Socialist Equality Party (Australia)
Encyclopedia
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is a minor Australia
n political party, affiliated with the International Committee of the Fourth International
. Its leader is Nick Beams.
(which usually allocates election preferences
to the Greens
, ahead of the two major political parties), the SEP refuses to indicate support for any other party. At the 2007 Australian federal election to the House of Representatives
, the SEP refused to allocate preferences to any other party. However, in order to secure an "above the line" status for its Senate
candidates, it split preferences between Labor
, the Liberals
, and the Greens, to demonstrate their indifference towards all of the larger parties.
The SEP espouses politically left-wing policies, notably opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent occupation. The SEP attempted to stress its differences from the Socialist Alliance, claiming that its quest for a place in Australian politics "will not take place through radical-sounding sloganeering and other protest antics, like those of the Socialist Alliance and other middle-class protest organisations".
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n political party, affiliated with the International Committee of the Fourth International
International Committee of the Fourth International
The International Committee of the Fourth International is the name of two Trotskyist internationals; one with sections named Socialist Equality Party which publishes the World Socialist Web Site and another linked to the Workers Revolutionary Party in Britain.-Foundation:The International...
. Its leader is Nick Beams.
Policy and views
Unlike Australia's other electorally registered socialist party, the Socialist AllianceSocialist Alliance (Australia)
The Socialist Alliance was founded in 2001 as an alliance of socialist organisations and individuals in Australia, initiated by the Democratic Socialist Perspective and the International Socialist Organisation along with 6 other founding socialist organisations, to create greater left unity in the...
(which usually allocates election preferences
Preferential voting
Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their first choice as '1', their second preference a '2', and so on...
to the Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
, ahead of the two major political parties), the SEP refuses to indicate support for any other party. At the 2007 Australian federal election to the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
, the SEP refused to allocate preferences to any other party. However, in order to secure an "above the line" status for its Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
candidates, it split preferences between Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, the Liberals
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, and the Greens, to demonstrate their indifference towards all of the larger parties.
The SEP espouses politically left-wing policies, notably opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent occupation. The SEP attempted to stress its differences from the Socialist Alliance, claiming that its quest for a place in Australian politics "will not take place through radical-sounding sloganeering and other protest antics, like those of the Socialist Alliance and other middle-class protest organisations".