We Rise
26 Policies.
7 Pillars
2 Values
Dignity and Respect
From these two truths, we derive our foundations, a life of purpose, a world of vision, and a legacy, larger than ourselves.
WeRise is built by ordinary people who believe things need to change. We are not economists, lawyers, doctors, educators or First Nations elders. We are researchers, readers, and people who give a damn.
If you are a teacher, a clinician, a First Nations person, a lawyer, an economist, or anyone with lived experience or professional expertise in any of these areas — we want to hear from you. This platform exists to amplify the best thinking, not replace it.
Reach out. Contribute. Help us get it right.
Universal Basic Income (UBI)
Security For Every Soul
What if every Australian received enough money each month to cover their basic needs: no means test, no conditions, no exceptions? Not a new or a radical idea. A tested one.
Universal Free Healthcare
Health As A Human Right
Your health shouldn’t depend on your bank balance. We already have Medicare. We just haven’t finished building it.
Free Education
Education As Liberation
The countries with the most educated populations didn’t get there by making people pay for the privilege of learning. Neither should we.
Indigenous Rights
The Oldest Story
Sixty thousand years of knowledge, law and culture. The oldest living civilisation on Earth. Still waiting for the rest of us to catch up.
Restorative Justice
Justice That Heals
Australia imprisons more than half the people it releases back into prison within two years. Norway imprisons less than one in five. The difference isn’t toughness. It’s approach.
Corporate Accountability
...Whose Economy?
Australia imprisons more than half the people it releases back into prison within two years. Norway imprisons less than one in five. The difference isn’t toughness. It’s approach.
Mental Health
The Right To Heal
One in five Australians experiences a mental health condition every year. Access to support shouldn’t depend on geography, income or a two year waiting list.
Stewards of Soil, Sea and Sky
Healthy People, Healthy Future, Healthy Planet
he continent that gave the world the Great Barrier Reef is also one of the world’s largest per capita carbon emitters. We can do better. We know how.
Select a policy to read more on our positions
We Rise is not a political party.
We’re not seeking election, and we’re not affiliated with any party or ideology. But we will loudly and clearly support any politician, at any level of government, who is genuinely willing to fight for the people they represent.
We Rise is a policy platform. A research-backed, community-driven argument for what a better Australia actually looks like — in plain language, with real evidence, and without apology.
Why We Rise Exists
33% of Australians trust the Federal Government to do the right thing (Mapping Social Cohesion Report, 2024)
34% trust political parties (OECD, 2023)
1 million+ Australians feel forgotten by politicians — a number that doubled since 2019 (Roy Morgan, 2023)
42% experience loneliness — which directly correlates with political disengagement (ANU, 2024)
Something isn’t working. We’re trying to help fix it.
We believe in a set of principles that put people before profit:
- A Universal Basic Income, so no one is forced to choose between rent and food.
- Free public education at all levels, because learning should liberate — not shackle us with debt.
- Mental health care as a right, not a privilege hidden behind waitlists and shame.
- Housing as a human right, not a speculative asset.
- Real climate action, not corporate greenwashing and endless deferral.
- Media accountability, because democracy can’t survive without truth.
- Transparent governance, with decisions made with people, not for them.
These aren’t radical ideas. In most cases they’re already working somewhere in the world. We’re just asking why not here.
We're not here to beg. We're here to build.
We Rise exists because progressive policy in Australia deserves better than a hashtag. Too often, the conversation about what this country could be gets reduced to slogans, sound bites, and three-word campaigns. We’re building something more durable — a genuine, evidence-based progressive policy platform that treats Australians as intelligent adults capable of engaging with real ideas and real solutions.
We’re looking for collaborators, people who will read, question, challenge, and share. People who know something needs to change and want to understand what that actually means in practice.
The tiles above are your starting point. Each one goes deeper, real policy, real evidence, real alternatives to the way things are.
Pick one. Start there.
We Rise draws on research from leading Australian and international policy organisations, including the Australia Institute and the Basic Income Earth Network.