John Howard made a big thing about improving ministerial responsibility, accountability and behaviour when he came into office back in 1996. He really was going to be the Honest John who demanded the very highest of standards and he proclaimed a Ministerial Code of Conduct to prove it.
Prime minister
I, Kevin Michael Rudd…
Below is the transcript of the oath of office that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd took this morning.
Pre-empting the weekend job ads
It took a full fortnight for John Howard to announce his ministry. Kevin Rudd’s was out in four days. The incoming government is also moving quickly on the ministerial staff front, too. Advertisements are due to appear in the weekend papers and this memo has already been distributed to Labor staff…
The PM elect shows he has been a bureaucrat
Kevin Rudd shows with the structure of his new government that he has a good understanding of how bureaucrats think and work and has avoided the temptation of pulling departments apart and reassembling them in new ways, writes Richard Farmer.
How much did the Rudds pocket from selling their business?
With the Liberal Party in disarray federally and out of power everywhere, the media needs to become the de facto opposition and push for maximum disclosure, accountability and transparency from the Rudd Government, writes Stephen Mayne.
Don’t forget 39 Labor MPs didn’t want Kevin Rudd
Slicing through Labor’s post-election euphoria is the stark fact that 39 of Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd’s parliamentary colleagues voted against him for the leadership less than 12 months ago, writes Alex Mitchell.
Winners. Losers. And what next?
It’s pretty clear who the biggest winner from the election is. Kevin Rudd. But the biggest loser? It’s not John Howard. It’s Peter Costello. Christian Kerr writes.
Crikey Says: Crikey Says
Which is all very well, except now we get Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister. For three years. Had anyone thought that through?
MacCormack: Is this how you win a 21st century election?
So this is Australian politics, 21st century style. Slick managerialism versus old-fashioned hand-outs. David MacCormack explores the repercussions of the approach of both parties.
Reality check: The hard sell is still to come
The Crikey Reality Check on what people actually read on news web sites has been showing a decline in interest for weeks now and nothing changed this morning. Coverage of the Coalition policy launch barely rated in the lists of the top five most read stories, writes Richard Farmer.
Who do you trust? Central bankers
The Prime Minister has made a major statement on economic management this morning in an effort to restate the Coalition’s credentials in the wake of yesterday’s interest rate rise, writes Christian Kerr.
Prime Ministerial trivia with RD Chalmers
“Kirribilli House was first set aside for use as an official residence of prime ministers in which decade?”
Confessions of a barefoot heckler
Yes I was barefoot, and loud and I did barge into the Prime Minister’s entourage and I should have been a little more polite. The truth, however, is that it was not a set-up, writes Prime Ministerial interrupter and barefoot heckler, Charles Roche.
MacCormack: Does anyone not want to be like John Howard?
Does anyone not want to be like John Howard? With polls suggesting most Australians are heartily sick of the Prime Minister, the two men who want his job seem desperate to demonstrate that they’re exactly like him, writes David MacCormack.
Reality check: Digger’s death v Can-crushing bar maid
News of the death of another Australian soldier in Afghanistan broke too late for stories about it to make the top five lists of most Australian media websites this morning but it was featuring prominently everywhere so it should be on the lists tomorrow, writes Richard Farmer.
Long live the Prime Ministerial Power Walk
The tracksuited tradition of the Prime Ministerial morning walk might be turning into a spinner’s worst nightmare, but we say it’s a quaint and reassuring example of democracy at work. Hats off to John Howard for persisting with his morning tradition in the face of adversity, writes Sophie Black.
Farmer: Does the debate result really matter?
The Liberal campaign team will surely be disappointed with the performance of their man but in the total scheme of campaign things the debate probably will not amount for much, writes Richard Farmer.
Reality Check: A fearless prediction
Okay. I know I’m big picture oriented and that my imagination rules but I can get it. The websites of the tabloids tell me so. With the left brain versus right brain test still at the top of the most read stories chart on three websites for the umpteenth day in a row I finally succumbed and took it. So let it be known that I am one of those right brainers who sees the lady spinning clockwise.
Campaign talking points
The questions du jour: Is crying “dirt campaign” a good way of trying to wrong foot your opponents? Who is the weakest link at the top end of the opposition front bench: Julia Gillard or Peter Garrett?
Election? He might as well reign until December
Will the PM push the button for a poll this weekend? I’ve spoken to a range of senior Liberals from ministers down over the past 24 hours. Their response, put colloquially, has been “Search me, guv”, writes Christian Kerr.
Kerr: For all his failings, the PM deserves applause
What was last night’s effort by the Prime Minister at the Sydney Institute all about? A last minute effort to hang onto votes in Mosman? Or something less cynical? Christian Kerr reports.
The Government 10+ points behind on its own polling
More and more, the consensus is that parliament will return the week after next. And why wouldn’t it? Crikey understands that the Government’s internal polling has it lagging nationally by 10.6%, writes Christian Kerr.
The Apprentice Dog Whistler
As a federal election draws closer, the Coalition is again employing underhand tactics to send an inflammatory message about race to the electorate. This time the Prime Minister’s deputy dog whistler is Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews, writes Josh Fear.
Political bite-sized meaty chunks
Who’s cocky? … Who’s cocky II? … Clappers coming to Canberra …
John Howard — still the Captain
The tacticians of the Liberal Party might be stressing the importance of the Government team but Prime Minister John Howard is leaving no one in any doubt about who is the captain, writes Richard Farmer.
