When hasn’t the Liberal Party been conservative ? Nothing has changed from when Menzies started it.
It’s got a lot more conservative. It’s more conservative than when Fraser was PM. And he was more conservative than Menzies.
Can’t imagine the LNP today voluntarily introducing welfare payements unless like Howard they wanted to buy votes. Even then they probably wouldn’t.
Meanwhile the Labor party that used to stand for something has got themselves so bogged down in political correctness that they are wallowing in a sea of nothing.
yes but a sea of nothing will be at the helm after the next election!
The meaning of ‘conservative’ has changed a fair bit since then. And more to the point, the electorate has changed a lot since then, and they haven’t been moving to Menzies-style conservatism. So even though ‘conservatives’ (when they can agree on what that word actually means…) make up a lot smaller section of the population than they used to.
When did the Liberal Party introduce any welfare payments ?
Family Allowance payments were a Fraser iniatiative weren’t they? Albeit lost in a sea of pretty frugal budget years and cost slashing.
Fraser and Turnbull might actually be quite similar, in that their personal views may be largely at odds with their Party in key area’s. I suspect Turnbull is facing a far more recalcitrant large-L Liberal party than even the previous Malcolm had to deal with. But i was quite young then and my views are shaped more by the memory of my Dad’s opinions from that time.
Think you will find that it evolved from child endowment payments that started with John Curtins Government in 1941.
Liberal Government have made changes to welfare payments but have never started any.
Most welfare payments we already well established before the Liberals existed.
Yep. A quick google check.
Fisher government introduced a maternity payment in 1912.
Menzies in 1941 brought in a child payment scheme for families of more than one child.
Curtin the year later introduced Widows pensions and a coverage for the first child of widows.
A blanket policy of Child endowment was brought in in 1950.
It then evolved, changed, renamed at various times from then till now.
Here endeth a boring History lesson summation.
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Boring, but at least there was facts.
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If Menzies did it in 1941 before John Curtin was elected in 1941, then it was the United Party and not Let verbals which did not exist until after WW2.
I remember " child endowment" payments, as my Mum put all mine from when I was born into the Bank and at 18 presented $500 to me to buy my first car.
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The one good thing Fraser did was up our intake of refugees from Vietnam.
But that’s about it for him having a conscious from my memory
You’re clearly forgetting about the Hotel Foyer / No Pants thing…
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Billy Snedden?
Didn’t he claim the South African secret police set him up? As if fark Carlton supporters need to be set up in the “losing their pants” scenario.
I think the Fraser strides fiasco was in Memphis.
Fraser was more conservative as PM than Abbott. he mellowed a bit as dementia set in.
And you are correct about only accepting Vietnamese boat people because of our involvement in that " war".
Facts ! Facts ! Who is using facts in the politics thread ?
Fraser supported armed struggle ( referenced to Africa) , which today risks being classified as terrorism against the government in power.
Well Big A, while I do give credit to Fraser for his stance against apartheid, and it was wonderful when Hawkie gave him the gig to present our position in 1984; and then again when both of them worked together on the same issue, and both we strong supporters of Mandela, but Fraser never supported the armed struggle of the African Congress.
Maybe he said this as his change of personality progressed, but never when he was PM.
IIRC Fraser was also a big supporter of Mugabe, as opposed to the Matabele boss (was that Chief Buthelezi?)
Good move in retrospect, that!
Fraser stood up to Thatcher on South African and Rhodesian sanctions and after Hawke appointed him to the Eminent Persons Group ( which he co-chaired) the Group played a major role in persuading Congress to overturn Reagan’s veto on SA sanctions.
Fraser said of Mandela “… a man who had been driven to armed struggle only with the greatest reluctance”. His aim was always to get people to the negotiating table.