The Demise of the Great Barrier Reef and Howard's Inaction

Reports of the Great Barrier Reef's potential demise within decades must send a shiver down the collective spine of the Australian people.

After 6 years work, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is currently finalising it's "Climate Change 2007" report, to be released in Paris on 2 February. In that report, it outlines a nightmare scenario for the Reef, depriving the world of one of its great wonders, and fundamentally affecting the $5.8b it contributes to the Australian economy.

And what is the Howard Government doing?

Malcolm Turnbull: "We are already well under way in developing an action plan with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to help manage the impacts of climate change on the reef."

Really? After nearly 11 years in office, and with a toothless Greenhouse Office established a decade ago, the Government is only now developing an action plan?

Marvellous. Once again, Howard has overseen another reactionary policy piece, potentially too late, with no leadership or understanding of a serious issue which threatens Australia's future.

The challenge to Mr Howard is this: Can he ensure Australia takes a leadership position on climate change? Can he accept responsibility for some of the most beautiful and magnificent natural heritage areas in the world and the impact on the world if these are destroyed?

The answer is no on both counts. Only a Rudd Labor Government will provide leadership in the world community on climate change and take action to ensure the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef is protected for not only our grandchildren, but their grandchildren and those that follow.

People of Australia, the time is now.

Hicks chained to the floor

I cannot believe that after five years, David Hicks is reportedly living 22 hours a day in his cell, chained to the floor.

If true, it is the most savage indictment of Mr Howard's time in office. How can Howard justify such a reprehensible action against a human being? It beggars belief that Howard can defend his position when Hicks' confinement goes against all human rights charters or fundamental justice laid out by the United Nations or any truly democratic country.

Get him out of there.

Now.

If not, history will judge your entire period as Prime Minister by this abhorrent inaction.

The Experience Debate

People, let's address the debate about my experience head on.

Brian Loughnane has come out attacking my experience, and this is clearly a leading edge for the conservatives' attack ads as we approach the election.

But let's get this straight, I have very strong public policy and administration experience. For example:

* 22 years public administration experience

* Experience in policy development at Assistant Secretary level in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and experience in missions in Stockholm and Beijing

* Chief of Staff for the Queensland Premier

* Director-General of the Cabinet Office in Queensland

* China Consultant with KPMG

* 9 years in Parliament

Inexperienced? I think not. Again the conservatives are running scared, looking for any perceived negative they can latch on to and hope they can convince the electorate of.

This is not Mark Latham. Scare campaigns on interest rates or lack of experience will not work this time.

After nearly 11 years, the Australian people understand how the Howard government works: They react to policy concerns (global warming, water management etc), they drive campaigns of fear (Tampa, interest rates etc) and offer so-called security and comfort while those who are the worst off in our community go backwards, while education of our children suffers, while the needs of our aging population are given scant attention, while our national infrastructure ages and does not meet the needs of the community or business.

Should I go on???

Maximising the team's impact

As I said when Walt Secord came on board, we need to build a strong team that will help deliver the message in a succinct, emphatic way.

I'm pleased the addition of Maxine McKew to the team has aroused both excitement and grumbling charges of bias (aka scared of her impact) from the conservatives.

It's also refreshing to see the media showing support and helping us build momentum. We are finalising our baseline team and platform on which we can build in the future. Our traction is such that when the bounces inevitably come, they won't derail the team, the party or the campaign. This will just reinforce the Australian people's view of us as an entirely credible alternative government, capable of strength, vision and direction.

I warmly welcome Maxine and look forward to her intelligent input into our policy and communications strategies.

The Australia Day Ad

Look, I'm very proud of the new ad. I think it helps us establish a clear point of difference with the conservatives and drives home the education message.

The polls are still strong, my approval ratings are high and I'm close on Mr Howard's heels as preferred PM.

Enjoy Australia Day and please don't use the flag as a political, cultural or race weapon.

Vanstone goes down; the, ah, cream rises to the top

At least Amanda made me laugh sometimes. She'll end up being some quasi-celeb on shows like Enough Rope. And her control of policy? Well, I wonder how much it was her stuff ups or Howard, Ruddock and Costello playing Punch and Judy...

And the new bunch? People, it's making me salivate with anticipation. Is this the team that is going to take Australia toward the second decade of the new millenium? I think not Mr Speaker.

Turnbull? A danger on water but too ambitiious for his own good. Can I suggest he's a barefoot skier? Very clever but it only takes one piece of flotsom and he's on his arse.

