So Kevin Rudd has accused Tony Abbotts maternity leave policy of being unfunded, and rightly so I might add, as i personally think it's a shocker.

However, given the likes of the former Gonski and the NDIS, both unfunded policies, not to mention the il fatted, over budget, under performing NBN policy, dont you think his comment is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.

Butch, remember a few weeks ago, Kev said he was going to run a positive campaign?

That lasted exactly as long as he led in the polls…..funny that.

Those who say one thing and do the opposite or little always look like the biggest fools.

Grocery and petrol watch;

saving Aust from being a quarry to Asia;

stopping labor moving to the right on asylum seekers;

do I need to say more.

Chris,

"do I need to say more."

Wotcha got to say about funding the lifestyles of upper middle-class mummys with a bit of pork-barrelling welfare?

What about a kooky boat buy back scheme?

Poirot,

Have already indicated I don't like the generosity of parent payment scheme, albeit I am learning things I did not know previously.

I have never thought the Coalition is the 'perfect' solution; I have merely weighed up a great number of issues and have decided I will not vote Labor, for only the 2nd time in a federal election (2010 was the first).

Labor can rebound quickly; but it needs to get its act together. Listen to the people and learn more about the issues that matter, and try to do its best.Not promise the world, and deliver a lot less.

As I thought, Aust leading the world on stats was never going to cut it. It is a pity jokers like AA can't realise that.

Labor needs the right strategists and right people. Full stop.

Chris,

".... Aust leading the world on stats was never going to cut it....."

So Australia leads the world economically according to statistics.

You'd never know it listening to the oh-so-honest Coalition.

But it's not about honesty is it.

Frankly if you're holding up the shadow front bench as something to write home about, it's bewildering.

Very, very ordinary to be held up as saviours.

Just the fact they've released those extremely stupid policies is worrying (not that I expect that they believe they have a hope in hell of getting them passed in the Senate - merely populist "elect us" pre-election fodder)

Chris,
I disagree with you.

This current Labor government is absolutely hopeless.

They simply cannot bounce back. In fact they could not run a chook raffle in a pub.

Labor has had some good polys in the past, but not the current mob.

They need a good clean out and then recruit some decent candidates for the future. Ones that are genuine and do not just spin.

Banjo, I agree Labor needs a good clean out. I don't have much of an opinion about Shorten, for one

I believe both major parties need a good clean out .
Rudd is the first one that needs to be culled urgently.

However, given what we have, we can all only vote on the party with the policies that best affect us.

Thus, because I have a daughter who may soon think about having a baby, and because I salary sacrifice a car, I may have to go with Liberals this time. :(

Mind you, I have a recurring nightmare where I see Abbott sitting up on the world stage with the world watching him, and he doesn't like a question put to him...so he just sits there and glares at the journalist in a silent rage for ages. How embarrassing .

Even worse than that, imagine if his party dumped Abbott in favour of Julie Bishop...?

Dear Suse,

Your daughter would actually do better under Labor's policy
because it's locked in and costed and everyone gets the
same amount. The Libs - is of benefit only to the uber
rich - and it's only half-costed. The word is that this is
just an election ploy that will be rubbished anyway - once they
get in . And it will only be legislated (if it passes in the
Senate) in 2015 - and as former Senator Minchin has stated -
it doesn't stand a chance to pass in the Senate) whereas
the Labor policy is currently operating.
So, you really need to look into this before you decide
who to vote for. And yes, Mr Abbott's latest thing about
buying back the boats now from Indonesia - scares the heck
out of me. With that sort of logic - Australia's in big trouble
if this man gets in.

Well, there you go, Suse...

"Thus, because I have a daughter who may soon think about having a baby, and because I salary sacrifice a car, I may have to go with Liberals this time. :("

If the likes of you would consider voting for this dopey pollie (Abbott's upper middle-class welfare PPL and boat buy back are cretinous and stooopid respectively IMO)...

I give up.

: )

Labor is big on announcements and promises but very poor on delivery.

The Top Labor Lemons – so far!

1. Carbon Tax – “There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead.”

2. NBN – $50 billion but no cost-benefit analysis

3. Building the Education Revolution – The school halls fiasco

4. Home Insulation Plan (Pink Batts) – Dumped

5. Citizens Assembly – Dumped

6. Cash for Clunkers – Dumped

7. Hospital Reform – Nothing

8. Digital set-top boxes – Cheaper at Harvey Norman

9. Emissions Trading Scheme – Abandoned

10. Mining Tax – Continuing uncertainty for our miners

11. Livestock export ban to Indonesia – Over-reaction

12. Detention Centres – Riots & cost blow-outs

13. East Timor ‘solution’ – Announced before agreed

14. Malaysia ‘solution’ – Only just agreed, sort of. Gillard’s great deal for Australia, Malaysia get none, after we’’ve paid god knows what to update facilities there, and we get 4000

