Mr Deane's posting is, to use his words, 'deeply strange'. But why should we be surprised at that? OLO people will recognise this is the same Mr Deane who argued that land mines save lives, that the refugees on the Tampa were phonies and that in the UK 2005 General Election the Labour Government was "desperately unpopular, but the polls stubbornly put them ahead".

Now Mr Deane is touting for the return of the "desperately unpopular" Mr Howard. And what reasons does he offer swinging voters?

1. That, while we know everything there is to know about John Howard and next to nothing about Kevin Rudd, we don’t really know what Mr Howard’s position is on interest rates.

2. That unemployment has fallen as a result of the foresight of Hawke and Keating but people undervalue the more recent work of Howard.

3. That if Howard is re-elected things will carry on much the same as before and that "prospect will please some and displease others". We need more of the past.

4. That there are psychological problems with "the deeply strange Peter Garrett". Labor’s answer to Tony Abbot?

5. That "Julia Gillard’s far-left background means that she commands a position from which she might topple her glorious leader". Labor’s answer to Peter Costello?

6. That “Famously [he might equally have said ‘falsely’], 70 per cent of all of Labor’s front bench are former union bosses.”

7. That he thinks "there’s something a bit, well, not quite right about" Kevin Rudd. But he doesn’t specify what.

8. That while we’ve had ‘wall-to-wall’ Coalition governments in the past and the sky didn’t fall in, we must be very afraid of ‘wall-to-wall’ Labor.

And to round off, Mr Deane tells us that “At a Federal level, the Australian electorate has always got it right." The voters were right to vote out McMahon, Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke and Keating. "And it’s been right to keep the Howard-Costello government for four terms."

On that argument they will be right to replace Howard now.

There are several things ethically not right with the author's views; for a start his view on death or wealth taxes expressed previously. If citizens are entitled to equal opportunity then where is the right of a child to an equal inheritance or, in our society, to even an equal educational opportunity. John Howard and Peter Costello have not made a success of running our economy. If they had we would have have spent money on infrastructure for the future rather than promote speculation, with tax cut for high income earners. Their policies have bid housing out of the reach of many young families.
If I might quote Keynes, "Thus we are so sensible, have schooled ourselves to so close a semblance of prudent financiers, taking careful thought before we add to the 'financial' burdens of posterity by building them houses to live in, that we have no such easy escape from the sufferings of unemployment. We have to accept them as an inevitable result of applying to the conduct of the State the maxims which are best calculated to 'enrich' an individual by enabling him to pile up claims to enjoyment which he does not intend to exercise at any definite time."
We mightn't have much unemployment but that is due to overseas demand for depleting resources not the efforts of this federal government.

Fully agree we should avoid wall-to-wall Labor governments - let's get some genuinely progressive alternatives in.
The current ALP, at both state and federal level, is at least as conservative as the Coalition were 20 years ago (if not more so).

everyone who leaves a comment on OLO is so bloody left wing it's ridiculous

Alexander,

You seem to suggest that there are real and tangible effects from the Howard government on our lives and the lives of our families and friends.

No Alexander, there are real and tangible effects from the Howard government on YOUR life and the lives of YOUR families and friends.

You went to Trinity College and Cambridge? Well many people in Australia could simply not afford that type of education.

That is especially the case now following Howard's divestment in education. Try and argue that under Howard’s management Australia’s tertiary education system has not been exclusionary? Oh and in case you are wondering I went to a private school.

As for the economy's growth - hardly the sole measure of a community's health as you seem to suggest - do you really believe Howard and Costello are the only reason for that growth? Like Howard, you fail to mention any other factors at all, staggering in the current economic climate and hardly a solid economic argument.

It is also alarming how you regurgitate coalition fear-based campaign slogans and pass them off as your own opinion.

"Wall-to-wall Labor" Yes very scary and Orwellian. Well there is that little thing called state elections. Surely if you mention that you should mention the coalition’s complete control of the senate? Now merely a rubber stamp for Howard’s agenda.

