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To: The Prime Minister & the Houses of Parliament

Unconditional Basic Income

Australia is a RICH country and we can easily afford a just-above-the-poverty-line basic income to everyone 18 or older. Each Australian is worth $55,800/ year in disposable income (Aus. Bureau of Statistics) https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abs.gov.au%2Fhousehold-income&psig=AOvVaw39_GZ3tAeYlPu3p-t2R44g&ust=1590735008838000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAMQjB1qFwoTCPDE8-r71ekCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
The recent Rescue-packages proves the government is easily capable of allocating basic income needs well above the normal welfare requirements.

Today austerity seems to be the only answer given to remedy the economic crisis in Australia, and yet people are getting poorer and poorer. Automated manufacturing and wealth accumulation are changing our approach to work and more and more is produced with fewer and fewer people. Unemployment has skyrocketed and paid work is no longer a right for everyone. The good news is, never in history has human society produced so much wealth, but while this worth is produced by the work of all past and present, this wealth is unevenly distributed amongst citizens.

We as Australian citizens propose an alternative; it's called Unconditional Basic Income. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states "...Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

Unconditional Basic Income should be: universal, individual, unconditional, and high enough to ensure a dignified existence and participation in society. This new fundamental right for Australians not only would eradicate misery, but it is also a way to develop non-market orientated work, such as artists, parents, and volunteers. But it’s also an economic measure; Unconditional Basic Income for all means supporting local business. This would therefore allow us to fully exercise our citizenship.

The Unconditional Basic Income can be financed by implementing more financial and high income taxation, consumption tax on luxury goods and polluting products, and mainly self-financing by simplification of a very long list of current social transfers and associated public services which have become obsolete. What we propose would be much simpler, equal and transparent. Everyone gets an Unconditional Basic Income. It is up to the citizen to work if they want an increase in income. Overall, the nature of the Unconditional Basic Income support - lifelong financial security and free of means test - will enable people to plan their own careers with greater certainty, with movements in and out of the workforce as required or desired to develop various skills and aptitudes. The provision of unconditional income support will provide the nation with an income support system which is free from political manipulation. It will remove income support from welfare policy considerations.

Why is this important?

Under current systems, when someone becomes employed they lose most of their welfare payments. This means they can go from not working at all to working a full week, but not earn much more than they did previously, which acts as a disincentive to work. Under Unconditional Basic Income, when people become employed they would retain the same basic income payment, with their salary added to it, so this disincentive no longer exists. Remember this will not replace your wages, you will be able to earn your normal working pay on top of the the basic income. It is there simply as a safety net to ensure your basic human rights are fulfilled.

Second, the Unconditional Basic Income support will help people adapt to the changing industrial structure and employment opportunities by assisting them to plan and develop their vocational training and career structure. Remember this won't just help the young, what about middle aged families with a mortgage and kids to feed and clothe?

On the current system if you lose your job and you own a flash car or property, you are expected to sell those assets first, wait 12 months and then you can claim the dole. With my proposal of a Unconditional Basic Income for all, the anxiety and stress for these kinds of families would no longer exist as they will still have a means to survive and will not be forced to pack up their lives and move somewhere due to their budgets.

Third, Unconditional Basic Income will provide people with a better opportunity to pursue training in cultural, recreation, and sporting activities in which they have special skills and aptitudes.

Fourth, the financial support for people with special skills and aptitudes can have special benefits for rural towns and regional areas at present facing dwindling communities and a lack of career opportunities.

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The greatest benefit to society as a whole will be the influence it has towards a more equal and egalitarian society.

Please, prospective signers, take note -
UBI can be many things to many people. It can be a -

* stabilizer -it keeps the economy running and the dollar circulating
* safety net - if you lose your job or incur a "shock expense"
* liberator - frees you from domestic anguish and work exhaustion
* chance giver - the time, money and opportunity to explore your goals.
Added to campaign material August 8th, 2018 by David Upton

*Please note members. I am now proposing the amount of $22,500/annum as a proposed basic income. Added September 8th, 2020

Hello again members. Please check out this table -.
Observed UBI Effects
From completed and ongoing trials

☺ Crime went down 42%
☺ Hospitalization rates decreased 8.5%
☺ Birth weights improved due to better maternal nutrition
☺ Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables went up
☺ Consumption of alcohol and other temptation goods went down
☺ Child personalities improved such that kids were more honest and worked better together
☺ School attendance increased and grades improved
☺ Teen pregnancy rates went down
☺ Frequency of people being personally offended by each other went down
☺ Savings went up and debt went down
☺ Entrepreneurship quadrupled in one place and was 3 times higher than control groups in another
☺ Recipients worked more hours and earned more additional income
☺ Disproportionately positive effects overall were seen among women, the elderly and the disabled

How it will be delivered

This petition is designed to inform more people of the Basic Income Movement.

Links

Updates

2020-09-08 23:45:08 +1000

Please make welcome Gabe McGee to the Adelaide team.