Hockey? Slo Jo

Robb? Dangerous as a machine man, but dull as a minister

Brandis? Rats anyone?

Scullion? Mmm, despation tactics to push the CLP vote up in the Northern Territory


So bring it on. Our team has the end to end strength to take on this lot and beat them at their own game.

Gary Gray for Kim's seat of Brand

I'm pleased to be supporting Gary Gray in his nomination for pre-selection for Brand. What an addition to the team he will be. As with Bob McMullan, he is a former National Secretary of the ALP, so he understands how the party operates. Add to that his private sector and education experience and he will pack a mean punch in caucus and parliament.

Barack Obama's candidacy

I'm a keen observer of US Presidential Elections and the '08 battle is shaping up as a beauty. Given I will need to work closely with the next American President, I'm fascinated by the positioning for the Democratic nomination.

Barack Obama has effectively joined the fray and I must say I've been impressed with his approach so far. He comes across as a "real-person" politician who is strong on social justice and has been a vocal dissident against the US's involvement in Iraq.

One of Australia's brightest Economics stars, Dr Andrew Leigh, has recently published a review of Obama's latest book "The Audacity of Hope". As Dr Leigh points out, there are a number of difficulties Obama will face:

"If Obama hopes to be a serious contender for the Presidency, he will face a few challenges. One is his name. If it wasn’t enough that his surname is only a consonant away from the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, there is the fact that Obama’s middle name is Hussein. Will middle-America really vote for a man called Barack Hussein Obama to be the commander-in-chief of their armed forces?

Another challenge will be Obama’s candour about his past life. In Dreams from My Father, he wrote that in his youth, “Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it” (“blow” is street slang for cocaine). How will US voters react to a man whose father was a Kenyan big man, and whose step-father is an Indonesian Muslim? What will they make of the suggestion that his grandparents left Texas in part because of their discomfort with small-town racism?

The rational part of me thinks that these kinks will probably derail the Obama train. When the barrage of attack ads begins (as it surely will), Obama is going to need more than appeals to decency and unity. But after you turn the last page of his book, it’s hard not to hope that Obama’s audacity will somehow inspire the best of America. "

I don't necessarily agree with all of Obama's positions on pro-choice, but he will make the primaries fascinating when up against the JFK-smile of John Edwards and the power and money of Hilary Clinton's campaign.

Whether any of them can overcome a John McCain Republican nomination is yet to be seen, although for the sake of progressive politics I hope so.

Finally, the eerie similarities between this election and The West Wing continue with Obama as Matt Santos and McCain as the moderate Republican Arnold Vinick.

The Spinning Top

Any leader worth a pinch of salt puts together a strong team that can help deliver the agenda. That's why I've engaged Walt Secord as Communications Director.


Walt has a fine record in providing clear messages to the electorate and developing strong relationships with the media and I look forward to working with him closely.

And if Walt can provide the same fearless advice as Toby Ziegler on The West Wing (without the national security leaks) then we'll be in good shape.

Couture and criticism

Look, if I'm going to have a press conference, I'm going to dress up for it. It annoys me that I get criticised for being well dressed. Yes I'm holidays, but what do you expect? If I lobbed up in some boardies and a Billabong t-shirt, people would say I wasn't taking my role seriously. I am, after all, the alternative Prime Minister.

It's a disaster...

...centre.

And that is what we need in Northern Australia. What better way to demonstrate our commitment to the people of northern Australia and our close neighbours - the ability to respond quickly to a natural disaster. We know it's not a case of if a crisis occurs but a matter of when.

Let's be prepared for Australia's needs and at the same time, provide a service to countries like Indonesia that will be highly appreciated.

Rudd's radicals

What a laugh. I see the Conservatives are launching an attack on my team, accusing them of being "radicals".

This smacks of another desperation tactic from the Libs, and one that I look forward to combating in the weeks and months ahead.

The simple fact is that we have a highly talented team, with experience across a wide range of disciplines, a team that is intelligent, thoughtful and considered. It's certainly not a team of Marxists looking to overthrow the state or "replicate the economies of France and Germany under a "social democratic" model and be governed by the ideas of leftists such as Noam Chomsky."

This is Australia Christopher. Australian ideas for Australian people. Simple as that.

Shhhhhhh, it's a secret

President Bush has finally announced his plan to fix Iraq, a floored treatise on the folly of ultimate power. Rightly, he discussed the plan with Mr Howard prior to its public release. And what does Howard do? Nothing. A big fat zero.

