to cut emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030, although the PM estimates cuts could be as high as 30-35 per cent. Rouge backbencher Matt Canavan has claimed the net zero by 2050 target is “dead” but the PM denies this, saying it’s government policy.
The Coalition says it will invest $22 billion in renewables and low-emissions energy technology, and is supporting gas-fired power and hydrogen hubs in Tasmania, Northern Territory, New South Wales and South Australia.
It’s also putting money into demonstration projects for carbon capture and concentrated solar thermal power in South Australia, and an aluminium smelter waste recycling facility in Tasmania.
Around $7.4 billion will be spent on more dams in Queensland and other water projects.
The Coalition says it won’t support any shutdowns of native forestry, and will work to create permanent timber production areas. It will also expand the Indigenous Rangers Program, and put $22 million towards supporting new environmental, river restoration and recreational projects across the Swan and Canning Rivers in Western Australia.
HEALTH
What Labor says
Fifty new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will be delivered next financial year, to take pressure off emergency departments.
Labor will establish a Strengthening Medicare Fund, putting in $250 million a year over four years, to deliver improved access to GPs (including after-hours), greater patient affordability, less pressure on hospitals and better management of complex and chronic conditions.
In line with the government’s announcement Labor will also widen eligibility of the health care card and cut the cost of glucose monitoring for diabetes patients.
It will make scripts $12.50 cheaper, slightly bettering the government’s $10 announcement.
Labor will allow regional and outer metro communities to recruit more doctors, and improve access to bulk billed telehealth psychiatry consultations.
There will also be increased health screening for newborns, extra melanoma nurses, more Shepherd Centres to support children with hearing loss, and a service set up to help nurses and midwives avoid burn-out.
An extra 136 hospital beds will be provided at Adelaide’s Flinders Medical Centre as part of a$400m expansion. Funding will also be provided to end HIV transmission in Australia.
What Coalition says
It will bring down the costs of scripts listed on the PBS by $10 from January 1, and will also lower the PBS Safety Net threshold from July 1, so patients pay for fewer scripts.
The Coalition will cut the cost of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) to support an additional 71,000 Aussies with diabetes, and will also make it cheaper to access treatments for breast cancer, spinal muscular atrophy and eosinophilic oesophagitis.
It will invest up to $375 million to establish a comprehensive cancer centre in Queensland, and will also fund a Royal Flying Doctor base in Tasmania, invest in youth mental health organisation batyr, and fund mental health and suicide prevention support and services in Western Australia.
Patients with cancer or people at risk of passing on genetic diseases will have their egg, sperm or embryo storage subsidised for the first time, and $55 million will be invested in mental health services in Tasmania over five years.
HOUSE PRICES
What Labor says
Aussies will be able to buy a home with a deposit of just 2 per cent as part of Labor’s equity scheme, which will cut the cost of buying a home by up to 40 per cent for 10,000 people a year.
Labor will also make properties cheaper by building social and affordable housing using a $10 billion fund to construct 30,000 homes for families doing it tough, as well as those fleeing domestic violence, and frontline workers like police, nurses and cleaners.
What Coalition says
First home buyers will be able to invest up to 40 per cent of their superannuation (to a maximum of $50,000) to help with purchasing a property under the Coalition’s new Super Home Buyer Scheme.
It will also lower the age that Aussies can downsize their properties (and invest up to $300,000 into their super fund from the proceeds) to 55 years old.
An extra 25,000 first home buyers will be able to access the Coalition’s popular Home Guarantee Scheme that allows people to buy with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent.
Extra places will also be set aside for regional home buyers and single parents. Price caps will also be bumped up, to enable people to buy properties worth up to $900,000 in Sydney (instead of $800,000).
TAX
What Labor says
Multinational companies will be targeted to ensure they are paying a fair amount of tax, their deductions will be limited and there’ll be measures to ensure more transparency.
Labor says it supports the OECD plan for a global 15 per cent minimum tax on these companies but will consult with the industry, with changes to begin after 2023.
