Rudd has lurched from indecision to phoney war

Matthew Castray looks back on the Australian Prime Minister’s first year in office and audits an administration which has reviewed much and done very little

Federal elections come around quickly in Australia. With a maximum term of three years, the average since 1975 has been about two years and nine months. So new Australian governments have an incentive to implement reforms in their first year — or do they? The one-year anniversary of the Rudd Labor government this week gives pause to consider another incentive — one probably familiar in the United Kingdom: to do very little for fear of jeopardising a second term, but maintain the mirage of reform.

In the November 2007 election, the Australian Labor party was elected after almost 12 years of Liberal/National Howard government. In truth, Australians were tired of the previous government, irritated by its surprise liberalisation of the nation’s labour laws, and were willing to elect anyone who appeared competent.