Elections > Federal Election 2007 > Candidates

Zane Alcorn

Socialist Alliance candidate for Wills

Why I am standing

I'm running for parliament because ...
I refuse to just sit by and watch our rights at work being eroded, the climate overheating, and people being killed in my -our- name in Iraq and Afghanistan. I want to live in a fair, just, peaceful and ecologically sustainable world. I think most people want those things. But we need to make it happen because we are heading in a bad direction on all of these fronts. If I get elected I will hold the new Labor government to account over its promises to 'rip up' WorkChoices and bring Australian troops home from Iraq.
Futhermore, I will campaign for real action on climate change, including taking the power and mining sectors back into public ownership so that they can be transformed and coal mining phased out. I would call for direct and large scale government investment into renewable energy generation, including wind turbine and solar panel factories, and the construcyion of biomass plants, and for research and development into concentrating solar thermal, and hot dry rock geothermal plants and the construction of pilot plants. I would campaign for a transition to a new export economy for Australia based on renewables exports instead of fossil fuel exports, and for Australia to be a major supplier to the global clean energy transition.
The 'free market' is not going to take these initiatives, but the government can- and must- if runaway climate change is to be avoided.

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Important issues in my electorate

Wills in not home to too many tycoons. It is a pretty working class area. Workchoices is shaving more off the income of Wills residents so the bosses can be ultra rich. Its not on. We support the full abolition of WorkChoices and would campaign to make sure the new Labor government keeps its promise to get rid of WorkChoices, and doesn't just delete a few parts of these unfair laws and keep the rest.
We want peace and so do the residents of Wills judging from those residents I have spoken to.
We would campaign to make sure all Australian troops are bought home from Iraq and Afghanistan and to ensure that our 'defence' force is used for defence and not as a tool of conquest.
The Socialist Alliance has the strongest Climate Change policy of any party- including the Greens- and we would seek to immediately transform Wills as an example to the rest of the country of how emissions can be deeply reduced.
We would campaign to have a trial program in Wills where free or highly subsidised water tanks, solar hot water units and solar photovoltaic panels are supplied to homeowners and possibly small businesses.
We would also legislate for larger businesses to have to buy and install these units.
We would seek to use this as a precenent for a national campaign to put solar panels, water tanks and solar hot water heaters on virtually every suitable building in the country- which is most of them.
We would campaign to establish a free transport zone throughout Wills whereby bus, train and tram journeys within the electorate are free.
We would campaign for the free transport program to be spread to the rest of the city, and to other cities nationally.
The Tullamarine toxic waste dump contails a cocktail of poisonous wastes and residues. People who live near the dump have a higher rate of cancer, miscarriages and birth defects. This dump, which is still in operation, is set to leach into Moonee ponds creek over time and make the creek a dangerous place to go near just like the dump itself is. This is unacceptable. The socialist alliance would fight to shut down the Tulla toxic waste dump and have the site fully cleaned up.
We want to see Moonee ponds creek and Merri creek cleaned up and rehabilitated. We would like to see more parkland and community gardens in Wills, and even more quality cycleways.

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Important policy documents

1. Tear up all of Work Choices
- No to individual contracts
- Yes to collective agreements in workplaces and across industries
- The rights of casual and part time employees to be the same as for full-time workers
- Defend the right to strike
- For strong and democratic unions

- Get rid of the Australian Building and Construction Commission

2. Stop the destruction of our planet
- The Socialist Alliance supports 60% emissions reductions by 2020 and 90% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
- Stop logging of old growth forest
- Stop Gunns' pulp mill
- No dredging of Port Phillip Bay
- End the mining and processing of uranium and pull Australia out of the nuclear cycle
- Implement an emergency program to phase out coal and rapidly make renewable energy the main source for the power grid
- Bring all power industries under public ownership
- Free and efficient public transport

3. Make poverty history, free health and education Universal and free education and health systems
- Medicare to cover optical and dental
- More money for all levels of public education
- No TAFE or university fees
- A living wage for all carers, pensioners and unemployed

4. Fix the housing crisis Stop the privatisation of public housing
- Build new public housing to end the waiting list
- Improve maintenance of public housing
- End private rental profiteering
- End repossession of homes due to increases in mortgage repayments

5. Bring the troops home Withdraw all foreign troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Let the Iraqi and Afghan people determine their future
- War spending to be redirected for social services and to assist poor countries
- Free Palestine
- No war on Iran
- Self determination for the Tamil people in Sri Lanka

6. Defend Aboriginal rights Solidarity with Indigenous peoples’ struggles
- No government intervention in Aboriginal affairs (Northern Territory and elsewhere)
- Land rights not land grabs
- No more black deaths in custody
- Justice for victims of police racism like Redfern’s T. J. Hickie and Palm Island’s Mulrunji
7. Scrap anti-terrorism laws Stop attacks on Islamic and Middle Eastern communities
- Restore civil liberties lost under anti-terrorism laws
- Free all people presently held under ‘anti-terror’ laws, like David Hicks, the Goulburn 9 and the Barwon 13, and drop the charges against the 3 Tamil activists
- Stop harassment of Mamdouh Habib, and provide compensation for his ordeal

8. End all discrimination Equal pay for equal work irrespective of sex, age or race
- Repeal all laws that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation
- Support same-sex marriage and adoption rights
- Expand maternity leave and legalise abortion
- All refugees welcome to Australia and be given full citizenship rights
- Close all dentention centres and build Refugee Help Centres for new arrivals

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Contact Details

Other Candidates

CLARKE, Edward - DEM
COLLIS, David - GRN
ISHERWOOD, Craig - CEC
KELADA, Ihab - FFP
* THOMSON, Kelvin - ALP
TOMISICH, Claude - LP

* incumbent