"Union influence under Labor is alarmingly high" ho-hum and again very scary. Yes and Julia Gillard is a communist. Let’s return to McCarthyism shall we? Rise above the usual election rhetoric Alexander and tell us something we don't already know.

I would have thought a Barrister, a rotary scholar and a self-professed 'World Universities Debating Champion' would have had a more critical thought process.

A.C.E Ventuuie

Alexander,

I know I am speaking with a young liberal so forgive me from segueing away from economics for a moment, to something that I feel is also very important.

Under Howard, Australia has had the worst human rights record in the country’s history.

A terrible and outrageous tale of children in detention, mandatory detention and inaction on indigenous issues, the reality of which I have had relayed personally to me by Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner, Graeme Innes.
This has unfortunately soured our image around the world – that is with people who care about such things.

With Kevin Andrews’ recent suggestion he will ban African migrants because ‘they cause fights in nightclubs’, further underlines the type of Australia Howard is encouraging, the type that reared its ugly head with the Cronulla riots.

I’d like to see you make a moral argument to vote for Howard. Yes Alexander, Peter Garrett is deeply strange. He didn’t go to Cambridge. He isn’t into yachting or polo. And I’d hazard a guess he puts human rights issues on equal footing as economic performance as a measure of a country’s and indeed an individual’s success.

A.C.E Ventuuie

Its nice of Alexander Deane to tell us ignorant colonials what to do. Pity we ignore him.

It would be nice if Alexander stuck to Law or Maths and left the Economics to experts like John Quiggin who wrote about Economic Rationalism in 1997. http://www.uq.edu.au/economics/johnquiggin/JournalArticles97/Econrat97.html.

Quiggin said that in the UK economic rationalism had
- reduced unemployment rate by reducing the work force participation rate as happened here with a work force participation rate of 52%.
- reduced workforce productivity

John Howard supports the battlers. His $800 tax rebate for receipted expenditure of more than $2000 per secondary school child can be adopted by people on high incomes paying tax at 40 cents in the dollar ie individual incomes greater than $180,000 per year. The median Australian adult income is still $26,000

John Howard has no imagination,
- he has holidayed at Hawkes Nest for the last 3 decades, even when Bob Hawke was Prime Minister
- he was a climate change sceptic til 3 months ago
- he bailed his brother Stan out by using tax payers funds to pay termination payments for National Textiles workers when his brother failed to comply with legal provisions regarding employer contributions to super

His government has
- encouraged people to save for their retirement and failed build ASIC into an effective policeman.
- encouraged Mozzie hating
- permited destruction of civil liberties with sedition bill
- destroyed pay and working conditions
- plans to sell off Medibank Private if re elected and privatise health care
- encouraged fee paying private school education over secular public education
- reduced tertiary training places
- reduced % GDP spent on health funding
- no plans for improving infrastructure to cope with increased population, climate change

The Liberals don't appeal to my hip-pocket nerve

Pondering,

You said: "Everyone who leaves a comment on OLO is so bloody left wing it's ridiculous."

You know you're going to upset a whole lot of people. I can just see them lining up to refute your claim:

... Jonathan Ariel, Arjay, Mirko Bagaric, BOAZ-David, Col Rouge, EasyTimes, Edward Carson, David Flint, grn, Leigh, redneck, runner, wre and lots, lots more.

To call these earnest posters left-wing is the ultimate insult.

Frank, there was at least one poster who suggested Felicity "let's privatise the ABC" McMahon was a socialist. It seems that the only explanation conservatives can come up with when they disagree with the views of others is that they must be radical left-wingers, pining for the return of communism.

Artful dodger:

Trinity College isn't a school - it is the college I attended at Cambridge. I went to a state school. There were no tuition fees when I went to university - indeed, given my family's finances (parents are both teachers) I received a grant from the state. I've never played polo (or ridden a horse). I've never been on a yacht.

Then again, I don't have the bizarre reverse snobbery that condemns those that DO do any of the above, either.

