Pirate Party to become formal political party
- 12 May, 2010 17:10
- Comments 20
Picture taken by David Braue.
Civil liberties group, Pirate Party, will contest the upcoming Federal Election.
The Party has the required 500 members needed to register with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) as a fully fledged political party.
All that is left is to file the paperwork to the AEC. Applications take up to three months to approve. “Hopefully, that will all be done in time for the next Federal election,” Pirate Party president, David Crafti, said.
The group was set up in early 2009 in a bid to be a political party to represent civil liberty issues. They include opposing Internet filtering, pushing for R18+ rating for computer games and decriminalisation of electronic file sharing.
“What we don’t plan on doing is developing policies that are so detailed; like coming up with a budget for education,” Crafti said. “Our primary platform is civil properties and intellectual property reforms and we are happy to extend our policies that affect other areas.”
He listed plans to change the current patent system to encourage innovation within the green sector as an example on how the Pirate Party can contribute to broader policies beyond just technology and intellectual property.
The party doesn’t anticipate a windfall in the upcoming election but hopes competing will garner more attention to its cause.
“I would like to see us contesting Senate seats in around four states and maybe even one or two Lower House seats,” he said. “As to whether or not we can actually win a seat, I think we can in the following election, but we will put in a very good showing in this one.
“It’s not beyond the realms of feasibility but we are being realistic.”
The AEC reserves the right to reject applications for formalising a political party but Crafti doesn’t expect it will happen to the Pirate Party.
“I don’t expect any hiccups but it is a complex and involved process,” he said.
Pirate Party Australia is based on the Swedish Pirate Party which had some success in the European Parliament election last year.
It recently teamed up with Exit International in hosting Internet filter hacking classes for the elderly.
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Comments
:D
1
Pirate Party has my vote.
All these OLD PEOPLE in Parliament simply do not understand the interwebs.
Mike
2
I definitely support this party as well. It's time for young people to step up~!!!
Blackbeard
3
Arrrggghhh me lads, well ye'll have to cosy up to the Greens, if ye want a Senate seat, ye'll be unlikely to gain a seat in the Lower House, unless as an Independant in a far flung marginal outback constituency, whose good folk are sick and bloody tired of being unheard, as opposed to being 'hearded'., along with the bloody rest of us. Good luck to ye all, and for Pete's sake, get a parrot, as well, as well.
craig
4
vote below the line people
Labor and libs at the bottom
Pirate, sex, dems and greens at the top
Time for real change
jack
5
hey! don't turn this into an age issue! that's the other side of the same coin used to "think of the children"!
I'm almost 43 and the pirate party will get my vote!
lol
6
You know what the sad thing is. I won't vote for the ALP, I hate the Liberals, and don't agree with the greens. So if the Pirate Party was there, I would vote for them, they won't win - but at least they will get money that goes towards something I agree with.
Matt
7
Theres such a generation gap in politics now , it is so great that they cant even comprehend the vast differences between their policy and the general public, like with the R18 games classification.
At least when the pirate party dude gets in there he can show them all up for being the clueless dinosaurs they are.
Marty
8
I support the Pirate Party but they need to change their name if they want to be taken seriously.
twig
9
ARRR!
I'll be voting for them.
Peter
10
I would love to vote for these guys. Finally a party with some decent policies. Just as long as any preferences dont go to Labour.
uchie
11
How do i join this party i would happaly run with them
Alf
12
Awesome, they definitely got my vote! I'm gonna tell everyone I know to vote for em next election >:D
Anonymous
13
There is absolutely no hope in hell of Pirate Party ever winning a federal seat. What's the point?
RL
14
What's the point? You got to be in it to win it, Anonymous! Asking what's the point simply shows how much of a quitter you are! I believe the Sweden Pirate Party managed to win two seats in the European Elections. If they can do that, then surely there's a chance for the Australian Pirate Party to win at least one seat in the Senate.
David Muller
15
The LDP is opposed to this already and have a wide range of other real policies. These one policy parties are dangerous.
Tony Antoniou
16
David, there's nothing dangerous about having a voice of reason in the senate. Believe it or not, we actually need one! They're not talking about running the country. They're simply talking about ensuring that the people are being represented and not just being dictated at as Conroy and his cronies have been doing all this time regarding the internet filter.
LinGaiVa
17
I dislike Labour, Liberal and Greens.
So for that, I'll just vote Pirate.
Dave
18
@13's comment belies his very limited understanding of our voting system - especially senate elections.
On the contrary, there is a significant likelihood that the PP could succeed in obtaining a senate seat with 2 or 3 electoral cycles. A quick perusal of the current Federal Senate (by party) illustrates this point:
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/homepages/index.asp?sort=party
We have Xenophon (independent) and Fielding (Family First). A PP senator is not as unrealistic as you claim!
SkidMarx
19
How to mark your Ballot paper....???
"None Of The Above".............!!!
Leon
20
I am really pissed off. As we have a no real choice to vote. We have a right wing liberals or left wing liberals or the no to everything Greens. Who am I to vote for I refuse to vote for the above as they are all a lickers to world government. None of them hear what the people of Australia are saying or what we need .Labour has been stolen by university snops and no longer represent working people.Liberals never have and never will. True they do not know about the internet. If they did they would not be wasting money trying to filter out some thing a filter will not find.Better off giving us fast optic cable.It is all about control of us not about catching dirty old men.