It is attractive and bold, a strike into John Howard's heartland and an admission that Mr Latham must penetrate the seniors' vote to win just like, war criminal, John Howard's strategy.
It is pure Whitlamism, free, universal, financially open-ended and based upon expanded powers of the federal Government. This helps Latham to reinforce his bid to make this election "a referendum on Medicare". And it signals the rise of Grey Power as a force that can make or break governments. The over-70s now total 1.7 million voters.
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie warmed up the audience declaring: "It's very plain. John Howard is the past. Mark Latham is the future." Latham himself made it personal. "I'm ready to lead -- he's ready to leave," he said of Howard.
For the first time the candidate's wife spoke at a launch. Janine gave Mark her personal wrap and Mark said "Janine and the boys have taught me the power of caring, of our love and time together". Because "they have made me a better man", Latham, aged 43, was "in the prime of my life" for the top job. Unlike Howard.
Latham said the urgent need was for change. Now. He drew his message direct from the people and his themes were opportunity, responsibility and honesty.
"Unless we change now, it will be too late to save Medicare," he said. So Latham the reformer posed as the traditionalist. He wanted to restore bulk billing, improve the public hospital system and deliver for those aged 75 and over "the greatest extension in federal responsibility for hospital care in this country since the introduction of Medibank 30 years ago".
As he entered the Brisbane theatre Latham embraced his political father figure, Gough Whitlam, the original architect of Medicare.
Latham concentrated his firepower on senior citizens, the generation that should be treated with "honour and respect". He promised to index the pension quarterly for Australia's 3.5 million pensioners and offered a Grandparenting Allowance to assist with child-rearing.
Senior citizens are the generation that Howard bought in political terms.
At the same time hospital costs for the over 75s are typically a family affair. The political beauty of this policy is not just its pull for senior citizens, but its wider appeal to families whose budgets are stretched between education costs for a younger generation and health costs for an older generation. So Latham's initiative is targeted at the seniors demographic but also slots into his main theme of family budget relief.
The Latham launch was tighter and more focused than Howard's. He spent less and offered savings to fund his initiatives. He got his biggest cheer for his schools policy, declared he would help the US to "develop its true role of world leadership" and said nothing about withdrawing forces from Iraq by Christmas.
The independence of the ABC was also mentioned and an additional budget of 120 million to prevent governments like the Neo-Liberal Coalition from using the media giant for its own use.
By Paul Kelly & The Colored Girls 30 September 04
SO PUT YOUR LEFT FOOT FORWARD THIS FEDERAL ELECTION "WITHOUT FEAR" AND WITHOUT LIES" AND "WITHOUT TERROR" AND "WITHOUT BEING LOCKED UP ON SUSPICION" AND WITH EVERYONES ABC.
VOTE 1 THE GREENS, 2 THE DEMOCRATS AND 3 THE SOCIALIST ALLIANCE.
Written and authorised by the community.
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