Running Scared - John Quiggin steps in ...

In his blog article 'Running Scared' John Quiggin has some valuable comments to make on the way this abuse of public trust is ripping us off:

http://johnquiggin.com/index.php/archives/2007/10/05/running-scared/#comment-198215

Steve Lewis in the Herald Sun:

Steve Lewis: Howard is splashing your cash

Article from:

• http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22533377-5000117,00.html

"OF all the spoils of office luxuriated in by the Howard Government, none grates as much as its outrageous abuse of taxpayer-funded advertising.

Since 1996, when John Howard was elected on a promise to end the excesses of the Keating era, the Coalition has racked up nearly $2 billion in public-funded promotions.

It is an indefensible extravagance and one that will stand as a black stain against the Coalition".

... and demands are growing for an end to the absurdity of this arcane practice of giving Prime Ministers the right to choose the election date to suit himself/herself:

Woolies wants election-free December

• http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/woolies-wants-electionfree-december/2007/10/04/1191091276256.html

Jessica Irvine Economics Correspondent
October 5, 2007

"The leader of the Democrats, Lyn Allison, released a video on YouTube yesterday slamming the current system where the prime minister decided a date "arbitrarily, capriciously and on a partisan basis".

"Fixed parliamentary terms would give more certainty to people in business and to the public sector," she said.

An economics professor at the University of Queensland, John Quiggin, said fixed terms could reduce the risk of "bad policy" during election years".