Rudd’s launch flashback

As Kevin Rudd prepares to launch the ALP’s campaign for the 2013 election, it’s time to do a check on how he’s delivered on his Kevin 07 launch promises. It’s a litany of over promising and under delivering. The Australian people should judge Kevin Rudd on how he’s delivered, not what he promises. Rudd’s Campaign Launch speech 2007 – Promise vs Delivery Kevin Rudd, Address to Labor Campaign Launch, 14 November 2007 Rudd’s Plan – Leadership “I am offering new leadership with a plan for the future.” The outcome: Rudd’s first term as Prime Minister was so disastrous that his own caucus dumped him. Rudd’s Plan – GroceryWatch and FuelWatch “We will establish a Petrol Price Commissioner and a national inquiry into grocery prices to make sure working families aren’t ripped off.” The outcome: The Petrol Commissioner quit less than four months after taking up the post overseeing the $20 million scheme and following no impact on petrol prices. FuelWatch was ultimately dumped and the GroceryChoice website abandoned after $7 million of taxpayers money was wasted. Rudd’s Plan – An end to reckless spending “Today I am saying loud and clear that this sort of reckless spending must stop.” The outcome: Since Rudd was elected in 2007, Labor has delivered the five largest budget deficits in Australia’s history. Australia’s debt has soared to record levels and we are all paying. Rudd’s Plan – ETS “If elected, I will…establish Australia’s first national emissions trading scheme.” The outcome: In a decision that ultimately saw his own caucus remove him as Prime Minister, Rudd squibbed his plan to introduce an emissions trading scheme in April 2010. His successor then infamously broke her pre-election promise not to introduce a carbon tax. Rudd’s Plan – NBN “And as one of our first nation-building investments, in partnership with the private sector, we will build a state of the art, fibre optic to the node, National Broadband Network.” The outcome: Rudd’s fibre to the node plan became a drastically more expensive fibre to the premise plan. This white elephant with no business plan is now a whopping $44 billion project that is likely to cost over $90 billion by the time it is finished. The rollout of the NBN has been a rolling disaster and is a long way behind schedule. Rudd’s Plan – Trades Training Centres “…we will build state of the art Trades Training Centres for each of Australia’s 2,650 secondary schools.” The outcome: Six years later and only 10 per cent of the promised Trades Training Centres are operational. Rudd’s Plan – Hospitals “On hospitals, we have put forward a national plan to end the buck-passing between Canberra and the States. I have a long-term plan to fix our nation’s hospitals. I will be responsible for implementing my plan, and I state this with absolute clarity: the buck will stop with me.” The outcome: The blame game continues and public hospitals remain under increasing strain with Labor’s funding cutbacks. Rudd’s Plan – Education “I am intensely proud of Labor’s plan for education. It’s core business for Labor. It’s core business for me. And it’s a core part of our nation’s pathway to the future.” The outcome: Labor’s education revolution included billions of dollars wasted on over-priced school halls and a massive blowout in the computers in schools programme. 1 September 2013