Recently in Aus Politics Category

It's particularly galling to listen to the Federal Opposition voicing concern about high petrol prices and the effect they're having on "battling families."

Give me a break! I don't recall similar concerns from the same rabble regarding the effect of "Work Choices" on the battling constituency.

It's hard to feel sympathy for the government, though. They've been running scared of the issue since the last significant rise in international oil prices. Instead of levelling with the population and explaining the true situation regarding energy supplies, they've dodged the issue and dug themselves a deeper hole in the process.

It's about time the government told the truth about energy prices. That energy's going to get a lot more expensive due to supply shortages. That the carbon trading scheme will compound the effect. That peoples lifestyles are going to change dramatically as cheap energy becomes a distant happy memory.

The government should be stating the unpleasant truth and challenging the opposition's ludicrous populist policies.

If the government doesn't start acknowledging the truth and planning for the inevitable, the consequences will be dire.

The return of the Labor government after 11 long years of miserable conservative rule saw "The Pigs" take holiday. The 'fire in the belly' (read 'indigestion') caused by more than a decade of the Howard government had subsided. With it went any inclination to add to this blog.

The antics of the Federal Opposition and some questionable policy decisions by the government have rankled to the extent that the urge to write has returned. If those urges persist is another matter.

The first stirrings were caused by the bleats of the well off to sensible means testing of government handouts.

The issue that finally forced me back to the keyboard was the pathetic responses from both sides of the parliament regarding the rapid increases in energy prices.

Brendan Nelson's policy to reduce the price of petrol by five cents per litre was a cheap grab for popularity, a stance begging to be ridiculed by the government. Rudd should have emphasised that the oil price is set by supply and demand in the global energy market, and thumped the Opposition's lunatic policy that would increasing the demand of a limited resource.

That the government seems spooked by Nelson's announcement, to the extent that they've mooted the possibility that petrol prices may be reduced by re-jigging the calculation of GST, is gutless, narrow minded policy of the worst kind.

If the government is worried by the issue, and they should be for other than political reasons, then they should be proposing that fuel taxes be used for sensible medium term measures that will lower fuel demand. Here's a few suggestions:

1. Revamp tax on new cars to make economical vehicles cheaper.
2. Remove the tax concession on new off road vehicles.
3. Revamp the novated car lease tax scheme by removing the incentive to drive further to reduce tax.
4. Provide tax breaks if you use public transport to get to work.

Sensibly, the government should increase fuel excise to reinforce the issue, because, apart from climate change (which is related), exceeding the limits of oil production (Peak Oil) is likely to be the defining issue of the 21st century.

Couldn't they think of something better?

A tactic to divert attention from tonight's Four Corners, and one that's failed dismally judging by the pre-publicity.

Gerard Henderson in today's SMH remarked that conservatives don't do opposition well.

He's being a bit unfair on his team. It's not limited to the conservatives, they all struggle during the first term. What conservatives do well in opposition is never lose their 'born to rule' mentality.

This was shown all too clearly by Brendon Nelson's bleating about the lack of consultation over the content of tomorrow's "Stolen Generations" apology. Ignoring that they could have delivered the apology themselves, his attitude is particularly galling given the contempt they showed the other side when they were in power.

From where I stand, things couldn't be better. Rudd has deftly wedged the conservatives over the apology and in doing so, has probably condemned Nelson's leadership. He's already being compared to Simon Crean.

Brendon's about to learn the real pain of opposition.

Baring a Lazarus like comeback from Peter Costello, I'm going to enjoy the right wing of the Liberal Party coming to terms with promoting the only other viable leader, Malcolm Turnbull.

So much to look forward to!

Kevin Rudd's comments that we should increase savings may be the first indication that the government is rethinking the tax give-aways planned for this year's budget.

With inflation on the rise and the Reserve Bank poised to increase interest rates, now is not the right time to provide a tax break.

Given that the planned tax cuts are a result of the previous government trying to buy its way back into office, and the mood of the electorate was for the revenues to be used to restore services that were neglected by Howard and Co, I think the government would be forgiven if they reneged on at least a portion of the cuts.

Alternatively, they could cut the tax rates while simultaneously increasing the percentage of compulsory superannuation contributions.

Rudd is keeping faith with the voters by staying true to his election promises, no matter how outlandish. That faith will be tested if the promised cuts are provided only to be removed by the Reserve Bank.

The Liberal Party thinks it needs a new president.

