Why we exist; the ideas we believe in

The Communist Party of Australia believes there is a way to overcome Australia's economic and social problems. To do this it is necessary to change the direction of politics in Australia and, eventually, to replace the capitalist system with a socialist one.

The Communist Party is a party of activists who work in trade unions, peace and environmental groups, solidarity organisations and a variety of other community movements as well as running campaigns in the name of the Communist Party.

The members of the CPA work to eliminate unemployment, poverty, injustice, homelessness, racism and war. These problems arise from the domination of our society by huge profit-hungry private corporations.

We work for a society in which publicly owned enterprises will play the major role in the economy.

We encourage the participation of people in democratic decision making and management.

We want a society in which Aboriginal people, women, and migrants are treated equally and with dignity.

We work for a society where the environment is protected.

We believe that the needs of the people should be put first and not the wealth and profits of private corporations.

We strive to develop the Communist Party into a party capable of helping to educate, organise, unite and fight together with all the left, progressive and democratic political forces in building a broad people's movement with the working class as its core.

Many demands have been won in the past and we believe much more can be achieved by a movement which is united and determined to stand up for what is right.

The work of Party members and the Party's policies are guided by a set of ideas which are called Marxism-Leninism.

Wage and salary earners and their families, professional people, farmers, pensioners, unemployed people, students make up over 85 per cent of our population. They are the overwhelming majority.

These are the people suffering because of the exploitation imposed by monopolies, the privatisation of public enterprises, deregulation, cuts in government spending, and unemployment. The Communist Party of Australia is on their side.

The CPA has comprehensive policies on most issues. We are happy to discuss them with you at any time.

The detailed policies of the CPA are contained in the Party's Program ($3 incl. postage) and in a Political Resolution ($3 incl. postage).

The CPA publishes a weekly national newspaper, The Guardian and it is the responsibility of members of the Party to help in its distribution and sale. The CPA also publishes a journal, The Australian Marxist Review.



About the CPA

The Party was formerly known as the "Socialist Party of Australia", but changed its name to "Communist Party" at the 8th National Congress in October, 1996.

The Socialist Party of Australia was established by a "Conference of Communists" held on December 4 & 5 in 1971. In the main, participants in the conference were members of the former Communist Party of Australia up to that time, but were dissatisfied with the direction the former CPA was taking.

The Communist Party of Australia has some main features:

. The Party's objective is the socialist reconstruction of Australian society;

. The Party's ideas and policies are based on the theory and practice developed by Marx and Lenin, often referred to as "Marxism-Leninism". The Communist Party of Australia applies Marxism-Leninism to Australia's circumstances;

. The Party is a working-class party, recognising the leading role of the working class in social change. The Party includes in its ranks workers, students, members who are professionals, small business people, farmers and pensioners. Members are women, men, young and old, and have different national origins. All are united by a commitment to work for the interests and needs of the working people of Australia;

. The Party recognises the need for the working class to build links with other sections of society who are exploited by big business. This requires the Communist Party to win substantial influence within the working class at the same time as actively building alliances with other left and progressive political forces;

. The Party members, at Congresses and other Party meetings, work out and decide all our policies.



Members' rights and responsibilities

Every CPA member belongs to a branch which usually meets fortnightly.

Communist Party members have both rights and responsibilities. They can express views on Party policy or activity, contribute to the Party's newspaper or journals, and stand for elected positions. There are opportunities for critical discussion and analysis at all levels of the Party.

Members are expected to be activists and to carry out decisions once they have been collectively discussed and decided by the majority. All members pay a fixed membership fee and are asked to make additional voluntary financial contributions.



Policies:

Economy

We want an end to the flood of privatisations which have cost thousands of jobs and placed more of the Australian economy in the grip of foreign transnationals.

Prices, profit levels and interest rates should be regulated by the Federal Government.

