(With apologies to Monty Python’s Life of Brian.)
What has Kevin Rudd ever done for us?!
I ask you, what has Rudd done for anyone?
Well, there was the official apology to the stolen generations.
Well, yes, there was that.
And he did defeat the entrenched Howard Government.
Well, of course he defeated Howard. That goes without saying!
And ratified the Kyoto agreement.
Alright, there was that.
Signed all the other international agreements Australia had not agreed to.
And there was saving Australia from the GFC.
Oh, and keeping unemployment below six per cent.
The complete set of triple A credit ratings.
Not to forget, keeping economic growth positive every year through the GFC.
And getting the median wealth of Australians up to the highest level in the world.
And, well, lowering Australia’s interest rates from 6.75% when he won government down to less than half that was pretty good.
Keeping inflation within the narrow target band.
Lowering the total tax take from a high of 24.2% of GDP down to 22.2% .
Launching a boom in labour productivity, which has risen to an all-time high.
Introducing the national school curriculum.
Launching Australia’s first ever paid parental leave scheme.
Increasing pensions to an all-time high relative to wages.
The National Broadband Network.
Withdrawing Australia from the status of deputy sheriff to George W Bush.
Fixing relations with Indonesia.
Fixing relations with Papua New Guinea.
Fixing relations with the Solomon Islands.
Fixing relations with Australia's other neighbours.
Addressing China on human rights — in their own language.
A seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Chair of the Pacific Island Forum.
The vote to chair next year’s G20 group of the world’s 20 major economies.
Ministerial integrity, as measured by dismissals for incompetence or corruption, was the best in Australia’s history.
Democratisation of the Labor Party.
Allowing party members to participate in electing the leader.
Yes, okay, fair enough. But apart from those, what did Kevin Rudd ever achieve for us?
Nothing!! RIGHT!?
Support independent journalism Subscribe to IA.
