[TMPJ]

My main question is, have they really been as bad as the media and others claim it has been? There seems to be this illusion nowadays that we have a very "bad government" and the opinion polls suggest that it is going to be punished next year, but is this really just nonsense?

I ask the question because personally I mostly like this government. They have introduced many policies which I think would never have come into effect had the Opposition been in power. For instance, the introduction of paid-parental leave meant that Australia was now no longer one of two countries in the world without such a policy (the other being the US), whilst the Opposition's policy response was reckless. The National Broadband Network is a much needed infrastructure boost which, only until recently, the Coalition had been recklessly proclaiming it would scrap (indicating to me that big infrastructure projects are not high on their agenda - they certainly weren't for the 11 years when they were in power). The Mining tax, to me, is in fact a sensible policy as it will seek to also reap the benefits of the current resources boom instead of squandering it away (especially with cheap tax cuts). The discussion on gay marriage nowadays and the momentum for it seems to be a result of many things, but the only reason why there now seems to be some traction on the issue is because we currently have an ALP government - such talk or possibility of progress on the matter would, in my opinion, almost certainly never occur under a Coalition government (as their leader currently refuses to budge on the conscience vote issue and also because it's a fact that conservative people are slightly behind the times on this issue).

I think there is a lot of focus away from their positives and too much focus on perceived negatives such as the Craig Thomson saga, the Carbon Tax, which, after listening to some of the hysteria, sounds like a 90% tax on your income and will lead to an imminent collapse of the sky.

In terms of perceptions, I also watch Q and A on the ABC and I personally find there to be more parliamentarians in the ALP camp that seem to be calmer and less aggressive than their opponents. I'm mostly thinking about people such as Greg Combet, Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong, Nicola Roxon, and I am drawn to this more than I am drawn to constantly angry people such as Christopher Pyne, Barnaby Joyce, Joe Hockey and Sophie Mirabella. It's also not a surprise to me that most talk-back radio hosts who corrupt the political landscape with aggressive, misinformed and intimidating rhetoric are, more often than not, Coalition supporters.

[Swagman]

My main question is, have they really been as bad as the media and others claim it has been?

When your leader publically announces that there "won't be a carbon tax under a Govt I lead" and then subsequently introduces one without an electoral mandate, then yes this Govt is as bad as the media and others claim.

This one issue has been their main Achilles heel.

The National Broadband Network is a much needed infrastructure boost which, only until recently, the Coalition had been recklessly proclaiming it would scrap (indicating to me that big infrastructure projects are not high on their agenda - they certainly weren't for the 11 years when they were in power).

The Howard Govt concentrated on paying back the overspending of the previous Labor governments. The alleged lack of infrastructure projects can be laid directly at the feet of the Hawke / Keating Governments. In other words the 'opportunity cost' of Hawke / Keating Govts was less infrastructure. The same can be said about the NBN & 'stimuluses' of this Govt.

Continued overspending in Labor's vein would have left Australia vulnerable to the GFC just like the US & Europeans.

Labor spruik about 'stimulus' saving Australia from the brunt of the GFC but it was Aust's lack of public debt and Costellos banking regulation policies (establishment of APRA) that mostly achieved this.

The NBN & so called 'stimulus' wouldn't have been possible had Australia had a massive public debt bill. Both these schemes are just a massive pork barrelling exersise and are essentially just massive future tax increases for the minority that pays the majority of tax. This Govt continued their stimulus spending (AKA pork barrelling) in a period where the RB were actually lifting interest rates = Bad Govt.

The Mining tax, to me, is in fact a sensible policy as it will seek to also reap the benefits of the current resources boom instead of squandering it away (especially with cheap tax cuts).

The mining tax to me is not sensible policy.

The planet is in financial crisis and our Govt wants to discourage investment in the one industry that is doing ok. The mining companies ALREADY pay taxes on profits like any other companies and they ALREADY pay royalties to State Govts (the owners of the resources). Sure there's a boom and mining companies are making big profits but the country is benefitting from the mining companies employing lots of people and the ancillary enterprise and tax revenues and business activity that mining investment and jobs generate.

You don't tax success you reward it to promote more success. More sucess = more investment, jobs, enterprises and tax revenues. Taxing success = bad Govt.

The discussion on gay marriage nowadays and the momentum for it seems to be a result of many things, but the only reason why there now seems to be some traction on the issue is because we currently have an ALP government - such talk or possibility of progress on the matter would, in my opinion, almost certainly never occur under a Coalition government (as their leader currently refuses to budge on the conscience vote issue and also because it's a fact that conservative people are slightly behind the times on this issue).

Conscience votes mean little to the Coalition. They always vote on their conscience. Many members (far more than Labor & the Green) cross the floor on issues of conscience.

