Why do people expect any different. Howard was horrid in his first term. Ministers that were uncertain of themselves uneven policy and reelection with a minority of the popular vote. How close was that to a one term government. Time developed confidence and in its wake the deception that the government was doing such a good job. A useless opposition certainly aided this problem.
It would be very difficult to say that the previous government didn't waist some very important opportunities to develop infrastructure and fiscal policy that were more in the interests of the population rather than business. Fixing this has been the agenda of the current government. Minerals and mining are a finite resource and they belong to the nation not the mining companies. The ETS was ment to give business the incentive to move to new technologies faster buy making them cost competitive while giving some compensation to the population to ease the burden. The poor politics was pushing for it before copenhagen, this left them looking out of pace with the world and lacking leadership in their own country.
Having said that the current government have set new standards in poor administration born from promises. We can only imagine that P Garrett was promised a cabinet position and that will certainly not last to much longer. His disaster of a batts scheme was one of the worst implemented programs of all time and has done more damage to the government than any other issue.
Without question the senate obstruction stands responsible for all current policy vacuums. The punishment needs to be handed out on the senate and the opposition that believe good policy is to object and then offer no alternative. Have faith Australia, Rudd will learn and we don't need a fool like Abbott.
The big question will be in the budget. We all know the debt won't be as bad as first thought and we have cruised through the GFC, so let's see if they can make the really tough decisions and fix the debt fast. Tough decisions make the government.

Nairbe, let me remind you of your description of the Rudd govt track record.
"Having said that the current government has set new standards in poor administration born from promises".

This is more than poor admin....the track record (quoted)
"Grocery Watch, Fuel Watch, Housing Affordability, Defense Funding, Border Protection, “Building the Education Revolution”, Computers in Schools, Childcare Centers, GP Super-Clinics, Indigenous Housing, National Broadband Network, Internet Censorship, Home Insulation/Fires/Deaths, “Ending the Blame Game in Health”; and the ETS.
None completed. All tainted with excess and waste.
Now, to be absolutely fair, I can think of two election policies that have not been completely botched or abandoned by Rudd in Government. These are the Commonwealth’s Apology to the “Stolen Generations”, and the rolling-back of Work Choices.

The Rudd government will not be better tomorrow. Look at the decision of the day, tax the miners right now. Not later when the world’s economic climate is more favorable. But right now. Four billion off mining, first day’s trading, that’s off our superfunds, and they invest significantly in that segment, The point is what the Rudd govt is going to do with the money; it will pay off the foreign debt he has ineptly delivered to us.

Posted by nairbe, Friday, 7 May 2010 7:51:28 PM
Have faith Australia, Rudd will learn.

Give me proof, just one implimented policy or reasonable fix up of one of their cock ups.

There is a proverb: Gossip is delicious; how we love to swallow it. The gos that workchoices tipped out Howard is just gos. In truth, Howard was seen as a shallow non believing skin deep Christian, while Kevin campaigned from 12 December 2004, as a genuine Christian, as his article on OLO demonstrates. He realised we wont go for an Atheist leader in Australia.

However he is the hostage of Atheists, like Nicola Roxon and Greg Combet, and cannot govern as a Christian, because he is surrounded by atheist advisers. He has a flawed logic chip, and does not understand we do not want Chinese style government. We adopted gangland rule in 1970 in New South Wales when we granted the absolute rule of law to the legal profession, and followed it up by electing Whitlam. What part of society is most closely associated with criminals. The legal profession, of course, and like Rumpole, their livelihood is dependant on criminals being able to pay them.

Chinese style government is gang rule. Gang rule was the norm in England when the War of the Roses erupted. We must return to Christian Rule, and bury sectarianism totally in Australia. The politics of envy, which has led Rudd to single out the miners, for special taxes, should be buried forever. We are an immensely wealthy country, and Rudd made a commitment to end homelessness.

He walks the boulevard of broken dreams, and broken promises. When the Prince of Thieves who takes home 10 million a year in salary, as head of the Commonwealth Bank, only pays a maximum of 48% tax, while walking past the homeless on his way to work, this country is sick.

The Parliament of the Commonwealth is a truly democratic institution. Its problem is that it is a joke at grass roots level. Until our Leader, bites the bullet, and appoints every Magistrate as a delegate of the Governor General in every community, and separates them from State power, and pays them the same salary as the Federal Court Judges, we will continue to be governed by hardened criminals.

Peter the Believer,
you're dreaming!
Only about 7.5% of Australians attend services on a regular basis (the rest are merely sheep); hardly a mandate for Christianising government!
You might be pining for a return to the Dark Ages, cobber, but thankfully more enlightened thinking holds sway, at least constitutionally.
Why don't you and your ilk find a nice little offshore island and start your own radical Christian enclave? Think what fun you'd have drawing up your insular and exclusive little empire's rule of law.
And we'd be well rid of you.

Sonofgloin,
Grocery Watch - promised delivered not supported.
Housing Affordability - A difficult problem at the best of times, and yes i agree a failure. This is a problem that government will struggle to fix with the current policies on population growth and economics.
Border Protection - I will agree they failed to deliver a policy that was fair and humane. instead they just varied the hurtful and cruel system Howard had.
“Building the Education Revolution” - I can only speak from a NSW point of view but for us this has been a raging success and are yet to be shown otherwise. I sat on the organising committee of an multi million dollar school renovation. Yep i questioned cost many times as i thought the whole job could have been done for much less. After many arguments and having the whole process explained to me as to where the cost is and why, as well as the school building standards set by the NSW state government i now understand. It costs that much so we don't have problems like the batts, child safety problems , structural issues and matters arising in the future like bad paint jobs and carpet that is sub standard. There was also an employment program that ran through the building project that cost.
I would like to address all your points but i don't have enough words.
Yes they have failed to get policy executed but look at why, an opposition that blocks all in the senate but offers no vision and no policy. The government performance is weak but it has a vision, the opposition has nothing.
I don't propose to make excuses for Rudd, they have struggled and will pay at the election as they should. But there is no alternative at this time and past government record shows second terms are much more successful than firsts. (except Whitlam of course )
Try not to be so one eyed and a media sucker. The media are so bored with themselves they don't bother with truth.

Nairbe, a one eyed media sucker who is generally apolitical, but one who researched government data, both present and historical to make sure that I am despising the ineptitude of the right guy. Kevin Rudd is the right guy. The Libs do not fill my heart with joy either, it's the old truism that we don't vote them in, we vote the other crowd out.

This is the sort of media hype that attracts my attention, from the Financial Revue.
"Treasury's new projection for 2011-12 is $70 billion in the red - a $177,000,000,000 turnaround in nine months".

Regarding your comments on the transparency you received when you sat on the board of a multimillion dollar school infrastructure project. Have a peek at these two web sites, the first gives a comparison of buildings erected pre BER and after BER, one cost $300k the other $900k. Then have a look at the second link to see what you can get built right here right now for $600k, and pocket the extra $300k.

http://www.2gb.com/index.php?option=com_homepage&id=15&Itemid=58

http://www.huxleyhomes.com.au/the-ponds-houselandpackages/

It is nothing short of disgusting, and you see no issues, you even suggest that they will get better at it. As I said I follow no party, but I know "what" I am saying about whomever I am saying it about. If Kev was like Hawke, I would accept that like all modern Labor govts they are not great fiscal managers but what Hawke implements gets implemented, Kev implements then fails, and that has nothing to do with the Senate knocking back his good ideas as you also alluded to. Why do you defend the indefensible, party indoctrination, stubborn character, defending the weak,....his government is banana republic thinking and banana republic bound, when we owe more than we have.