Your own 3 Questions for Rudd/Labor

[Squawk]

You get to ask Kevin Rudd or anyone from the Labor camp (elected or not) 3 questions for them to answer. What would you ask?

[Cambridge Clarrie]

These are the three questions I'd like to ask but wouldn't as I know the response would be pure rhetoric...

1. How will you prevent the Unions driving your agenda?

2. Why should we trust you to not spend to the point that interest rates rise to the record levels last seen under a Labor government?

3. Why did the man who led your own party to the last federal election describe you as "a terrible piece of work", "King of the Caveats, who never writes anything", "a junior minister at best"?

[RustyCage]

2. Why should we trust you to not spend to the point that interest rates rise to the record levels last seen under a Labor government?

Didnt the interest rates get higher under the Frasier government when little Johnny Howard was running the finances? About 22%?

[TroyGFC]

2

. Why should we trust you to not spend to the point that interest rates rise to the record levels last seen under a Labor government?

Mind you the cost of buying food and other stuff was a lot cheaper!

[Sojourner]

You get to ask Kevin Rudd or anyone from the Labor camp (elected or not) 3 questions for them to answer. What would you ask?

1. What is your policy on tax cuts as compared to what the Liberal party is offering?

2. Why is Labor party policy so dogmatically opposed to Nuclear Power?

3. What steps will you be taking to make sure the Labor run states drop the taxes and fees that they agreed to in exchange for GST revenue?

[Psyber]

2. Why should we trust you to not spend to the point that interest rates rise to the record levels last seen under a Labor government?

Didnt the interest rates get higher under the Frasier government when little Johnny Howard was running the finances? About 22%?

I don't remember that under Fraser - they were 17.5% under Whitlam, and I think the loan on the house I bought in 1976 in Prospect never rose above 12%, which was also the interest on the lease on my first Porsche, bought in 1979. The next time I recall hitting 17% was 1987, when I also had to settle for an Alfa.

[Squawk]

1. If elected and Labor holds power throughout all states and territories as well as the Commonwealth, will you guarantee that the GST will not be raised beyond 10% bearing in mind a raise in GST requires the agreement of states/territories?

2. As a former diplomat, what would a Labor government’s foreign policy be in relation to the Zimbabwe situation?

3. Would a Labor government support enhanced superannuation arrangements, including either a rise in employer contributions, compulsory contributions by employees or any variations to existing tax rates for superannuation?

[Cambridge Clarrie]

Can I sneak in a 4th question?

4. Crazy Horse or 108's?

[BIG SEXY]

CC thats a dumb question
everyone knows 108s is only good when you cant afford the cover charge of the horse

[Cambridge Clarrie]

Sorry Crushinator.

I forgot Rudd's wife is a multi-millionaire.

Definitely 'The Horse' for Kev!

[Strawb]

my three are
1.) When will our troops be home
2.) Will you keep interest rates down
3.) Will you fix the IR laws

[RustyCage]

2. Why should we trust you to not spend to the point that interest rates rise to the record levels last seen under a Labor government?

Didnt the interest rates get higher under the Frasier government when little Johnny Howard was running the finances? About 22%?

I don't remember that under Fraser - they were 17.5% under Whitlam, and I think the loan on the house I bought in 1976 in Prospect never rose above 12%, which was also the interest on the lease on my first Porsche, bought in 1979. The next time I recall hitting 17% was 1987, when I also had to settle for an Alfa.

The Australian, 5 May 2004
John Howard is once again bringing out the mantra he used to win the last election. That is, that interest rates will always be lower under a Coalition Government.

