Standard variable rates under Howard only exceed today's rates in the last year when the economy was roaring, unemployment was less than 4% (close to zero in real terms) and the two choices to reduce inflation were either to raise taxes, (which in the light of a record surpluses was not warranted) or allow interest rates to increase.

Here we have higher unemployment and a more sluggish economy, but with fiscal debt, and continued stimulus spending, of course rates are increasing.

*Photo of WP ceo's new digs included*

Ah Boaz, given your history as an intellectual light weight on OLO,
we could hardly expect more from you!

Fact is that Kelly started off as a South African bank teller.
She worked her way up and despite being a migrant and a female,
people recognised her talent and she worked her way up over time.
All credit to her for her achievements.

Today she leads a 70 billion $ company and shareholders clearly
recognise that a gold watch is not going to do it, to win her
undivided attention and loyalty.

What she is paid is down to shareholders and the board, it is
private money and has nothing to do with customers.
Westpac competes on the basis of products supplied to the
marketplace, not on the basis of staff salaries. You clearly
are not aware of that.

So you get your knickers in a twist about what private companies
pay their employees, yet seemingly say nothing when the Victorian
Govt coughs up millions of taxpayer funds, to pay Tiger Woods
to play a game of golf here.

Boaz, I can only conclude, you remain confused as ever!

dont blow me a swanie river
blow me down..a swanie river swan diver
cant find evidence of collusion

as the swan.dive.. turns into a duck..dive

the oversight group...aaac?..[that cant find collusion ]
of bankers..rigging the intrest rate..!

must*..not know how*..the fed reserve..BORED
is populated...BY BANKERS...lol

cant see..the forrest..for the trees?
old chap?

or cant.. find the intrest..
to get to....the actual colluders..
colluding..for their own intrests..?

and our..as high as the market can bare..intrest rates

it aint..half bleeding obvious...old chap

lets find-out..how much bankers..
are giving to political parties...eh..ol boy?

bah..you an joe...both got..the same boss's

History is still truth Howard never would have introduced Hockeys wish list.
This country is better for the ALP/Lib Nat bank reforms.
Some here appear to want to see bank profits controlled but would scream if they had to tell profit margins in their concerns.
Yabby has it right, rather than policy's sections of coalition kick shins.
In time Turnbull will be both leader and treasurer in place of Hockey and Abbott, a problem for Labor.

"""
You sure can RawMustard. You can invest those hard earned savings
and buy bank shares.
"""

Ah I would Yabby, but that low life that no one voted for in Victoria has stolen all my hard earned money :( Now there's a topic for discussion when it comes to thieves!

I get the impression that Australia is no longer regarded as an advanced nation, but is subsiding into a “3rd world”country. I get this impression because of the wholesale selling of our national resources, and the import of all our required manufactured goods. The prices of our resources is determined by the purchasers in foreign countries, not by a responsible person in our own country and they accept that the negotiators in our country are persons of low intelligence and probably low integrity, which of course, they are, I doubt if people can genuinely disagree with that assessment. It has gone well past the stage of accusing the Labor, Liberal or the LNP, It is all of them. I can see no sign of intelligence in the manner of their pursuing – any of them, in what they consider, the path to a profitable successful future for our country, their decision s are deplorable. The trade for our non renewable, non value added resources has been manipulated by our large companies, so we receive goods from China, Japan, Germany and many other countries, goods we used to manufacture here in Australia, ourselves. No party, especially Labor and Liberal can claim that they have had nothing to do with the destruction of our industries or farming economy, or of our total economy. Our position of the poor workers and very rich CEO's, has been created by the lowering of the top tax from 66.6% in the period from 1950 to1970, that was with the expertise of a Liberal person, Harold Holt. But no party, Liberal or Labor have had the integrity or maybe courage to continue that direction, although it also needed a change to the level of no tax, which should have been about $30,000 today to bring reasonable living conditions to our low income earners and small business. Both Labor and Liberal talk big but do little in that regard.