Yesterday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited the Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove to have the two houses of Parliament dissolved so that the campaign for a double dissolution Federal Election can commence. And as we’ve all suspected for several weeks, we will be heading to the polls on 2 July 2016.
The eight-week campaign, one of the longest is Australian political history, has already commenced, with Parliament to be officially dissolved this morning.
Announcing the date in Canberra to waiting reporters, Malcolm Turnbull said that the campaign offered voters a “clear choice”. “To keep the course, maintain the commitment to our national economic plan for growth and jobs, or go back to Labor, with its higher taxing, higher spending, debt and deficit agenda, which will stop our nation’s transition to the new economy dead in its tracks,” he said.
He also threw the first barb of the campaign at Labor, stating that it had “no credible or coherent way” to meet its promise of higher spending. “Labor claiming to speak for fairness, but in really speaking for nothing more than increasing taxes, stands in the way of Australians getting ahead,” he said.
In Tasmania to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the Beaconsfield mine disaster, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten laid his cards out, saying he stood for a “fair go” for all Australians.
“A choice between Labor’s positive plan for the future and three more years of dysfunction, dithering and disappointment,” he told reporters. “Trust Labor to deliver better jobs and reasonable conditions. Trust Labor to stand up for schools, TAFE, childcare, universities. Trust Labor to protect Medicare and bulk billing,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said that the election campaign was the “start of the nation’s journey to decide where it will go and how it will determine its future”. Meanwhile, Greens Senator Richard di Natale, who was attending a ‘No more coal’ protest at a Newcastle beach said, “Let’s make the transition to a 21st century economy, and let’s get this country moving in the direction that’s more sustainable, more prosperous, and more caring.”
Read more at www.abc.net.au
Opinion: Which election promises do you want to see?
Anyone watching television last night would have been left in no doubt that the federal election campaign is well and truly under way. And one can only guess at the cost of the proliferation of advertising from all sides of the political parties that aired on primetime television. Obviously, the calling of the dissolution of Parliament came as no surprise, with the Coalition and Labor both having a series of ads ready to roll.
But while both parties have clearly stated their election goals, what either will do for older Australians seems to have missed the first day campaign cut.
It will remain to be seen who will be the first to realise that Australia’s baby boomer voters are indeed a powerful and politically savvy cohort. You can, however, rest assured that YourLifeChoices will be following the campaign closely to see which policies, if any, for older Australians, the major parties will promote.
Along the way we’ll be inviting comment from a series of experts on matters political, financial, health, age discrimination and any other areas you, our members would like to see addressed.
So, why not let us know, either in the comments below or by sending us an email to [email protected], which policies and issues you would like to see addressed over the next eight weeks?
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