Corporate tax rates have fallen to 36%. Even so, numerous big companies pay less than 10%. Tax rates for big business have to be increased and profits going overseas should be heavily taxed. The burden of taxation must be taken off PAYE taxpayers. We are opposed to any GST.

Foreign capital in Australia should be controlled by the government to make sure that enterprises keep 51 per cent Australian ownership.

International trade should not be based on a dog-eat-dog approach but on mutually beneficial agreements reached among trading nations. The IMF, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation are implementing the policies of the transnational corporations and are plundering many countries. They are not on the side of the people.

Trade in wheat, wool, meat, coal, iron ore, gold and other key resources should be the Federal Government's responsibility, with national marketing boards established for all major commodities.

Co-operatives covering production, marketing, processing and the procurement of farm equipment should be encouraged to help improve the economic and political position of small working farmers, helping to break the power of the banks and big monopolies in the countryside and ensuring that good living standards are provided to farmers.



Jobs

Unemployment is the number one problem in Australia today. It causes poverty, hardship and depression for thousands of families. Unemployment and falling living standards for most workers mean people can buy less. This falling demand contributes to job losses.

Our job creation program includes:

. An expansion of the public sector and investment by governments in manufacturing industries, infrastructure projects, schools and universities, public housing, hospitals, public transport, environmental and ecological schemes.

. An increase of the national minimum or basic wage to $380 per week ($10 per hour) in accordance with the claim of the ACTU. This will help 1.5 million low paid workers and those on part-time and casual work. It will enable working people to buy more and improve their standard of living.

. Increasing pensions, unemployment benefits, Austudy & Abstudy to at least 35% of average weekly male earnings.

. A reduction in the standard working week to 35 hours without loss of pay with limits to overtime. This would create many thousands of jobs.

. A halt to tariff reductions which have already destroyed thousands of jobs and threaten many more.



The working class

The great majority of people in Australia belong to the working class, that is, they are wage and salary earners. Because they suffer most at the hands of capitalism (over 8% of workers are unemployed at present) workers have a vested interest in changing society.

When organised and united, the working class has the strength to play the decisive part in bringing about a radical change in the direction of Australian politics.

Despite attempts since the early 1980s to weaken the trade union movement and prevent workers from struggling for their rights, and the harsh anti-trade union legislation adopted in 2005 by the Howard Government, workers remain an organised and disciplined force.

The working class has a long and rich history of struggle, for wages and conditions, on safety issues, for increased social services, against anti-trade union legislation.

Other campaigns have been for democratic rights (opposition to repressive industrial legislation), a peaceful foreign policy (to stop the Vietnam War), environmental protection, for the retention of Medicare, for taxation reform, a greater say in production and so on.



Strategy for change

Our aim is to activate, strengthen and unite all the organisations and individuals committed to a new direction for Australian politics. This is the way to build a movement capable of challenging the real controllers of economic and political power in our country - the big corporations. This is the way to change the direction of Australia's political life.

Our aim is to strengthen each struggle by bringing together all groups and individuals involved, preferably in a coalition.

People will be empowered when they are united in action. They become enthusiastic and confident.

In Australia today, no one political party has enough support to form an alternative government at Federal, State or local Council level. No one party or group represents all progressive and democratic opinions.

That is why coalitions and other forms of co-operation such as an exchange of preferences and common platforms are especially important at election times.

Parliaments have an important place in the whole process of the struggle to advance the interests of the people - but only if work in parliaments is linked to the struggle by the people outside parliament. Building the mass movements into a strong, united, militant force is fundamental for real change.

The present two-party system, in which government is alternately shared between the Liberal-National Party Coalition and the Australian Labor Party, is not serving the people.

The emergence of alternative and independent political forces in various parliaments, who see the importance of fighting for the rights and interests of the ordinary people of Australia and against the forces of economic rationalism, shows that things are changing. Australia does not have to be condemned forever to the old two-party system.

To break the two-party system of government, we have to increase the number of progressive, "people's parliamentarians". Our aim is for a left and progressive people's coalition to win government.



