The Power Lies with the People: Krakouer and Payman on Voting Australia’s Voice

Megan Krakouer is a prominent social justice figure in Boorloo-Perth, across Western Australia, and more broadly, right across the entire continent. Krakouer was awarded City of Perth Community Citizen of the Year 2023, in recognition of her contributions in terms of her human rights work, especially on matters of suicide prevention, youth justice reform and First Nations justice.

So, it’s no surprise that Krakouer has recently teamed up with Fatima Payman’s Australia’s Voice, to represent the party in the Senate for the state of WA in the upcoming May federal election, which is expected to be a significant vote in terms of a general turning away from voting for the major party duopoly by a sizable and growing portion of the Australian constituency.

A Menang Noongar woman, Krakouer is the director of the National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project, as well as being a director of Wagyl Kaip South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council and Megan is too a paralegal, who’s assisted groups, such as the National Justice Project and Levitt Robinson Lawyers.

Krakouer has worked amongst 30 remote Aboriginal communities and within 27 adult prisons, so she’s well versed in the type of social justice issues that for too long have been ignored by federal parliamentarians, as they’ve been more focused upon corporate or international issues to the detriment of the domestic sphere.

But a recognition has been growing over the last term of federal parliament, which is that it’s time for those in the Canberra bubble to begin dealing with the plight of ordinary Australians on the ground.

A party of the moment

Australia’s Voice is a party established to fill the void that’s been made apparent over the term of the 47th Australian parliament and under the Albanese government, as in its current composition, the top level of government appears to be prioritising the needs and desires of foreign governments to the detriment of the Australian people.

The Australia’s Voice Party was also born out of the brave and necessary act of its leader, Senator Fatima Payman, who dared to speak out against the Labor party line to publicly acknowledge the wholesale massacre that the Israeli government was, and continues to be, perpetrating upon the civilian Palestinian population of Gaza is a genocide: the worst criminal offence of all.

Australia’s Voice is running candidates for the Senate right across the country, offering grassroots representatives for the people within the upper house crossbench, who will ensure that government-drafted laws do represent the interests of people before profit and as well, progress policies that are prioritising people ahead of major party corporate donors.

Sydney Criminal Lawyers spoke to Australia’s Voice candidate for Western Australia Megan Krakouer and to the party’s leader Fatima Payman about the need to vote minor and independent this election in order to ensure that the people are represented in the parliament, why the major parties need to be kept honest, and how their party plans to go about ensuring the people’s needs are met.

Firstly, Megan, you’re running for the Senate in the upcoming election on the Australia’s Voice ticket.

The vote is expected to see the slide towards voting for minor parties and independents that marked the 2022 election increase significantly as people turn away from the major parties.

So, how do you consider the political climate at present? Which issues are of most concern? And why should constituents consider voting for minors and independents?

Just coming out of the Western Australian election, we saw a rise in minor parties and independents. This is very much indicative that Australians are fed up with the current two-party system, as we’ve watched both major parties make big promises and then break them for decades.

But the reality is that both Labor and Liberal have had their turn again and again, and it’s left us with many of the challenges facing Australian people right across the country, like high suicidality, home ownership being a pipe dream for future generations and the cost-of-living crisis, which is making it difficult for young and old.

We have families being forced to choose between buying groceries and paying rent. And people don’t trust politicians because they’ve seen the backroom deals, the broken promises and the absolute lack of consequences for those in power.

In this respect, minor parties and independents are more important than ever before.

So, when you vote for a minor party, like Australia’s Voice, you aren’t voting for the same old political machinery, you’re voting for real representation. 

These are people who have expertise, knowledge and strong experience of work. So, they will put their communities first, not just their political careers.

I’m not running simply because it’s the highest level of governance in the country. I’ve seen the fails firsthand, right across the country. Here in Western Australia, we face a lot of these challenges, like high suicidality, mental health and NDIS.

I have put my hand up in order to contribute and be a voice for those that aren’t being listened to and heard and are, therefore, suffering in silence.