Let's see this Govt make 'Gay marriage' an election policy and take it to the next election.......I don't think so.

I think there is a lot of focus away from their positives and too much focus on perceived negatives such as the Craig Thomson saga, .

Labor should have been a bit more scrupulous in its pre-selection instead of installing another political classer as a candidate ----> more bad governance.

the Carbon Tax, which, after listening to some of the hysteria, sounds like a 90% tax on your income and will lead to an imminent collapse of the sky

Deja vu the GST. Labor used the GST as a scare tactic to win the 1993 election. The Coalition are certainly getting sweet revenge.

As I said, the Carbon Tax wouldn't have been as much of a political dealth note for the ALP had they gone into the election with it as policy. They hoodwinked the electorate and deserve a caning at the ballot box because of that alone.

Labor caned Howard for his "never ever" GST but at least he had the gumption to make it election policy and face the public for it.

The carbon tax is just another money grab. Another tax on success, another dampener to the already stressed economy. Increasing business costs whilst maintaining inflexible industrial relations is another ALP furphy ---> Bad Govt

[AVT]

Bit rich to blame it on the media, the media runs with stories that sell , the fact this government has given them no end of material is just an indication they are lost. It was always going to be a heavily scrutinised government (either Labor or Liberal) due to the hung parliament and the Liberals having been doing their job very well, being relentless in trying to break the paper thin majority. As a result at the moment the Liberals look very disciplined and stable, where Labor stumble from one controversy to the next, that is why the Liberals are polling so well despite Tony Abbott being unpopular himself.

[Ahovking]

I was going to start ranting but i see that i would only be repeating what Swagman was saying. As far as i understand it this government is a mess broken promises, Weak white paper, overspending and poor policy's they don't seem to understand how to run a government. these are the problem when you have a "union" party in government achieves higher stranded of living and workers rights and now has nothing else to do, they just don't seem to understand how national economics work.

But that's just me.

[colliric]

When your leader publically announces that there "won't be a carbon tax under a Govt I lead" and then subsequently introduces one without an electoral mandate, then yes this Govt is as bad as the media and others claim.

This one issue has been their main Achilles heel.

Actually two issues.... The knife in the back of Kevin Rudd still overshadows everything that's happened since. The Cabon tax served to highlight what was already pretty obvious. This government is fundamentally untrustworthy.

Mark my words, Bob Carr will gun for the leadership after they lose the election, and he'll be up against Rudd.

May as well go with him, NSW labor has already fucked up the party for the next few elections.

[Salohcin]

I'd personally give the current government a mixed review.

They have successfully stuffed up a lot of things on the political side.
* They folded and gave the greens the carbon tax too quickly, the greens would of always sided with Labor over Liberals and they could of just included a few amendments in the emissions trading scheme which wouldn't have had the same cost to popularity.
* They stuffed up the minerals super tax. If a rebate of all state duties is included in the tax then of course the states will increase the duties to take all the money if they think they can do it without upsetting the resource companies.
* They snookered themselves by promising a surplus this financial year. I find this one particularly annoying as the Liberals are playing this up for extra votes and as a result will promise a surplus under all conditions, which could possibly be a mistake and cost the economy a second time (hopefully not).

On the bright side they have managed to keep things relatively rational despite the split parliament. I would happily take the Australian Labor party we have had over either the US or UK governments in the same period. So Labor hasn't done that badly.

Since it is pretty much a given Labor will lose the next election the 2 disappointments I am considering are:
* The loss of the NBN is a big missed opportunity. I'd much rather 30+ billion invested in the NBN than in dams as the coalition is proposing.
* Cancelling the carbon tax immediately is just dumb. It expires in 2015 anyway to make way for the ETS. The only reason to swallow the poison pills attached to the carbon tax is to score political points.

[GandalfTheGrey]

But is the coalition going to abolish the NBN? I was rather hoping its basically impossible for them to do so. Most telling for me has been the coalition's complete silence on the NBN - pretty much ever since the 2010 election. Seems to me they are quietly shoving the issue under the carpet and pretending that they never opposed it in the first place. At the very worst, I think they will just do fibre to the node instead of the current fibre to the premise plan.

[Salohcin]

If you check Malcolm Turnbull's website there is plenty of information....Unfortunately.

[AVT]

But is the coalition going to abolish the NBN? I was rather hoping its basically impossible for them to do so. Most telling for me has been the coalition's complete silence on the NBN - pretty much ever since the 2010 election. Seems to me they are quietly shoving the issue under the carpet and pretending that they never opposed it in the first place. At the very worst, I think they will just do fibre to the node instead of the current fibre to the premise plan.

That is my reading of the situation, they will continue with the plan, there will be cost blow-outs and then they can blame Labor for inhereting the programme, either way we will get much needed fibre connections.