15. Manus Island ‘solution’ – On the backburner

16. Computers in Schools – $1.4 billion blow out; less than half delivered

17. Cutting Red Tape – 12,835 new regulations, only 58 repealed

18. Asia Pacific Community – Another expensive Rudd frolic. Going nowhere

19. Green Loans Program – Abandoned. Only 3.5% of promised loans delivered

20. Solar Homes & Communities plan – Shut down after $534 million blow out

21. Green Car Innovation Fund – Abandoned

22. Solar Credits Scheme – Scaled back

23. Green Start Program – Scrapped

24. Retooling for Climate Change Program – Abolished

25. Childcare Centres – Abandoned. 260 promised, only 38 delivered

26. Take a “meat axe”’ to the Public Service – 24,000 more public servants added

27. Murray Darling Basin Plan – back to the drawing board

28. 2020 Summit – Meaningless talkfest

29. Tax Summit – Deferred and downgraded

30. Population Policy – Sets no targets

31. Fuel Watch – Abandoned

32. Grocery Choice – Abandoned


Top marks to whoever put this list together. This type of analysis should be done on every government.

To be continued

Top Labor Lemons continued

3. $900 Stimulus cheques – Sent to dead people and overseas residents

34. Foreign Policy – In turmoil with Rudd running riot

35. National Schools Solar Program – Closing two years early

36. Solar Hot Water Rebate – Abandoned

37. Oceanic Viking – Caved in

38. GP Super Clinics – 64 promised, only 11 operational

39. Defence Family Healthcare Clinics – 12 promised, none delivered

40. Trade Training Centres – 2,650 promised, 70 operational

41. Bid for UN Security Council seat – An expensive Rudd frolic

42. MySchool Website – Revamped but problems continue

43. National Curriculum – States in uproar

44. Small Business Superannuation Clearing House – 99% of small businesses reject it

45. Indigenous Housing Program – Way behind schedule

46. Rudd Bank – Went nowhere

47. Using cheap Chinese fabrics for Defence uniforms – Ditched

48. Innovation Ambassadors Program – junked

49. Six Submarines – none operational - yet they plan to buy 12 replacements

50. Debt limit to be increased to $250 billion – to pay for all of this and much more

Top marks to whoever put this list together. This type of analysis should be done on every Government

How many are incorrect? Can anyone add more?

You are right of course Lexi and Poirot!
It was a moment of madness on my part thinking I could consider the Libs.

I think I will stick with my original choice for party and go with the Australian Sex Party....that one sounds like fun... : )

....
So Australia leads the world economically according to statistics.

You'd never know it listening to the oh-so-honest Coalition.

But it's not about honesty is it.

Poirot, even you must admit the competition is weak.

But hey, never letbthe truth get in the way of a good story.

Besides, ordinary Aussies judge how well the economy is running with how well off they are and, I can bet there are not too many in better shape, and with equal or better confidence than they were back in 07.

All the hoo har from labor means nothing if people can't spend money in confidence, and if you need reassurance of that, may I suggest you simply look at the polls, because unlike economists, who talk the numbers, voter talk the polls.

Read em and weap my freind!

ps, I also think the maternity leave, from both sides is a joke, especially Abbotts.

It's time people learn to wean themselves off the public tit and stand on their own two feet, because like it or not, the hand out brigade has been a huge contributor to where we are now.

"unfunded" is when you start out with a $20 Billion dollar surplus and turn it into around $180 Billion dollar debt.

Kevin please go back to primary school.

So now the biggest joke of all time.

The world needs KRudd.

He's got to call off his electioneering, [spinning], to go save the world. He knows we are about to kick his ass, big time, he is even trailing in his own gold plated Labor electret. Is he looking for an angle to look something other than pathetic, or is he looking for this fabricated interruption to his pontificating, as an excuse when he looses.

So he announces he is stopping his campaign to rush to Canberra. The fool is trying to play the "prime ministerial card". God he's a joke isn't he. May be he believes anyone would expect some useful input from the imbecile.

God I hope the poor buggers in Syria have something more useful than Rudd, or Obama going for them.

Suse I have never ever voted except for who I thought was best for the country. I find it hard to understand how anyone could think Rudd was best for anywhere, but if you believe that way, you must vote that way. Voting for personal advantage is beneath you, & I can't respect any one who does.

Hasbeen - Making out he an important person, only trouble in that Russia have already given the UN proof the rockets were fired by the rebels not the Government forces.

Oh come on Hasbeen, if you think that most people are going to vote for what is best for the country, and not for them or their families, then you are very naive.

Do you honestly think that anything Rudd or Abbott could come up with is for the good of the country, as opposed to the good of themselves or the party?

Get your head out of the sand man!

Wow, & here I was thinking all you lefties were committed to the cause, I'm shocked. I have overestimated some of you.

Perhaps Suse, you are only in it for what you can get, but I very much doubt that goes for all our posters.