Nor do I feel guilty about the fact that I won the World Universities Debating Championships. Should I?

Are you more interested in playing the man, or the ball?

Oh dear just another Liberal Shill,enjoy your time in the outer pal

I can see why your skills are academic and debating. But your knowledge of life at the cliff face in Australia is minimal.It shows in your bias against Unions. Sure the Labor Party grew out of the Unions.Ask women why they have equal pay, jobs after they marry etc.The Union movement is an excellent grounding for a life in Politics, which in a Democracy, with all it's faults admits the franchise to our poorest citizens.I know that rhetoric can influence the less educated and this election proves it.Howard's Government has been found wanting by the "battlers" who voted for them before. They find they are still battling while the Rich get Richer! In a prosperous economy the workers are slaves compared to the moneyed set. That's why Full Employment is so important for the Investors-more slaves more profit.Higher interest rates more returns on capital!

Mr Howard has been in now long enough to make many enemies. Some commentators have said that he is a victim of his own success (although the likes of some posters unbelievably credit the success to Mr Keating & Hawke). Just proves how blinding political bias can be.

I will obviously be unhappy if Mr Rudd gets elected although not nearly as unhappy as many of the ABC staff etc if Mr Howard is retained. The Labour parties dishonesty is the thing that will get to me the most. Mr Garret, Ms Gillard and many of the other members of the party obviously don't agree with the me to approach by Mr Rudd and yet continue to wear the mask. The factions within the Labour party will become very obvious soon after the election whether they win all lose.

The author makes a huge range of claims that are in dire need of refutation, though the word limits here mean that I don't have enough time to comprehensively reject and ridicule each and every one of them.

I'll hardly be voting Labor... as a centre left voter who is witnessing the demise of the Democrats, there isn't really a competent party out there I can vote for anymore.

Though I certainly don't think the Libs have been doing a good job.

So, to refute instead, I'll provide these four OLO links, which show the incompetence and objectionable things that have to be laid at the feet of the liberal party.

Planning for future growth with infrastructure - the Libs have failed.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=6627

Genuine economically responsible management? Check out the reserve banks's warnings on party spending. The Libs have failed:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22748694-11949,00.html

How about our international standing?

Those of you that have travelled overseas and have some international awareness know that the Tampa incident forever damaged our reputation abroad.
That was one litany of actions that allowed the xenophobic voices in our society to speak, fuelling a country that has slid into insularity, encouraged by Howard's wedge tactics appealing to the uneducated with little tolerance for different people.
In terms of our standing and respect for human decency, the Liberals have failed.

http://www.hrca.org.au/one%20year%20after%20tampa.htm

What of accountability?
Aside from AWB? What about this report today, highlighting the pork barrelling in regional areas?
Accountable government? The liberals have failed.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22763338-601,00.html

And to those who are itching to point out how bad the State Labor governments are - there's one simple answer.
Look at how bad the State oppositions are.

In relation to our strong economy - with the reserve bank responsible for rates, all governments can do is not spend. Howard isn't. What's more, he placed the rates debate on the table pretending the government has a bigger role than it really does. If he was honest with us, he'd tell us that, but for mr 'non-core' promises, who said 'never ever' a GST, perhaps that's a bit much of an ask.

On the basis of the perceived inexperience of Labour, I guess Alexander means why do we bother having elections? The born to rule mob is in, so why change God's natural plan?

Kevin Rudd has "Fresh Leadership" as his signal, he should put the word,"Again" next to it.
He is ,by my reckoning, the fourth "fresh" Labor leader since Howard became PM. Apologies if I have forgotten others.
Artful says that under Howard ,Australia has the worst human rights record. This is the mantra the leftwing sing to themselves to kid themselves. Australia has ,if anything, been weak in keeping out unsuitable immigrants who have brought much undesirable baggage with them.To the cost of the Australian people.
For a country with 'the worst human rights record' it sure is popular as a migrant destination

"At a Federal level, the Australian electorate has always got it right"

Using the logic and the mind set of the author we may as well dispense with elections all together. Clearly the efforts of JWH give you impression he is not all that inclined to listen to the will of the people or regard the rights of the states very highly either - the end result amounts to the same thing - a delusion that the coalition and their fellow travellers are essentially born to rule.