The Australian Labor Party

Although on paper the Labor Party retains a "democratic socialist objective", it is no more than a paper aim. The Labor Party neither propagates socialist ideas nor does it make a class analysis to formulate its policies. Some individual members of the Labor Party genuinely retain the Party's democratic socialist objective but the ideology, dominant policies and structure of the ALP prohibit the implementation of this objective.

The 100-year history of the Labor Party, during which time it has formed a number of both Federal and State governments (sometimes for many years), shows conclusively that the Labor Party accepts the continued existence of capitalism and presents itself to the capitalist class as a better manager of capitalism than the conservative parties.

In past periods of economic growth, the Labor Party has supported reforms which improved the livelihood of the working people. In periods of economic downturn, it is equally capable of attacking workers' conditions and rights.

Social democratic parties, such as the Australian Labor Party, have moved substantially to the right in recent years. Many of the policies adopted in earlier times are now being thrown out.

The Labor Party is increasingly recognised as one of the alternative parties of capitalism (the Liberal-National Party Coalition is the other) which the ruling class is prepared to support and have elected to government in certain circumstances.

Social democratic governments are implementing economic rationalist policies, have deregulated the economies of their countries, are attacking the conditions and rights of the working class, privatising public enterprises and adopting other policies very similar to those pursued by the conservative parties. They are assisting the growth of the TNCs and their domination of all important aspects of the economy. These policies have disastrous environmental implications for future human survival. Social democracy is incapable of leading the working class in an organised, consistent struggle against economic rationalist policies.

The leadership of the Labor Party shifted decisively to the right in the early 1980s when economic rationalist policies were adopted. This flowed from the basic ideological and political position always occupied by the Labor Party and from the intensified and severe difficulties faced by capitalism on a world scale.

Although the Accord partnership between the Labor Party and the ACTU was presented as a great thing for the working people, it has led to workers' awards being undermined or relegated altogether in favour of enterprise agreements and individual work contracts. These are weakening the collective essence of trade unionism. In the period of the Accord the trade union movement has been critically weakened - not strengthened. Trade union membership fell from 50 per cent in 1983 to 35 per cent in 1996 (26 per cent in the private sector). The former "true believers" were betrayed.

In foreign affairs, the top Labor Party leadership strongly supports the American alliance and most of the foreign policies of US governments.

While some environmental measures have been taken by Labor Party governments, generally the Labor Party put the interests of companies ahead of the environment. Labor governments failed to deal adequately with soil and water degradation, urban pollution, salination, logging of irreplaceable forests, woodchipping and loss of bio-diversity. The Federal Labor Government did not meet the international commitments it had made to introduce controls on greenhouse gas emissions.

For many years it has been said by some left-minded individuals that the Labor Party is a "two-class" party, meaning both a workers' party and one that serves capitalism at the same time. This concept helps to maintain the illusion that by concentrating on reforming the Labor Party from within and strengthening the genuine worker and socialist elements, it will be possible to turn the Labor Party into a genuine and committed socialist party.

The reality is that, although it contains among its members a number of workers and others who work for progressive policies and some who are committed to a socialist objective, the Party's basic political and ideological position is one of a non- socialist party committed to the maintenance and continuation of capitalism.

The experience of Labor in office has seen a fierce commitment by the leadership to right-wing policies and their retention of the top positions in the Party.

Others support the Labor Party as the "lesser of two evils" or declare that there is "no alternative". Both these ideas, while admitting the limitations of the Labor Party, hinder the building of a left and progressive political alternative committed to policies which really serve the working people.

Some argue that it's necessary to elect Labor Party governments to "expose" them or that parliamentary struggle is irrelevant. Both views prevent sections of the left from independently participating in the parliamentary struggle. These ideas harbour a sectarian and cynical approach which has not worked in the 100 years since the Labor Party's formation.

