What will the Labour Government bring to the table for all Australians?

Question

Will they manage the economy correctly? Will the trade unions have to much influence in federal and state parliament? Will we see a repeat of the Keating/Hawke wasting our economy, and destroying business? The Rudd government is inundated with personalties without substance, people who are involved in the Trade Union movement and really not what the old ALP used to all about.

Answer 1

The ALP will deliver some substance instead of just spin.

Howard and Costello have misleadingly crafted an image of themselves as economic saviours. Anyone who understands economics knows it's the Reserve Bank's monetary policy, not the federal government's budgetary fiscal policy, which is linked to interest rates. We have been fed a complete myth.

And the dark side of their alleged low interest-rate 'success' , from which they benefit politically, is that they have done nothing to stop Australians' accumulation of record debt. If anything, it has served them well politically to keep us in risky debt so they can milk our fears over interest rates.

When Howard was treasurer interest rates peaked at 21.4%, and housing rates were 13%,  and in his own defense he claimed that the government couldn't control interest rates. How his tune changes when it suits him.

Economists know that Labor's budget deficits in the 90's were not the result of bad management, but were an appropriate economic policy in the aftermath of a recession when budgets automatically go into deficit as tax intakes fall and government spending (welfare, etc) goes up. Reducing a deficit during a recession doesn't help, it makes it worse.

And budget deficits do not, contrary to Costello's fibs, cause high interest rates. If the government has to borrow for its spending because the tax intake is insufficient that can increase the demand for funds which can raise the interest rates. However, the impact is much less significant than that may indicate because we are in a global economy and governments don't just borrow from domestic funds and the impact of borrowing in global markets is negligible.

This government claims that a change will lead to economic disaster - a claim which has no basis in economic truth. We have been spun so much hogwash from them that they simply cannot be trusted or relied upon to provide economic policies which will deliver long term prosperity to us. They are desperate to cling to power and their economic policies are only for their own short term political advantage.

Australians are waking up and realising that they must get rid of these shameless liars - they have no integrity left. And as for the union bogeyman - just don't buy it - it's just more spin meant to distract you from criticism of the new IR laws :)

Answer 2

What will they bring to the table.  Newer, younger faces?

As pointed out by the previous poster, governments don't manage the economy much.  What I think they left out is that government can greatly help or hinder businesses, which really do make the economy work.  It takes time to do great harm or good, unless industries are nationalized.  Bad economic times will be ahead, but a great deal of effort will be put into making it look as if good is happening, and after it is obvious things have gone bad more effort will be put into saying it was no one's fault.  Oh, and the government will of course need more money to make everything work.  Not all in one big bite, just a litter here and there when you are not looking.

Times change, the “old ALP” was the old ALP, this isn't it.  Times changed.  Get used to it.

Answer 3

I was once a political partisan. Grew out of it when I was 20. And I look back now and think how ridiculous I sounded when trying to savage the other side while trying to make myself appear impartial.

Whatever you do, don't have a life