Death by focus group under Prime Minister Gillard

For months Julia Gillard and her Labor mates have been abusing Tony Abbott’s direct action approach to climate change. And the response? A focus group. Wow, how inspiring.

This raises real questions on what a re-elected Gillard Government would really do?

The truth about the Gillard policy record is appalling. Putting aside the fact that she was there for every decision made by the Rudd Government, her personal contribution to policy has been appalling.

Her first major foray into policy was the famous ‘Medicare gold’ which was one of the key issues that saved the Australian people from a Mark Latham prime ministership. It was the policy that would have sent Australia to the brink of bankruptcy.

Julia Gillard is responsible for the computers in schools programme – a $1.2 billion blow out, 300 000 laptops delivered out of 970 000 promised, no broadband hook up for schools as was promised in 2007 and the programme delayed for longer than the duration of World War 1.

Following this, was the so-called ‘Building the Education Revolution’ that has wasted more money than any programme in Australia’s history. It has been estimated that it has wasted up to $8 billion.

Julia Gillard authored the famous ‘double drop off’ policy with 260 extra child care centres promised. A policy that was so badly thought through only 8 were delivered before it was dumped.

Finally her first two forays into policy since being Prime Minster have shown an equal ineptitude.

The so-called mining tax fix which appears to be nothing but an agreement to negotiate if the government is re-elected. There is no plan to release before the election exactly how the tax will work and if indeed she will be willing to agree with the Greens proposals to go further to get it through the Senate.

Then to top it off the new Prime Minister announced that she would create an immigration processing centre in East Timor without speaking first to their Prime Minister. This not only

shows a complete disregard for diplomatic niceties, but plays into the perception that Australia is a bully in regional affairs.

What it shows is someone who is utterly unequipped to be the Prime Minister.

The Labor Party brutally knocked off a sitting Prime Minister to install a new and more popular version to get them through the election campaign. All they want to talk about between now and August 21 is personalities so as to hide their record and there lack of a coherent plan for the future of Australia.

The Labor campaign is extra-ordinary in that a first term government seeking re-election has nothing positive to say at all about the future. All we have are glib slogans and promises to have a forum.

Julia Gillard’s record is underlined by incompetence. She doesn’t stand for anything because she believes only in her ambition to be Prime Minister.

Australians have a choice on August 21 between this and a Liberal Party that will actually take action on the issues that challenge our future.

Australia deserves better than a focus group driven, NSW Labor styled Prime Minister.

Julia Gillard will never be accused of being a conviction politician.

The announcement of a ‘panel’ to decide her climate policy is the final step in the Labor Party handing over its policy development to focus groups.

This makes the NSW State Labor take-over of the Federal Labor Party complete.

While we thought Kevin Rudd was hollow, Julia Gillard makes him look like a man of steel.

This is presumably the same Julia Gillard who in late 2009 said, 'we can't afford any more inquiries, reports or investigations into climate change'.  So presumably, this didn't include talk fests.