Others, while recognising the Labor Party's limitations, are overwhelmed by its electoral support and do not see any possibility of an alternative winning the support of the majority of the people.

Such a view, while being highly critical, ends up accepting the domination of Labor politics. This is reflected in such slogans as "Elect a Labor Government with socialist policies" and "Elect a Labor Government strengthened by communists". Many loyal Labor voters retain a lifelong belief that it is the workers' party.

Reacting to the consequences of the policies which have been followed by the Labor Party in government many workers have become disillusioned and are increasingly looking for an alternative. Recognition of the need to build such a political alternative is slowly gaining ground among left and progressive political parties, trade unions, community organisations, single-issue movements and among a number of progressive individual campaigners.

There is a place in the creation of such an alternative for members of the Labor Party who break with the right-wing, economic rationalist policies which were implemented by the Labor Party leadership in its 1983-1996 term of office.

Members and some leaders of the Labor Party have played significant roles in many progressive mass campaigns and in the struggles of the workers. This must be recognised and Labor Party members encouraged to support progressive policies and struggles.

As in the 1996 Federal election, Labor governments have been invariably replaced by Liberal-National Party Coalitions and vice versa. This cycle - the two party system - has to be broken if Australian society is to move forward in a new direction with the adoption of policies which give first priority to the needs and interests of the working people.

The 1996 Federal election results showed that the experience of 13 years of right- wing social democratic government had led many working class people to look for a more progressive alternative, while others voted for the conservative candidates.

The election result reinforces the need to work hard and persistently to move Australia's political life to a left-progressive position. We must take advantage of this new political situation to further the building of a left and progressive political alternative.



The Liberal-National Party Coalition

The Liberal-National Party Coalition combines the interests of big capital, big landowners and agri-business. Its policies express the class interests of these groups which comprise only about ten per cent of society.

The Coalition fully supports economic rationalist policies and vigorously implements them.

However, by clever but hypocritical propaganda when in opposition, the Coalition presented itself as a party of the people and even claimed to represent workers. Some workers have become members. Nonetheless, the Coalition is anti-working class and anti-trade union in principle, regarding the working class as being subordinate to big business. The Coalition and the capitalist ruling class it represents regard themselves as the "natural" and "born-to-rule" leaders of society.

The Coalition parties support wholesale privatisation, the removal of all regulation of private enterprise, reduced taxation for business enterprises, user-pays principles, the relegation of trade unions and the re-establishment of a "master- servant" relationship between employer and employee. Their approach to the environment is exploitative and predatory, putting short-term profits before long- term human and ecological survival. In cultural matters they are extremely conservative and support the most puerile and empty outlooks.

By and large, the Coalition parties support the continuation of the monarchy and oppose Australia becoming a Republic. They oppose progressive change, regarding it as a threat to their power and class interests.

In the face of a rise in the popular movement, the Coalition parties resort to anti- democratic measures, particularly directed against workers and their trade unions. The extreme anti-trade union legislation adopted by the WA and Victorian Liberal State governments and the Federal industrial relations legislation, are examples.

Internationally, the Coalition identifies with similar conservative and imperialist governments. It is a staunch defender of the American alliance and looks with suspicion and fear on the national liberation and revolutionary movements in former colonial countries. Its outlook is influenced by racism.

The Liberal-National Party Coalition and the forces of big business which maintain it are strong, not because of their policies, but because of the power of money and the control of the economy by private enterprise.

The Coalition is a committed enemy of the progressive and the revolutionary working class movement. It must be exposed and defeated if the working class and other anti- monopoly sections of the community are to make gains and implement progressive social, economic and political policies.



The Australian Democrats

The Australian Democrats were formed in 1977 as a small "l" liberal break-away from the conservative-dominated Liberal Party.

The Party sees itself as standing between big business and big unions, asserting that Australia's economic future lies in the hard work of small businesses and farmers, not hampered by government regulation and red tape. The Australian Democrats work for a "fairer", economically independent Australian capitalism, opposing the excesses of TNC incursions into the Australian economy.

