FED:Editorials, Saturday December 4, 2010

AAP General News (Australia)
12-04-2010
FED:Editorials, Saturday December 4, 2010

SYDNEY, Dec 4 AAP - Julia Gillard needs to listen to former prime minister Paul Keating
and some-time treasurer of NSW Michael Costa, The Weekend Australian says in its editorial
today.

Pandering to the Greens and deferring to union demands will never win enough votes
to replace those Labor will lose by abandoning the broad centre of politics.

It would be far better for Labor to stand its ground, even if this meant defeat in
the house, than to give in to the Greens and unions.

After losing the 1975 election, the party thought out what it should do in government.

The result was the best Labor administration in Australia's history, which stayed in power
by ignoring vocal minorities and reforming the economy.

It is a lesson the Gillard government should consider.

As Mr Costa puts it: "If Labor is to emerge rapidly from its malaise, it must in many
ways go back to the future and wholeheartedly embrace the Hawke-Keating project of continuous
reform."

Melbourne's The Age says the coalition picked the mood of Victoria's voters and Labor
needs to understand why.

Ted Baillieu and the coalition judged shrewdly in running a campaign focused ob Labor
failures, while Labor miscalculated by relying on a perception that John Brumby had a
substantial personal following.

Premier Baillieu should proceed cautiously. When great change has been promised, implementing
it correctly is all the more important.

Mr Baillieu should also be willing to adjust the government's agenda according to changing
circumstances.

For Labor, the greatest challenge in the coming months will be resisting the temptation
to which parties so often succumb when going into opposition after a long period of incumbency.

The Sydney Morning Herald says with a World Cup or without it, football's future is
bright in Australia.

It is underpinned by an immensely strong participation at junior level.

Football is the most popular organised sport among boys up to the age of 14 and soccer
also has a particularly strong following among girls.

Even though some may drift to other sports as they grow up that early experience gives
football a large potential market.

That is what counts. What happens away from the pressured and slightly sour atmosphere
of football's pinnacle body - out in the sunshine each weekend on playing fields across
this country - is what really changes lives for the better.

Sydney's The Daily Telegraph says despite throwing more than $45 million and considerable
star-power into our bid to host the 2022 World Cup, Australia was blown aside by oil-rich
Qatar.

Our $45 million won us exactly one lousy vote from FIFA's selection committee.

The bigger issue now is how to maintain morale among Australia's soccer players and
administrators.

We have games to play and World Cups to compete in.

First step - rebuild our ageing Socceroos so we can run Qatar, among other nations,
off their legs in Brazil four years from now.

Melbourne's Herald Sun says Australians are within their rights to question FIFA's
selection system which picked the tiny Arab emirate as host for the 2022 World Cup.

The emirate is constantly under attack for its dismal human rights record, especially
the violent and degrading treatment of women, who are generally discriminated against
and treated as second-class citizens.

There will be an examination of the $46 million Australia spent in its bid to host
the cup, which attracted just one vote.

"It is also hoped a thorough and urgent investigation will be launched into international
soccer's governing body, and the duplicitous actions by some members and the largesse
dished out to buy votes," the newspaper says.

Brisbane's The Courier-Mail says outside of the state's wonderful nurses, doctors and
others, there is so much about Queensland Health that is appalling.

The department treats the state's Right to Information laws more like Right to Hide
Information, conjuring a series of options that would enable it to hide information from
RTI applicants and, therefore, the people of Queensland.

Premier Anna Bligh and the struggling Health director-general Mick Reid can dress up
their reaction in any way they like to defend the department, but it can only be hoped
this is for spin because surely they don't believe what they're saying.

AAP jxt/rs

KEYWORD: EDITORIALS

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