Australian Union Manifesto Proposes Wealth Tax, Gas Export Reforms, and Expanded Public Services

The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union circulated a 32-page manifesto that proposes a new marginal tax rate on individuals earning above $500,000 a year, an annual wealth tax on assets excluding the family home, and an inheritance tax on large bequests.

The Guardian reported that the document also calls for fundamental reform of the petroleum resource rent tax on gas exports and winding back fuel tax credits for large mining companies. The current top marginal tax rate stands at 47 percent, including the 2 percent Medicare levy, and applies to income above $190,000.

Labor is set to make an in-principle commitment at its national conference to ensure taxpayers receive a fairer return on natural resources. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is not considering a gas tax because of uncertainty in the international oil market caused by the Middle East crisis.

The manifesto further proposes adding dental care to Medicare, making education from childcare to university free, raising welfare payments to end poverty, and nationalising the aged care system.

It also seeks to give workers veto rights over the use of artificial intelligence in workplaces and the ability to negotiate for a share of revenue generated by AI. Additional measures include enacting the Uluru Statement from the Heart, including the Voice to Parliament, and abolishing the Union Jack on the Australian flag from public life.

The Guardian reported that the union described the document as a “working-class instruction to the government on how to build a society that actually works for us all” rather than a polite request.