Howrd has been accused of wanting to turn the clock back - most say to the 1950's - you get the impression from this pup 1776 would suit him and the coalition even better.

Concern about wall to wall Labour is an ignorant position to adopt - the states now have ample latitude to work in allegiance on any nuimber of fronts - and yet there is little evidence to suggest that they do now - they are looking to their own interests all the time - that is there job - ther is nothing to suggest they will change their minds under a Labor Government.

The only danger that has newly arrived on the political landscape is that posed by the coalition who via the corporations act foisted workchoices on the nation - it is that potentiality that leaves Australains open to abuse by either party - federal state liaison have little meaning when the federal government holds most of the cards and is very keen to get the rest

pondering: not all are left wing, i despise all pollies with an even-handed contempt.

i espouse democracy, rule "by the people " as lincoln put it, all around the world except here.

so i'm 'up' on the z-axis, where 'down' is autarchy.

these are matters of no concern to you, just repeat :"two legs good, four legs bad" before retiring each night, and she'll be right, mate.

I thank the author! truly! here in one post we see the reason Labor is going to not only form the next government but why the defeat will be worse than mad Mark Lathams.
REFUSAL to except the peoples view point , to understand the lie that was children over board and the AWB scandal.
To understand federally AUSTRALIAN VOTERS have done what they did in every state, voted for the lessor of 2 evils.
Yes until Rudd middle Australia, far from in love with Howard trusted him more than Simon Crean, God even ALP members did!
Latham? trendy dreamers who did not understand his lack of skills maybe ,but as we lined up for our flogging last election those who understand the subject knew we had no chance.
Conservative Australia must travel that path, face a turn around and defeat worse than Lathams.
Like Labor hear and see the voters will in action, understand the great distance traveled from the party formed by its founder, plan to return to Liberalism.
Watch however the true damage that turn around has done Kevin Rudd will not waste his chance.
Running him down may take a decade even more.

The author makes good sense.

Yawn...another Liberal hack with the usual biased dribble...

I dont believe the propaganda about Liberals being good economic managers. From 1970s, lived, worked, raised a family through 30+ years of both sides of government.

I have never been worse off than these 11 years and my now adult kids are worse off.

Double-taxed to support the spoilt selfish. One kid had their HECS debt doubled before they graduated with annual interest. Another kid instantly dismissed without severance from her job when her pregnancy was noticed. Thats "fair" under Workchoices. My other kid is disabled. A 9-month legal battle with Centrelink debts re "Carer's Allowance". I won my case eventually like 98% of the other average 22,000 Australians/year who win their appeals. If they aren't starved by the 2 year wait first.Then the next year Costello cuts disability pensions!

My super has declined by 8% in real terms over 11 years. I pay for expensive private hospital cover I can't afford to use with a 26% age-loading surcharge because I'm the wrong age-group.

The surplus has come from bleeding me dry, the sale of Telstra and sale of national Gold Reserves. Selling off Telstra didn't provide cheaper phone calls. Now military force on Aboriginal land to sell that off too. What happens when there's nothing left to sell?

I think the Liberals have done what they did when they left before in 83. They left a "Scorched Earth" on their way out. Labor didn't know just how bad it was until they got in and national treasury accounts were opened up to scrutiny.

I am so tired of hearing the lies about the high interest rates! The whole planet was in the grip of a global recession. Other countries were worse off. Average mortgages were $60K. 18% of $60K is less than 6% of $200K. No GST. Stamp duty was peanuts. There were "losers", bad-luck, not govt policy. Others like me, were "winners". Rates sky-rocketed, prices fell. Meant people like me could finally get in on the market.

Good economic management or not, Liberals can stick it where the sun don't shine.

