The election result was a decisive win for Labor. Workchoices was the major point of difference between the two parties with the issue being driven by the union movement. The stakes for the unions were high and they had no hesitation in pouring $30 million of members’ funds into the campaign. Small business owners will have much to worry about as unions will expect a high return on their investment in Labor’s victory.
Kevin Rudd ran a disciplined, Presidential style campaign and the result provided him with a clear mandate to shape his Cabinet according to his views on the capacity and competency of his Ministers. This is a break from their tradition of having to trade off amongst the factional powerbrokers in the Party. He had an impressive pool of talent to draw upon and seems to have put round pegs in round holes.
One of the more significant but little noticed appointments was that of Duncan Kerr as Parliamentary Secretary for the Pacific. Kerr is eminently suited for this position as he is a former Dean of Law at the University of Port Moresby. The Pacific is our international area of responsibility with many of the island nations on the brink of social and economic collapse. Kerr’s knowledge of the ‘Melanesian way’ is a welcome initiative in our endeavour to close the empathetic gap that has developed over the years.
The challenge for the new Rudd Government is to act responsibility with the economic inheritance passed on from the Howard government. He must resist the demands he will inevitable receive from both the union movement and the loony left who have coalesced into the Greens.
The demise of the Democrats has seen the Greens emerge as Labor’s radical rump. The only political positive to emerge from this transition is that all the lunatics are now in the one political asylum.
The Liberal-National Coalition now has to renew itself in Opposition. The future of the Liberal and National parties needs to be critically examined and new talent recruited for future Ministerial roles. Kevin Rudd has rewritten the rules for Labor in Government. Brendon Nelson must do the same for the Liberal Party in Opposition.
John Howard will be remembered as a courageous leader who brought about bold reforms in our taxation system and on the waterfront. He went where his predecessors feared to go. Howard’s gracious acceptance of political defeat was the hallmark of a great statesman. Kevin Rudd’s warm acceptance of the keys to the lodge indicates that he also has the potential for political greatness.
Australia is truly blessed to have a political democracy that allows for such a peaceful and seamless transition. We should never take it for granted.
Tags: Labor, Liberal, My Opinion, Politics
