A change in government ?

Are Australians coming out of their slumber ?
On Saturday November 24th 2007, Australians go to the polls to choose a federal government. According to the polls it looks like Labor will upset the Liberal collation to win. But anything can happen between now and Saturday. For the past 11 years John Howard has been the Prime Minister. I don’t expect it will be an easy election to win for either party and it will be a close call that could go either way.

Probably for the first time in Howard’s 11 year tenure he has a real challenger in Labor leader Kevin Rudd. The Australian people have finally woken up from their slumber and are interested in politics again. During Howard’s reign many people were content to stay away from politics and “enjoy the fruits of the economic boom and leave the running of the country to Howard for most of that time.”

But now people have re-engaged politically and want to “redress issues of equity and morality, and to push for more active policies to deal with their concerns over climate change.”

The Two Leaders – Rudd and Howard

It looks like the Labor party can finally be taken serious and the main reason behind that is Kevin Rudd. Kevin Rudd is different from previous Labor leaders and the PM. He’s much younger than the PM and looks like a nerd with glasses. But over the past year he has exuded a certain “je ne sais quoi”. School children, especially girls scream and rush for him. Young adults wear Kevin07 logos on their T-shirts and dresses. He provides an alternative to the older John Howard, even though many of his economic/tax policies mirror the Liberal collation. Compared to Howard he is concerned about climate change and talks about the future of Australia and all it’s people in a compassionate way. He talks about Australia in a global sense and aims to ensure Australia is ready to compete in a global way.

As for John Howard he turned 68 this year and is the 2nd longest serving PM. His main attributes have been his conviction, self-belief and cunning. He is also the master at "Plausible Deniability" and can dismiss anything he does not want to talk about. If Howard wins the election he will leave office 18-24 months into his term and pass the touch to the Treasurer/Finance minister – Peter Costello. Does any of this sound familiar my fellow Canadian readers ? Howard has not talked about the future and seems to only be concerned about the economy.

What sets these 2 parties apart, let’s have a look:

The issues
The top issues for many people and both parties are the economy, climate change, work choices, education, health, national security and the troops in the Iraq war.

What does Labor stand for ?
The areas where Labor differs from Liberals are in climate change, work choices and education. Kevin Rudd and the Labor government are committed to policies for climate change (emission targets, clean and renewable energy), including ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. Abolishing Work Choices is another priority and establishing a high-speed broadband network across the country as part of their education revolution.

What does Liberal collation stand for ?
Where as the Liberals, have been preaching the economy is their strength. They are the ones who can best manage the economy and guarantee low interest rates. They are using past Labor governments and high interest rates as an example of how Labor will “stuff our economy” in television ads. As a government that preaches about the economy they are promising lower taxes and tax rebates. As for other areas I am not too sure, all I hear is the economy. I know they have an education plan for more technical colleges. They implemented Work Choices, so no change there. As for the environment, they won’t ratify Kyoto. But they are concerned about the environment, once countries like India and China set emission targets.

The Outlook
As I stated earlier it’s going to be a close election. All through the campaign Labor has been leading the polls. But within the past week the gap between the 2 parties have narrowed substantially.

There are many people out there who are content with the current Liberal (Howard) government and will vote to keep it the same.

At the same time there are people who are concerned with the environment/climate change, work choices, education and the future of Australia and will vote for Labor.

Commentary
When I hear John Howard speak I hear an arrogant man and government. Their main concern is only the economy and make sure it’s growing. I find that he is out of touch with real people and has no ideas for the future of Australia.

I personally want Kevin Rudd and the Labor party to win this election. When I hear Kevin Rudd speak, he makes me believe in a better Australia. A government with compassion and integrity, that isn’t only concerned about the economy but people.

Regardless of the outcome, the days leading to and the night of the election will be interesting. There are people that want a change and those ok with the status quo. One good thing is people are talking about and concerned about the future of Australia.