The Party does not make a class analysis of society but advances many progressive policies on a wide range of issues including the economy, environment, social security, foreign affairs and trade, women, health, Aborigines, ethnic affairs, agricultural and rural affairs and on some occasions plays a positive role in industrial relations.

The Democrats oppose a totally deregulated economy and foreign control. The Party calls for reconciliation in industrial affairs. It supports cost-of-living adjustments to wages plus a productivity component.

The Australian Democrats do not have an ideological commitment to the public sector but oppose the sell-off of both public and private assets where there is "no guarantee of net economic benefit to Australia". They do oppose privatisation where publicly-owned enterprises and services provide essential services or where cross- subsidisation is necessary on equity grounds. They opposed the privatisation of the Commonwealth Bank, QANTAS and Telstra.

With a number of representatives in the Senate and in some State Upper Houses of Parliament, the Democrats have played a generally progressive role. They rely more on parliamentary work than on encouraging mass action outside parliament.

The Communist Party sees the Australian Democrats as a political organisation with a number of progressive policies. Their implementation can make a significant contribution to a change of direction in Australian politics in a left and progressive direction.



The Greens

The recognition of the importance of environmental issues by the community and the many struggles which have taken place provided the basis for the formation of The Greens (WA) and the Australian Greens. The Greens are both action-oriented and participate in parliaments. Each State and locality organisation of The Greens has considerable autonomy but they are united on ecological sustainability, social and economic justice, grassroots democracy, peace, disarmament and non-violence. Green candidates have won representation in the Senate, in a number of State parliaments and on Municipal Councils.

The Greens parties are committed to social change and have many progressive policies on social and economic as well as environmental issues. For example, The Greens have played a significant role in the struggle against privatisation, the Workplace Relations Bill, on East Timor and Aboriginal land rights. The implementation of their policies can contribute to bringing a new direction to Australian politics giving priority to the interests of the ordinary people.

The Greens parties do not make a class analysis to formulate their policies. This has sometimes led to error. For example, increased taxes on leaded petrol was mistakenly welcomed by some as an environmental measure, not seeing such a move as revenue raising and impacting mainly on the working class. At the same time, many campaigns taken up by green groups challenge the rights and privileges of big business.



The CPA and democracy

Democracy means different things to different people but most would probably agree that it basically means "government by the people".

Democracy must also include participation by the people in decision making and in the running of society, the right to organise and struggle, to freedom of expression, equal opportunity, to social and job security. It means equal rights for ethnic and national minorities.

Does Australia measure up to this standard?

Democracy is severely limited when company directors can decide to close factories and sack workers at any time and when two or three very wealthy and powerful men control the mass media. Such powerful people are not elected by, nor are they accountable to, the workers whose lives they destroy.

If Australia is to be a healthy democracy, we have to guarantee the independence of trade unions, their right to organise and to take industrial action to protect the interests of their members. The right to strike is a vital democratic right.

Other democratic rights should include the right to work, the right to a decent education, health services and a home, the right to leisure and culture, the right to care and security in old age, and the right of women, migrants, Aboriginal people and others to live free from prejudice, racism and discrimination.

There must be the democratic right to free speech, freedom of assembly and demonstration.

The private ownership of the mass media and its concentration in very few hands is a democratic rights issue. The best way to break up this monopoly is for the mass media to be owned and run by democratic and progressive organisations such as trade unions, environmental, cultural and community organisations.

Introduction of the proportional representation method of voting is essential for democracy as the present preferential system favours the maintenance of the two-party monopoly. Parliament is often a rubber stamp, with many parliamentarians lacking moral courage and more concerned about their careers than their constituents.

Proportional representation would increase the number of left and progressive voices in parliament.



Socialist society

The many changes the CPA proposes will eventually lead to the establishment of a socialist political and economic system.

