The new Ecological, Social Justice, Aboriginal Party is seeking federal, state and territory electoral registration, hoping to achieve it by the time the next federal election is called. If ESJAP is not registered, our candidates will contest as independents, coalesced under our banner.
ESJAP will strive to ensure the undiluted Aboriginal voice in parliament — a voice sorely missing from Australian politics. There have only been 19 Aboriginal parliamentarians at the state, territory and federal levels. Ten of those 19 have been in the Northern Territory.
Our party is developing substantive policies on all issues and intends to run as many candidates as possible in state and federal elections.
ESJAP is underwritten by the desire to promote ecologically sustainable economics and, through the dissemination of information, to eliminate acts and attitudes that sustain inequality.
There are three major parties in Australian politics: Labor, the Liberal/National Coalition and the Greens.
We hope to develop as the fourth political influence and break down monopoly politics to ensure that policies are not shaped in the Labor and Liberal party rooms but in the chambers of parliament, where the constitution intended it.
We hope ESJAP will encourage Aboriginal peoples who have not enrolled to vote to do so. We hope to have a party Aboriginal people can really believe in, that will support redress and self-determination.
Our Aboriginal brothers and sisters have lived in apartheid-like conditions for close to two centuries. We hope those who carefully consider their vote and those who lodge invalid votes will consider us.
[Gerry Georgatos is the interim party leader of ESJAP. Other founders include Marianne Mackay, who is interim party secretary, Glenn Moore, who is interim party president, and Dr William Hayward. For more information, visit, the party website.]
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