2020-04-21 18:35:45 +1000

Thank you so much to my recent new members. Membership numbers have shot up and I so appreciate it. I figure many of the new signings are those poor people stuck on the Centrelink lines courtesy of the Covid Pandemic who I spoke to and handed out flyers. Am striving, along with activist colleagues to try and get UBI implemented. letters have been sent and many approaches made to influential people, most notably, the Australian government. But alas, have had no luck. Ideology is one of our big hurdles, which should never be because "UBI is not left or right, it's forward" Hang in there, we are not abandoning our cause, by any means

2019-03-24 18:41:24 +1100

500 signatures reached

2018-08-02 21:59:53 +1000

Dear Friends/Members,
Welcome latest members Genevieve D, Gary H, Dennis K, Sally W, Paul W, Jamie N. The report on my first market (at Fullarton, Adelaide) was good as far as talking to people, which I did a lot of. Some were objectors of UBI and did their best to 'stump' me, especially about how UBI could be funded. Others took fliers and seemed a little better than tentative. However I think only 2 or 3 signatures have been generated from the outing, at least so far. I notice how some people dwell, even for days, on a decision to join, others are tentative and some are just plain too discerning. I think it was fruitful enough to try it again in 4 weeks, plus I'm on the lookout for differently located markets. At least people are attracted enough to come forward and therefore more and more people are getting acquainted and educated about our marvellous scheme. I'll also 'jazz up' my site a bit Text you soon, David U

2018-07-18 21:18:48 +1000

Hello, welcome to the next update, and congrats and thanks to the newest members receiving an update for the first time. It was good to pass the 300 mark at last, in fact a steadier influx was noted, now on 308 members for the petition. Don't forget new members and old ones for that matter, feel free to send me tips or ideas or in any participatory guise you want to. Luke Whitington and Guy Standing are the latest champions of UBI I've had positive contact with and I hope more will come out of that. I also want to thank Michelle Reynolds for a couple of absolute gems posted on Facebook lauding Universal Basic Income, brilliant rebuttals for the insulting remarks made by anti UBI bloggers. Am asking you all to hang in there, as i'm forever trying new things to get support and perhaps word-of-mouth might eventually gain some reward and momentum. Text you soon, Truly, David Upton

2018-07-10 21:08:18 +1000

Dear Friends and supporters,

Just a few notes on what's happening on the UBI front. My Facebook ads are not reaping many rewards as I'm restricted to S.A. targets unless i pay big for interstate coverage and whilst I haven't had any nibbles yet from my Crowdfunding pursuit, I'm unable to afford this. Never mind, there's other stuff in the pipeline. It was gr8 to 'hear' from our special original campaigner Justin S who gave me gr8 encouragement to keep chipping away. Such a gr8 creation of his i want to do justice to. The one concern about putting plenty of info about UBI on FB is that it also attracts damning responses from UBI haters and one hopes this dosen't distract potential supporters. I'm finding a lot of supporters and doubters are saying it will take at the shortest 8-10 years for UBI to be implemented. I would want it much sooner, in fact asap. Am negotiating with relatives in Vic. to see if they can publicise it there. Text you soon, Cheers, David U

2018-07-04 14:36:44 +1000

Hi members & supporters. This update is a little overdue, but have tried to wait for some important things. Have just finished a radio gig on Coast FM here in Adelaide where I enlightened announcer Rob McLennon's many listeners about UBI, hopefully some signatures come out of it. Rob very supportive.
Thank you very Anna who put me onto advertising on Facebook. I did that and it gained a couple of members (we now sit on 298). The quality of my first couple of ads wasn't that good but will learn for my next lot. Nothing back yet from my 'high profilers'. Still taking fliers everywhere and have been given some contacts to try like CRIKEY.com which is a profoundly independent online news and current affairs service. I feel I'm spreading the scope wider all the time. Text you soon, yours truly, David Upton

2018-06-14 17:08:55 +1000

Hello members. Time for another update. Sorry it's a bit long coming, but I wanted to have some positive news before I wrote again. High profile figures Hugh Mackay and Jacqui Lambie have indicated personally by text that they are interested. I even tweeted Elon Musk, who is a UBI advocate to ask if he'll sponsor me, but no reply as yet. But on a more current note, I will go on radio here in Adelaide (Radio Adelaide 101.5 AM) on Tuesday next 6pm to discuss UBI; Early next week I start with a first block of 20,000 ads in Newscorp online media, where people have direct access to click onto my (our) site: and I'm half way through a Crowdfunding submission and am told I have a good chance of obtaining a fund of $5,000 to promote the scheme through ads and miscellaneous costs. So I hope by next update to supply some positive outcomes for you from these exercises. We need them because petition signings are concerningly slow. Text you soon, David U

2018-05-30 18:16:31 +1000

Hello members. David Upton here bringing you the next update report. It's not a report of exciting new developments, unfortunately. But don't lose heart, I'm always trying new stuff. I have been trying feverishly to make contact with Peter Singer, a champion of human issues in Australia to whom I would ask to be involved with us. He would lend considerable influential weight, respect and credibility to the UBI campaign, I contend. But alas, he is too busy to answer mail I've sent him. I shall keep "hounding" him until I get a response. I continue to meet with important names when i can, having joined Rostrum clubs in Adelaide. Some members shy away from UBI, but others are strong advocates. Thanks to some of you for sending me pertinent material and as always I encourage your participation, suggestions, advice, tips, whatever. Thanks for now, David U

2018-05-22 11:14:08 +1000

Hello members and or supporters of Justin's campaign. My name is David Upton and Justin has appointed me to administer the campaign in his absence. His heart is still in the implementation of UBI, but University studies and enterprises don't permit him enough time to actively conduct his campaign anymore. I'm only too pleased to fill this void as the untold hours of work Justin undertook to create this outstanding submission should not be foregone or forgotten. He took the campaign a long way, right to Tony Abbott's office, as you all know and I will try to plot a similar course toward the current regime and or other political interests. I firmly believe that UBI is back on topic, as it should be, and will try to invoke renewed awareness about it in my new role. Thanks and I hope you all keep supporting this potential eradicator of poverty - the Universal Basic Income. Will keep you updated, yours truly, David Upton

2014-06-07 10:23:09 +1000

100 signatures reached

2014-06-06 15:14:52 +1000

50 signatures reached

2014-05-17 21:46:12 +1000

25 signatures reached

2014-05-14 15:28:43 +1000

10 signatures reached

2014-05-14 15:16:11 +1000

Thank you to everyone so far for your support you are fighting for a fair Australia where everyones basic human rights are fulfilled.