Edward Palmer for the seat of MacArthur

Bio

I have lived in and around South Western Sydney for most of my life and understand the challenges and opportunities our community faces. Having worked in the retail, transport, and heavy equipment industries, I understand the challenges faced by everyday Australians and bring a practical, working-class perspective to politics. While I’m not a career politician, my background in science has made me increasingly frustrated by the lack of evidence-based policies, which is why I’m stepping up to make a difference.

Education for Life

Education is the foundation of opportunity, but a one-size-fits-all system doesn’t serve all Australians. Not everyone needs a university degree, but everyone deserves access to quality education—from early childhood to secondary school, TAFE, and university. Beyond formal schooling, lifelong learning must be supported through skills recognition, retraining for workers in evolving industries, and essential life skills programs.

Key Steps:

  • Implement needs-based funding as outlined in the Gonski report.
  • Incentivise teachers to work in disadvantaged, rural, and remote schools.
  • Increase investment in STEM education.
  • Expand access to remote learning where appropriate.
  • Maintain the HECS/HELP scheme, including restoring incentives for early and upfront payments.
  • Reduce costs for early childhood education and TAFE through targeted funding.
  • Support courses in financial literacy, nutrition, digital skills, and household maintenance.
  • Increase research grant funding to retain Australia’s best researchers and scientists.

Ethical Governance

Australians deserve a government that works for the people, not corporations or donors seeking influence. Yet, political decisions are too often driven by money, not the public good. Public funds are funnelled into marginal seats for political gain, corporate donors receive special treatment, and whistleblowers face prosecution instead of protection.

We need real reform to restore integrity and accountability in our democracy.

Key Steps:

  • Increase transparency to ensure government decisions serve the public, not private interests.
  • Implement real-time disclosure of all political donations over $1,000 to reduce corporate influence.
  • Ban corporate donations and cap individual donations to curb the power of big money in politics.
  • Strengthen lobbying regulations, including mandatory cooling-off periods for politicians.
  • Expand powers of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and ensure public access to its findings.
  • Strengthen protections for whistleblowers and journalists exposing corruption.
  • Establish independent oversight of government contracts and subsidies to prevent rorting and pork-barrelling.

Australians deserve a government that is transparent, accountable, and truly representative of the people.

Fair and Inclusive Society

A fair society ensures every Australian has access to essential services like housing, healthcare, and justice, not just the wealthy or well-connected. Economic policies must work for everyone, and corporations must contribute their fair share to the society that enables their success.

Key Steps:

  • Economic Fairness & Housing
    • Close tax loopholes that allow corporations and high-income earners to avoid their fair share.
    • Reform tax policies that favour landlords over renters and first-home buyers.
    • Expand the Reserve Bank’s powers beyond interest rate hikes to better manage inflation without hurting households.
    • Increase investment in public housing to provide secure and affordable homes.
    • Create an open-source real estate platform to improve market transparency and curb price manipulation.
  • Healthcare & Wellbeing
    • Boost Medicare funding to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for GP visits.
    • Expand Medicare to include dental and mental health services.
    • Work with First Nations communities to close the gap in health and education.
    • Support the LGBTIQA+ community by addressing their specific healthcare and wellbeing needs.
    • Expand affordable childcare to help working families and single parents.
    • Reform the National Student Wellbeing Program, prioritising inclusive, non-religious support staff over chaplains.
    • Implement age-appropriate education on sex, gender, and healthy relationships in schools.
  • Justice Reform
    • Shift the justice system towards rehabilitation, not punishment, to reduce reoffending.
    • Raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14.
    • Expand diversion programs to provide education, mental health support, and job training instead of prison.
    • Increase funding for youth intervention services to address root causes of crime.
    • End solitary confinement for juveniles and ensure youth detention is rehabilitative, not punitive.
    • Support First Nations-led justice initiatives to develop culturally appropriate alternatives to detention.

A fair Australia is one where no one is left behind, and government policies serve all Australians, not just the privileged few.

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