T2,

Stripping down a bloated bureaucratic system left from labor (through attrition) and working to reduce the typical labor debt was precisely the good economic management required.

Far better than the NBN ponzi scheme.

To get back on subject SM, the standard and type of debate in politics in Australia today has degenerated to new lows in times of late.

An opposition using slanted figures supplied by cherry picked private accountancy firms, and touting them as being equivalent to a treasury audited figures during elections and doing so deliberately with an intention being to mislead the voting public, goes beyond the pail. How low can you go.

In the case of Victoria, the Gov't seems to be being led by Deputy Premier Peter Ryan, (whom should already have been sacked as Police Minister for the mere possibility of his complicity), in the undermining of former Police Commissioner Simon Overland.

Federally, the NBN is an essential piece of infrastructure that must get up. A deceitful Federal opposition operating on behalf of vested interests is the last thing Australia's economy needs right now.

Newly elected LNP State Gov'ts have adopted a tactic of throwing spanners in the works of federal programs like the National Health Agreement and the Mining Tax by the WA Gov't, and let's not forget the shooting of the endangered sharks proclamation.

In NSW it was upsetting the public service down to the firefighters with wage freezes in a Workchoices a la O'Farrell upon the Gov't own employee's. Same now in Victoria with 10% cuts to the public service, increases in stamp duty on cars and "transferring funds from the public nest egg in money from Workcare to consign manageable debt is insane".

It's like going from owning your own home, too selling it to someone and renting it back of them, "and accept liability if the house falls down as well". This is exactly what the Vic Gov't has done by under writing the risk in exchange for the taxpayers money, in order that it's budget surplus be admired.

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/money-shuffle-is-no-substitute-for-creating-real-wealth-20111215-1oww9.html

The politics of economic sabotage and the talking down of Australia's prospects, I hope will dissipate somewhat in 2012, with the Gov't on the floor of the house in a stronger position, no matter whom leads the Labor Party next year.

T2,

What a dummy spit! having posted 8 paragraphs of vitriolic drivel that bears no resemblance to the truth.

The truth is that Labor has stuffed up every project it has touched from pink batts to school halls, and now to the NBN. The coalition has a far better record, and the public recognise this.

The coalition also does not have 3 present and former MPs on corruption charges.