In a socialist system publicly owned and controlled enterprises would become the dominant form of ownership in our economy. This would not exclude some forms of private ownership continuing to exist for a long time.

While industries must be efficient and be able to balance the books, the benefits from increased production must be passed on to the people who are doing the work. This means placing limits on private profit making.

Conditions for the investment of foreign capital would be controlled and regulated, as would be the export of profits, so no other country or transnational corporation could gain a dominant position in the Australian economy. This will help maintain Australia's national independence.

Economic planning is necessary in a socialist society to prevent the booms and slumps which are a persistent feature of all capitalist economies. Planning would enable the best use to be made of the nation's resources, the technical skills of workers and to protect the overall needs of the people.

A socialist government would be democratic and made up of representatives of the workers, scientists, technologists, intellectuals, farmers and small business people. There would be the right of recall so that elected representatives who do not do their job well could be replaced.

For socialism to work, the working people must be intimately involved in helping to run the country and industry. Workers would be involved in management and in decision making at all levels.

Socialism and democracy go hand-in-hand. In addition to having the right to elect the government and to stand as a candidate in an election from time to time, the right of all to participate fully in social, economic and political life would be encouraged.

A socialist government would insist on the peaceful, negotiated settlement of international disputes and would consistently support mutual international disarmament. Aggression and interference in the internal affairs of other countries would be replaced by a policy of friendship, non-interference and respect.

A major task for a socialist government would be to educate everyone in an attitude and lifestyle which respects and protects the environment. Protection of the environment calls for scientific knowledge, constant vigilance and public awareness together with democratic involvement and accountability.



Has socialism been a failure?

Socialist societies eliminated mass unemployment. They provided advanced and comprehensive social welfare, education and health facilities for all. Modern housing was provided at extremely low rentals. Culture was developed and became available to all. Equal pay and opportunities for women reached a high level. Education, sports and cultural facilities were provided for young people. Generous assistance was given to the developing countries.

The Soviet Union and other Eastern European socialist countries were the first socialist societies. Many difficulties had to be faced and overcome and many mistakes were made.

Some things were done badly - socialist democracy was not implemented fully, social life and the economy were allowed to stagnate. But we do not conclude that socialism is a failure.

The Communist Party has learnt much from these experiences. History is the continuous story of people fighting for a better life, for freedom, security and independence, and we remain convinced that these great objectives can only be fulfilled in a society built on socialist principles, freed from the exploitation and limitations imposed by the huge private enterprise corporations.



The CPA and you

If you are not already a reader of The Guardian we invite you to become one either by taking out a subscription or by arranging for the paper to be delivered to you by one of our members.

You are also able to help finance The Guardian by making a contribution to the paper's Press Fund.

You can also help by making financial contributions to the Party's general funds either at a meeting or by post. We do not receive any big business subsidies or get an income from paid advertisements. As a working-class party we depend on the support of our members and supporters to keep our work going.

Party branches often run discussions on various topics. You are welcome to join in such discussions and express your views. Please contact the local Party organisation for details.

If you need assistance with any work you are doing in a trade union, peace group, community organisation or any other body, get in touch with us. We will be pleased to help.



Joining the CPA

If you decide to join the CPA, you have to fill in a Membership Application Form. It is a simple, straightforward form and can be obtained from any Party member you know or by writing to your nearest Party office.

Your application for membership has to be supported by a Party member who signs your application form as your nominator.

The application is then presented to a Party organisation (usually a Party branch) for consideration.

Membership is open to all who are 16 years of age or older, who normally reside in Australia, who accept the Party Program and Constitution, and are willing to be active in a Party organisation.

Membership fees are $60 per year for those receiving an income above the age pension rate and $15 per year for those receiving the age pension or less.

Upon acceptance of the membership application by the Party organisation, the applicant becomes a full member and is entitled to exercise all the rights and duties which are set out in the Constitution.



Who to contact

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