Rain! If there was someone who has said all the right things, its you.
10\10 for comment.

Rain ,did you enjoy the Keating Banana republic recession we had to have better than John Howard's economic growth?

Take note and listen. Growth is what we are going to pay for. Just look at what is going on, and in the long run, making money, is not a good thing. Once humans have bleed the planet, think about this you greedy So in so,s! Where are you going to go when this planet is drained and killed.
LABOUR and its thinking's, might just give you the time to spend your big earnings, so that your children, can shake their heads at Howard's short sightness.

Alexander Deane you need to take the stars out of eyes. In fact why don't you take of f your cloak and come here to Cape York and live for a while.

We need an unbias legal team. A "good" set of eyes that could assist with some of the technical bits at ground level.

Break the Silio. People are not happy as much as they may otherwise like to be loyal to "their "parties? People are hurting, distressed and worried.

Try not to be smittened by the "elite" culture's bad habits. If you are a good lawyer than consider AUSTRALIA.

Try living with us in the bush. Represent the one whose sweats on the RRR trucks, labours at the dump. Document the case for those living out on commnunity, especially those who just lost their there CDEP.

Meet the people here (many) who have lost their businesses with ALL THE CHANGES over the past years. They have no representation. Document their cases. Most have had to leave the Cape (at huge cost) to rebuild their families lifes, while others just work if they can, under the oppression. This is documented.

Do a study to help solve the problem. If you have a brain, we need it.

After what I have seen here in Cape York, I have no fear of a Federal ALP. Otherwise I am A-political!

If each State is not happy then each state will have the opportunity to vote their change. It is merely a moment in time.

The very fact it is 7 x ALP says it is time. I personally have warned the Howard-Costello-Abbort-Coonon Government to STOP THE BULLYING.

I gave as much as I could.

They didn't listen.

http://www.miacat.com
.

Deane is a typical Young Liberal. Boring.

I'm not sure if it's the silver spoon or the plum in your mouth Alex that makes you differecult to understand. Or is it that you just talk crap.

I endorse Rains position whole heartedly - it actually is reminiscent of my own - therefore he is correct in his analysis QED

- And Arjay - the Hawke Keating years where a doddle compared to the mean spirited nature of this gubment - the surplus is ours - even you - they have picked opur pockets and those of generations to come for 11 years.

I remian in the utmost sneekeeness - Sneekeepete

Alex: So young, but so smart.

I'm a 30-something. I don't like all of Howard's
policies - but I'll be voting for him b/c the Labor
Party can't manage a shopping list.

Good essay, by the way.

Sneekeepete: I'm actually a girl *grin*.
Arjay: the Keating years were easy compared to hard times now. Really. No exaggeration. They were short-lived too, a couple of bad years where things were tight for everyone. It recovered quickly. I did OK in unionised white-collar employment.

My brother lost heaps in the stock-market crash. Had to sell his yacht, north sydney apartment, beemer and move into his investment house, buy a second-hand holden, and start mowing his own lawns. My heart bled *chuckle*. But he recovered within a few years too, and before the 1996 election.

As for wall-to-wall Labor, I wish some of you younguns would do your homework. Since before WW2, 40-50% of all state Budgets have been supplemented by C'wlth, General Purpose Payments, and Special Purpose Payments. Overall, the Howard govt has cut these payments to states by about 2% of GDP. Thats quite a lot, especially if you assume the economy has been going gangbusters. They have no choice but to raise their own taxes, cut services, whatever, to make up the shortfall. Thats why local government councils haven't got 2 cents to maintain roads and families of five die. The Coalition has starved the states into submission. I think its a credit to the states that they have been able to maintain as much public services as they have.

I first became a Labor voter during my Uni days when I first met young Liberals in campus bars watching Midnight Oil when they were a local Sydney pub band with a 50c cover charge. You've come a long way Peter!

