2010 Election Snapshot
Amid the rich tapestry of only the second Prime Minister to be removed by their own party in Australia’s history, Election 2010 commenced after release of the Henry Tax Review. Julia Gillard, the new Leader of the Parliamentary Australian Labor Party, renegotiated Kevin Rudd’s initial proposition for a 40% mining tax, and revised a company tax cut from the intended 28% to a modest 29%. Allegations of black holes in the Coalition’s costings were to flourish, and the reputation of a private accounting firm was brought to bear weight. Volatile polarity of public opinion continued unabated on proposals for a $43bn National Broadband Network, and sustained momentum until Election Day on the 21st August, 2010. We also saw the resurgence of GetUp, a grass roots progressive rights organisation headed by Simon Sheikh, and funded by the ALP and union movement.
Months previously, Kevin Rudd had attempted to implement an Emissions Trading Scheme which had curiously, received the support of the Coalition that was then led by Malcolm Turnbull. Remarkably, it was rejected by Bob Brown and the Greens in the Senate, who presumably wanted more from its contents. Dashing Rudd’s hopes for Australia to lead the world at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, it eventually offered Labor a double dissolution trigger, having twice been rejected in the Senate.
Soon Turnbull lost the leadership of the LNP by one vote in caucus, and while Rudd shelved the ETS policy and declined to call an early election, Julia Gillard took over as Prime Minister and went to Election 2010 with those now immortal words “There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.”
Instead, she suggested a Citizens Assembly in order to receive the direct assent of the people for a Carbon Tax, and challenged the Coalition to oppose passage of the legislation in the face of the public’s scorn.
Asylum Seekers were among the usual suspects in the policy mix as a matter of course, along with Education, Paid Parental Leave, a rather interesting Internet Filter proposal by Senator Conroy, and an ambitious National Health Scheme initiated by Kevin Rudd and depending largely on consideration of GST revenue to attract the cooperation of the States.