Monday 11th of November 2024

The Howard Governments Track Record. (John D Scott)

Things to remind the voting public about the Howard Government in the lead up to polling day.

Since 1996, the Howard Government has:

1) Created a gap between the rich and poor only exceeded in the developed world by the United States.

2) Nearly one in four Australians suffers financial hardship.

3) Twenty-eight per cent of Australian workers are in casual jobs - an increase of 22% in casual employment since 1996.

4) Unpaid overtime has increased by 24% since 1996.

5) Long-term unemployment (26% of total unemployment) has grown by 68% since 1999.

6) Sixty-four per cent of jobs created in the past four years pay less than $600 a week and most of them are casual jobs with no job security.

7) Housing and rent prices have doubled in the past decade. Many Australians will never be able to buy a house.

8) Seventeen per cent of Australians are functionally illiterate, compared with Sweden at only 7.6%.

9) Australia's education expenditure is among the lowest in the OECD at just 4.6% of GDP. Denmark spends almost double at 8.3%.

10) Australia's welfare expenditure is the fourth lowest among the developed countries at 10% of GDP. By contrast, Austria spends 19%.

11) Our public health system is overloaded and does not meet the needs of ordinary Australians. Patients often wait years for a basic operation. We are one of the few developed countries not to have free and universal dental care.

12) Australia continues to ban films that can be legally seen by millions of people around the world.

13) Australia has lost its image as a tolerant, welcoming and egalitarian society. Children overboard, Detention Centres and children behind razor wire saw to that. The world now sees us as mean-spirited and reactionary, a country that uncritically supports any decisions and actions made by the US.

14) John Howard took Australia to war on the basis of lies, WMD's that didn't exist which has made Australia a target for terrorists and then hid behind dodgy intelligence when the Coalition of the Willing grasped that intelligence with both hands without fear or reservation because it suited their political and economic agenda.

15) A vote for John Howard is a vote for Peter Costello, all he has his sights set on is his fourth term and his place in history. After about 12 months the people of Bennelong will be going to a by-election.

16) 1 Billion Dollars spent on advertising since 1996 when it could have been spent on Health and Education.

17) Hiding behind bureaucrats and the military to take the blame for his governments misrepresentation of the truth.

18) Another four years of Alexander Downer, the greatest terrorist risk this country possesses.

19) Character assassination of anyone who tells the truth about the governments lies and holds a differing view to John Howards agenda.

Does the Australian public really deserve another four years of this? I know that the Australian public would embrace a fixed election day every four years, away from all sporting and cultural events so it can't be manipulated by unscrupulous politicians such as what John Howard is currently doing. The pressure needs to be kept on the little chap, he needs to be shown up for the liar and manipulator he really is.