Voting is a fundamental responsibility in Australia. In fact, it’s compulsory. It gives you the opportunity to have a say in the direction of this country. If you’ve ever turned on the news and felt frustrated about what is happening, casting your vote is a powerful way of telling the politicians what you really want.
Australians will head to the polls on 3 May for the upcoming federal election. Regardless of who you vote for, it is important to know what you are voting for. Here is Woroni’s official policy guide for this year’s election, focusing on the issues that matter most to students.
COST OF LIVING
Labor
In the 2024-25 budget, the Albanese Labor Government announced two rounds of tax cuts for all taxpayers. The first tax cut, set to take effect in 2026, will save taxpayers up to $268 (around $5 a week) in the first year, and $536 (around $10 a week) every year after that. The Coalition has criticised this policy as a “hoax” intended to buy votes, considering it saves as little as 70 cents a day. Notably, the tax cuts will cost the government more than what a $200 increase in Jobseeker payments would have. While this policy is undoubtedly a political move, it is still expected to offer some relief to taxpayers. Labour has also promised a further $150 in electricity bill rebates for every household, with the government estimating this will result in an average national reduction of 7.5% in bills.
Coalition
The Coalition’s big cost of living relief pitch is to reduce the fuel excise from 50.8 cents a litre to 25.4 cents for one year. This should reduce the retail petrol price from $1.80 to $1.55, increasing the purchasing power of individuals. Shane Oliver, the chief economist at AMP, estimates average household savings would be about $8.75 a week. This policy also means that individuals who use electric vehicles or do not own cars will not benefit. Cheaper petrol incentivised driving a car by making it more affordable, potentially discouraging road-users from switching to public transport, which is a more environmentally friendly alternative.
Greens
For cost of living relief measures, the Greens’ promise to lower the JobSeeker eligibility age to 18 and remove the parental income test so more students living independently can access financial support, increasing eligibility for about 68,000 young people. They also will cap rent increases to 2% every two years and plan to implement nation-wide 50 cent public transport fares, as seen in Queensland. However, the Property Council of Australia has previously expressed concerns that rent caps can undermine investor confidence and ultimately do more harm than good by restricting housing supply.
HOUSING
Labor
Labor pledges to spend $10 billion on housing support. This includes 20,000 new social housing homes and 10,000 affordable rentals for frontline workers. In the most recent budget, Labor also expanded the Help to Buy scheme by raising property value caps, allowing around 40,000 new first home buyers to enter the market with lower deposits and smaller mortgages. Although government initiatives to build housing can take time, and don’t necessarily offer immediate relief to the housing supply crisis, immediate measures that make it easier for people to buy homes may ultimately increase prices if demand outpaces supply.
Coalition
The Coalition proposes to invest $5 billion to fast-track essential housing infrastructure, with the aim to create 500,000 new houses. Dutton also promises to limit migration to supposedly free up an additional 40,000 houses in the first year. Under the proposed policy, first time home buyers will be able to access 40% of their superannuation to help with their house deposit. There will be a $50,000 cap on how much they can get out, but they must put that money back if they sell their house. The policy aims to make it easier for people to save for a deposit, but critics argue that allowing widespread access to superannuation could drive up property prices further, as increased demand would continue to outpace supply. If so, this would only benefit existing home owners by inflating property value. A study by the Super Members Council found that this policy would increase house prices by 10.3%, similar to what happened in New Zealand when a comparable policy was implemented.
MEDICARE
Labor
Labor has pledged to make the largest investment in Medicare’s history. If re-elected, Labor will expand bulk billing incentives with the goal of having nine in ten GP visits bulk billed by 2030. They will also open 50 more urgent care clinics to provide free, non-emergent care to those who need it the most, while also relieving pressure from hospitals. Labor plans to triple their bulk billing incentive to all Australians, building upon the 11 million most vulnerable Australians who have been eligible since November last year. However, the Royal Australian College of GPs president Michael Wright cautions there may be an “unreasonable pressure [for GPs] to see people too quickly” and “if the patient rebates are still too low to cover the cost [of running a practice, GPs are] not going to be able to take part in this program”. Labor also recently announced $1 billion for mental health support, aiming to either improve or implement more Medicare Mental Health Centres and Youth Specialist Care Centres.
