To all Australian Parliamentarians,

We can have a better world out the other side of this crisis — but to do that we need to lay the foundations for a society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, communities are resilient to future pandemics and extreme weather events, and we reclaim our democracy from vested interests.

We demand that government stimulus efforts embed the following principles:

1. Self-determination and Land Rights for First Nations people

   • Give power and resources to Aboriginal-controlled organisations to determine the right solutions for communities.
   • Genuine Free, Prior and Informed Consent and self-determination for Traditional Owners with mining proposals and projects on Country.

2. Millions of new low carbon jobs that are secure and unionised

   • We can create 1 million jobs in renewable energy and low carbon industries, and they can be unionised. We can think big about low carbon jobs — from care jobs to education, arts, ranger programs, tourism, regenerative agriculture – industries that don’t pollute and extract from the earth are the industries we need. 
   • As we move away from mining and burning fossil fuels, we must prioritise employment and support for communities who have relied on these industries in the past, and transition to good unionised work and secure service delivery.
   • There is so much potential in smart infrastructure projects too, like high speed rail, bike lanes, affordable housing, and electric vehicle charging stations.

3. Caring for the most targeted and vulnerable people, in health, economic and climate crises

   • When crises hit, it is those who are structurally oppressed who suffer the most. A People’s Recovery would prioritise the long term wellbeing and safety of First Nations people, migrants, people of colour, the elderly, LGBTIQA people, Regional and remote communities. 

4. Clean up our democracy

   • Sever ties between industry lobby groups and our governments and put people and communities before big corporations.
   • Establish anti-corruption watchdogs and transparency measures that increase accountability of politicians to their constituents.

5. Create resilient systems that can weather future crises

   • Begin the transformation of primary production towards a cleaner, higher-value and more resilient sector through investment in regenerative agriculture
   • Create thousands of new, unionised jobs in the supply chain and manufacturing industries, that can be powered by 100% renewable energy. 

6. A fair and just tax system that resources our public services

   • Reform our tax regimes to ensure that multinational corporations pay their fair share of tax both here in Australia and overseas.
   • Rule out financial support for industries that are not in line with reaching the Paris climate agreement, and companies registered in offshore tax dens.