From The Campaign Trail

Yesterday I asked where the Prime Minister has been for the past decade. Well once again he has stunned me. This time it is with his declaration that the abuse of children in indigenous communities is a national emergency. It has been an emergency every day he has been Prime Minister! It did not just happen! Anyone with the slightest interest in at-risk children knows that the abuse of children is just one of many horrendous situations that face indigenous communities across Australia. Those situations have persisted throughout the long decade of neglect of indigenous people by John Howard and his Government. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has repeatedly pointed to a national scandal in indigenous health. Its research shows that indigenous life expectancy is 17-years lower than other Australians; infant mortality is three times higher; and death rates for Indigenous Australians are twice as high across all age groups for all age groups. This is scandalous! Why was this not a national emergency before now? Those who have watched Howard in action for the past decade say this latest effort has all the smell of wedge politics. In the meantime if you want to read the report that sparked this go to: http://www.nt.gov.au/dcm/inquirysaac/pdf/bipacsa_final_report.pdf

I am as puzzled as most Australians. In the past few months John Howard's Government has discovered climate change and education. They have suddenly admitted their work choices laws are unfair, and made changes. And this week they entered the information age, announcing (second-class) broadband. Over the next few weeks I will unpack the policy differences in these vital areas. I have two beginning thoughts. First, where has John Howard been for the past decade? Second, knowing that the Howard Government is poll-driven and has no real commitment to any of these issues, will they really do anything if re-elected?

John Howard's Government has been remarkably slow to understand the importance of high speed broadband as critical infrastructure. A decade of neglect and ignorance has left this country significantly disadvantaged. The World Economic Forum ranks Australia 25th in the world, for available internet bandwidth, and Australia's 'Networked Readiness' at 15th and slipping. The same Forum ranks the Australian Government's success in promoting Information Communications Technology at just 53rd in the world. Former PBL Chairman James Packer has described Australia's broadband position as "embarrassing"; Rupert Murdoch has blasted it as a "disgrace". Fairfax Media CEO David Kirk has gone further, labelling Australian broadband as "fraudband". Only now it's an election year is this government scrambling to cobble together something that should have been in place years ago.