AA,

You are hilarious. You seriously expect a few cherry picked measures to mean that Labor was doing better than Libs did. Firstly, after 5 years in office without a continuous recession most factors should be higher. None of the positives are due to labor.

The answer to your question is neither a nor b. Non mining industrial production is down, Standard of living has hardly changed with per capita income closely matched with inflation. Whereas in the decade under Howard, Real incomes increased at about 3-4% continuously, and net debt has soared to orders of magnitude higher than before. (any idiot knows that the current account is a transaction account, and a high current account is generally a sign of investment, and a low current account is nothing to boast about.

Your feeble attempts to dress up Labor's record holds no water in Australia, and Whine Swan will go down in infamy, and when as predicted he loses his seat in September, as with ex NSW no business will hire him.

I have one word for you, Shadow Minister:

Global financial crisis !

AA

So that's your catch all excuse for all Labor's bad decisions? The waste of money on a variety of failed projects, the carbon tax lie and largest tax in the world, the mining tax debacle, etc?

The Labor brand is so trashed here in Aus that most states have gone liberal, and former labor MPs are largely unemployable. In September this will happen to a large chunk of federal Labor MPs. There is a strong possibility that Abbott will have a majority in both houses, and will have the mandate to unwind most of Labor's damage, and put Aus back on the path to long term prosperity.

Hello again, Shadow Minister,

No, not at all. But the GFC is a reality we should keep firmly in mind when assessing the recent economic performance of all governments anywhere in the world, shouldn't we?

Not just Australia's.

All economies suffered to some extent, including Australia's. That is why it is called the global financial crisis.

But here is the amazing thing ...

While every country went backwards on almost every indicator we can measure, the Australian economy actually surged forward on these 25:

1. income – GDP per person
2. GNI income per person
3. income disparity
4. interest rates
5. inflation
6. people employed
7. job participation rate
8. personal tax rates
9. company tax rate
10. superannuation
11. health care
12. pension levels
13. personal savings
14. productivity
15. current account deficit
16. current account deficit as a % of GDP
17. international credit ratings
18. economic freedom
19. value of the Aussie dollar cf the US$
20. value of the Aussie dollar cf the euro
21. value of the Aussie dollar cf the UK pound
22. balance of trade
23. industrial production growth
24. foreign exchange reserves
25. overall quality of life

Have you had a chance to investigate them yet, Shadow Minister? It is truly an extraordinary record. Well worth the effort to explore.

You will then see how it happened that from ranking in the world at about 11th in 2007 your economy zoomed up to first in 2009-10. And first by a HUUUUGE margin.

On at least those 25 measures your economy is now performing much better than at any time under the previous regime. Just ask anyone on a pension, or paying a mortgage, or paying tax or spending Aussie dollars overseas.

It is truly impressive, Shadow Minister. Well worth celebrating. Especially as, if there is a change of Government later in the year, as you are predicting, you could easily slip back to 11th place again.

Cheers,

AA

No response to Berridale or Gordon East dear Alan?

Youy list of Australian 'wins' is odd.

"Economic freedom"

What a joke; tell that to myriad farmers such as the Thompsons, Peter Spencer etc 'labouring' under green tape; and what about the CO2 tax and attendent legislation limiting what industry can do because of the scam of AGW.

Australia no longer has an aluminium industry, oil refining has left; manufacturing is in tatters.

"Overall quality of life"; pensioners are now facing the exciting prospect of choosing between eating and power; what quality of life!

You are an unabashed spokesperson for the ALP, a party so degenerate it now plays wedge politics with the disabled.

Nothing, no policy, however intrinsically worthwhile, espoused by Gillard or Rudd has been effectively implemented; it is a party made up of the useless and the ideological and the tainted.

Its supporters are somewhat less in statute.

AA,

As for your indicators, you cherry pick a few indicators that look good, but they either have nothing to do with Labor, or are not glowing endorsements.

1. income – GDP per person
2. GNI income per person
Kept pace with inflation. Hardly a surge.

3. income disparity
4. interest rates
Interest rates have been dropped by the RBA to rescue the economy, hardly something to boast about.

5. inflation
Mainly due to the low cost of imports.

6. people employed
Dropping as a % of population.

7. job participation rate
No change from 2007

8. personal tax rates
Implemented the tax drop promised by Howard, and then increased taxes with levies and removal of a plethora of tax rebate. So taxes are surging ahead.

9. company tax rate
No change in tax rate, except increases in carbon tax, company tax etc.

10. superannuation
No change yet.

11. health care
The health care reform has been a stuff up with no change in patient waiting times.

12. pension levels
13. personal savings
With all the redundancies, people are scared of losing their jobs, and so are paying down debts.

14. productivity
Less efficient businesses have gone to the wall in droves. Productivity increases also largely driven by the high value of production from the increased mining.

15. current account deficit
16. current account deficit as a % of GDP
This is a trading account based on imports, this tends to increase with investment in production. This has dropped with the decrease in manufacturing. Net government debt has soared.

17. international credit ratings
Under threat from S&P from labor overspending.

18. economic freedom
All indicators tied to government have fallen.

19. value of the Aussie dollar cf the US$
20. value of the Aussie dollar cf the euro
21. value of the Aussie dollar cf the UK pound
22. balance of trade
23. industrial production growth
19-23 Due to mining not Labor. Non mining production has dropped.

24. foreign exchange reserves
Due to mining not Labor

25. overall quality of life
Gone backwards for anyone earning more than the average.