The Pope

We mourn the passing of Pope Francis, a steadfast advocate for Universal Basic Income (UBI) and a champion for the marginalized. His vision for economic justice and dignity for all left an indelible mark on the global community.

In his place, the College of Cardinals has elected Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. Born in Chicago and having served extensively in Peru, Pope Leo XIV brings a unique blend of American and Latin American perspectives to the papacy. His inaugural address emphasized themes of unity, peace, and love, echoing the compassionate ethos of his predecessor.

While Pope Leo XIV has yet to make explicit statements regarding UBI, his background in social justice and commitment to the poor suggest a continued focus on economic equity. His choice of the name "Leo" pays homage to Pope Leo XIII, known for his pro-worker stance.

Canada

Canada has elected Mark Carney as its 24th Prime Minister, marking a significant shift in the nation's political landscape. Carney, a former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, brings a wealth of economic expertise to his new role. His leadership comes at a time when Canada faces economic challenges, including trade tensions with the United States and the need for domestic policy reforms.

In a podcast interview with Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Carney discussed the challenges posed by technological advancements and automation on the workforce. He emphasized the need for government intervention through social support programs to assist workers in transitioning to new roles, suggesting that mechanisms like UBI could play a role in this process.

While Carney has not committed to implementing a UBI policy, his acknowledgment of its potential indicates an openness to exploring such measures as part of a broader strategy to address economic disruptions caused by technological change.

A new coalition of feminist organizations from across Canada came together to push for a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) to be a priority in the election. While Canada is not quite to the point where it’s advocated for in mainstream the political movement is making strides.

Germany

We’ve received the results from the Mein Grundeinkommen (My Basic Income) trial in Germany, and they offer compelling insights into the impact of unconditional basic income on individuals' lives.

In this three-year study, 122 participants received €1,200 per month with no conditions attached. Contrary to common concerns, recipients maintained their average 40-hour workweeks, demonstrating that basic income did not diminish work motivation. Instead, participants reported significant improvements in mental health, life satisfaction, and a greater sense of autonomy. Notably, many spent more time with friends and engaged in social activities, with participants spending almost 4 hours more per week than people without.

Australia

Australia recently held its federal election. Basic Income Australia (BIA) initiated a do-gooder email campaign to engage candidates on Universal Basic Income (UBI) policies; however, we received few responses. UBI was not a prominent issue in this election. While a couple of minor parties expressed support for UBI, the Labor Party's landslide victory suggests limited progress on this front any time soon.

Basic Income Australia

In the lead up to the election, BIA formalized its political engagement policy:

• We do not endorse political parties.

· Sharing party content is acceptable if done respectfully.

• Political discussions on Discord are welcome within our code of conduct.

We voted not to affiliate with the Sustainable Australia Party.

On Saturday, May 24th, BIA held its strategy meeting. We are developing a comprehensive calendar of networking events to attend.

One fun highlight: our book club read Aaron Bastani’s Fully Automated Luxury Communism (published in 2019). Before we cracked it open, we figured Bastani would be a big UBI supporter—turns out, not at all! The book argues more for Universal Basic Services explicitly instead of a UBI, so that turned into a really interesting debate. It also felt a bit out-of-date since it was written in 2019, which just shows how quickly our views on tech progress and the economy can shift.

At our policy meeting, we talked about a wealth tax (not part of our preferred UBI policy , by the way). We talked about what the purpose of a wealth tax could be, whether a confiscatory wealth tax would be desirable. We talked about its popularity in context with a UBI and its implementation challenges. We also spent a lot of time on MMT… classic.

We had another meeting to figure out what the “minimum viable UBI” should be—basically, how much can you water it down before it stops being real UBI? No agreement yet (surprise surprise), but it was a lively discussion!

Our website upgrades are live! We’ve added a donation portal and a membership cancellation feature (thanks, Josh!). We’re also rolling out a new membership contact system so we can reach out to people in the way they prefer—make sure to update your settings if you haven’t yet. Plus, the Chronicle bot is now live on Discord to help everyone stay on top of what’s happening.

We’ve also incorporated membership reporting into our action meetings. And to keep our membership momentum going, directors will be approving new members 15 minutes before each action meeting so we can brainstorm ways to grow our community right away.

Winter is here!

USyd is running a UBI intensive masters course from May 30th to June 7th, and Emma and Jess from BIA will be guest lecturing—it’s a great opportunity to share our insights and connect with more people. This is the first course on UBI ever run Australia.

Jess will also be a guest on Radio 4EB’s “A Woman’s Place” podcast, talking about economic security for women and how UBI fits in. We’re also chatting with the TekFoundation to see how we can better coordinate our tech-savvy volunteers on Git, which should help us do more with our online presence.

A couple of members from our active Perth group will also be attending the WA Peer Supporters Network (WAPSN) Conference in 2025, which is another fantastic chance to connect and collaborate.

We’ve got a few exciting events coming up! On Thursday, June 19th, we’ll be hosting a deep discussion on Modern Monetary Theory—always a lively topic! Then, on July 17th, we’ll be digging into the relationship between immigration and Universal Basic Income and in August, our book club is back with Let There Be Money by Scott Santens, meeting on August 21st. All of these events run from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM AEST on zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82527159640 and we’d love to see you there.

Of course, alongside these special events, we’re always keeping things ticking over with our regular action and operations meetings. If you want to get involved, there’s no shortage of ways to jump in—just let us know!

contact@basicincomeaustralia.com