Perhaps Mr Howard has trouble recalling the time when he was treasurer under Malcolm Fraser. A visit to the Reserve Bank's historical interest rates page on its website reveals that the highest 90-day bank bill interest rate of 21.39 per cent occurred in April 1982 during the Fraser government with Mr Howard as treasurer.
The highest during the Hawke government was 19.56 per cent in December 1985. The highest under Paul Keating was 7.95 per cent in December 1994, which is only marginally higher than the highest under the Howard Government of 7.57 per cent in April 1996.
Dr Allan Thomas, Lochinvar, NSW

The inconvenient truth about interest rates and John Howard
http://www.smh.com.au/news/letters/the-inconvenient-truth-about-interest-rates-and-john-howard/2007/10/04/1191091271442.html
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October 5, 2007

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As in the previous election campaign, John Howard continues to remind voters of his financial management credibility. Mr Howard recently warned Australian taxpayers that with the forecast of financial bad times to come, the Liberals as an experienced team are the most suitable to govern Australia for another term.

During the last election campaign, on August 30, 2004, Mr Howard was interviewed by Steve Liebmann on Channel Nine's Today show and said, "Everybody knows that if the interest rates that prevailed when Paul Keating was prime minister prevailed now the average Australian would be paying hundreds of dollars more a month on their mortgage bill. Now that is not a scare tactic, it is a fact. They went up under Whitlam, they went up under Keating, they went up under Hawke."

Anybody who cares to look at the Reserve Bank's records of government interest rates from the past few decades would find very different results. What John Howard did not want to admit then, and still continues to hide, is that when he was the treasurer in the Fraser government the interest rate was as high as 21.4 per cent - in April 1982. To use Mr Howard's own words "that is not a scare tactic, it is a fact".

The highest interest rates from 1982 were: Fraser government (when Mr Howard was treasurer), 21.4 per cent in April 1982; Hawke government, 19 per cent in December 1985 and Keating government, 7.9 per cent in December 1994.

The Liberal Party website during the 2004 election campaign also showed "interest rates under Labor" under Mr Whitlam as 10.38 per cent, under Mr Hawke at 17 per cent and under Mr Keating at 12 per cent. However, the rates shown were the "housing rates" and one important fact left out was that the housing rate under Mr Fraser, when Mr Howard was the treasurer, was 13 per cent - higher than under both Mr Whitlam and Mr Keating.

I think the main reason for Mr Howard's failing popularity in the polls is that since the last election Australian taxpayers have learnt to read between Mr Howard's popular lines on a number of things: GST, WMD, AWB, AWAs, the global war on terrorism and climate change, to name just a few.

[Psyber]

The highest interest rates from 1982 were: Fraser government (when Mr Howard was treasurer), 21.4 per cent in April 1982; Hawke government, 19 per cent in December 1985 and Keating government, 7.9 per cent in December 1994.

I remember I was paying 14.5% for $100,000 bank bills in 1986-7, to fund a short-term development, because bank bills were then the cheapest finance available, but I don't think they always are - I'm not sure of that.

In 1982 my house mortgage was 12.5% and my car lease 12.6%. I don't remember what others were paying but I do recall mine!

[Squawk]

1. If elected and Labor holds power throughout all states and territories as well as the Commonwealth, will you guarantee that the GST will not be raised beyond 10% bearing in mind a raise in GST requires the agreement of states/territories?

I have an answer from the ALP, received today. It's fair to publish it here, even if the rhetoric is slightly over the top.
The question was sent by email on 17 August 2007.

Dear Mr (Squawk)

Sorry for the delay in responding.

A Federal Labor Government will not increase the GST, as we have made clear publicly on many occasions.

Claims to the contrary are a blatant fabrication by the Treasurer.

The only person who has sought to extend the GST in this country is Peter Costello, who wanted the GST applied to all food products when he introduced the GST.

The GST is entrenched in our tax system and will remain in place. But Labor opposed the GST when it was introduced by the government, and Labor will not increase it.

Regards

ALP Campaign Information Services

[smac]

The highest interest rates from 1982 were: Fraser government (when Mr Howard was treasurer), 21.4 per cent in April 1982; Hawke government, 19 per cent in December 1985 and Keating government, 7.9 per cent in December 1994.

This was the 90 day bank bill rate. This is not set by the Reserve bank and not paid by consumers. 13.5% is the maximum rate you were looking for under the Howard treasury.

[overloaded]

1. what does ear wax taste like?
2. is julia guillard really a woman?
3. WTF have you done to peter garrett? He used to be cool