Why I’m Voting Liberal

This column is part of our ‘Why I’m Voting‘ series. We asked five politically-minded writers — some with official ties, others without — to convince us, in 1000 words, to vote for their party. Each writer worked to the same brief and submitted their column on the same day; the following article represents the writer’s views — not the view of the party, not the view of this website, and not the view of every single person who votes that way.

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I have an admission. I’m voting Liberal… but I hate Tony Abbott. Never been a fan. The bizarre things he says and manages to do are ridiculous, plus I dislike his apparent lack of religious and political separation.

I’m not a fan of Kevin Rudd either. He does look great as a GIF, but has had his own daft moments, not to mention the leadership debacle that just about lost all credibility that he (and the ALP) had for me.

But the leaders are the low hanging fruit of the political debate; let’s focus on the parties and their policies

You’ll Never Agree With Every Policy

I don’t agree with some of the policies that the Liberal Party have put forth. I’m distinctly not on board with their marriage equality stance (although I think it will go up for a conscience vote regardless of which party wins*), and good luck trying to work out which of the LNP or ALP’s immigration policies is worse.

You will never find a party that you agree with on every policy, and you will never find a party whose every member you agree with.

Work out what issues matter most to you, and find the party that most closely aligns with these beliefs. When I was talking to some friends about this article, one of them made a great point: “Find the party that you agree with the most, and then join them. And work to change the parts about their platform you like the least.”

^* There’s actually an argument that if you want gay marriage to be legislated, it’s important to vote for moderate LNP candidates (again, not voting just based on Abbott vs Rudd), to encourage the party to allow a conscience vote and get it through. Talk to your local member and ask them what their stance is on a conscience vote!

So What Issues Matter To Me?

Parties always have a particular focus, whether it’s climate change, changes to drug laws or separation of church and state. When you compare the ALP and the LNP across a range of issues, their views are vastly similar. (See: education, disability, immigration or mental health policies).

I believe that for us to continue to have one of the strongest economies in the world, we need to increase productivity, lower tax for companies (which encourages more investment and innovation), and reduce much of the bureaucracy that is costly, time-consuming and frustrating.

Reducing The Cost Of Doing Business And Research

I run a small business (working in digital media and communications), and we do quite a bit of work with government at all levels, which costs a lot more than working with businesses or not-for-profits: some businesses have cited costs of up to $40,000 to join a government services panel.

I welcome the Liberal Party’s proposed changes to encourage government departments to pay bills on time – something that causes cashflow nightmares for many small businesses, and increases the cost of doing business.

The LNP have also committed to encouraging research, development and investment to improve our manufacturing industry, rather than simply rebates. Proposed changes to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding processes to reduce the time and effort required to apply will increase productivity and reduce overheads in our medical research industry, which has been responsible for many world- and life-changing innovations.

Tax Is A Nightmare, And Needs Reform

The Henry Review — ‘Australia’s Future Tax System’ — was released in 2010, and provides a large range of recommendations, many of which the Liberal Party have made part of their policy platform.

The LNP plans to reduce company tax, which the report states “will not only result in higher growth but is also likely to result in higher wages”, and which will start with a 1.5% reduction on 1 July 2015 should they form Government.

The review also called for increased incentives for those on government allowances to work, as advocated by the LNP’s policy to encourage those on unemployment payments to permanently join the workforce through payments to jobseekers who’ve been in permanent work for 12 months, and through relocation allowances.

The LNP’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme Will Work

A significant challenge for many women in the workforce is how to deal with the impact childbirth and maternity leave has on their careers.

I love the LNP’s Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme. It empowers women to have children while working, by providing 26 weeks leave (compared to the ALP’s 18 weeks) at their existing pay rate (capped at $150k). This will allow women to stay at home for the minimum recommended period for new mothers, and importantly it also includes superannuation.

As a small business owner, this policy will mean I can compete with larger businesses for skilled women, and (hopefully) encourage them to lend their expertise to Australia’s extensive small businesses.

On the other hand, the ALP’s freeze on childcare rebates further increases the financial strain of having children, and limits access to childcare for families. I have little doubt that the PPL will engage more women in the workforce, and hopefully help reduce the underrepresentation of women in business leadership and board positions.

You can debate whether we have the capacity to pay for this scheme, and that is certainly an issue. But in my opinion, maternity leave payments tied to income make good sense, and definitely will help those wanting to start a family while keeping their careers. The Greens have supported the LNP’s’ PPL scheme, albeit with a lower cap (of $100k).

“But You Work In Internet. What About The NBN?”

The National Broadband Network (NBN) is a huge investment, and necessary – both parties acknowledge this. But the ALP’s NBN hasn’t had a great record in meeting milestones, and has been plagued by contractor issues. Somewhat suspiciously, NBN Co won’t be releasing its latest business plan or update on the rollout until after the election.

Suggesting that it will ‘pay itself back’ is farcical. The NBN’s long-term cost falsely assumes that people will pay more for internet over time, with economists noting that OECD experience is that consumers pay 2-5% less on broadband per year, even with better line speeds. The NBN cost estimates assume the opposite: that payments will increase over time.

While I welcome increased Internet speeds for all across the country, I want to see progress and transparency on costs, neither of which we are presently getting. The LNP’s policy will both reduce cost (with higher certainty around what that cost will be), and increase speeds sooner.

Given trends toward mobile device use and the developments in high-speed wireless technologies, we may see very different infrastructure requirements for the future, providing similar speeds to the NBN. Ultimately, ‘there is policy, and there is delivery.’ While Labor’s policy might be heralded as great, their record in delivering anything promised for the NBN is not.

Nobody Is Perfect

When it comes down to those minutes in the ballot box, voters need to decide what issues matter most to them, and vote accordingly. For me, the Liberals are an obvious choice, even if I don’t agree on every point.

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Hugh Stephens is a social media consultant and tweets too much @hughstephens. He also owns a very fluffy cat, which he considers a requirement for anyone working in social media.