Alan, I agree. But it’s not just Murdoch that we should be concerned about. As you say; Fairfax does it too. And indeed this enormous bias exists throughout the business sector - where there is a powerful vested-interest profit-motive-driven push for continuous rapid growth.

This is often presented as a totally unqualified take-it-for-granted growth-is-good-and-faster-growth-is-better mentality, without any attempt to separate the good and bad aspects of growth.

I share your belief that Labor didn’t do too badly with the pink batts scheme (thankyou for convincing me about this in your previous article and discussion) and some of its other programs (not including its changes to border-protection!) and I appreciate that our national debt situation is nowhere near as bad as we are often told.

But Labor is still massively onside with the big-business growth push! When it comes down to it, there is really scant little difference between them and the Coalition in this regard.

So it begs the question: just exactly what is Murdoch’s motive for presenting such a strong bias against Labor?

Here are some numbers.
When the Howard Government was elected Australia Government Debt To GDP (AGD/GDP) stood at 31.1%. After 11 years it had been reduced to 9.7%; it could have been lower but Costello decided to kept $50 billion of government securities on issue so as to maintain a bond market. (This is turning out to be a brilliant decision>)

Since the Labor Government was elected in late 2007 (AGD/GDP has risen to 22.9% at a time when Australia’s terms of trade had never been higher. All your figures about growth and employment are meaningless if a government borrows and spends like crazy.

The figures below are staggering.

Date (30 June) Gross Debt ($ millions)
2007 58,284
2008 60,462
2009 101,147
2010 147,133
2011 191,291
2012 233,976

The Labor Government has injected nearly $200 billion in to Australian economy for what? A lot of school halls used rarely and a broadband network that after six years connects 33,000 homes.

My favourite comment of the week was were the opening lines is a speech made by Trevor Sykes. “I would like to begin by apologising to Jim Cairns who until now I thought was the worst treasurer that Australia had ever produced. In addition I think the audience should give a round of applause to Judy Morosi – Her distracting of Jim Cairns from the cares of office obviously saved Australia billions. We have now seen what Labor government can truly achieve under Wayne Swan.

A UK central banker once said me the UK economy is old and governments can stuff it up but it would take real genius to stuff up the Australian economy.”

Clearly EQ works for the Australian.

EQ care to name the UK Central banker?......Care to present some evidense?.....
no thought not what you have done though is prove the author contention very nicely. No facts, just comment

Why didn't you compare australian angiast other contries?
Why not ask the builders, suppliers that built those school halls what they would have done without that work?

No wouldn't want to get reality mixed up with the message you want to send.

Hi Alan,

Having failed to get any traction with your previous two economic missives, for which you got severely hammered here on OLO, you now want to do a Gillard, It’s all the “meedja’s” fault.

Give it up Alan.

Only those who cannot think for themselves because they subscribe to “groupthink” or ideology are vulnerable to any lasting effect from the media. The majority of Australians soak the news up from multiple sources, analyze it, weed out the rhetoric, undo the spin, look at the source of the story, divide it by two and then come up with their assessment.

I haven’t actually come across anyone nominating “The Alan Austin Weekly” as a source of incisive news analysis yet, but keep up the good work; you are helping keep the ALP tragedy front and center in all our waking hours and out of our lives for several generations.

Yesterday Sportsbet paid out on the election betting nine days before the election. It’s looking like people such as you have done a marvelous job on finishing off what was left of the ALP, many thanks. Credit where it’s due, you did have some help from Fairfax and the ABC.

The ALP reminds me of the remnants of Napoleons army as they trudged back from Russia.

My baseball bat in nicely polished, the champagne is in the chiller and the popcorn is ready. Our election eve party is set to be a cracker as we celebrate the ALP 50 seats to the LNP’s 90 seat win. Next year we are looking forward to the “bonus” party as the double dissolution wipes out the remnants of the Greens in the Senate.

We even have the “Alan Austin” prize, you’re famous. A case of beer or bottle of wine (not French) for the reveler nominating the top three highest profile ALP casualties. Not that there are many high profilers left after the mass resignations but hey, the ALP won’t need any for several generations anyway.

Le cat she is dead non? She not bounces no more?

But hope springs eternal.

Spindoc has set up his web in a tiny, damp hole deep in the soil where the Sun of Intellect never shines.

Only the size of a money spider, Spindoc thinks that he and the stick insects that form the Coalition are hugely important. What they are is little better than an insatiable, greedy rabble of would-be's if they could-be's who love buckets of money but only for them and their insatiable ilk.

At least LABOR, though they lack management skills, has a heart! It judges people by what they do to improve everyone's lot rather than measure success by whether you live in Vaucluse or on the Harbour foreshores while your exotic limo drives past homeless people and families living on park benches or under railway bridges.

Spindoc might get a few moments in the sun should the Colation, with Murdoch's help, win the election. If they do, the salt of the earth type people, who are capable of caring and sharing, are in for a hard time while the rich get richer!

Oh do stop it David G, lest my flood of tears wipe out a whole suburb. Labor's got a heart? Well you might be right David, but if KRuddy has one, it is made of stone. Why else do you think he is sinking so quickly. With luck he will not resurface to trouble Labor & or the real people again.

You say "At least LABOR, though they lack management skills, has a heart! It judges people by what they do to improve everyone's lot rather than measure success by whether you live in Vaucluse or on the Harbour foreshores while your exotic limo drives past homeless people and families living on park benches or under railway bridges." Again be careful self delusion can be devastating when you finally wake up to the truth.

Indecently, just who's policies do you think put your poor homeless there. It wouldn't be labors policies now would it, much aided by a flood of boat people taking up all the public housing intended for Ozzies do you think? Ops sorry, shouldn't use that word should I?

Oh & another little gem of wisdom for you, it is those out in the bush here, driving around in old Hilux & Holden utes that are sick of worrying about your underprivileged & homeless.

Like my neighbor turf farmer, who has been trying to find a worker for months, or the 80 year old dairy farmer, who can't find someone to give him even one day a week off.

They both have sheds much more comfortable than park benches workers could live in too.