Notably the acts to repeal workchoices and create their new industrial relations system, which was the second item of the new parliament after the apology.

Some (not all) factions of Australian society believe that policies such as "WorkChoices" and the GST (Goods and Services Tax) were bad policies.

Condersidring that the Abbott Government hasn't cut many Poor People's Pensions and that it seem that his Government has stopped the Rich from Receiving the Pensions and given more to the Poor. I Feel that I don't Believe Shorten and he might lie and do the Things above and he might be A Worse Version of Campbell Newman for Australia.

John Howard was an outstanding Prime Minister under whose leadership the Australian economy grew to the point that it had a significant surplus. He brought the country out of the debt that the previous government had incurred. The surplus was, unfortunately, spent by the ensuing government.John Howard was a strong man who brought in the successful Australian gun control laws, following a massacre by a lone gunman at Port Arthur in Tasmania.

Kevin Rudd was elected into office by the Australian public.

Rudd was elected on a mandate to take action on climate change, bridge the Indigenous divide by firstly apologising and then improving the dire situation in remote Aboriginal communities, his promise to abolish WorkChoices, IR laws, an 'education revolution' and because John Howard was proving quite unpopular at this time.

At the time Kevin Rudd's character, as well as his policies, were not placed under intense media-scrutiny. In fact, many commentators refer to this phenomena, where a politician remains unattacked for a certain amount of time while in office, as the 'honeymoon phase'. You would happliy know what one such policy is obvious in the sense that he is creating future voters for his stay in parliment. Which one? The one laptop per child policy, which, in reality is only supplied to students in year nine. Fustratingly enough, most other students will just have to settle for a pat on the back.

It is now obvious that Kevin Rudd's only policy is to grasp onto power. The mandate on which he was elected has now been flushed down the toilet, along with over $52 billion in stimulus packages. He made an apology, but has taken no phyisical action. He signed Kyoto, but then set a 5-15% reduction target. He abolished WorkChoices (IR Laws) and replaced them with a union heavy system. Any action he takes on education, he now parades as being part of an 'education revolution' but the extent of such actions is minimal; the most wasteful and overbudget being the promise that every student will have a laptop. A promise that the Labor government, with the Labor States, bungled.

Over time Kevin Rudd has revealed himself to be an illusive character of little substance. For all his rhetoric and symbolism, very little has been done.

He sees himself as an intellectual, as seen by his unsubstantiated and ridiculous blaming of the financial crisis on 'neo-liberalism' and 'extreme-capitalism' in an attempt to connect with his voters and galvanise blame amongst the left towards the right. (Though it was the Democrats who voted and carried through the US Senate legislation permitting and encouring NINJA (no income, no job or asset) loans to help those of lower socio-economical status.)

It's apparent then, that again, Kevin Rudd's only policy is power and his time in power characterised by his feeble attempt to maintain it.

Main achievements (1996 to 2007)

 Strong economic growth, low inflation and interest rates, lowest unemployment in 30 years, creation of around two million new jobs, and wage increases.

 Introduced gun control with a federally-funded buy-back scheme in 1996.

 Goods and Services consumption tax (GST) July 2000. GST revenue of around $40 billion per annum granted to the States and Territories.

 Reform of industrial relations system. Replacement of award wages with direct employer-employee enterprise agreements. Introduction of WorkChoices 2006.

 Gradual privatisation of Telstra, with initial billion dollar proceeds going to environmental funding.

 Introduced principle of mutual obligation to social policy.

 Committed Australian troops to international coalitions led by the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the ‘War on Terror’. Took a leading role in United Nations peace enforcement in East Timor which enabled the independent democratic state of East Timor to be proclaimed in 2002.

 Adopted an ‘Asia-plus’ diplomacy, focusing on relations with Australia’s Asian neighbours while maintaining and developing traditional links with Britain and other Commonwealth nations and the United States.

 Record health funding of $47.6 billion in 2006-07.

 Increased family assistance payments from $14 billion in 1996-97 to nearly $27 billion in 2005-06. Increased funding for state schools and higher education and vocational and technical training.

 Program to extend broadband internet and mobile phone connections to regional and rural areas.

John Howard atrophied workers rights and entitlements and sold off publicly owned assets to foreign interests to the detriment of Australians.

*****************

John Howard, like any country's leader, made mistakes. But in reference to the above, there were two sides.

The purpose of the Australian Workplace Agreement and Workchoices policies were to even up the balance between the power held by the workers, who were backed by the unions, and the employers, who did not have as many rights. The power wielded by the workers limited how some businesses were free to run. Under John Howard, unions were more restricted in their powers. Hence, workers were more restricted too. It is unfortunate though, that, in some cases, employers misused their newfound rights.

John Howard did indeed sell off public assets, including Telstra. Big mistake. But at the same time, his economic policies put Australia in a very strong position economically. Unfortunately, the current government appears to have blown away the surplus Howard accrued, and is now sending the country that was so strong under Howard into debt. Rather like Anna Bligh in Queensland, who is also selling off everything she can find to foreign owned interests, plunging the state into debt.

Other things John Howard did:

He helped to promote a stronger Australian identity.

He took a solid stand against illegal refugees.

He reformed gun ownership laws.

No leader is perfect. But John Howard was a leader who left his country in a strong position economically.