Welcome

Welcome to the 33rd edition of the Democracy First / NEXT Newsletter.

As the traditional political parties collapse and the two party system disappears, we need a credible instrument with which to build constructive solutions for Australia and change our politics for good.

Liberal and Labor have had their day. The question is: what comes NEXT?

The Rebellion Against the Political Class | Can We Be Strategic?

We are in the beginning stages of a rebellion in Australia against the political class. The Liberal vote has collapsed. Labor's vote is poised to follow. Independents and Others are on 12%, Greens 16%, and PHON is on 26%.

The key question now is how to ensure that this rebellion against the political class is translated into the election of political representatives who can work strategically to divest the political class of its power.

This will not happen automatically. In the last five decades, we have seen many Independent and minor party MPs elected only to be absorbed into the system, disappearing without a trace.

To avoid a repeat of this scenario, we need a political instrument in the country's parliaments that is strategic. We created Democracy First - then NEXT as this instrument. Below is our strategy for November's Victorian state election.

Our Balance of Power Agenda

Labor and Liberal are discredited and exhausted. They have had their day. Neither can form a majority government in Victoria after the next election in November 2026.

Our aim is to win the Balance of Power and to use this leverage to reform the state public institutions and divest the political class of its power. This means:

1. Limiting politicians to two terms max, then back to your day job;

2. Requiring would-be MPs to have had 10 years experience in a real job (defined as a job where you are not a political appointee of a politician, party, union or thinktank) as a condition of eligibility to nominate for parliament.

3. Defunding political parties by removing the $7.60 payment per vote to parties for each lower house vote, and the $3.60 payment per vote for each upper house vote; and banning financial donations from corporates and unions and allowing only citizens to donate (up to a $10,000 max). Require political parties to rely on community funding or go out of business.

4. Revamping the Legislative Council to make it a genuine house of scrutiny and review by removing party representatives and selecting citizens by sortition (as in jury duty) to serve for a 12 month term in the Council on politicians’ pay to scrutinise and adjudicate on:

a. appointments to government jobs to remove party political appointments;. b. government advertising to ensure it is free of party political content; c. government spending to ensure it is free of pork-barrelling; d. claims of waste of taxpayers money in government spending; and e. abuse of travel and expense entitlements.

Then, revamp the way government works:

5. Place every contract, every budget, every salary online. Total public disclosure. No more ‘commercial-in-confidence’ arrangements (if a business wants confidentiality, it should find a funder other than government).

6. No more union veto over policy (the CFMEU in infrastructure, the AMA in health, the AEU in schools, the ASU/HACSU in social services).

7. Renegotiate all public contracts to achieve a 20% reduction in cost/ gain in productivity.

8. Change the paradigm in service delivery from provider-centric to person or user-centric systems.

9. No more public funding for industry and provider peaks and lobbyists.

10. Allow Ministers with expertise in their fields to be appointed from outside Parliament, accountable only to Parliament (not parties).

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The NEXT Victorian Government will have to commit to this agenda to be allowed anywhere near the government benches IF we hold the Balance of Power.

This is our Balance of Power Agenda.

Our Strategy

To implement our Balance of Power Agenda, we aim to win selected seats in the Lower House. Labor holds 56 of the 88 seats, the Liberal and National Parties 29, and the Greens 3.

To maximise our chances of holding the Balance of Power, we will prioritise 20 Labor-held seats. These are seats where:

• the ALP incumbent is a career politician who has never held a real job;
• the Liberal vote is low such that the Liberal Party can never win;
• the Green vote is low such that the Greens can never win; and
• there are big migrant communities who reject Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.

Expressions of Interest are invited from potential candidates in these 20 ALP-held seats.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate:

• a commitment to winning their seat;
• a capacity to enlist a broad range of supporters, volunteers and donors,
• a commitment to implementing our Balance of Power Agenda, and
• support for our 20 Point Platform (below).

Candidates are expected to support our 20 Point Platform. (www.next.org.au/victoria). On every other issue not specified in the Platform, candidates are free to adopt a standpoint in accordance with their conscience and the wishes of their electorates.

In these priority ALP-held seats, we aim to be elected by finishing in 3rd or 2nd position on primary votes, and then receiving the preferences of other parties and independents. By being positioned in the centre with a focus on jobs, innovation, business and entrepreneurship, and with a commitment to open and accountable democracy and reform of all our public institutions, we aim to be the first, second or third choice of all Victorian voters, and the second or third preference of all other parties.

In the Legislative Assembly (lower house), we will advise voters to place 1 for the NEXT candidate and to fill in the remaining squares in the order of their choice.

Express your Interest in being a Candidate.

www.next.org.au/candidate

What's NEXT?

• We aim to be a governing party – not a protest party.
• We are a centrist party – bringing people together to create practical solutions.
• We are builders – we need to renovate our public institutions, build some new ones, and refurbish our democracy.

Become a Member

Join up today. There is no cost.

www.next.org.au/membership

Local Solutions Hubs

In the Old Politics, the parties organised their members in tedious, bureaucratic branch meetings. They met monthly and did nothing. They passed resolutions which had no impact. Career politicians went on their merry way regardless.

In the New Politics, we will organise in each electorate through Local Solutions Hubs. Their purpose is to create local solutions and better ways of doing things.

In 2026, we are establishing a Local Solutions Hub in each of Australia’s 150 federal electorates.

Each hub will comprise a space (a shopfront or warehouse or community hall) in which we can generate better ways of doing things in:

• family support
• small business support
• aged care
• local job-creation
• local power generation
• inclusion of people with disabilities
• natural disaster risk reduction healthy living and illness-prevention
• and many others.

The Process

The first step in the process of establishing a Local Innovation Hub is the appointment of a Facilitator in each of the 150 federal electorates.

The role of a Facilitator is to put together a Team of people (up to a dozen) to develop the Hub.

Each Facilitator and Team has autonomy in developing the Hub as they think appropriate for their community. In style and priorities, these will vary across the country.

Express your interest in these roles at www.democracyfirst.org.au/hub/

Participants must be residents in their own electorate.

NEXT | Australia's NEXT political movement - with actual solutions

Enquiries: Vern Hughes Convenor 0425 722 890 E: vern@democracyfirst.org.au