It says it is not planning any other tax changes and has ruled out introducing a carbon tax “ever” and is not planning to change the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax.
What Coalition says
The Coalition says there will be no new taxes on Aussie workers, retirees, superannuation, small business, housing or electricity, as part of its Lower Tax Guarantee.
It’s also provided an “ironclad guarantee” that its planned $100 billion in tax relief will be delivered, including the Stage 3 tax cuts that will benefit higher income earners in particular.
However, it won’t continue funding the temporary low-to-middle-income tax offset (LMITO), also known as “the lamington” next year.
The Coalition says it will keep taxes below 23.9 per cent of GDP.
CHILDCARE
What Labor says
Labor promises to reduce child care costs and allow parents to work more and earn more. They say changes will leave 96 per cent of families better off, with the average family saving $1600 a year. The plan will kick in next year, with Labor promising to include it in its first budget.
Playgroups will also get a boost with support for toy libraries, upgrades of facilities and for new playgroups in regional and remote areas.
What Coalition says
The Coalition says it has already reduced out-of-pocket childcare costs and will continue to ensure they are kept low.
It will fund a further 20 child care services in remote settings, and address service gaps in regional areas. It will also deliver greater accountability on preschool participation and outcomes.
SOCIAL SERVICES
What Labor says
Having grown up in public housing, Anthony Albanese says he understands the pressures some families are under.
Labor will get rid of the cashless debit card and will expand access to the seniors health care card in line with the government’s plan.
It will also build 30,000 new social and affordable housing properties in its first five years, which includes properties for women and children fleeing domestic violence.
Investment returns will be used for maintenance of housing in remote Indigenous communities, and towards creating ten hubs for veteran services.
Labor will also introduce a royal commission into Robodebt by the end of this year, and an expert review panel will be introduced to ensure NDIS packages are not being unfairly reduced. It has dropped plans to review the JobSeeker rate.
What Coalition says
The Coalition will expand access to the seniors health care card to an extra 50,000 Aussies by increasing the income threshold.
It will bring down the costs of prescriptions listed on the PBS by $10 from January 1, and will also lower the PBS Safety Net threshold from 1 July so patients have to pay for fewer scripts.
It says claims it will put pensioners on the cashless debit card are a lie.
INTEGRITY COMMISSION
What Labor says
Labor will legislate a national anti-corruption commission by the end of this year, saying it will be independent from government and not take directives from politicians about how it operates.
However, its one-page plan has been criticised for lacking detail.
What Coalition says
The Coalition has a 347-page draft bill for an integrity commission that it has never introduced to parliament for a vote, despite it being a 2019 election promise.
The PM says he won’t introduce the legislation unless he is sure Labor also supports it, even though the Coalition has enjoyed majority support in the lower house.
Critics of the government’s model say its too narrow in scope as it would not have the power to hold public hearings, make findings of corruption or act on public tip-offs.
RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION
What Labor says
Labor supports protecting people from discrimination on the basis of their religion but also says it doesn’t want to see any child discriminated against. It says it would consult widely about any changes and vowed to protect LGBTIQ+ school students if elected.
It will amend the religious discrimination bill at the same time as the sex discrimination act.
What Coalition says
Scott Morrison says passing a religious discrimination bill would be a priority for his government, after he failed to get the bill through parliament this year, due to five MPs crossing the floor over concerns about gay and transgender students being expelled from faith-based schools.
If re-elected, the PM says he wants the religious discrimination bill and separate sexual discrimination amendments dealt with “sequentially”, instead of together.
INFRASTRUCTURE
What Labor says
Labor will help fund Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop and has backed the Coalition’s $1.5 billion plan to build new port facilities in Darwin.
It will also build a national EV charging network and invest in hydrogen highways for heavy transport and expand full-fibre NBN access to another 1.5 million premises.
There’ll be $250 million in local road upgrades around Australia, and $587 million towards expanding the Bruce Highway in Queensland.
