The fight to take responsibility for Australia's good economic fortune continues. In today's Australian, John Howard tells off Kevin Rudd for his bipartisanship on the issue. Here, Tony Abbott credits Paul Keating ... and Howard's support role.
article-article-body[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVaLLhJp14I[/youtube]
The fight to take responsibility for Australia’s good economic fortune continues. In today’s Australian, John Howard tells off Kevin Rudd for his bipartisanship on the issue.
Here, Tony Abbott shows how it’s done, crediting Paul Keating … with back-up support from Howard.
First aired on Slow TV.
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Very appropriate – and a great example of how to debate the point and not the man.
There can be no doubt that the coalition left the economy in great shape for rudd due to great economic management and taxation reform. They were able to make these reforms due to the efforts of Keating, and the Campbell report comissioned by Howard back in the early 80’s.
Abbott has becoming a revelation lately as he moves from unpredictable attack dog, to thoughtful and quite possibly parliaments most effective performer. If he can maintain this for the next 2-3 years, he will most likely lead the coalition in the future.
It is curious this sudden homage to Keating by senior members of the coalition. When they were in government I recall there was only vilification, perhaps a grudging nod to floating the dollar but that was it. Also, this sudden recollection of Howard commissioning the Campbell report, what is important to remember is that he did nothing with it! As I understand it was totally ignored by Howard and Fraser, it was only acted on after the ALP came to power in 83. It is always easy to commission a report, the hard part is to make the tough decisions to enact the recommendations.
Perhaps this is a strategy by the coalition to demonstrate they can be complimentary about an earlier ALP govt, ergo any attack on their previous administration would be churlish by this government. To have their legacy questioned and attacked just adds to other items to make them un electable.
It must be so frustrating not having your version of history not un questioningly accepted. And not being able to bully critics into toeing the line.
Trevor – lets get something straight, Keating was an effective Treasurer but not an effective Prime Minister. Time diminshes the true state he left our economy in, largely, debt and public service malfunction.
I agree, hard decisions are in effect hard to make. Keating will be remembered for his inability to understand the correlation between taxes and spending, which largely resulted in his downfall.
I don’t think the Coalition ever truely rejected the reforms of the 80’s. A more relevant and more up to date question is, will the Rudd Government ever credit the sound economic judgement of the Howard Government which is solely responsible for being able to survive the GFC?
this is a more relevant question and not, the economic reforms of almost 30 years ago…