"""
But alas, that's not the way Labor thinks.
"""

Good post, mhaze. But does any government think that way?

All harp on about smaller government yet its growth is assured by both parties at both state and federal level!

Agreed RawMustard...in the same way as people who apply for the executioners job beleive in capital punishment, people who go into government believe in the ability of government to make it all better.

The size of government grew under Reagan. ditto Howard. Cameron is currently being attacked for savaging social services, yet the size of government is still growing in the UK.

The difference between, say, Lib and Lab is at the margins. Whereas the Libs will seek to create funds for their particular pet projects by getting rid of waste and the superfluous, the Labs think they can just keep going back to the well.

The Lib approach still ends up with a bigger government because they spend the natural increase in revenues. But the increase in quantitatively different to the alternative.

I'm just hoping that once we get past the formalities of 14/9 we will see a government genuinely dedicated to a smaller foot-print that allows debt to be reduced. Hopeful but not confident.

Comment surely should be in the same paddock as the truth?
ONE single and not well thought of Labor member, from the lunatic left and from that section of the Union movement said that.
The truth, can we handel that?
Is Labor has no intention of raising taxs to pay more to these folk.
Do we continue to invent our debates?
Fact is Labor and yes Liberals, are cutting welfare, and being bashed for it.
The extreme insults,along with extreme failure to under stand why, Labor is asking single parents to find work after the youngest turns eight.
Is finding insults both ways,for cutting welfare, and this imaginary debate about a not happening event, paying more.

Dear mhaze

The difference between Liberals and Labor is pretty simply their attitude to labour.

The US has the Republicans, we have the Liberals; the US has the Democrats, we have Labor.

It's all about class. A first year sociology undergraduate could tell us that.

Q: Does anyone recall John Howard telling the nation that there is no class in Australian society?
A: Do you know that John Howard is a climate change skeptic?