Andrew Williams
See how we've assessed them for all policy statements included in the Build a Ballot tool. Want to suggest a revision? Send us an email at tool@buildaballot.org.au
Statement
Evidence
Score
Introduce a tax on the excess profits of large corporations (e.g. on banks, gas companies)
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of a superprofits tax and closing tax avoidance loopholes, stating: “The Australian taxpayers are carrying Australia's economy whilst the corporations are not carrying their fare share of the load in contributing to the Australian economy as they should”.
Introduce short-term price caps (e.g. on rent and gas prices)
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of capping energy prices, but not rent, stating: “With regards to rent, I am in favor of reviewing the housing and rental accessibility through reviewing negative gearing and capital gains taxes to ensure the rental market is supported to a point that prices can be controlled and that rental availability is increased”.
Support a significant reduction of individuals employed by the public service
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being unsupportive of cutting public service jobs, stating: “I support a review of the public service, but a wholesale cutting of jobs for the purpose of saving money has failed in the past and will fail again. I support ensuring that the public service meets efficiency standards. I support saving money by getting public servants to do their jobs and not rely on expensive consultants to do their work - which would be another by-product of significant slashing of public service jobs”.
Prevent big companies from controlling the market and limiting consumer choice (e.g. supermarkets)
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of reforming regulations in service of corporate competition, stating: “I want to see regulation of multiple industries including (but not limited to) banking, petroleum, supermarkets, NDIS, and aged care providers. The removal of self-regulation will hold these industries to account”.
Phase out tax concessions for property investors (e.g. negative gearing or capital gains tax discount)
Type: Website
Summary: Andrew Williams supports reducing negative gearing to two properties per person, no negative gearing for foreign investors or companies. Andrew supports increasing capital gains tax for properties held for less than two years, reducing to no capital gains tax for properties held as rental properties for 20 years or more to ensure that the rental market has stable properties available.
Incentivise state/territory government to increase renter rights and protections
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of a National Renters Protection Authority and National Tenancy Standards, stating: “The rental crisis is not limited to one or two states, therefore national standards can help ensure that one group of renters is not more severely impacted than others. States would still have the option to opt for measures above the national standard”.
Increase investment in public and community housing
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of investment in public and community housing, stating: “The need for purposeful public housing solutions, particularly for vulnerable persons including those fleeing domestic and family violence needs to be addressed at a national level. This must include support for regional and remote vulnerable persons”.
Allow first home-buyers to access their super to help purchase their first home
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of allowing first home-buys to access their super to help purchase their first home, stating: “Simple, this is their money and if we have more people in the housing market (providing we have the right balances to ensure that housing is affordable), then the less stress that is on the rental market”.
Incentivise state/territory governments to increase housing supply
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of expanding incentives that lead to increases in housing supply, stating: “This should be done through state and local government input. Issues arise in communities where state incentives do not recognise the residential amenity such as public transport, which for the likes of Aston is a real blocker to housing reform”.
Help first-home buyers with shared equity programs that would allow participants to co-purchase a home with the government
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of shared equity programs, stating: “I support this, however, it must be means tested and must be targeting to help vulnerable persons as a priority”.
Introduce energy bill rebates
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being unsupportive of energy bill rebates for every household, stating: “This is an unsustainable program and should be means tested. The current program provides less than the daily cost of having an electricity account. The fees and charges that are applied should have to be justified. Given the electronic manner of smart meters, online services and electronic banking, I struggle to see that the daily costs of having an account would amount to the value that it is. Making these fees, and the costs of energy justified will provide a longer sustained program that provides real cost of living support on every bill - not just a quarterly payment that you don't see”.
Increase financial support for energy efficiency upgrades
Type: Website
Summary: Andrew Williams supports every home with a solar system being be upgraded with a storage system. This will allow the storage of generated power to be used in peak times when the prices are the highest and will provide real cost of living support for houses.
Increase funding for community batteries that increase access to solar
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of a meaningful increase in incentives, stating: “I would like to see Aston as a trial for all schools and community facilities to be fitted out with solar and storage (batteries) to help reduce the costs to the local clubs and groups, help reduce costs to public schools and to help reduce the use of fossil fuels”.
Strengthen regulations to prevent price-gouging by energy companies
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of regulators having anti-price-gouging powers, stating: “I am in favor of reducing self-regulation which would be done by expanding the role of the ACCC and energy regulators in enforcement of activities such as price gouging and cartel behaviours”.
Make university free
Type: Website
Summary: Andrew Williams supports every Australian having their first successfully completed TAFE course, undergraduate degree, and postgraduate degree being free. Beyond the first successfully completed course, the user pays system would apply. This policy would include wiping existing HECS debt for all Australians’ first successfully completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Cut a portion of existing student debt
Type: Website
Summary: Andrew Williams supports every Australian having their first successfully completed TAFE course, undergraduate degree, and postgraduate degree being free. Beyond the first successfully completed course, the user pays system would apply. This policy would include wiping existing HECS debt for all Australians’ first successfully completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Support more fee-free TAFE places
Type: Website
Summary: Andrew Williams supports every Australian having their first successfully completed TAFE course, undergraduate degree, and postgraduate degree being free. Beyond the first successfully completed course, the user pays system would apply.
