The two major parties are in a policy gridlock. And they have each allowed the other to put them in that position. The gridlock arises out of silly scare tactics each party plays with the slightest policy utterance from any member of the other party. Any utterance is pounced upon, spun into a fearsome exaggeration and pushed before voters in the hope of electoral advantage.
To date both parties have backed each other into corners on aged pensions, tax, Medicare and industrial relations, to name a few. It seems as if neither party is able to offer anything in the way of policies that will rein in public spending that would be for the general public good, for fear of upsetting a pressure group that might result in loss of votes.
On the performance of the past few weeks we are destined to an election campaign of scare and counter spare and unfunded promise and additional unfunded promise.
The policies of both parties are now not to do anything that might cause and short-term pain for anyone however necessary that might be if the nation is to prosper to the full extent of its economic potential.
To a large extent the former Liberal Leader John Hewson is to blame. By proposing such a detailed program of shrinking the public sector and being defeated he has scared others from detailing any reduction in public spending at all.