Where is our strategic plan for engagement in Iraq? What does Howard intend to do? Does he intend to actually do anything? As I said yesterday at a doorstop interview:

"So, it’s okay for Mr Howard to have a private conversation with President Bush about future strategy for Iraq but he won’t tell the Australian people what our future strategy for Iraq will be in our own right. This is simply unacceptable. It’s nearly four years since this war began. A war initiated by the United States and supported by Mr Howard. And yet, still as of today, we have no clear-cut statement of the mission statement. No clear-cut statement as to what the future strategy will be.

My challenge to Mr Howard is this: if you’re having a conversation with President Bush about future Coalition strategy for Iraq, please also now have a conversation with the Australian people about future strategy for Iraq.

The challenge more basically is this: what is Mr Howard’s strategy for winning the war in Iraq? Our troops have been there for a long, long time. He says that they’ll be there for an indefinite period. What is the strategy therefore under which those troops are deployed?"

Tell the Australian people now Mr Howard. Or perhaps, you can't tell them because there is no plan. There is no strategy. Perhaps there is only politics, the politics of the vague and clever.

Garrett for PM!

Rob Hirst was on JJJ this morning talking about his Bulletin article on his mate Pete's future as PM.

In his world of 2011, Hirst sees me still at the helm after beating Howard narrowly at the 2007 election. He describes me as "the decent, Christian linguist" which I'll cop - it's accurate if a bit dull.

Pete would make a great PM sometime in the 2010's but I'd like to make a small point - he's actually older than I am (he turns 54 in April), meaning he would be in the Howard age group when he came to power. I find that interesting given the public's perception of him as a young-person's politician. But hey, if Mick Jagger can still strut the stage, literally, at 63, then surely Pete can ascend to the emperor's chair sometime in his 60's.

Conservatives fighting amongst themselves

I love it when the Conservatives fight amongst themselves. Vaile has come out dismissing Hewson's attack, but if they're fighting off attacks from their own side, they're not focusing on our agenda. This government is old and tired, devoid of fresh policy. They've had nearly 11 years. Enough is enough.

What does a leader do on his honeymoon?

The poor Libs. They're getting all sooky at my honeymoon ratings. I realise it will ease up eventually but the Libs are starting to run scared because we're driving the policy agenda. Look at our approach to independent contractors (those aspirational "ute" voters who want to vote for us but haven't had the incentive to do so in the past), look at the childcare debate etc etc.

What does a leader do on his honeymoon? Focus, focus, focus and ensure that the initial message and image the public receives resonates well past any so-called honeymoon period.

Oh Dam!

This fracas about the Traveston Dam is going to cause more and more angst in Queensland.
I know the south east needs water, but even Barnaby's gone green on this one. We're going to support an inquiry but I don't think I should be seen to be cutting across Pete. Best keep out of it I reckon.

Two-Tier Government

People are asking me if I'll go all the way and establish a 2 tier government structure in Australia?

Crikey! The people in Queensland would surely lynch me. It's all very well for Rockhampton to have a strong regional government but who would you barrack for in the State of Origin? Surely not Capricornia!

Post-New Year Polls

Well, let's get straight into it. The polls are looking terrific and people are saying very kind things about me:

“I like Rudd’s style and I agree with his opposition to the IR laws. I believe he will introduce social equality and I agree with his stance on Iraq. He will put balance back in the system in light of the IR laws, Iraq, ‘non-core’ promises and social disintegration.”

“Hopefully Rudd can get us out of the mess in Iraq and hopefully he can bring a bit of morality back into Australian politics as there has been a moral decline. The Government has impinged on Australians human rights and I don’t like the way they have treated the Muslim community.”

“Howard has been there for a while and Rudd will bring a new perspective to the job.”

“I think Howard is a dishonest person, as well as being unfair towards workers. Basically, the rich are getting richer — he’s only increasing the gap between the haves and have-nots.”

“I think Rudd is young, energetic, measured, talented and doesn’t shoot his mouth off without thinking first.”

“Rudd will bring a change and something new.”

“He is down to earth and appears to know what he is talking about.”

“He is more of a people’s person with values and appears to be honest in what he says.”

And that's the crux of it - people are recognising me for what I hope I come across as - a straight shooter, someone who will bring a measured, dignified approach to leadership and be inclusive when it comes to policy.

Now for the hard part - convincing enough of the voters in enough of the marginals they will have a better future with a Rudd-led Labor government.