fasgnadh wrote:

Massive interest rate rises they left us with??? Lets take a look at
Labor's track record on interest rates shall we? Bearing in mind that
the interest rate Howard left to Labor was lower than the pre-Howard
Labor govt under both Hawke and Keating was EVER able to achieve in
their entire period of government and whose peak interest rate DOUBLED
that rate?

Menzies through to McMahon (Liberal) Dec '49 (no interest rates
available for back that far where I'm looking, so lets go from....) 5%%
in Jan '59 -> 7%% in Dec '72... Increase of approx 0.14%% a year.

Whitlam (Labor) - 7%% in Dec '72 -> 10.38%% in Nov '75... Increase of
approx 1.1%% a year.

Fraser (Liberal) 10.38%% in Nov '75 -> 12.5%% in Mar '83... Increase of
approx 0.3%% a year.

** Liberal the clear winners. More increase under 3 years of Labor than
under more than 7 years of Liberal, increasing at nearly 4 times the rate.

Hawke/Keating (Labor) 12.5%% in Mar '83 -> 10.5%% in Mar '96... Decrease
of approx 0.15%% a year, with a peak of 17%% that lasted nearly a year.

Howard (Liberal) 10.5%% in Mar '96 -> 8.55%% in Nov '07... Decrease of
approx 0.17%% a year, with a peak of hmmm, the 10.5%% they were left
with, nothing exceeded their inherited interest rate.

** Liberal the clear winners between these 2 governmental periods. The
peak was the rate Labor left them, where as Labor's peak was 6.5%%
greater than anything they were left with which lasted for nearly a
year, and is the highest interest rate in the history of Liberal/Labor
politics, and reduction under Liberal achieved marginally faster than
Labor managed with nothing above what they inherited in stark contrast
to the previous Labor govt's epileptic and monstrous interest rates.

Lets also look at record lows. 8.75%% under Labor throughout these
periods, a reduction of 3.75%% at best from their inherited rate. Liberal
managed 6.05%%, a reduction of 4.45%% from their inherited rate. On a
winner there too. Not to mention they held it close to this rate for a
hell of a lot longer than Labor managed to keep it close to their low.

And how about to date with the current government???

Rudd (Labor) 8.55%% in Nov '07 -> 9.45%% in Aug '08... Increase of approx
1.3%% a year to date, shit he's doing better than Whitlam!!!

Rather than listening to either side playing twists of politics and
trying to hide raw facts in political diatribe, just look at history.
Says it all really.....