This is what the Age editorial writer wrote on Saturday: For the sake of the nation, Ms Gillard should stand aside This what the editor should have written: For the sake of the nation, we must keep Abbott out He (or less likely she) didn’t, so I’ll do it for him (or her). The role of an editorial is to comment on matters of public interest. This is an important duty which this paper takes very seriously. It is not therefore lightly that we offer our opinion on the current state of Australian politics. But that state is such that we cannot keep silent on what, at the end of the day, is the main issue the nation faces at the next election. Australia cannot afford an Abbott-led LNP government. All of those who value sensible, reasonable, moderate reform must unite to see that this does not happen. This paper has consistently pointed out the weaknesses of the current minority Labor government. Its policy of trying to scare off asylum seekers arriving by boat is misguided, and conditions in detention centres cannot be justified. The government has allowed itself to become entangled in a race to the bottom on this issue, and voters should rightly be concerned that Australia’s human rights record is being further tarnished. And there are other policy decisions that are highly questionable, such as the decision to cut funding increases to the tertiary education sector, and forcing some long-term single parents onto the Newstart allowance – though in fairness it should be noted that they are only following the policy implemented by the previous Liberal government. Some vocal groups will be dissatisfied with these and other decisions of the government, but no government can please everyone all the time, and protest is inevitable. Those who support government policy rarely get the same sort of publicity. It’s true that the paper hasn’t always celebrated the successes of the Labor government as vocally as it has attacked its faults. It is after all the role of the press to speak truth to power. But those achievements have been many. Saving Australia from the worst of the GFC, reducing carbon emissions by putting a price on carbon, adopting the Gonski education recommendations for fairer funding of education, introduction of the NDIS, building the National Broadband Network – these are all major achievements, any one of which should be considered an important legacy. Considered as a whole, they amount to a coherent narrative of the proper role of government in an advanced capitalist society. This is to ensure that citizens have access to affordable, high quality public health and education, that those who are disadvantaged for physical, mental or socioeconomic reasons are supported, that extremes of wealth and poverty are avoided, and that appropriate regulation of economic activity ensures the health and welfare of the population. But even if Labor had accomplished none of these things, the paper would still urge its readers to consider voting for it again for a third term. This is because the alternative – a Liberal National Party government led by Tony Abbott would be a disaster for the nation. It certainly is the role of an Opposition to oppose. But that opposition should not harm the long-term national interest. Yet that is what the current Opposition are doing. They have consistently talked down the economy for party political purposes. That this affects the welfare of people in the real world seems of no consequence to them. Their comments on the level of Australia’s debt, for example, are stupid and destructive. Foolish talk about the debt ceiling seems to have been imported straight from America’s Tea Party, without, apparently, even knowing what it is in the Australian context. They seem unperturbed that their policy of turning back asylum seeker boats is illegal, and they are prepared to alienate our nearest neighbour, Indonesia, by insisting that boats will be returned there. They have deliberately undermined the public’s confidence in its scientific experts by questioning the very existence of anthropomorphic climate change, harming Australia both at home and abroad. Without apparent thought for the future, they have undermined the functioning of the parliament, and denigrated the role of the Prime Minister. If this were indeed the sport they treat it as, they would have been charged with bringing the game into disrepute. Responsible oppositions don’t only oppose; they should also offer an alternative vision of what they want for the country. In this aspect, the current opposition have been almost entirely lacking. Apart from what they oppose – the carbon price, the mining tax, the NBN, and the Gonski reforms to name but a few – they have offered almost nothing. They promise more detail nearer the election, though they must know that in the heat of battle, there will be little room for proper consideration of what they promise. Thirteen weeks out from polling day, they have no education policy, no health policy, no detail on how their direct action policy will reduce carbon emissions and a confused budgetary position which involves keeping benefits from taxes they are abolishing, but promising to slash spending. They are silent on the major cuts they will need to make to achieve a balanced budget. The Liberal Party – though not of course their coalition partners the Nationals – claim to be a party of small government. Plans for direct action on climate change, maternity leave that taxes companies and therefore consumers to pay the salaries of those taking it, and plans to develop the north with public subsidies do not amount to small government. But neither does the Liberal Party spell out what small government would actually mean for the nation. This looks less like a coherent narrative, and more like a response to the special interests who fund the party. And if this wasn’t enough, during his time as Leader of the Opposition, Abbott has shown that he is not fit for the office of Prime Minister. He cannot be trusted. He openly admits that he lies to the public. He has been involved in attempts to undermine the minority Labor government that border on the illegal. It can be hard to tell from some of his statements, and those of his shadow treasurer, whether their positions reflect political point scoring, or culpable ignorance. And he has in his shadow ministry and on his back-bench some members whose views of the world are imported holus bolus from the extreme right wing of American politics. These have no place in Australia. Other sections of the media, for their own political ends, make it their business relentlessly to attack the government, in particular the Prime Minister, and they offer no criticism of the opposition. This paper thinks the media should look at the facts, and looking at the facts, it is easy to conclude that an Abbot-led government would be a disaster. We will do all we can to explain this further in the coming weeks.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 08:46:41 +0000
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