Increase funding for public schools
Type: Website / Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams supports all students, public and private, in receiving the 100% funding rate. In response to our survey, he also stated: “I would also want to see the removal of the diluting of the funding through capital works and other grants coming out of the school funding bucket, this should be separate funding areas”.
Increase funding for and access to childcare subsidies
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being unsupportive of increasing funding for childcare subsidies, stating: “I believe that child support funding should be means tested. Those that are on >$250,000 per year should not be receiving fully funded childcare places”.
Stop fossil fuel project approvals and expansions
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as not being opposed to new coal or gas projects, stating: “This is a loaded question. I would heavily increase the environmental impacts evaluations. I would be making it a condition of any mining application that the environment must be returned to a usable and safe environment post activity and this being a condition of the mining permit. Australia is not yet ready to be totally dependent on renewable energy. I would employ a Norway style resources tax to ensure that our community is appropriately compensated for the resources taken and sold by the mining companies”.
Accelerate the rollout of renewable energy projects
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as not supporting a target of 80%+ renewable energy by 2030, stating: “I think our focus needs to be on establishing local renewable energy programs that reduce the cost of living in the here and now. Setting targets become[s] arbitrary because there is no level of responsibility that goes with them. Let's roll out programs that are going to help homes and small businesses first, help community groups and schools, childcare and kindergartens now as a priority”.
Strengthen policies that ensure Australia’s biggest polluters genuinely cut their emissions
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of strengthening existing policies, stating: “I think we need to support reducing the emissions, which includes reducing fossil fuel emitters.”
Increase investment in preventative health programs
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of a meaningful increase in investment in health prevention programs, stating: “I would introduce free dental and free full mental health services under Medicare and domestic family violence services. This would all be paid for by the implementation of the Norway style resources tax.”
Make GP visits free or more affordable by increasing bulk billing incentives
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of substantial increases in incentives, stating: “If we can provide LNG companies with >$12 billion in subsidies, then we can certainly afford to invest more in our health”.
Increase funding to train, attract, and retain more healthcare professionals, especially in regional areas
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of increasing funding for more healthcare professionals, stating: “This goes hand in hand with increased housing availability and affordability. It is okay to have the jobs, but we need the infrastructure to attract and retain them”.
Increase funding for dental and mental health
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of fully including dental and mental health Medicare, stating: “… Full dental and full mental health should be covered as bulk-billed under Medicare, funded by the Norway styled resources tax”.
Expand subsidies to make more prescription medicines cheaper
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of expanding subsidies through the PBS, stating that: “I am happy with the processes that are in place now. Clearly I would not want to see any reduction in the PBS, which is under an unprecedented attack from the US Government who are doing the bidding for the large pharmaceutical companies”.
Increase investment in large-scale renewable energy and storage
Type: Website / Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams wants to see an approach which includes a greater focus on domestic solar storage. In responding to our survey, he stated: “This public/private approach is supported in the larger renewable energy sector”.
Require multinational gas companies to prioritise domestic supply, without supporting the approval of new gas projects
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of a domestic gas reservation scheme, stating: “All taxes under the proposed Norway style resources tax would be much less for domestic markets as opposed to export markets. This will make it much more affordable for the companies to provide domestic supply”.
Invest in nuclear power as a future energy source, while extending the life of coal power and increasing gas use in the interim
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey stating: “Loaded question - I would support examining the independent evidence relating to nuclear energy. I have far too many questions at this stage to say I would support it. I do not believe the claims from the Liberals and likewise I do not believe the claims of the Labor/Greens. I would make my decisions based on independent, credible evidence and not a glossy party pamphlet.”
Improve access to government-held information about government policies and decisions
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of increased funding for the FOI system, stating: “FOI is an accountability method and we need clear and transparent accountability across government and the public sector”.
Protect the ABC and SBS’s independence and funding
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of maintaining ABC and SBS funding in real terms, along with implementing funding reforms, stating: “I believe there have been some significant concerns such as millions of dollars on the Fairwork Commission unlawful dismissal claim involving the ABC. Ultimately, taxpayers are footing the bill. The ABC (and SBS) are public broadcasters and must maintain total impartiality. If this cannot be maintained then the funding would need to be reviewed”.
Require all lobbyists that meet with politicians to be publicly disclosed
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of strengthening the Lobbying Code of Conduct and publishing ministerial diaries, stating: “Absolutely support transparent government”.
Make public transport more frequent and reliable
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of incentivising improvements to public transport, stating: “Public transport is poor in Aston and has been for decades. This needs to be change[d] with the extension of the tram line to Knox City SC and rail link to Rowville”.
Improve bike paths and footpaths to encourage active transport
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of incentivising state/territory governments to improve bike and footpaths, stating: “Separating bike and pedestrians from each other and from vehicle traffic is safe, healthy and smart”.
Increase access and affordability of electric and low-emissions vehicles
Type: Statement
Summary: Andrew Williams responded to our survey as being supportive of strengthening the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, stating: “Australia is one of the few countries that doesn’t have this... why. Not sure I can say anything else on this by WHY?????”
Have a question or concern?
Send us an email to tool@buildaballot.org.au. We'll look into it then get back to you as soon as possible.
Back to all assessments