Secular Party Candidate for Boothby, Avi Chapman, responds to our questionnaire

You can view our question list for all candidates here.

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Secular Party Candidate for Boothby, Avi Chapman, responded :

What are your thoughts on asylum seekers?
I deplore any attempt by politicians to demonise asylum seekers. Having said that, the people who attempt to smuggle them to Australia are breaking our laws and must be dealt with accordingly. I propose that a strong focus be put on hunting down the criminals operating the boats and imprisoning them.

What are your thoughts on public transport?
Public transport is vital to the future health of our economy. As the price of petrol continues to rise, it will get harder and harder for working Australians to get to their jobs by car. We therefore need a strong focus on building our public transport networks now, before the crunch arrives.

What are your thoughts on renewable energy?
Renewable energy, in combination with nuclear, is vital to Australia’s future prosperity. We cannot go on spewing carbon dioxide into our atmosphere without paying the price. We cannot pay the price and still live the lifestyle we enjoy. Therefore, the only solution is to not emit carbon dioxide.

Do you support or oppose the introduction of the R18+ rating
classification for video games?
I support the introduction of an R18+ rating, that will bring video games into line with the classification of movies and other content. This particular makes sense since the average gamer’s age is now 30 – almost twice the legal age of adulthood.

Do you support or oppose the proposed internet filter?
The Secular Party supports the right to access legal information and entertainment. Internet censorship is a tool commonly used by tyrannical regimes. It is hypocritical for Australia to introduce a broad internet censorship scheme which is in principle no different from an authoritarian one.

Under current laws, the Australian Communications and Media Authority may investigate and fine websites hosted in Australia if they contain illegal material; we believe that this is an appropriate method of regulating internet content. Given the technical and ethical concerns with a broad filtering of all internet content, the Secular Party is opposed to any kind of internet filter.

Do you support or oppose gay marriage?
The Secular Party believes in equality and that the stipulation that marriage must be between a man and a woman discriminates against same-sex couples. The Secular Party also believes that civil marriages and the celebrants who perform them should have equal status with religious marriages and celebrants. It is therefore the policy of the Secular Party that all those authorised to solemnise marriages do so with reference to the fact that “marriage is a voluntary union entered into for life by two people to the exclusion of all others”. It is also our policy that civil celebrants should have a status equal to ministers of religion in relation to witnessing statutory declarations, and in relation to GST exemption.

What are your thoughts on abortion?
A human early-stage embryo is indistinguishable from that of an emu or kangaroo. They both look the same and have the same capacity to feel pain or regret – none. I therefore think that it’s morally consistent to treat them the same way as each other. The closer to birth, the less this remains true, however. I believe that abortion should be progressively harder to obtain the closer the foetus gets to birth. However, the mother’s life always takes precedence over that of the foetus.

Do you support or oppose the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia?
I believe that the right to end life at the time of your own choosing is just as important as the right to live your life in the way you choose. We have no more right to force someone to live then we do to force them to die.

What are your thoughts on stem cell research?
The Secular Party supports policies based upon science and reason. No rational argument against stem cell research has yet been developed. In reality, such research has the capacity to both vastly enhance the quality of life of millions, and extend the lives of millions more. To oppose it is scientifically unsupported and unethical.

What are your thoughts on education?
The Secular Party recognises the economic and social importance of education and its role in the promotion of universal secular values and social harmony. The Secular Party supports the notion that educationshould be “universal, secular and free”. In recent decades, this principle has been disregarded, and there has been a massive shift in funding towards private schools. Privilege has been entrenched and indoctrination encouraged. The seeds of future divisiveness and sectarianism have been sown. We seek to reverse these trends.

What are your thoughts on campaign finance disclosure?
It is axiomatic that in a free and open system all matters of public interest should be available for scrutiny.

What are your thoughts on climate change?
We recognise global warming as a significant and dire threat to civilisation. To address the problem, global carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced dramatically. Existing “cap and trade” proposals may not achieve anything like the magnitude of reduction required. They may therefore be a counterproductive diversion. The required emission reductions can best be achieved by the global cessation of emissions from coal-fired electricity generation. This requires the phased introduction of a carbon tax, nationally and internationally.

The cost of investment in alternative energy production could be financed from revenue from the carbon tax. To facilitate the introduction of this tax internationally, and to ease the transition for Australian industry, the Secular Party proposes an International Coal Tax to be levied on coal exports, in conjunction with other coal exporters. Revenue from the tax would be distributed domestically and internationally to assist structural adjustment and provide compensation for those negatively effected by the change.

What are your thoughts on water?
Water has never been a widely available resource, but the growth of population and industry, especially in the last half century, have put an unsupportable strain on the meagre resources that already exist.

With so many competing interests there is little chance that a self regulating system of controls by users will be successful. The needs to be a national policy with the backing of both state and Federal governments, based upon the available science, to manage existing resources and to develop potential future ones.

Do you support or oppose standing order 50?
The Secular Party unequivocally opposes standing order 50. Prayer has no place in the governmental and legislative institutions of a secular nation. Quite aside from the fact that it is at odds with the spirit and the letter of the Australian Constitution, it is baffling that a body which is supposed to represent the people of Australia should adopt the rituals of a one shrinking sectionof the population.

Are there any local issues you are trying to highlight with your campaign?
The expulsion of religious influences, such as chaplains, from public schools, and their replacement with properly trained professional counsellors.

What do you think about the media’s coverage of the election so far?
The coverage is very strong on the three major parties and weak on everyone else.

Sent from my iPhone

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