Going from bad to worse

"I think when you go to an election and you give a promise to the Australian people, you should do everything in your power to honour that promise. We are determined to do that. We gave our word to the Australian people in the election and this is a Government that prides itself on delivering election promises. We want Australians to be able to say well, they've said this and they did this." (Julia Gillard, Jon Faine, ABC 674, 20 March 2009)

In only 12 months, Julia Gillard has transformed a bad Rudd Government into an even worse Gillard Government – a government that has set new benchmarks for broken promises, policy incompetence, economic mismanagement and waste:

		The carbon tax broken promise A week before the 2010 election Julia Gillard gave the following assurance to the Australian people: "There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead." In case anyone doubted her sincerity, she reiterated her solemn promise the day before the election when she said: "I rule out a carbon tax." Six months later with, among others, Bob Brown and Christine Milne by her side, Julia Gillard broke her promise to the Australian people and announced the introduction of a carbon tax. The Labor-Greens carbon tax is a recipe for massive economic self-harm. It will reduce the living standards of average Australians, cost thousands of jobs and destroy the very industries that make Australia a competitive exporter – and all for no environmental benefit. Labor and The Greens want to hit Australian businesses and consumers with a carbon tax when no similar tax is imposed on our energy resource supply competitors.
		Laying the ground to break their promise to return the Budget to surplus Labor's Budget deficit this year is still forecast to be well over $20 billion, thanks to four years of waste and reckless spending. Because Labor can't control their waste and reduce their reckless spending, the surplus 'promised' by Treasurer Wayne Swan in the May Budget will be broken: This week, the Treasurer said that this promise is now just an 'objective' Julia Gillard said this promise is just a 'determination' The Finance Minister classifies the promise now as 'a plan' The Assistant Treasurer claims the promise is now 'a guiding principle' Finally, Julia Gillard stated that the promise to return to surplus in 2010/13 is an 'expectation'. Labor hasn't delivered a budget surplus at any time over the last 21 years.
		Border security goes from bad to worse Australia’s border security has broken down under Julia Gillard’s watch. Since the election, 85 boats have carried 4,939 asylum seekers to Australia’s shores. Since Julia Gillard became Prime Minister, 97 boats have arrived, carrying 5501 people. The cost of border protection and detention facilities has blown out the budget by $1.75 billion.
		Malaysian deal fiasco The promise "In terms of my plan for a regional framework and a regional processing centre, we want to deal with the countries that are signatory to the refugee convention. Nauru is not." (Julia Gillard, Doorstop, 29/7/2010) The outcome The Malaysian and Australian Governments have today announced a commitment to enter into a groundbreaking new arrangement to help tackle people smuggling and irregular migration in the Asia-Pacific region. Prime Ministers Najib and Gillard have agreed that core elements of this bilateral arrangement will include: 800 irregular maritime arrivals, who arrive in Australia after the date of effect of the arrangement, will be transferred to Malaysia for refugee status determination; in return, over four years, Australia will resettle 4000 refugees already currently residing in Malaysia. (Julia Gillard, Joint Press Release, 7 May 2011) From the UNHCR website – "Malaysia is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its Protocol. By law, refugees are vulnerable to arrest for immigration offences and may be subject to detention, prosecution, whipping and deportation."
		Continued economic mismanagement Australia’s net debt has nearly doubled over 2010/11 to reach $82 billion and is forecast to reach a record $107 billion in 2011/12. This is the result of Labor’s continued failure to balance the books: When Labor arrived in office, the Budget surplus delivered by the Howard government was $21b – but in the space of 18 months it became a $27 b deficit under Labor But, lacking the discipline needed to reign in reckless and wasteful spending, the deficit ballooned to $55 billion the following year Not happy with that, Wayne Swan and Julia Gillard delivered another $49 billion deficit the year after And finally, just when they started to talk tough, they claim they will deliver only a $23 billion deficit this year – but who would believe them after looking that their record? What Labor fail to realise is that you can’t keep racking bills up on the nations credit card. Australian’s and Australian families can’t do it so why should the government? The failure of the Gillard-Green government to properly and responsibly manage the nation’s finances are the clearest reason why there is an urgent reason to change the government.