In relation to the NDIS, we have many people living with disabilities but no assistance because the NDIS system is so flawed. That is not a society that any of us here should be living in right now. We are the 12th richest economy in the world.

We keep telling people to stop voting for business as usual. This election is about sending messages that the people of Australia won’t be ignored anymore.

You’re a Menang Noongar woman, well known for your activism and campaigning around social justice issues affecting First Nations people, along with working in areas, such as suicide prevention and prisoner counselling, which are issues that disproportionately affect Aboriginal people.

How do you consider the state of First Nations issues after the last three years of the Albanese government? How would you be tackling these issues if elected to the Senate in May?

In terms of First Nations people, you only have to have a look at the recent Closing the Gap report and the new Productivity Commission report. We see gaps in terms of suicidality, incarceration, child removals and young people.

So, if elected, there would be a concerted effort to negotiate, reason and articulate the challenges, to bring about that human kindness to say that the situation is not okay, particularly as this is the 12th richest economy in the world.

We have land issues. We have issues in relation to housing. Housing affordability is affecting everyone, not only in Western Australia, but right across the country.

In Western Australia, we have 21,000 people on the waiting list for Department of Housing homes. In terms of homelessness, 48,000 to 49,000 people are houseless, and we have seen an increase in street-level homelessness.

In terms of First Nations, I want to be able to make that difference and make our voices heard in no uncertain terms to impact on policy, and in fact, introduce legislation.

One other thing that’s impacting not just First Nations people, but all brothers and sisters, is that we don’t have a bill of rights.

This country doesn’t have a federal bill of rights, and a bill of rights would protect the rights of all, and, at the same time, it would ensure greater government accountability and responsibility to ensure that human rights are protected.

It’s unacceptable that the suicide rate amongst First Nations people has passed from 1 in 23 to 1 in 16, which has made it a leading cause of death for Aboriginal people.

The in-reach, the out-reach, the need that it takes to get to the most marginalised and vulnerable is not being catered to in terms of federal policy and legislation, and as a result, we are losing more people to suicide than ever before.

In terms of suicide right across the country, we have lost 10,000 people over the last three years. That is a crisis in itself. We are all impacted directly or indirectly in relation to this horrible thing called suicide.

Lastly, Megan, if elected to the Senate as part of Fatima Payman’s Australia’s Voice Party, what will you be prioritising for the people of Western Australia in parliament? Why should WA constituents be prioritising your party in the Senate?

I have a significant body of work. I have worked with thousands of people in Western Australia, but also, right across the country around an arc of issues.

Australia’s Voice is not like the others. We are not here to protect the interests of the elite. We are here to protect the people that have been ignored, lied to and left behind: the marginalised, the voiceless, the silenced, the unheard.

If you are tired of the same broken system, this is your chance to change it. With the major parties, if you watch them lead, to vote doesn’t matter… but it does.

Every vote for Australia’s Voice is a vote against corruption, greed and the broken promises of the past elections. Australians need to send a message to the major parties, that enough is enough.

What voters will get with me is someone with experience, someone who is courageous and someone who loves and cares about people and will bring that human kindness to all the different issues we are facing.

I want our people, black, white and brown, to live their best life. Too many people aren’t because of the pressures of cost-of-living, climate justice and heritage acts.

What we want to achieve is to make sure that more money is in people’s pockets, so they can live their best possible lives.

I am an advocate, a person that cares, and it would be an absolute honour to represent the people of Western Australia, and to take their fight to parliament to galvanise outcomes and make this a better place to live.

The numbers within the ranks of Australia’s Voice appears to be swelling with the announcements of Megan running for the Senate in WA and Mohamed El-Masri running on the Senate ticket for Victoria.

So, Senator Payman, what is the Australia’s Voice strategy for the upcoming May federal election? Will it be running candidates countrywide?

I am so excited to see the moment building for Australia’s Voice, with all the candidates we have announced: Megan in WA, Mohamed in Victoria and Jordan Shane in South Australia. It has been really refreshing.

We are not just sitting back, we are actively engaging with communities, and we are aiming to run candidates across the country, to give everyone a choice.

