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Who is Australia's greatest Prime Minister over the past thirty years? (3 Viewers)

Who is Australia's greatest Prime Minister over the past thirty years?

  • Rudd

    Votes: 12 17.4%
  • Bob hawke

    Votes: 8 11.6%
  • Paul Keating

    Votes: 14 20.3%
  • John Howard

    Votes: 30 43.5%
  • Julia Gillard

    Votes: 5 7.2%

  • Total voters
    69

Sathius005

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Who is Australia's greatest Prime Minister over the past thirty years and why?
A)Kevin Rudd
B)Bob Hawke
C)Paul Keating
D) John Howard
 

Sathius005

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In my opinion Kevin Rudd is Australia's greatest Prime Minister over the past thirty years because of:
-strong economic management- kept Australia out of a Great Depression/ Great Recession during the time period concept of the Global Financial Crisis. Australia was facing the most challenging economic circumstances since the Great Depression. We got through the GFC with the lowest unemployment, strong public finances, strong economic growth and high workforce participation when compared to the rest of the Western World.
-pension reform- gave the biggest increase to the pension over the past thirty years after 11 years of neglect by the Howard government. Rudd reformed the pension system and increased the qualifying age of the age pension from 55 years to 67 years to ensure the sustainability of the pension system. We are living longer that means we should be working for a longer period of time.
- improved Health and Education services in Australia- working in partnership with the state governments reformed the education and health system; making it more productive, efficient and catered to circumstance contingent demands of the clients (needs based system). The Better Schools reform was a great success so much so Tony Abbott did a 'me too' on such policies.
- border protection reform- aimed to stop the boats by introducing tough border protection policies such as the Papua New Guinea Resettlement Solution for asylum seekers.
-strong national security- stepped up the fight against international terrorism and won the un winable wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by standing shoulder to shoulder with America and strengthening the US-Australia Alliance.
 
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soloooooo

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You forgot Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard from your list.

I'd go with Howard personally. I don't remember those before him though.
 

OzKo

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Toss up between Howard and Keating.

Howard put through the gun laws and the GST but Keating put through superannuation which has really helped every subsequent government with their budget.

Going to go with Howard but that's simply because I'm biased. I still have loads of respect for Keating RE: super.
 

funkshen

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Toss up between Howard and Keating.

Howard put through the gun laws and the GST but Keating put through superannuation which has really helped every subsequent government with their budget.

Going to go with Howard but that's simply because I'm biased. I still have loads of respect for Keating RE: super.
It still bewilders me that people think Howard was a better prime minister than either Hawke or Keating. Howard led australia into two wars (yes there was bipartisan support, but that's not the point), presided over a near unprecedented period of fiscal profligacy and a hollowing out of the tax base, largely through mostly middle class welfare programs (first home buyers grant, baby bonus, family tax benefit, 15% long term capital gains tax that ramped up negative gearing), fucked the privatisation of telstra, and botched the Northern Territory intervention. The economic merits of WorkChoices are dubious, and considering it was repealed before it really took effect we'll never really know. Let's not forget the Children Overboard affair, either.

When you compare Howard's reign to the heroic reforms of Hawke and Keating, especially in considering how many of these policies were at odds with the ideological underpinnings of the Labor party, it's quite clear that Howard was an absolute minnow. Howard's gun laws were as brave as they were politically opportunistic and astute.
 
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nerdasdasd

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Both prime ministers did a great job (Keating & Howard) with the country.
 

soloooooo

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Gillard was an idiot who should have been removed by the public.
 

JohnMaximus

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Gillard did get elected in.
By a handful of independents who may or may not have been influenced by a few tugs under the table. (Notsrs but kinda srs tho)

I'm voting Howard because he was in longest.

And he has the same initials as me.

And he was voted in the year of my birth.

I may have possibly been named after John Howard...
 

flashyGoldFish

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Gillard did get elected in.
When? When she knifed Kevin Rudd? Or sold out to the independants after hung parliament.

Dont get me wrong though, Id have Gillard as PM over Rudd, Shorten or Albanese every day of the week
 

someth1ng

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When? When she knifed Kevin Rudd? Or sold out to the independants after hung parliament.

Dont get me wrong though, Id have Gillard as PM over Rudd, Shorten or Albanese every day of the week
2010 election - she technically got preferences after independent preferences but she did have the majority of votes by two party preferred (50.12%).
 

townie

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To be qualified they have to be elected by the people not faceless labor hacks.
News flash: the PM isn't directly elected by the people. The prime minister is the leader of the party or group that can command the confidence of the House of Representatives
 

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