		Cost of living pressures increase Since Julia Gillard became Prime Minister: electricity prices are up by 10.7 per cent, water prices by 12.8 per cent, fuel by 11.3 per cent, education costs by 5.9 per cent, food by 6.1 per cent, rent by 4.5 per cent and health costs by 4.0 per cent. Source: ABS 6401.0, Table 7
		Labor’s wasteful spending continues The Gillard Government is continuing to spend $50 billion on a national broadband network to provide people with something that they don’t particularly want and certainly aren’t keen to pay for. In Tasmania less than 15 per cent of households have signed up for the service at a cost of $30 million to roll fibre past some 4,000 houses – that’s an average price of about $7,500 per house. The recent Budget also reveals that Gillard’s Labor government will spend $300 million installing set top boxes despite it being cheaper to buy a set top box from Harvey Norman. Labor can’t be trusted to deliver infrastructure in a competent way, at good value for money.
		Cattle industry disaster Australia’s multi-million dollar live cattle export trade to Indonesia became the victim of panic and decision-making-on-the-run and will now cost you millions of dollars. Labor’s stuff up has led to hundreds of millions of taxpayers money being spent on a situation that was completely avoidable. If the government had stuck by its original decision to restrict trade to abattoirs that meet our animal welfare expectations, this Gillard-led Labor government fiasco would have been avoided.
		Labor’s tax addiction New taxes introduced by Julia Gillard over the past year: A flood levy: Announced on 27 January 2011. A toxic new carbon tax: Announced Thursday 24 February 2011. Changes to the Fringe Benefits Tax: Changes announced Tuesday 10 May 2011. New taxes maintained by Julia Gillard over the past year: Alcopops tax: Announced 27 April 2008. Increase in luxury car tax: Announced 13 May 2008. New tax on Australians working overseas: Announced 12 May 2009. Cutting what Australians can put into superannuation tax-free: Announced 12 May 2009. Restrictions on business losses: Announced 12 May 2009. Changes to Employee Share Scheme: Announced 12 May 2009. Cigarette tax hike of 25%. Announced 29 April 2010. Impost of the Mining tax: First announced on 2 May 2010. Ethanol taxation increases: Announced 11 May 2010. LPG excise increase: Announced 11 May 2010. Tightening restrictions on medical expenses before you can claim them on tax: Announced 11 May 2010.
		Other broken promises and policy backflips Citizen’s Assembly A Community Consensus on Taxing Carbon Consulting Clubs on Gambling Reforms New era of openness and transparency Onshore processing Offshore processing centre on East Timor Cash for Clunkers Mining tax royalties BER Costing – Failure to Implement Orgill’s Recommendations Solar Credit Scheme Delay of the National Curriculum Delay of My School 2.0 Convene a Tax Summit before June 30, 2011 Sparing the public service from Budget cuts Temporary Protection Visas Reinvesting Defence Budget Savings in Defence Increasing Defence Spending Budget Neutrality of Carbon Tax Carbon Tax Call on the Contingency Reserve Asylum Seekers to be Removed to a Third Country Higher NBN Prices Emissions Reduction Target
		Labor in Government, Bob Brown and the Greens in Power The real Deputy Prime Minister, Senator Bob Brown, has forced the Gillard Government: To break its promise on a carbon tax; To break its promise on a Citizen’s Assembly; To rescind its promised savings to pay for flood recovery; To re-ignite the debate on same sex marriage; To give The Greens access to the full suite of Treasury resources including regular briefings and costings; To force a week long parliamentary debate on Afghanistan; To give the Territories the right to make their own laws; To quietly dissolve the Work for the Dole scheme; To reintroduce means tests on the private health insurance rebate; To curb FBT concessions on private vehicles