Cross-posted from Public Polity:
Kevin Rudd has set out his five key goals for Labor’s first three months in government:
1. Ratify the Kyoto Protocol. “We need to make sure we are around the negotiating table immediately … for the next round of commitments on reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.”
2. Start immediately to negotiate with the states on reform of hospital practices. “That is of crucial importance – we’ve got $2.5billion on the table but we’ll need to frame a co-operative agreement around performance measures.”
3. Begin the roll-out of the high-speed broadband network, along with connections to schools. In tandem, open up tenders for the $1 billion school computer program.
4. “Hit the ground running” with the implementation of the $2.5 billion program to upgrade trades training centres in secondary schools. “I went back to C block [the technical faculty] at [his old school] Nambour High the other day – it hadn’t changed since I was there. It was like walking into a museum.”
5. Begin negotiations with the Americans and Iraqis for the staged withdrawal by mid next year of Australian combat troops. “I have been very blunt with President Bush … I have a no-surprises policy when it comes to these things.”
Larvatus Prodeo already has a discussion underway about alternatives for the list. Darryl Mason anticipates a response from Dolly and perhaps some others on Team Howard, and I am inclined to agree. There is also discussion of the list at Club Troppo and Catallaxy.
I don’t know that there is much wisdom in making a list such as this. As Darryl has pointed out, it leaves him open to criticism of being arrogant and presuming he has won, although I don’t think this is likely to have too much impact on voting intentions. What’s more, I suspect any negative impact it has in that sense will be countered by the list’s effect in bolstering perceptions that Rudd is ready to govern.
But, as the discussions I have already seen demonstrate, there is going to be disagreement about whether the list corresponds with other people’s priorities. For instance, Rudd’s list could be seen as suggesting that he doesn’t rate reforming the industrial relations system as a top priority, nor does he consider immigration or indigenous issues crucial. Improving government accountability and investigating malfeasance in the public sector under Team Howard do not figure in the list, either.
We could build an ever-expanding list of the issues Rudd has neglected. That is the problem with setting out only five areas to focus on. There are more than five things that the next government will need to do, and they are all important. But Rudd’s five initiatives seem reasonable if they are viewed as a starting point for governing, rather than being considered as the five most important issues. They are consistent with the policy platforms he has flagged during the campaign. I also suspect they make good practical sense, given that Labor is likely to be facing a hostile Senate until next July. Major repeals of Howard Government initiatives, such as the industrial relations reforms, are likely to be difficult while a Coalition majority can block things in the Senate. Rudd’s top five seem to be initiatives that can be initiated by the executive without requiring parliamentary approval, or they are health and education initiatives that will be harder to justify blocking.
Rudd’s success in achieving the items on his list will give an initial demonstration of how effectively he can govern. But it will be essential for him to carry on from there. Rudd’s plan can be compared to Nancy Pelosi’s plan for the first 100 hours of law-making after the 2006 US election campaign. The Congressional Democrats achieved most of their plan, but support for Congress has plummeted since, because they have failed to make legitimate gains in changing American policy on Iraq. Rudd can achieve these five goals in his first three months, but he will need to do much more. He will have much more to do in the next 12 months, and his leadership will have to extend toward establishing a new direction for Australia over the next 36 months. By focusing on a narrow list, none of us should lose sight of the big picture.
