The hurdy-gurdy man

In the event the Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, and rain has slowed momentum and Howard has lost interest; the issue is no longer seen as useful as it once was in influencing opinion polls in his favour.

Faced with polls that see Rudd consistently ahead, Howard seized on a report into Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory and applied his much used and abused emotional blue print which included his preferred instruments for effecting social outcomes amongst our regional neighbours: the police and military.

He and Brough conveyed the impression that most aboriginal men in remote communities are pedophiles and that all Aboriginals are incapable of looking after their children and bringing about satisfactory outcomes in their lives.

It has been a rerun of the vilification directed at boat people.

The momentum to take over Aboriginal settlements and land has stalled in the face of growing opposition and recognition that Howard has played this card once too often.

He got away with it with refugees; it was only a matter of time before he tried it against Australian citizens. At the same time that he moves closer to big business he targets ordinary Australians, whether they are Indigenous, the economically disadvantaged or trade unionists, all of whom fought bravely in the wars that Howard likes to wrap himself in.

Howard was elected to parliament in 1974. A search of Hansard reveals he said nothing in parliament from then until now in support of the rights of Indigenous Australians. In February 2001 and December 2000 he felt moved to scotch the idea of a Treaty with Aboriginal Australia.

Howard can’t claim to have known nothing about the condition of Aboriginal life in northern Australia. He has been a member of federal parliament for 33 years. From 1975 until 1983 he was a minister and then Treasurer in the Fraser government and for the past 11 years he has been prime minister. Many other members of parliament have got on top of Indigenous issues over that period.

The disappointment in Howard’s cynical use of the Aboriginal welfare card has been Rudd’s inability to call it for what it is. Surely after 11 years we all know the tricks of this old dog. The Premier of Western Australia, Alan Carpenter, was able to call it.

Rudd allowed himself to be wedged and it wasn’t a pretty sight. He did not do well in his first big test. It is one thing to have ideas, it is another to have courage, which is a quality not to be confused with ambition. Rudd has played it safe, waiting for others to tackle Howard.

Australia needs leadership to overcome the damage of the Howard years but leadership is not just a matter of being the brightest boy in class, as Beazley will attest. Rudd also needs to understand that for every unionist he throws out of the Labor Party he diminishes himself and his authority.

There comes a time when it is necessary to stand up to Howard and call his bluff; it will not cost the election, it might just win it.