For the past few years, the Federal Opposition, the union movement, the Greens and folks from various other quarters have used the WorkChoices package as a flag to rally around in opposition to the Howard Government. In political terms, this purportedly “pro-flexibility� but unashamedly “pro-business� package of reforms gave credence to the possibility that the Labor Opposition could finally wrench back federal control from the Liberal / National Coalition. Put simply, the idea that WorkChoices would hurt ordinary Australian families was gaining some traction, ably assisted by some example cases (e.g. Spotlight, Cowra abbatoir workers) made highly visible by the union movement and the media.
As Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley famously pledged to rip up the WorkChoices legislation. Not withstanding the likelihood that Beazley would inflict himself with some truly grievous paper cuts on the floor of the House of Representatives, there were murmurs from some within the Labor Party that this was too strong a stance. Concerns about alienating business and/or reinstituting the infamously unsuccessful “rollback� approach to policy marketing were certainly not unfounded. New Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd’s language in relation to WorkChoices started becoming decidedly more furtive and restrained, while his star continued to soar in the polls.
We have all been waiting to hear what the Labor Party will actually advocate for the country’s industrial relations system heading into this year’s election campaign, and after yesterday’s National Press Club speech [PDF] by Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd we have a pretty good idea.
It will certainly not please everyone.
Continue reading ‘Labor’s “pragmaticâ€? national industrial relations platform’
In recent months, it has been somewhat surprising to find that the issue of climate change has been so successfully thrust into the limelight of public political debate. Let’s face it – it is relatively rare for political issues that have a lifecycle vastly longer than the next election campaign to take hold in the imagination of the media and the restless public. It is even rarer for issues to take hold when they run counter to the all-pervading mass consumer culture that underpins all Western-style economies in the modern age.
More over the fold.
Continue reading ‘Considering Labor’s position on the climate change bandwagon’
It must feel like Groundhog Day today for supporters of the Greens. The mainstream media raised its voice as one today in response to the drugs policy of the party, and in particular how it would apply to ice, one of the bogey drugs of the nation over the last couple of years.
The sentence of the policy document that has been the subject of widespread condemnation is the following:
The Greens NSW will … Remove criminal sanctions for personal drug use and the possession or sale of associated implements;
Of course, the responses from the two major parties was utterly predictable; the bait was well and truly swallowed by the state’s two alternative Premiers. Iemma was reportedly appalled, labelling the policy “absurd and ridiculous and disgusting”. Peter Debnam probably decided he couldn’t match Premier Iemma in the negative adjective department but took the opportunity to condemn any MP who supported the decriminalisation of drugs like ice and the Labor Party for swapping preferences with the Greens.
Continue reading ‘Ice is back with a brand new invention’
Following “negative growth� during the September quarter last year (-0.3%), Treasurer Michael Costa and Premier Morris Iemma were given a boost of confidence this week when it was announced that the NSW economy has returned to positive growth territory (1.4% in the December quarter). It’s amazing how much bluster can be produced with the release of one key statistical metric.
Simon Benson from the Murdoch stables suggests that Morris Iemma has been “saved from an election-eve nightmare� by the release of last quarter’s positive growth figure. That’s probably hyperbole if ever there was hyperbole, but there is no doubting that the release of this figure is good news for the Iemma Government and bad news for the Debnam Opposition. Two consecutive quarters of negative growth would technically have allowed the Opposition to cry recession and let slip the dogs of war, but that scenario will now not eventuate – at least not in time for the election.
Continue reading ‘Back in black with Britney – but what does that really mean?’
Tony Abbott has another extraordinary attack piece in today’s SMH, this time focusing on NSW Premier Morris Iemma and the NSW Government. I’m not sure I understand the paper’s willingness to publish the Federal Health Minister’s policy-free party-political whining, particularly when the topic is a sphere of politics in which he, just like you and me, is just another ordinary voter, not a participant.
The bile is fairly transparent and Abbott makes no attempt to engage in sophisticated argument:
Labor’s campaign launch, with former premiers not invited and cabinet ministers hidden in the audience, was an admission of failure. Eighteen months ago, Morris Iemma was made Premier because he was the only right-faction cabinet minister not tainted by scandal. He took centre stage at the launch because someone had to, but proceeded to talk about everything but the Government’s performance and his part in it.
Abbott goes on to compare NSW to Italy, of all places, suggesting that the voting public are prepared to put up with an “incompetent and venal� government lead by a “likeable lightweight�. The inference seems clear – surely you dopey folks out there aren’t stupid enough to elect another Labor Government? Surely???
What is of course most telling about Abbott’s piece is the lack of discussion about the alternatives. It must be a desperate situation for the NSW Liberals when the best argument they have to work with in support of their election does not mention them. Not one laudable policy of the NSW Liberals is mentioned. I take that to mean there are none worth mentioning, which as far as I know is pretty much true. Peter Debnam’s name, extremely surprisingly, is not mentioned. The reality of the situation is that if the NSW Liberals were performing competently, there would be lots to talk about. Unfortunately they are not and as a result the electorate’s alternatives are effectively restricted, despite the questionable performance of the government on some issues.
Abbott concludes his column by suggesting Labor are treating the electorate like mugs. If he is seriously trying to pass off this little chamber pot of smear as a rational and reasoned contribution to political debate in New South Wales, it would seem that he is either without talent, or is treating his readers very much like mugs indeed.
The operators of the Lane Cove Tunnel, Connector Motorways, have announced today that the controversial road will open on Sunday, March 25; co-incidentally, the very day after the NSW State Election takes place.
The tunnel is not due to open until May 2007, but the project has of late been running quite amply ahead of schedule, despite even the occasional unintended building collapse. Major construction finished late last year, and this year the infrastructure has reportedly been the subject of extensive testing by Theiss John Holland.
I do wonder by what means it was determined that the day after the election would be the day upon which the tunnel will finally be opened. One would think that the Iemma Government must be relieved that the tunnel will not be exposed to the rigours of real-world, toll-paying commuters until after judgement day rolls by.
Some local residents, as you would expect, already have quite a strong opinion on the matter.
Howdy. I’m Guy from Polemica. Mark has very kindly invited me to contribute a few posts on the NSW State Election as we plod remorselessly towards March 24. I wasn’t planning on taking up the cudgels so soon, but something caught my eye this evening …
The grating voice of Peter Debnam pulled me from my study to the television set this evening, as NSW Premier Morris Iemma and NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam went head-to-head in a televised debate on Stateline, hosted by Quentin Dempster. A tantalising prospect, surely, a debate between these two leaders of such great repute? Err… not quite. But nevertheless it was good to see at least one television program in the country take state politics seriously, in what was billed as a genuine debate between the two major party leaders that NSW will have to choose from on March 24.
Unfortunately there was not much of a debate. Dempster was forced to jump between topics far too quickly to cover everything, with just enough time on each topic for each leader to wheel out their respective sound-bites.Â
Continue reading ‘Clash of the titans [cough, cough]‘
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