A clash of values that went beyond capitalist free-market economies. More recenty the hatred of so many Aussies re Tampa (Its a worry, when ex-Liberal PM Fraser finds it too immoral for his taste) race riots on Cronulla beach, thugs wrapped in the flag, (our next generation of ANZACs?) and blatant racism towards Indigenous people, thats positive "Australian values"? Call me naive, or old-fashioned, but no thanks.

At about this time Sunday morning of next weekend Conservative Australia will be hurt.
Yet if in that pain they can understand it was self inflicted and a desperate need exists to understand the reasons for it, not blame voters a rebuilding can begin.
Why every state? some ruled by less than good governments, some clearly selected as the best of 2 unlovable teams?
NO! do not focus on state Labors woes, face the fact conservatives stood and failed to win.
That it has from 3 months ago been John Howard who played the me too game, any one not stunned by his climate change turn around?
From the bottom of the very deep hole Howard dug for you, his seeming intent to stop young talent climbing the Liberal ladder and so many more crimes against his battlers and his party cry should come.
A new way, not riding on the back of exports, but planning for government,, one day.
No easy task Rudd will not waste his chance not one government bar a council in Australia?
NO and the blame is conservatives lost in Howard's home made hole not Australian voters.
You would have better luck selling ham sandwich's to vegetarians than Howard's lies.

Funny, History Buff, I'll be voting for the ALP because whoever takes over from Costello as treasurer next term won't be able to manage a shopping list.

(Fortunately, the team that manages most of the money are quite independent from which actual government is in power, so honestly, it doesn't matter much either way).

I have been listening to the Promises both "L'" have been making.Whoever gets a seat, be they in the Cabinet or in the Backbench They will still be paid. The looser will have to go back to his/her regular job or find a new one if their ambitions reached too far for the reality check, they lost the seat they had or failed to get the highest voter.

As for the best at the job, each decade has it's own unique problems and challengers. I am not happy with how Ms Bligh is running Queensland when she over rules a decision of the courts and lets "King Coal," override the Environment Ruling here in the Bowen Basin for Xtrata Coal to go ahead with development, see www.qccqld.org.au/xstrata_appeal.htm

History Buff what is your special area of expertise, Lord of the Rings? It really isn't Australian history. It isn't even economic history either.

Dear John please find our account included we expect payment by next Saturday night we tender this account on behalf of
Australian voters.
workchoices 1% of the vote.
Children overboard 1% of the vote
AWB scandal 1%
Exporting Australian citizens to the Philippines 1% of the vote.
Loss of parliamentary accountability 1% of the vote
Your extremely late conversion to climate change 1% of the vote
Lies real or perceived from you and your Cabernet 1% of the vote
Taking your battlers for granted 1% of total vote
Old mate you will note our prices are the discount ones and some items have been left of the bill.
It is in the spirit of the Aussie fair go mate that we have done so, after all with great help from your self we are about to see our account paid in full.
Regards

The under-the-carpet problems for the next government are going to be:

1. The economy is actually in an awful state, on the edge of a cliff with foreign debt, domestic debt, drastically cutting waste as essential to do anything about climate change, skills shortages because the employment is so much in the wrong jobs, government surpluses achieved by selling off assets and not fixing the desperately needed infrastructure to cope with peak oil and water shortages, and a turn-around to realise that encouraging population growth is catastrophic for survival as well as for the fraudulent prosperity from escalating property prices. Etc.

2. Doing something about all these as well as wasting our substance on military excursions that can help little on the world scale.

3. We have not been told what the coalition will or can do about these emergencies, and ALP is slow off the mark too.

4. In fact, the public has not been told how serious the situation is.

This is a federal election & the two should be kept separate.When it comes to the state election many state labor governments will be out the window so fast their feet won't touch the ground.So how do you get a wall to wall labor!

Why do Young Liberals post here? If to improve their debating skills, how come they never defend any of the ridiculous claims they make? I guess its like all education for the privelidged, all they have to do is show up. "Full steam ahead, and steward! more port for the officers mess!