What Coalition says
It will fund the $220 million upgrade to Sydney’s Epping Bridge on a 50:50 basis with the NSW Government, and put $200 million towards Barwon Heads Road upgrade in Victoria.
It also plans to put $12 million into a new wharf at East Devonport, Tasmania, $14 million towards upgrading Adelaide’s Glenelg Reef tourism precinct, $40 million for roads on the NSW’s Central Coast, and $1.5 billion for new port facilities in Darwin.
AGED CARE
What Labor says
Labor has promised to crackdown on dodgy residential aged care providers, by implementing tough penalties for systematic abuse and neglect.
Its $2.5 billion overhaul of the sector includes requiring a registered nurse to be on site 24 hours a day, and mandating that every Australian living in aged care receives a minimum of 215 minutes of care per day, as recommended by the royal commission into the sector.
It has also vowed to put a cap on home care administration and management fees, as well as requiring monthly reports to users in a bid to stop rorting of the system.
Anthony Albanese says Labor will support aged care workers arguing for a pay rise in the Fair Work Commission.
What Coalition says
The Coalition says it has doubled investments in aged care, and its budget has funded care for 16 hours per day, although it does not mention care for 24 hours.
Its five-year $19.1 billion plan includes the roll-out this year of 40,000 home care packages, over 48,000 extra training places, 7000 new personal care workers, and 8400 respite services.
There will also be retention bonuses and infrastructure upgrades.
Pharmacy services will also be embedded within residential aged care facilities to improve medication management for the elderly.
The Coalition, along with Labor, has ruled out an aged care levy.
WATCHING SPORT FOR FREE
What Labor says
Labor says it will review the anti-siphoning scheme and give Australians the chance to watch events of national and cultural significance for free.
What Coalition says
The Coalition says it will also review the scheme.
COVID (HEALTH)
What Labor says
Pandemic preparedness and response will be improved by establishing an Australian CDC modelled on America’s centre for disease control, which will lead the federal response to future disease outbreaks and work to prevent chronic as well as infectious diseases.
What Coalition says
The government points to Australia’s relatively high vaccination rate and low death rate compared to other nations with advanced economies as proof its management of the pandemic has been “world leading”.
It has invested $2.1 billion in a “Winter Response Plan”, which includes about 160 million units of PPE and 26 million RATs for aged care facilities.
BORDER SECURITY
What Labor says
Labor has accepted the success of the Coalition’s Operation Sovereign Borders, saying it supports boat turnbacks and offshore processing.
It does not support temporary protection visas that leave refugees in limbo but says the visas are no longer used anyway, as anyone who arrives by boat is either sent to Nauru or turned back.
Refugees who were previously on temporary visas will be provided permanent protection visas instead, but “anyone who has attempted to come to Australia by boat will not settle here” and there will instead be third country resettlement, including to New Zealand.
Labor also says it will allow the Biloela family to stay in Australia.
What Coalition says
The Coalition has suggested Labor’s failure to support temporary visas could see people smuggling restart, and has pointed out that Labor “completely lost control of our borders” the last time they were in government.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE
What Labor says
Labor says Scott Morrison “dropped the ball” when it comes to Australia’s foreign policy after the Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China.
It will provide more aid funding to the Pacific, expand the transmission of Australian radio content, establish a pacific defence school and boost support for aerial surveillance activities.
Labor says it will undertake a whole-of-government approach to re-engage with the Indo-Pacific, and there will be ministerial visits to Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Malaysia and Japan, and a Trade 2040 Taskforce.
What Coalition says
The Coalition has pointed to its efforts in landing the AUKUS agreement with the United States and United Kingdom, and says it is investing a record $270 billion in the defence and security of Australia to 2030.
This includes buying new military helicopters and also $1 billion funding for Project Greyfin for specialised communications and intelligence equipment, new water and land vehicles, tactical equipment and weapons and new facilities.
Originally published as Who should I vote for? Labor and Liberal policies explained before federal election
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