What is the Rudd Government's real brief?

Note: This article encompasses and replaces a brief #original">article "Krazy Kevin Rudd video by Cyrius01" by Sheila Newman of 7 May 09. Please find embedded video within this article and brief introductory article below.

In 1996, the incoming Howard Government, 'discovered' a massive budgetary black hole left by the outgoing Keating Government. They claimed and claimed to have no choice but to impose slash-and-burn budgets and asset fire sales. The excuse of the cupboard left bare or crippling debt, supposedly taking all choice out of the hands of incoming Governments, forms part of a tired and recurring pattern in Australian history. Recently, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has seized upon the debt created by the Rudd Government's incompetently managed 'stimulus program' -- all supposedly to 'stimulate' Australia's moribund economy, dependent upon immigration-driven property speculation, digging holes in the ground and changing the hotel beds of foreign guests -- as an excuse to resurrect his dream of privatising Medibank Private and wielding the budgetary axe. Is history about to repeat itself, yet again?

The record of the Rudd Government seems so dismal that it is easy for many to forget the relief we felt barely more than two years ago, when we were finally able to vote out the detested Howard Government.

Many had high hopes in the Rudd Government. We hoped that the stranglehold of "free market" economic dogma over Australian public policy would be relaxed, for effective action to halt global warming, for action to fix Australia's dying Murray Darling basin, action against the illegal killing of whales, etc. These hopes have been dashed. On top of that, the Rudd Government has maintained and increased the Howard Government's already record high rate of immigration. Mandatory Internet filtering, which would give governments the power to censor at will any web-site it considers at threat, could become law. Consequently the Federal Coalition that seemed totally discredited not long ago could be the Government again before the end of the year.

Rudd and Swan crow about how their 'stimulus program' supposedly saved Australia from the worst ravages of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) by giving us back some of our own money to buy plasma TV's and throwing away more of our money on mismanaged government programs such as the domestic solar insulation scheme, but all they really did was buy us a small amount of time whilst avoiding confronting the problem at its source.

And to buy that small amount of time, they have taken away from us a range of choices that we might otherwise have had.

When Queensland Premier Bligh announced the $15 billion fire sale in May 2009 and the Federal Government said they had no spare money to help Queensland out of its financial difficulties.

The Rudd Government's fiscal recklessness has
provided Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey with an
excuse to resurect his dream of the Howard
Government years to privatise Medibank Private.

Last Sunday, Joe Hockey on ABC Television's "The Insiders" brazenly told the audience of his plans to impose government spending cuts and his resurrected plans to privatise Medibank Private.

So, almost a year after we were showered with our Federal Government's apparent generosity, we learn that we are going to be sent the bill, after all. Wouldn't we rather have had that choice put to us before all our money was thrown away?

The evidence from "The Latham Diaries" shows Mark Latham's 2004 federal election campaign was undermined by many within the Labor Party, including Kevin Rudd, himself. Apparently many within the Labor Party regarded three more years of misrule by John Howard to be preferable to Mark Latham becoming Prime Minister.

So, would it be that much of a leap to imagine that Kevin Rudd, himself, would not be that personally concerned about whether or not his own Government survives? Many former members of Labor Governments seem to easily find lucrative careers and with his Chinese language skills, Kevin Rudd would surely find little difficulty offering his services to Chinese investors intent on buying up Australian minerals, real estate, farms and publicly owned assets.

Whether the Rudd Government survives or is thrown out, it seems as if the Australian public are being set up, yet again, to be punished for decisions in which they took no part, unless we stop them.

James Sinnamon
Brisbane Independent
for Truth, Democracy,
the Environment and
Economic Justice
Australian Federal Elections, 2010

#original" id="original">Appendix: Original article of 7 May 09 by Sheila Newman

See embedded video #cyrius01">above or view it on YouTube.

Article teaser

Cyrius01 is a brilliant Australian political movie maker with a raw sense of humor who uses satire and - anything that comes to hand really. Take a look at his latest on Rudd and the growth economy to restore your sense of balance in this mad murdochian world.

Krazy Kevin Rudd responds to the Global Financial Crisis

Cyrius01 writes, "After studying all the options, Kevin Rudd has responded to the Global Financial Crisis in the absolute best, most perfect way possible. Go for Growth! By splurging every last cent of tax payers money on property developers and banks, we will have a huge infrastructure that working families can pay off over the next few generations. The most important thing is to restore the economy to exactly the same as it was before the crash - so that we can all borrow more and more money and consume more and more stuff. Growth Growth Growth!"

There are many more videos by Cyrius01 on his channel on you-tube. For a while I thought that his creativity muse had disappeared with the departure of John Howard, but I was wrong, thank heavens.

#JoeHockey" id="JoeHockey">Appendix: excerpt from interview with Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey

This interview is from the ABC Television's "The Insiders" of Sunday 7 March 2010.

Joe Hockey: ... And he said the best way to put downward pressure on inflation is to pare back on the Commonwealth budget. And if you do that that will take upward pressure off interest rates. Kevin Rudd said that.

Chris Uhlmann: Well given then that both sides of politics agree on that theory where would you cut spending?

Joe Hockey: Well firstly we would have spent $20 billion to $25 billion less on the stimulus package. Everyone seems to forget that. That was a substantial decision from our perspective.

Secondly we would pay off the debt faster and the starting point would be to privatise Medibank Private to that you can get $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion of proceeds and use those proceeds to get rid of some of the debt.

The faster we pay off the debt Chris the better our economy is positioned for the demanding needs to fund our growth into the future.

Chris Uhlmann: But selling Medibank alone doesn't get you there. What savings would you make to the Commonwealth Government budget?

Joe Hockey: Well we will outline all of those before the election. But I've already given you two great detailed examples of how we would have done it differently.

Chris Uhlmann: Do you think that it's enough to keep saying that the Government should cut and then never specify where those cuts should come?

Chris Uhlmann: Well we will do that when we have an opportunity to be in government.

I think this mob doesn't know how to control spending. They've had blow-outs on Medicare, blow-outs on the PBS, blow-outs on computers in schools, blow-outs on school halls.

They've had blow-outs on solar panels. They've proven themselves incompetent in running a pink batt insulation program.

How can you trust them with the entire health system of the nation?

Chris Uhlmann: Well let's look at some of programs. Would you cut back on the school spending?

Joe Hockey: Well we will have a good look at all areas of expenditure Chris, all areas.

Chris Uhlmann: So you might cut back on the school spending?

Joe Hockey: Well you know if you're in government you have to have the courage to make difficult decisions that are in the national interest.

And this mob have no courage, no policy courage at all.

(End of Interview.)