If Labor gets in, you'll see the following:
A massive increase in immigration from the least assimilable nationalities. Notice that Labor never mentions their immigration policy.
Budget deficits galore financing the ridiculous Gore-inspired climate change policies, until interest rates need to be doubled or trebled to fix up the mess.
The country run by the unions, as Kev has to pay his debts to them - who is bankrolling all those ads, by the way?
Wall-to-wall Labor Governments- seeing the mess they have made of State Governments, this is really scary.
If you want to see what it is going to be like, you only have to look at the disaster caused by the "NuLabour" spin-meister traitors in England.
Garrett was stupid enough to reveal Labor's real intentions.
I'm afraid we're going to be in for some really tough times, if Labor wins. They cannot be trusted.

What a pack of illiterates. Never have I read so much drivel by so many about this tedious little Alexander Deane who thought it was perfectly acceptable to illegally turn away and lock up the refugees on the TAMPA.

Arjay, Howard and Fraser gave us the worst recession since the great depression with stagflation, 11.4% inflation, 10.4% unemployment and 13.5% mortgage rates on money they were paying over 21% for months on end.

Now, the ALP have been in government before and the country did not come to a sudden halt so will you please all take a bex and have a good lie down before you have kittens.

This is not an economy, it is a nation with people with wants and needs. At this point in time our national debt is 161% paid at 12% interest to the rest of the world, mortgages are about 45% of income, there are no jobs in spite of the employment lies. ONly 7.5 million people in Australia work full time, 2.9 million part time and the rest are under 15 or old or on pensions for sickness or disability.

Now enough already.

As regards the Great Economic Management Lie I have cut & pasted a Best Of' tribute in homage to the many worthy posts contributed thus far.
___________________________________________

"John Howard and Peter Costello have not made a success of running our economy. If they had we would have have spent money on infrastructure for the future rather than promote speculation, with tax cut for high income earners. Their policies have bid housing out of the reach of many young families"
Posted by Foyle (p.1)

"I am so tired of hearing the lies about the high interest rates!... Average mortgages were $60K. 18% of $60K is less than 6% of $200K "
"the Howard govt has cut ..payments to states by about 2% of GDP. Thats quite a lot".
Posted by 'Rain' (p.4&6)

"he placed the rates debate on the table pretending the government has a bigger role than it really does"
Posted by TurnRightThenLeft (p3)

"skills shortages because the employment is so much in the wrong jobs, government surpluses achieved by selling off assets and not fixing the desperately needed infrastructure to cope with peak oil and water shortages"
"realise that encouraging population growth is catastrophic for survival as well as for the fraudulent prosperity from escalating property prices. Etc"
Posted by 'ozideas' (p,7)

"At this point in time our national debt is 161% paid..to the rest of the world"
Posted by Marilyn Shepherd (p.7)

we tender this account on behalf of
Australian voters.
workchoices 1% of the vote.
Children overboard 1% of the vote
AWB scandal 1%
Exporting Australian citizens to the Philippines 1% of the vote.
Loss of parliamentary accountability 1% of the vote
Your extremely late conversion to climate change 1% of the vote
Lies real or perceived from you and your Cabernet 1% of the vote
Taking your battlers for granted 1% of total vote
Old mate you will note our prices are the discount ones and some items have been left of the bill.
Posted by 'Belly' (p.6)
_______________________________________________

My heartfelt thanks to these & other posters.

- Mr Smith

Belly says;don't focus on state Labor woes.
Why not? What misery you get from the states is only a fraction what you'll get from Federal.It's the ideology stoopid!
You would be very sensible to study the state governments very, very closely and what you see is what you'll get.

mickijo

I wouldn't be focussing on the State Governments at this late stage of the election cycle if I were a Liberal Party leader. Yes, there might be some poor performances in some cases; but the state of the Liberal Party in every State Division is so abysmal that asking voters to look at the States only draws attention to how appallingly bad the State Liberals are. Sheer incompetence has cost the Liberals every State.

And the Federal Liberals are beginning to look like the incompetent State Liberal Divisions.