Coalition
The Coalition will invest $9 billion in Medicare if elected. This includes $8.5 billion to match Labor’s promise and an additional $500 million for mental health support. A major focus of the Coalition’s policy is addressing the ongoing health workforce crisis. While Dutton has said his policies “will help build those bulk billing rates back up”, he is yet to announce any immediate measures to reduce the cost of GP appointments. The Coalition also wants to double the number of Medicare-subsidised mental health sessions from 10 to 20. While they have criticised Labor for cutting mental health sessions, it is worth noting that the cap was also 10 sessions under the previous Coalition government, with an increase to 20 only introduced temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dutton initially proposed cost-cutting within the Australian Public Service to fund his Medicare plan. However, he has recently walked back his previously floated 41,000 job cuts, instead saying that natural attrition and hiring freezes were intended. It is unclear whether these savings themselves would fully fund his plans.
Both Labor and the Coalition have committed to capping Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicine at $25, down from the current $31.60.
Greens
The Greens’ major pitch is to include dental care in Medicare. On their website, they highlight that last time there was a Greens-backed minority government, they successfully secured bulk billed dental care for children. Other policies include removing the cap on the number of Medicare mental health sessions, including ADHD diagnosis in Medicare and making all GP visits free.
HECS
Labor
Labor will reduce student debt by 20%, wiping out $16 billion in loans. This will result in an average reduction of $5,680 for ACT students. They will also increase the income threshold at which student loan repayments begin. Labor is promoting this policy as a cost-of-living measure which will also help young people save for a home deposit. However, critics have accused Labor for not implementing this while in government, and for not addressing the fundamental issue of high student fees.
Coalition
The Coalition has slammed Labor’s HECS policy, arguing that it benefits only three million Australians while being funded by the entire population. When the policy was first announced, Dutton called it a “card trick” to win back popularity. The Coalition’s campaign website does not include any HECS-HELP relief measures for students, and nothing has been announced yet.
In his budget reply, Dutton promised to “restore” the national curriculum focus to “core fundamentals … critical thinking, responsible citizenship, and common sense”. He has made repeated claims of the “woke agenda” in schools and has proposed the idea of conditioning funding if the curriculum does not align with the government’s agenda. The National Tertiary Education Union President Dr Alison Barnes believes, “This is one of the first glimpses of Peter Dutton’s plans for our halls of learning — and it’s evocative of the Trump administration’s politically motivated gutting of education and censorship in the USA.”
Greens
The Greens have promised to wipe all $81 billion of student debt, which would return an average of $5,500 per year to each graduate. They also promise to make TAFE and university education free for everyone. The Greens propose to raise revenue through measures such as “making big corporations and billionaires pay their fair share”, “ending wasteful subsidies for the wealthiest private institutions” and “increas[ing] the major bank levy rate”.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Coalition
One of the only mentions of students on the Coalition’s campaign website is to do with reducing the number of international students. Despite opposing Labor’s plans last year, the Coalition wants to implement a maximum international student enrolment share at public universities. They want to limit the number of new international students to 240,000 each year. This is 30,000 less than Labor’s proposed policy last year. The rationale behind policies targeting international students is to relieve pressure on rental markets, as part of a broader plan to reduce permanent migration. However, a recent Australian study that examined rental data from 2017-2024 found that international students were not to blame for the rising cost of rent, instead finding that international students have been “thrown under the bus”. The Shadow Education Minister has challenged this report. The Coalition also wants to increase visa application fees to $5,000 for international students applying to Group of Eight universities, hoping to deter applicants. Last year, Labor increased such fees from $710 to $1,600. The Coalition will also review the Temporary Graduate visa program, despite application numbers being down.
Labor
Labor, similar to the Coalition, also believe that the number of international students needs to be brought down to pre-pandemic levels. Their bill to cap international student numbers was sidelined after it became clear that it would not pass the Senate. Instead, the Albanese government issued a ministerial directive instructing immigration officials to prioritise student visa applications until about 80% of the international student caps were reached, after which any additional applications would be moved to a slower processing stream. International students have not been a prominent part of Labor’s campaign. However, both parties are ignoring that education is one of Australia’s most valuable exports. In fact, ANU Vice-Chancellor Geniveve Bell, when speaking about Labor’s bill last year, said that “universities…need the revenue from international student fees simply to be universities.”
While this guide has focused on the major parties, there are also independents running in the ACT and across Australia. Thanks to Australia’s preferential voting system, when you step into the voting booth on 3 May, you will need to number your preferences for both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This means that even if you vote for an independent, your preferences will eventually flow to a major party and help them form government. If a party secures 76 seats in the House of Representatives, they become a majority government, or they can form a minority government with the support of independents and minor parties. That is why it is crucial to know where your vote goes.
The following resources are available to help you further plan your vote:
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