The Wilkie betrayal, just another broken promise

21/01/13

One year ago today Julia Gillard betrayed Andrew Wilkie and tore up a signed agreement; about as solemn a document as can be arrived at in our Parliament. And with that, Julia Gillard won a betrayal trifecta; the Kevin Rudd betrayal, the Carbon Tax betrayal, and the Andrew Wilkie betrayal.

Julia Gillard’s approach to gambling reform has been purely political. Labor’s policy approach is not designed to deliver good public policy, it is designed to ensure Julia Gillard can keep the keys to The Lodge. Decisions which have such significant implications should be the result of detailed and careful consideration–not backroom deals between a candidate for the Prime Ministership and a single independent Member of Parliament.

The Coalition acknowledges that gambling is a major problem for some Australians and we support measures that will effectively tackle problem gambling and help address and prevent gambling addiction.

However, the Coalition also understands that most Australians gamble responsibly and that many Australians also rely on the sector for jobs. Tackling problem gambling requires a measured response that doesn’t just look at poker machines, but tackles the underlying problem of gambling addiction.

The Wilkie betrayal isn’t an isolated broken promise. In fact, today, I thought I’d take the opportunity to remind Australians of a few of Labor’s other broken promises since the 2010 election:

1.         Carbon Tax

2.         Budget surplus in 2012-13

3.         A Community Consensus on Taxing Carbon

4.         Cutting company tax

5.         Massive Defence cuts

6.         Providing monthly updates to parliament on MRRT revenue collection

7.         $500 standard deduction on tax returns

8.         Cuts to foreign aid

9.         50% discount on interest incomes

10.       Sparing the public service from Budget cuts

11.       Means testing the private health insurance rebate

12.       Consulting Clubs on Gambling Reforms

13.       New era of openness and transparency

14.       Onshore processing generally

15.       East Timor solution

16.       Solar Credit Scheme

17.       Delay of the National Curriculum

18.       Delay of My School 2.0

19.       Convene a Tax Summit before June 30, 2011

20.       Sending asylum seekers to Malaysia (not a signatory to the UN refugee convention)

21.       Pacific Solution hypocrisy

22.       Budget Neutrality of Carbon Tax

23.       Higher NBN Prices