A new party, the Australian Sovereignty Party (ASP) will be on your ballot paper this September and its founder is Greek.
25-year-old Greg Orfanidis is fronting the ASP and believes his party speaks to the “independently minded individual”.
With policies such as cutting the carbon tax, keeping immigration low and small business, it sounds a lot like liberal talk.
But Mr Orfanidis, assures that isn’t the case.
“I guess the major difference is our approach fiscally,” he tells Neos Kosmos.
“Our monetary policy and our taxation policies are what is going to stand out in contrast with the other two parties. Essentially we’d like to set up a system of taxation where it’s a lot more transparent.”
One of ASP’s major policies is reducing the amount of taxes Australians have to pay.
“ASP Tax Policy will replace all 125 taxes (except for Customs and Excise Duties) with a single Debit Tax. This tax will tax your expenditure – not your income,” says the Party’s website.
The ASP harks back at basic forms of politics, like upholding the Magna Carta and “natural rights” but shies away from making Australia a globally competitive country, preferring to keep politics and the economy self managed.
They want to avoid privatising government owned organisations, force immigrants to “learn our language” and “respect our Australian culture” while reducing Australia’s dependence on foreign goods.
Despite being a child of migrant parents, Mr Orfanidis thinks better control of migrant numbers should be enforced to ensure the Australian way of life.
“Of course we welcome migrants for prosperity, they contribute greatly to society as the Greeks have,” he explains.
“So what we’re saying is we’re not restricting it in a sense that it’s going to be a low number or arbitrary, it’s purely about just being sensible economically. Immigration should purely be about the numbers – nothing more.”
Only two and a half years old, the party doesn’t have the foresight that the older parties have.
And at only 25, Mr Orfanidis is working hard to make himself and his party credible.
“Look, I don’t have experience, I’ll be honest, but the people that I’m working with do,” he says.
“We’ve got people of all backgrounds and political experience.”
Mr Orfanidis’ background in activism and grass roots politics has cultivated a strong campaign up till the September election. The Party is hopeful it can increase its almost 600 strong membership by targeting people of all walks of life.
“It’s going to be about door-knocking, approaching targeted businesses, also families,” Mr Orfanidis adds.
He says the ASP will be out there listening to what people have to say, something they believe the two major parties have neglected.
“They’re not quite listening to what Australians have to say. They’re losing touch with what small businesses are going through, what families are going through.”