Who pinched Paul Keating's Acme Fightback!? (1995)

Someone has stolen "Acme Fightback!" from the Prime Minister's drawer.
Paul's answer to Shadow Treasurer Peter Costello's question also goes to the veracity of election commitments and funding for labour market programs.
Skip to:
0:00 Peter Costello's question
0:39 Paul Keating on the veracity of tax cuts
3:57 Ronald Biggs revisited
4:47 “Someone's lifted Acme from the drawer”
5:33 “The Lords Haw-Haw”
6:07 The National Gallery's loss
6:25 Acme Fightback and labour market programs

[@redundantideas]

Meanwhile, a year later, Costello took about $8b out instead. What outrage! Absolutely disgraceful.

[@JemClarke]

Hypocrisy doesn't faze their side of politics, does it?

[@user-cg7uv3mh9f]

@@JemClarke no, because the ends justify the means.

[@tonyparangi7397]

@@user-cg7uv3mh9f And the mean (Libs) justifies the end.

[@sanchezVeringz]

@@JemClarke Costello, was small-time, a red supporter originally, like fats Hockey, Nelson, Turnbull & our idiotic friend Costello.

[@leisureenjoyer1986]

keating is a comic and intellectual giant

[@andrewwilliams8986]

Costello, “work till you drop.” Zero credibility if considering the health and happiness of the Australian people.

[@davidjefferson9327]

Bring on paul keating 2 he was the best

[@fatShowPony]

9% unemployment, gold standard economic stewardship

[@JemClarke]

@@fatShowPony Howard's recession inflicted double-digit unemployment, double-digit inflation and 20-odd percent interest rates, and his didn't leave decades of prosperity in its wake. The Liberals and Nationals didn't have the wit or the balls to restructure the place. That job fell to Labor and treasurer Keating.

[@bravelyHomoSapien]

PJK is an absolute genius

[@calinmarian98]

One question : If Howard retired after the 2004 election,would Costello lose that badly like they lost to Rudd in 2007?

[@JemClarke]

Interesting question...

[@vinnyd91]

Howard's longevity was only one of the factors that brought the Liberal government down in 2007. There were multiple other factors that Labor used to promote their policy platform, including the abolition of Work Choices, signing the Kyoto Protocol, and the apology to the Stolen Generations. Whether or not you agree with these policies, Labor successfully used them to highlight their progressive action and the Coalition's reluctance.
Peter Costello might have been able to stem the losses the Coalition experienced in 2007, but I don't know if he would have been able to spin his way out of a Coalition loss. But who knows?

[@SSMMTTEE]

I still think the "It's Time" factor would have done for the Coalition at the 2007 election. It's also worth remembering just how presidential Labor's campaign was in 2007, with Rudd presented by them not just as a capable and likeable leader, but as quite a conservative Labor figure (the whole "I'm from Queensland and I'm here to help" and him saying in his election launch speech "I am an economic conservative" and so on).
Having said that, one of the biggest factors in the Coalition's defeat was undoubtedly the confusion over leadership. Having reneged on his pledge to handover to Costello, and then the embarrassment of the APEC situation in 2007 when this was all brought up again, Howard basically went into November 2007 saying "elect me as Prime Minister and I'll hand over to Costello in a few months anyway". This was a terrible strategy and played right into Labor's hands, who were able to project themselves as the party of leadership stability (how ironic given how it all turned out!).
Then again, many people thought Labor were doomed ahead of 1993 regardless of who was leader, but after Labor switched from Hawke to Keating, they went on and won a fifth election victory. Could the same have happened for Costello? I think another real "what if" question is would Labor have been moved to change leader in 2006 if Costello had taken over? Would Beazley have been seen as a safer pair of hands to take him on? Who knows...

[@calinmarian98]

@@SSMMTTEE I asked because Costello was always the loyal number two,never challenging Howard. And after they lost,he just vanished.

[@SSMMTTEE]

@@calinmarian98 Indeed, although Costello certainly tried to roll Howard, he just could never get the support to make it happen, and wasn’t stupid enough to blow up the Government in trying. Howard told him privately in 1995 that he’d make way for him after a few years, but of course as we know he had absolutely no intention of doing that! Howard’s autobiography was pretty brutal on poor old Peter.
The bigger surprise is as you say that he just disappeared after 2007. I think it was two things - one, he’d been in the game so long by then that he decided it wasn’t worth it anymore, and he could earn a tonne of money, and two - he thought Labor would be in for at least three terms, minimum. If you’d told him it would just be six years I think he’d have stayed, but at that time Rudd looked invincible and Labor were set to dominate for a decade. Funny how things work out isn’t it!!

[@danielhedger5904]

I really hope that the ALP win the 2022 election

[@Toothily]

I’m from the future and yes they do ;p

[@Lobo-ih3bh]

Al tip, no iceberg Costello. Never had the ticker for leadership.

[@dratz50]

The low altitude flyer?

[@Lobo-ih3bh]

@@dratz50 yep, that's our boy ' the talking knee'

[@user-gc9nj3do2z]

10years into that prick, and a hell of a lot a cutdown and therapy for me??

[@slipnslide9308]

Why didn’t he tell the Australian people he was gay.

[@tonyparangi7397]

Coz he didn't want to give you up.

[@butterbread858]

Is there any base to this statement?

[@dratz50]

@@butterbread858 Of course not. It's called projction, isn't it @slipnslide9308

[@nudibanches]

@@butterbread858it’s completely base (less). Typical attempt by a brain dead numpty to discredit someone. Can’t attack their intellect or record? Try their sexuality and hope for the best.

[@chriswilkins2643]

@@butterbread858 He knew he was going to be a PM ,so a wife and kids he took on, After the roll as PM he was free to be what he wants to be,,,and he pulled it off very well I would say . Who would of voted for him if they knew he was a horse hoof in those times