Our overarching goal is to ensure that every Australian, no matter where they live, has a voice that truly represents their values, listens to their concerns and ensures that their priorities are front of mind.

We are hoping to bring accountability back to the political process. We will definitely be challenging the status quo, especially in the regions, where people feel unheard by the major parties.

We still have a few more candidates to announce, so stay tuned.

Why should Australians vote for Australia’s Voice as opposed to other minor parties, independents, or indeed, the major parties?

We have been getting the sense from a lot of people that they are frustrated with the current choices, and frankly, I don’t blame them, especially with the two-party duopoly, people feel like they are being taken for a joy ride, nothing is really being delivered, there is a lot of politicking that goes on inside and outside of parliament, and then it just spills over.

Australia’s Voice is not just another minor party. We are a movement with a real point of difference and that focus is on holding the government accountable for its decisions.

We want to see the government delivering on its promises: not just to make those promises but to actually deliver on them, so that ordinary Australians aren’t forced to lose faith in our political system.

When people hear of Australia’s Voice, I want them to know that our approach is one of commonsense and courage.

I want to see an Australia where people are empowered to make decisions for themselves, and not just be used as pawns on a political chessboard by the major parties.

There is an example that I can share. I was educating the Australian public around ‘resettlement allowance’ and asking the question as to whether people could name another job where you get a fat payout of $120,000 and three free return flights to Canberra, which are paid for by taxpayers.

People were shocked that MPs, who essentially get fired and lose their seat, end up with all that.

The fact that I put an amendment to parliament in respect of the allowance, and it got voted down by the major parties and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, shows that the major parties will put their interests before those of everyday Australians.

That is what we want to emphasise, that we stand for transparency and fairness and ensuring that voices of those who have been left out of the conversation for so long – working families, communities feeling the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis, marginalised groups, and even, disenfranchised voters – we need to hear their concerns and have their voices around the table.

Australia’s Voice wants to be part of real change, not just little adjustments here and there.

So, I would tell those reading this article that if they are tired of the same old policies, and the two-party system that puts corporate interests over those of the people, then Australia’s Voice is your alternative.

A final question, Senator Payman, a lot of people in the community are continuing to raise the “not wanting to waste their vote” response when others suggest avoiding voting for the duopoly because it is time for change.

What do you say in response to constituents who continue to consider a vote that’s not directly for a major party a wasted vote? How would you say the next term of parliament is likely to differ from the current one if people do decide to vote for a larger crossbench?

I hear it from a lot of people, and I completely understand why they feel that way. But here is the thing, voting for a major party is not the only way to make your vote count. I really want people to see that the power lies with them.

Voting for a party that truly reflects people’s values is one of the most powerful things they can do.

To those who want to see real change, we really need to move away from this idea that it is only the two major parties that can govern.

In this current situation, a minority Labor government would be ideal. There would be a strong enough crossbench formed with minors and independents who will hold Labor to account.

We have been telling people that they can have their cake and eat it too. But there are some people who can’t get themselves to vote for anybody but the major parties.

If your House of Representatives member is a Labor person, and you think they have done alright, well you can vote for them but in the Senate, you can vote for Australia’s Voice or any other minor party or independent, to hold the government of the day to account.

We need to always remember that the Senate exists, as the focus is always on the House of Reps and people forget the importance of the Senate.

But a larger crossbench in the Senate would mean more diverse voices, better scrutiny of government policy and a parliament that actually reflects the diverse views in our country, whether that been a minor party or an independent Senator.

To the second part of your question on what we would see post-election in the next term, we will see a parliament far more dynamic and responsive to the needs of the people, especially if we have a larger and more diverse crossbench, because we know that the crossbench will hold the major parties to account.

We won’t let them make those dirty deals and get away with it. We will push for policies that actually serve the public’s best interest.

It is important to understand how much of a key player the Senate is when it comes to having progressive reform on the table and really pushing for it.

So, to all the Australians out there, when you cast your vote for Australia’s Voice, you are not wasting it, you are using it to demand a better and fairer future for all Australians.