I'm damn sure that Belly votes with his heart, not his pocket, & I'm pretty sure many of our other posters do so as well.

Hasbeen, People who vote for the same party, election after election, should really have a good look at themselves.
No party stays the same forever, and policies come and go.

Surely we need to see what is best for ourselves and our families first, and the political second?
As much as I can't stand Abbott's obvious shortcomings, I have to look at the whole party and their policies as a whole.

I don't consider myself 'left' or 'right' of anything!
I am what they call a swinging voter...

Dear Suse,

A swinging voter?

Me too.

I'll try anything once, twice if I like it.
3 times to make sure. ;-)

Now where have I heard that before...

That’s a very interesting list Banjo.

What that suggests to me is that Labor is a progressive party. It wants to get stuck into lots of good initiatives.

But lots of those things are very difficult! They are fraught with complications and opposition from short-term vested interests and people who are willing to simply knock anything that Labor does, and if they don’t go entirely according to plan, they get condemned in the mainstream media!

I wonder how the Coalition would compare.

Ludwig,

"I wonder how the Coalition would compare."

Oh, they'd just sell off government assets - then stand around slapping each other on the back for the surplus.

Ludwig,
What the list suggests to me is that this current government is big on announcements and promises But has not considered the unintended consequences and/or the costs, and is totally incompetent at delivering programs.

I can add a few more to the list.

The Rudd bank. never happened.

$30 million to Blue Scope steel, no jobs advantage.

Exaggerated figures of kids helped in pre schools to 345,000 when actually 68,000.

Rudd announced plan to eradicate homelessness costing $6 billion which was never mentioned again.

$464 million solar Dawn project crashed.

Plan to control media scrapped.

$2.2 billion announced to build mental health buildings. Never heard of again.

The point is, these are all empty or unfulfilled promises put forward by Labor to favour support and they have failed to deliver.

What is amazing is that with so many programs failed or stoped before completion, they still come out with this enormous debt.

On such a record how could they ask for another term.

At least the LNP can show their financial record for the previous term.

Dear Banjo,

It will be interesting to see which way
the majority of people in Queensland, NSW, and Victoria,
who have Coalition governments - vote at the next election.
Who knows perhaps they get their information (and experience)
from sources
other than what passes through the MSM colon.
We'll have to wait and see.
As we're still doing with the Coalition's policies and costings.

But Banjo, Labor is at least trying to develop polices with the longer term in mind. In quite stark contrast, the Coalition is very short-term-focussed and dinosaurish in its approach. They really do just want to continue with business as usual, especially regarding what the big end of town wants, which is just not appropriate any more in the face of some pretty enormous looming challenges.

I have said many times on OLO that the Libs and Labs are just two peas in a pod. They are virtually the same in their methodology. Well, this is true, but at least Labor has been making efforts to change this to some extent.

Ludwig, making an effort is one thing, but failing at eveything they do and, wasting billions along the way brings one to simply say, at what point is enough enough!

Even with the NBN, labor says they are building for the future, but, how can anyone say what the future in IT is going to be in five years, let along thirty five.

I keep getting these spam emails about satellite Internet. Not sure what it is, not game to respond either for fear of being ripped off.

And as far as wanting the bush to have the same as the cities, you're kidding I say.

I must say its a winner for me, because my values will increase, but y concerns are for what's best for the country, not just me.

Who says it is unfunded. Maybe he just hasn't released to sources yet. Be patient

Well, this is true, but at least Labor has been making efforts to change this to some extent.
Ludwig,
Where's the evidence of that from the past six years?

<< Ludwig, making an effort is one thing, but failing at eveything they do and, wasting billions along the way brings one to simply say, at what point is enough enough! >>

All too true rehctub!

This is partly due to Labor’s ineptitude, partly the lack of support and constant condemnation from the media and opposition, and partly the fact that a lot of these initiatives are inherently damn difficult.

It is a crying shame that this has led to major disillusionment with Labor… and hence majority support for the Coalition which is really quite enormously short-term-focussed and non-proactive, as far as I can see.

Indi, looking through the list that Banjo put up, most of the ideas seem good to me, and in line with efforts to take a longer term approach to our national wellbeing than the Libs or Coalition have in recent times.

Perhaps you could put up a list of proactive things that Abbott is offering, or that Howard did in his eleven years.

Ludwig,
How many do you want me to cite ? The GST saved Australia's ar$e, the flow of boats was slower & far less costly, the general waste of our tax dollars was far less despite the fact that all bureaucracy is 99% Labor, There was money in the coffers & there was a future fund. All this is gone now courtesy of Labor.

Ludwig,
Rudd is again making grandiose announcements.

A very fast train linking Brisbane- Sydney-Melbourne.

Move the main navy base from Sydney to Brisbane.

He is such an important person in world affairs, he has been on the phone to the Pres of the USA.