Australian question. Am I missing something?

Nothing wrong with your perceptions, Ted. As Raymondo said, they will promise us anything to get re-elected, and they have a track record of breaking their promises. Kudos to Arianrhod too: I'm especially angry about Howard's hypocrisy on technical schools as I work at a TAFE college and the lack of funding over many years is obvious.

Now he proposes, not to fund these existing institutions adequately, but to build a WHOLE NEW NETWORK of technical schools! What an outrageous waste of taxpayers' money, and how totally impractical: there are no teachers to teach in these schools! Teachers are leaving the profession in droves because of low status, poor conditions, constant bureaucratic interference, and inadequate pay.

In the TAFE sector highly experienced, highly trained, excellent teachers often remain on casual wages for many years, meaning no security of employment and NO income during Xmas holidays, because it suits management to do this.

The Coalition doesn't seem to respect the Australian public. They appear to see the election process as something that must be endured, but they have a plan to be successful - sprout whatever the focus-group sessions say are key issues (environment), make any promise (core or non-core), find some significant distraction (tampa) and then stir it all up with fear-mongering (terrorists/reds/unions).

Unfortunately this approach has been extremely successful in the past . . . . they have been able to distort facts and convince joe public that they shouldn't be held accountable for anything ....... and so our reality becomes more years of coalition control.

Well Mate we all know the little Sheen wants to beat his Hero Bob Menzies. He is worried about the Election and NOT the People. He will Promise anything to get there and Post Election tell us they were not core Promises. How many times has he done this? 11 Years of Fibs and Buck Passing, How much more can we stand? Let's get rid of the L+++ing

Aschole.Once and for All.

I suppose Howard wants to go down in History as the Man? (Puppy) that beat Menzies. Good Luck John. Best of Luck.

This government would become dictators if they could. They have systematically destroyed Australian values of 'opportunity' and 'mateship'. The way he ripped the guts out of TAFE is a perfect example, allowing only children of wealthy families to study due to the massive increase in course costs, or making students work as well as study then bringing in workchoices to rip them of again!!. This goes against our values of everyone having access to education. They are desperate to get their grubby hands back into power, and have hoped Australians have forgotten what they have done to our education system. Any current student, previous student and workers should vote against a government that has given such little regard for the future of our country. They have become so economically focused they have lost touch with all other aspect of life. Howard better thank the mining boom, it has given him many miles on saying he is a good economic manager, when without it unemployment would be much higher and a lot less money would be put into the economy. He has bluffed his way through. Lets hope this stops on 24th Nov 07.

Its hypocracy at its greatest!

I agree, when first howard came PM he closed down over half the TAFE colleges in Australia, now he wants to open up 111 or 117? new tafe colleges to address the problems they have created!

And was it last year or not even that there was no such thing as climate change and global warming?

definitely not just you ....

While the Labor Party has been telling people for yonks now what they intend to do .. We had to wait until an election was called to hear what cow poop the Libs were planning

THEY had eleven years to DO something ... apart for Our PM becoming a suspository for GWB.

Coalition stand for Conservative management and steady economic growth, labour (Kevin 07) who sends spam to your mobile phone is a TV star backed by TV presenters (How many are candidates) they use slogans and good looks but as yet have not made a sensible comment - as for their ability to manage look at how well the States are being run or is that run into the ground.

It is sad but true, pollies care more about their job than they care about the people that elect them, so one month before you kick them out they will promise you anything.

It is just like this it does not matter or you are a coalation member,labor or a greenie they all do the same.Rudd is not much better.