One Year On: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Most of us would rather not know how two things in life are made: sausages and government policy. (Increasingly, there is a third thing – how Qantas undertakes maintenance on its planes, but that is beyond the scope of this article.) As a vegetarian, I am not really interested in sausages, but you cannot escape government policy. It is with this thought in mind that I am trying to figure out what the Rudd  Government … more

Bringing Health Care back to Local Communities

The health status of many Australians is among the best in the world, however there is ample evidence of gross inequity and inefficiency in our health system, as well as very limited citizen and consumer input into how our health system works. Substantial inequities in health status exist across different population groups ⎯ most powerfully illustrated by the 17 year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians ⎯ but are also quite apparent … more

Making Health Policy with Kevin Rudd

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a new government in possession of a reform agenda must be in want of a Taskforce (or a Commission…or a review…or a policy committee). The Rudd Government is no exception to this rule having established, in its first year of office, taskforces, policy reviews, commissions and consultation processes in almost every area of the health system. These include the following:  A National Primary Care Policy Reference Group The … more

 

Motivating Residential Energy Conservation

During a long winter of conservative government, policy pressure inevitably builds up within the forces of progressive politics.  Denied for so long, there is a understandable desire to see things change quickly and mightily, setting the stage for disappointment.  The Labor Party was out of power for over a decade before the Rudd Government took office, and it could have taken the nation’s new minders a year simply to "find the keys" ⎯ thus the … more

A Rather Too Conservative First Year

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has apologised to the Stolen Generation, signed Kyoto and fixed some of the worst conditions for asylum seekers. These actions seemed to suggest a serious change in political directions, but other signs show he is leading a government designed to avoid scaring off the Howard voters. This is worrying, as the social agenda of the government could be defined as a more modern form of social conservativism, with some residual neo-liberal … more

The Best and Worst in Health

The Rudd Government’s first year has brought a mixed record in health policy – a grab-bag of small, uncoordinated initiatives have been announced, but major election commitments to reform remain unfulfilled, awaiting reports from a raft of advisory groups. The Best The best health policy initiative from the Rudd Government this year was its commitment to spend $90.3 million over the next five years on Indigenous child and maternal health services.  This will contribute to … more

 

Accountability, authoritarianism and a new separation of powers?

Ideology is over. We are all economic conservatives now. I haven’t entirely conceded it but I will freely admit that no government will be elected at any point soon by promising to scare the economic horses. While I personally err towards greater public investment in our economic, social, cultural, environmental and community infrastructure than has been the norm, I am willing to accept that no country is an island economically. However, it does raise a … more