Australian PM starts re-election campaign
Source: Agencies |
August 17, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has staked her government's campaign for victory in a tight election race this week on its economic record in steering Australia clear of recession during the global downturn.
Gillard used her speech to her Labor Party's official campaign launch yesterday to describe how her government had prevented hundreds of thousands of Australians from losing their jobs through stimulus spending that carried Australia through the crisis with a single quarter of economic contraction.
"I acknowledge not everything went according to plan, but look at what we achieved together," Gillard said. "We emerged from this global economic crisis stronger than any other major economy in the world."
She also praise the legacy of Kevin Rudd, the prime minister she overthrew in an internal party coup in June. She explained at the time that she had ousted Rudd because the government "had lost its way."
Yesterday she described Rudd as "a man of great achievements with great achievements to lie in the future for our nation."
Gillard excluded Rudd, the main architect of the government's 52 billion Australian dollars (US$46 billion) in stimulus spending, from her Cabinet but has promised him a senior Cabinet position if Labor is re-elected.
Australia's first woman prime minister concluded her speech with a variation of US President Barack Obama's "yes we can" campaign slogan.
"I'm too humble to compare myself to Barack Obama, but I am asking you ... when you vote on Saturday, to say 'yes we will,'" she said.
The opposition argues that Labor is addicted to spending and has sunk Australia too deep in debt with wasteful stimulus programs.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott said Gillard's plan announced last month to put a 30 percent tax on iron and coal miners' profits would deter investment while failing to deliver the AU$10.5 billion in revenue that the government promised.
The vote is expected to be tight, with Labor campaign spokesman Chris Bowen predicting yesterday that it would be Australia's closest election result in almost 50 years.
Gillard used her speech to her Labor Party's official campaign launch yesterday to describe how her government had prevented hundreds of thousands of Australians from losing their jobs through stimulus spending that carried Australia through the crisis with a single quarter of economic contraction.
"I acknowledge not everything went according to plan, but look at what we achieved together," Gillard said. "We emerged from this global economic crisis stronger than any other major economy in the world."
She also praise the legacy of Kevin Rudd, the prime minister she overthrew in an internal party coup in June. She explained at the time that she had ousted Rudd because the government "had lost its way."
Yesterday she described Rudd as "a man of great achievements with great achievements to lie in the future for our nation."
Gillard excluded Rudd, the main architect of the government's 52 billion Australian dollars (US$46 billion) in stimulus spending, from her Cabinet but has promised him a senior Cabinet position if Labor is re-elected.
Australia's first woman prime minister concluded her speech with a variation of US President Barack Obama's "yes we can" campaign slogan.
"I'm too humble to compare myself to Barack Obama, but I am asking you ... when you vote on Saturday, to say 'yes we will,'" she said.
The opposition argues that Labor is addicted to spending and has sunk Australia too deep in debt with wasteful stimulus programs.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott said Gillard's plan announced last month to put a 30 percent tax on iron and coal miners' profits would deter investment while failing to deliver the AU$10.5 billion in revenue that the government promised.
The vote is expected to be tight, with Labor campaign spokesman Chris Bowen predicting yesterday that it would be Australia's closest election result in almost 50 years.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
