"Many of these policies are founded on the mainstream conservative ideology of just reward for effort, of enterprise and hard work, of aspiration and achievement and of a hand up, rather than a handout: Work for the Dole, for example.

Since its introduction in 1997, almost 600,000 unemployed Australians were afforded valuable work experience by participating in almost 35,000 activities nationally to help them re-enter the workforce. The most important security for working families or for any individual is the dignity of a job."

Where is the evidence that work for the dole actually created any jobs or help these people re-enter the workforce? Its my belief that the improvement in the economy led to these people finding work. What study or independent assessment has been done of these schemes.

In the previous elections many people did not vote for Howard or that Norman Lindsay caricature, Vale. Howard gave no consideration whatsoever for them. Why should Labor not meet their promises because some people voted Liberal?
Successful governmnent?
1. Health - stuffed
2. Education - stuffed
3. GST imposed against wishes of majority
4. Australians sold out in Free Trade Agreement with US (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme only survives at the whim of US drug companies, US beef allowed into Australia but Aussie beef not into US for 18 years, FTA started to help banana growers but Aussie taxpayer now must pay compensation to Aussie banana growers because they were sold out by Howard/Vale, etc, etc)
5. National asset Telstra sold off against wishes of 70% of Australians
6. Workers protections destroyed because Howard wanted to look after the minority of raw materials exporters - work choices has teenagers having to negotiate individual contracts with large corporations and it is s criminal offdence for them to discuss their negotiations with any other teenager in the same boat
7. national dental scheme destroyed
8. Dragged us into an illegal war against wishes of 70% of population
9. Continually lied to Australia
10 And so on and so on
And as for this pernicious nonsense about "me-tooism"- That can only be spouted by people who really have no concept of the world - if one party has a good policy which will help the people, why is it wrong that the other party agrees to the same policy? Get real! The election is over but obvioulsy the propaganda survives in what appear to be otherwise empty spaces.
And, because of his overarching vanity Howard left the Liberal Party with no plan of succession so they have become a shambles. In doing so he has betrayed the rest of us because there will be no effective opposition party to keep Labor honest. Thanks John! Yours is a name that will live in ignominy. And regardless of what excuses your apologists come up with, your electorate got it right.
Successful government? Get real!

Ludwig"Conservatives are old and out dated,why not assume the progressive tag?"Since when is evolution out dated?The tag "progressives" is just another name for the whimsical chaotic left.

Conservatives are evolutionists,they keep what is proven and functional and slowly assimilate things that pass the test of the forge.

The Libs don't have to recapture anything.Labor are just wearing the ill fitting conservative clothes to stay in power.It won't be long before Kevin is deposed and their true colours will shine.

Arjay.

Evolutionist conservatives seems like a contradiction in terms.

An association of ‘progressive’ with the “chaotic left” also seems entirely foreign to me.

But I guess it depends on how you interpret the meaning of these ill-defined terms.

What you would call evolutionist I would call progressive.

If the Libs can now show themselves to be evolutionist, in a progressive manner that takes them towards an understanding of sustainability and a denouncement of unending continuous population and economic expansionism, then great!

Leigh! - gee whiz - "dumb Australians got the government they deserve".

Looks like all Australians got the same one - dumb or other wise.

Conservatives are a minority - there is still hope as you guys always bang on about governments favoring minority groups - your time will come!

I tell you what - I doubt that the new government has had a chance to cure the cancer in DIMIA or remove the influence of the black hand of Vanstone and Andrews - so you have a choice -- hang around the streets and pretend you have limited English and suffer with a disability ( mental goes down well) it is highly likely you will be apprehended, incarcerated and deported - may be to a tropical paradise like Christmas Island - free at last from the cluthches of this terrrrrible government.

It is worth a try - for all our sakes.

Unfortunately, Australian society is faced with two very similar parties. Both follow a neoliberalist or Free market philosophy where the objective is to maximise business profits and not the welfare of citizens.

The LCP blotted its copy book with voters when it introduced Workchoice legislation which was plainly designed to reduce choices of workers and lower their conditions and wages.

Kevin Rudd was viewed by voters as the lesser of two evils.

I have great doubts that the LCP will change. However, it probably only has to wait. We are overdue for a major recession. Interest rates will rise, conditions and salaries will fall and employment rates will soar. The LCP will then get another chance to pursue the interests of business.

What Australia needs is an alternative party with a political and economic philosphy which is not free market and which has as its objective the welfare of voters rather than big business. Until we get this, it really matters which party serves as our government!