The American Spectator

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p> AUSSIE HAWKES br> Re: Hal G.P. Colebatch's A Government of Idiots? : /p>

While reading the article entitled "A Government of Idiots?" by Hal G.P. Colebatch I wondered who Hal Colebatch was. I also wondered from where he had obtained his knowledge of the Australian political system, particularly as his article was published in The American Spectator. On discovering that he had worked on the staff of two Australian Federal Ministers I realized his view of the current political scene in Australia could not be seen as being either unbiased or objective.

Anyone living in Australia at the moment will be aware of the level of discontent that is running through the community at the present time. Discontent which comes from the repeated lies, deceit, and broken promises of Prime Minister Howard over the last eleven years.

While the Australian economy has every appearance of being in good shape, there is a growing recognition among the electorate that this strength is due mainly to the decisions taken by the previous Labor Prime Minister Hawke and his Treasurer Paul Keating, and not the Howard government. Hawke and Keating were responsible for freeing up the market and abolishing the tariffs that had strangled economic growth over several years, a decision which John Howard, the previous Treasurer, was not brave enough to make. The current resources boom is also largely responsible for the strengthening economy, but this will not last forever and Howard does not appear to have any plans in place for dealing with this once it does happen.

p>While it is not possible to predict how a Rudd government will perform, the mood for change in Australia is very strong, and the people of Australia will ultimately decide if Kevin Rudd should be given an opportunity to form a government. If they do, then I am sure we will find there are no more idiots in his government than there currently are in the Howard Government. br> -- Eileen Roberts br> Canberra, Australia /p> p> My American friends, try to take Hal Colebatch's latest offering about Australia with a grain of salt. His likening of Australian Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd to that despicable anti-American Chavez is well off the mark. A Federal election beckons in November 2007 for Australians and it will indeed be close, sure to come down to a handful of marginal seats. Don't let Colebatch paint this as ill-informed Aussies unable to make the "Right" choice, but rather it should be about the arrogance and hubris of an 11-year-old Government, the highest spending and taxing in Australia's history. A 5-year drought has parched the country and PM Howard has been outflanked by Climate Change. Conservative stalwart Rupert Murdoch is even making sounds to the left about emission trading schemes and reducing carbon outputs. Add to this the relative unpopularity of the Iraq War and George W. Bush and a massively unpopular Industrial Relations reform that overturned 100 years of Australian tradition and law. Given that Australia has 4.4% unemployment, 2-3% inflation, 6.5% interest rates, you would expect the Liberal/Nationals Coalition (Conservatives) to be in the ascendancy. But Australians value the "fair go" above all, and a government that refuses to countenance the important employment rights, environmental issues and infrastructure spending that the nation requires is finding traction hard to gain. If you're looking for an exciting election to follow while you whet your appetite over the upcoming Republican primary battles, Australia is the election to follow, but if you really want to know what's going on, don't listen to crazy Hal "Hugo" Colebatch!

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