1 . Make it illegal to lie in a political ad

Rival claims of misleading advertising from both sides of politics are the inevitable consequence of the absence of Truth in Political Advertising laws.

Almost 9 out of 10 Australians (89%) support Truth in Political Advertising laws, according to research from the Australia Institute.

It’s far from an outlandish idea. In fact South Australia has had truth in political advertising laws for almost forty years. The ACT has had similar laws since 2020. They work.

If the Government and Parliament are serious about addressing misinformation and improving debate, they could pass truth in political ad laws in time for the next election.

2. Reform negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount

The combination of these tax concessions for housing investors has inflated house prices well beyond incomes and made it harder for people to buy a home to live in.

Reforming these two would rebalance the housing market by reducing demand from investors and make it easier for first time buyers.

These two tax concessions are also enormously skewed towards the wealthiest Australians: the richest 10% reap more than half of the benefits.

3. Make the gas industry pay their fair share

Much like the fact that there is no shortage of gas in Australia, the Australia Institute has no shortage of ideas on how to stop the rort of polluting industries that profit from extracting our resources, while giving very little benefit back.

• We could fix the woefully inadequate Petroleum Resource Rent Tax, that raised about half as much as the Beer Excise ($1.45 billion vs $2.75 billion in 2024-25).
• We could charge royalties on the 56% of gas that is exported royalty-free
• We could create a levy on fossil fuel exports to compensate for climate damage

4. Increase welfare to reduce poverty

One in eight Australians (13.4%) live in poverty, including 761,000 children. It doesn’t have to be like this. Australia is a rich country.

The COVID supplement, a $550 per fortnight payment to welfare recipients, lifted 650,000 people out of poverty overnight, including 120,000 children.

This shows that poverty is a policy choice. If governments choose to, they could end child poverty and ensure that all older people have a dignified retirement.

5. Strengthen the National Anti-Corruption Commission

Reform is needed if the NACC is to win the confidence of the Australian people.

Its decision regarding Robodebt was subject to adverse findings, and crucially, it is yet to hold a public hearing.

Corruption thrives in the dark. It is time for Australia to correct a culture of secrecy, and let the NACC hold public hearings when there are matters of public importance.

Nine thousand Australians have signed a petition calling for five key reforms:

• Immediately bring forward the independent review of the NACC
• Give the NACC the power to hold public hearings when it is in the public interest
• Expand the Inspector’s powers to review more of the NACC’s operations
• Ensure no party has the majority vote on the NACC’s parliamentary committee
• Implement a Whistleblower Protection Authority

What’s missing?

All of these reforms are practical and largely popular. All that’s left is some political courage.

On courage, Polly Hemming said this in her address to the Climate Integrity Summit:

Power and resistance flow through everyday acts of courage. Together, we hold quite a lot of power. The only difference is whether you want to use it to uphold the status quo, or to change it.

On the eve of Australia’s next Parliament, it’s a message that we would do well to take to heart. Have a listen.