ID :
17955
Wed, 09/03/2008 - 21:34
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/17955
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Liberals hit back over Howard legacy
The federal opposition said many people were already wishing for a return to the Howard era, in a spirited defence of the former government's economic legacy. Deputy leader Julie Bishop told parliament that already many Australians were looking back on John Howard's prime ministership as golden years.
She branded Kevin Rudd a middle-ranking bureaucrat and compared him to Winston Smith of George Orwell's 1984, who constantly rewrote history in the Ministry of Truth to make it compatible with the party's latest pronouncement. And she accused Mr Rudd of a "manic desire" to blacken the Howard government's reputation which effectively forced the Reserve Bank to continue raising interest
rates.
Ms Bishop launched her counterattack just hours before a Parliament House dinner on Wednesday night to honour the Howard government.
It also comes amid continuing speculation, and Labor jibes, about Brendan Nelson's leadership.
The opposition has had to endure daily lectures from Mr Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan blaming the Howard years for high inflation and interest rates and neglected infrastructure.
Ms Bishop said Mr Rudd had misled the Australian people about the true state of the economy he'd inherited. Over its 11 years, the Howard government had restored the economy. It inherited a budget deficit of more than $10 billion; the Rudd government inherited a zero deficit.
"The Rudd government has been talking up inflation as a threat and claimed it was a legacy of the previous government," Ms Bishop said.
"As it did this, it ignored the strength of the Australian economy, sustained growth, increased employment, decreased unemployment, including long-term unemployment, and rising living standards.
"Labor, in its mad rush to trash the legacy of the Howard years, went way too far with the treasurer's irresponsible comment that the inflation genie was out of the bottle, in other words, inflation was out of control.
"And the prime minister's comments about an inflation monster wreaking havoc across the economy. The Reserve Bank was placed in an untenable position and it acted to lift interest rates.
"But the prime minister and his flock of sheep bleated even louder about the inflation challenge, such was the manic desire to blacken the reputation of the Howard years.
"Many Australians are looking back on those years as the golden years."
Government MPs returned fire with one saying Ms Bishop's statement was "deluded" and another claiming it was "audacious in its delusion".
But the main response was delivered by government house leader Anthony Albanese. "I am very pleased to respond to the extraordinary contribution of the deputy leader of the opposition," he said.
"That was a contribution we wanted to hear because what the deputy leader of the opposition has done is remind the Australian people how out of touch those on that side of the house are."
Referring to the coalition's time in office as "the golden years" was absurd because the Australian people had booted it out of government, and former prime minister John Howard out of his seat, Mr Albanese said. "Yet they would have us believe that everything was on track."
While Ms Bishop compared Mr Rudd to 1984's Winston Smith, Mr Albanese
compared former treasurer Peter Costello to The Wizard of Oz's tin man. The house leader meant to say the cowardly lion - the tin man lacked a heart, not courage - but his point was nonetheless clear.
"He (Mr Costello) sat there for 12 years and whinged about taking the top job ...but he never had the courage to put his hand up and contest it," Mr Albanese said.
"The member for Higgins makes the tin man look like (Braveheart's) William Wallace. He never had the courage to contest."
She branded Kevin Rudd a middle-ranking bureaucrat and compared him to Winston Smith of George Orwell's 1984, who constantly rewrote history in the Ministry of Truth to make it compatible with the party's latest pronouncement. And she accused Mr Rudd of a "manic desire" to blacken the Howard government's reputation which effectively forced the Reserve Bank to continue raising interest
rates.
Ms Bishop launched her counterattack just hours before a Parliament House dinner on Wednesday night to honour the Howard government.
It also comes amid continuing speculation, and Labor jibes, about Brendan Nelson's leadership.
The opposition has had to endure daily lectures from Mr Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan blaming the Howard years for high inflation and interest rates and neglected infrastructure.
Ms Bishop said Mr Rudd had misled the Australian people about the true state of the economy he'd inherited. Over its 11 years, the Howard government had restored the economy. It inherited a budget deficit of more than $10 billion; the Rudd government inherited a zero deficit.
"The Rudd government has been talking up inflation as a threat and claimed it was a legacy of the previous government," Ms Bishop said.
"As it did this, it ignored the strength of the Australian economy, sustained growth, increased employment, decreased unemployment, including long-term unemployment, and rising living standards.
"Labor, in its mad rush to trash the legacy of the Howard years, went way too far with the treasurer's irresponsible comment that the inflation genie was out of the bottle, in other words, inflation was out of control.
"And the prime minister's comments about an inflation monster wreaking havoc across the economy. The Reserve Bank was placed in an untenable position and it acted to lift interest rates.
"But the prime minister and his flock of sheep bleated even louder about the inflation challenge, such was the manic desire to blacken the reputation of the Howard years.
"Many Australians are looking back on those years as the golden years."
Government MPs returned fire with one saying Ms Bishop's statement was "deluded" and another claiming it was "audacious in its delusion".
But the main response was delivered by government house leader Anthony Albanese. "I am very pleased to respond to the extraordinary contribution of the deputy leader of the opposition," he said.
"That was a contribution we wanted to hear because what the deputy leader of the opposition has done is remind the Australian people how out of touch those on that side of the house are."
Referring to the coalition's time in office as "the golden years" was absurd because the Australian people had booted it out of government, and former prime minister John Howard out of his seat, Mr Albanese said. "Yet they would have us believe that everything was on track."
While Ms Bishop compared Mr Rudd to 1984's Winston Smith, Mr Albanese
compared former treasurer Peter Costello to The Wizard of Oz's tin man. The house leader meant to say the cowardly lion - the tin man lacked a heart, not courage - but his point was nonetheless clear.
"He (Mr Costello) sat there for 12 years and whinged about taking the top job ...but he never had the courage to put his hand up and contest it," Mr Albanese said.
"The member for Higgins makes the tin man look like (Braveheart's) William Wallace. He never had the courage to contest."
