Federal Labor must be more concerned with kicking goals

The following opinion piece by AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten was published in Adelaide's Sunday Mail newspaper on July 3, 2005.

Imagine if Port Adelaide captain Matthew Primus led his team to a Grand Final later this year, but the team lost and Primus resigned, due to injury.

Imagine if six months down the track, Primus threw a public bucket on the team's new leader, one of his former team-mates.

Imagine if Primus said his once-loved club was a spent force, "beyond repair".

How would the Power's members and supporters feel about one of their own, someone whose praises they had sung to the unconverted, dismissing their chances and dashing their hopes?

That feeling of disillusionment is real for Labor's true believers, after former leader Mark Latham's unfortunate comments.

I think it's important to acknowledge that Mark did make a contribution to our party, and he was fair dinkum about delivering social justice.

But one of the saddest outcomes of Mark's comments was that they diverted from the real fight going on in Australia.

The brouhaha stole oxygen from the hundreds of thousands of Australian employees who rallied this week against the Howard Government's attack on a fair go at work.

The ALP - like the Port Adelaide football club - has resurrected itself before in difficult times, and with discipline, new ideas and hard work, will do so again.

As we move forward, we can take sustenance from the success of the Rann Government, which has demonstrated how quickly political fortunes can change.

In Opposition, Mike Rann, Kevin Foley and their team established their fitness to govern and persuaded the wider electorate they could be trusted with the purse strings.

The Rann Government has delivered on that promise, restoring South Australia's triple-A rating and reducing the state's debt by more than $1 billion.

The Premier also deserves plaudits from South Australians for his role in securing the $6 billion navy warship contract, which will create 1000 jobs.

The state's sustained economic growth has provided for substantial investment in areas of social need, including mental health and disability services.

The Rann Government provides inspiration to Federal Labor on how it could capitalise on the Howard Government's economic vulnerabilities.

John Howard's economic record doesn't bear scrutiny. Commentators agree he has squandered opportunities to generate economic growth, opportunities thrown in his lap by the reforms of the Hawke/Keating Government.

Apart from introducing new taxes, the Prime Minister and his Treasurer have been spectators at the game of national economic development.

They've been content on the sidelines, or more likely reclining up in the comfort of a Corporate Superbox, while Australia takes on the Rest of the World.

Under John Howard's watch, our country has plunged into a debt crisis. Australia's net foreign debt stands at $425 billion while the trade balance has turned in its worst performance in 20 years. Currently, for every $3 generated in the economy, $2 is owed in net foreign liabilities.

We are in danger of becoming a sombrero economy.

The average ratio of household debt to income has almost doubled. Australian housing prices are experiencing their biggest bubble ever.

Only productivity can be the primary driver of future wealth creation for Australians. However, critical areas of economic policy - including education and training, and infrastructure and investment - have been neglected.

We can't dumb our way to greatness, yet total Government spending on education has fallen as a percentage of our GDP.

The Howard Government has priced tertiary education too high for many people.

The share of 15-19 year olds enrolled in post-compulsory secondary education is lower than in many OECD countries. The skills shortage - warned about by unions - is now a matter of record.

While our economic challenges mount, the Prime Minister fights an ideological war against workers, forcing through industrial relations changes that are a detour from the real deal of generating growth.

John Howard's political legacy will be one of transfer payments to the outer suburbs in the form of grants for first home-buyers and the like, while applying 'dog-whistle' politics in the children overboard scandal.

He has done this with all the flair of a Chicago ward boss.

Kim Beazley, an intelligent, experienced and strong leader, is more than up to the task of convincing voters that the economy is 'in safe hands with Labor'

Kim understands that the creation of wealth is fundamental to ensuring a better quality of life for all Australians.

For Federal Labor to get back into the game, it must model itself on state Labor Governments and 'never-say-die' football teams like Port Adelaide.

It must be disciplined and more concerned with kicking goals for middle Australia, than whom within the team gets the most share of the ball or with settling old scores.