AUSTRALIA'S man in London, the former Howard government minister Richard Alston, has emerged as one of three frontrunners for the federal presidency of the Liberal Party.

Yes, that Richard Alston!

Hopefully the Liberal's won't waste any time selecting Richard. The Labor party keenly anticipates him taking up office.

This post I started a week ago. Old news in the finest tradition of "The Pigs."

It's been suggested that Peter Costello, rather than planning to leave parliament, will lie low for 18 months or so before challenging the Liberal Party leadership. Batteries recharged, he will take what he's always regarded as rightfully his.

I feel this is far fetched. If he'd really thought that way he'd have displayed some bottle and challenged Howard for the leadership two years ago.

Skepticism aside, I hope he eventually does take the opposition leadership, as it will go a long way to ensure another term for the Labor government. I base this assumption on an extraordinary interview he had with Virginia Trioli on ABC's Lateline last Friday night.

The transcripts are here, but to get the full delusional feel you should watch the videoed version.

A few snippets follow ...

When you look at Labor, Labor didn't run on policy at all. All Labor ran on was that you could have some kind of continuity with a fresh face at the top and that was their strategy.

Was he awake during the campaign? I'd have thought that Work Choices and climate change were two major areas of difference.

[Rudd] didn't put forward any substantive policy differences in my view, and we could have muted that appeal of Labor if we'd had a fresher face, but we didn't.

Read 'fresher face' as 'my' face. Pity the polls didn't back this assumption.

When you think of the announcements that we made, huge announcements like the Murray Darling basin, we cut tax in the Budget, we had federal intervention in the Northern Territory, these are huge announcements.

But, and the public by and large agreed with them, overwhelmingly agreed with them. But they just weren't in the mood for hearing new policies from a Government which they regarded as having been in office for so long.

These comments prove just how out of touch the Conservatives were regarding the mood of the electorate. They thought that the usual bribes and a big announcement would get them over the line, while the electorate's attention was firmly focussed on the long term consequences of Work Choices.

The Murray Darling announcement was bold. Pity it was thought up by Howard in the holiday season, without consultation with anyone, and was costed on the back of a fag packet. The public had well and truly moved on by the time the negotiations with the States were taking place.

Unfortunately, the Labor party was spooked into matching the Liberal's tax policy. Voters were thinking that the good times wouldn't last for ever, and it was about time the government started banking some of the proceeds of the mining boom. I think they could have promised to bank half of Howard's tax cuts and still have won the election.

By the way, it's not going to be nearly as big a majority as was first thought, but I wanted to see the Government return. I think it's in Australia's interests, I always will.

I wonder what Costello thinks is a comprehensive defeat? Obviously not a 16 seat majority into a 20 seat deficit.

Well we weren't going to take [Work Choices] any further, that was just a complete Labor furphy in the campaign.

But, yes, there were people that were genuinely scared by a very good PR campaign. But I never saw masses of people on the TV who had been put out of work by our IR laws.

That voters would take a long term view would be surprising to a political party that always aimed policy at the baser instincts of the electorate.

The end of the interview was telling, when Trioli tried to get Costello to state his long term intentions ...

VIRGINIA TRIOLI: I'm going to want to hear the never ever, ever line here from you, Mr Costello.

(Peter Costello laughs)

Take you time Peter. Put the feet up for a year or so. Feel free to challenge when ready. Labor needs you!

After 12 years of observing John Howard expertly applying the wedge to the Labor opposition, how heartening it is to see it applied to the other crack, so to speak.

On AM tonight, the new Nation's leader Warren Truss explained that his party would not toe the coalition line on all matters, and Barnaby Joyce confirmed that he wouldn't automatically oppose the dismantling of Work Choices.

It was music to my ears.

I think there are going to some tricky problems of party management but I think I have reasonably good people skills.

Tony Abbott giving reasons why he'd be a good candidate for the Liberal Party leadership.

I can't help feeling that Howard's $800 per year per child education rebate may be a vote winner for the conservatives.

There'll be many parents in the outer suburb marginals who'll be sorely tempted by this bribe. They won't think about where the money's coming from, its effect on inflation and their mortgages, the leeway it gives for private schools to keep raising their fees, and the inequality of providing the rebate to the wealthy while those in real need with kids in public schools get little benefit.

It's a typical Howard move. Welfare supposedly aimed at the needy but in fact benefits the wealthier demographic. Just like the Health Insurance Rebate.

I'd like to think that the Labor party will not be tempted to match it in some way. Oink Oink, Flap Flap!

Update: The pigs are on the wing!