And so there it is. Just before noon the Governor-General dissolved parliament on behalf of the Queen, and the election date has been set for November 24.

Six weeks of some very interesting spin ahead!

yay.. bring on the election kids! make sure you're all enrolled!! Wednesday 8pm is the deadline to have your say!!

From Andrew Bolt;

Kevin Rudd yesterday:

FEDERAL Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has warned voters to prepare for the âmother of all negative fear campaignsâ, as he officially began his tilt at becoming prime minister.

Kevin Rudd today:

Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd says health workers and emergency services staff could be forced to sign Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) if John Howard is re-elected as Prime Minister

This follows the hypocriteâs astonishing whinge-and-moan act of yesterday.

First detailed Liberal policy is actually their tax policy. Pretty rare, the tax is usually kept till the end of the election.

From the Herald Sun;

Earlier today, Treasurer Peter Costello fired the first major shot of the campaign - promising a tax overhaul aimed specifically at families with children and one partner working part-time to complement the main breadwinner's earnings.

In a surprise announcement on the first full day of the election campaign, Prime Minister John Howard said the $34 billion plan would involve major restructuring of the income tax system.

Mr Costello said in 2010 a coalition government would increase the effective tax free threshold again to $16,000.

The 15 per cent threshold would be taken up to $37,000, he said, and the top and second top tax rates would each be cut by one cent in the dollar.

For the worker on a wage of $50,000, the changes will return around $33 a week.

"This plan is all to work towards the goal of tax reform which we now set ourselves," Mr Costello said. "Within five years - by 2012/13 - (we'll have) four tax rates - 15, 30, 35 and 40 (cents in the dollar).

"That's why we keep reducing those top two tax rates."

Opposing Labor tax policy - not finalised.

Labor policy on housing from the Herald Sun;

LABOR leader Kevin Rudd has outlined a plan to release more commonwealth land for housing, in an effort to tackle the home affordability crisis.
Mr Rudd said the federal government was yet to release its audit, announced earlier this year, of surplus commonwealth land that could be available for release for housing development.

"What we're proposing today is a fundamental revamp of the ... commonwealth property disposals policy," he told reporters today in south-western Sydney, where housing affordability is a major issue.

"What this is about is making sure that when you have government departments with surplus land, that priority is given to the needs of housing and community development.

"What we would require is, each year, every commonwealth government department to come back to the minister for housing and say `here is the surplus land we have' and to show cause why it should not be released for housing development and wider community infrastructure development."

The commonwealth was sitting on $6 billion worth of land, Mr Rudd said.

Mr Rudd said the minister, once briefed by the departments, would provide that information to Labor's proposed national housing research supply council.

The council in turn would then coordinate the targeted release of that land nationwide, he said.

"When it comes to policies like this, the national housing supply research council will have three overarching priorities in addressing the targeted release of land," he said.

I'm quite unsure about such a proposal, yes there has been an increase in the cost of housing in the country but that's not to say housing is no longer affordable. It might just not be affordable where people want to live (generally closer to the CBD). Are they suggesting that this commonwealth land they propose to release is close to each state's capital? If it's regional, then the land available there is already affordable.

the best way to overthrow one of the best prime ministers australia has ever seen is to copy the magority of his policies, which is basically what rudd has done, rudd himself said that he was up against one of the most " clever and cunning " prime ministers of all time.. assuming the magority of the population is ill educated/ignorant [fair assumption] this election will come down to rudd vs howard which is unfortunate because i assume rudd will win, when really people should be voting liberal vs labour as oppose to the leaders of each party.. the way rudd speaks and presents himself he is more suited to the liberal party, i suppose thats because he wants to eliminate the stereotype of labour ruining the economy, hmm this election will be a close one, should be intresting to c the campaigns on both sides

Prooving that Australian's can't take anything too seriously... From Andrew Bolt;

Do Howard voters prefer Megan?


Sacha Molitorisz puts the big question:

AUSTRALIANS have been asked to make an impossible choice between two candidates with practised smiles who promise the world but deliver far less. One is older, more traditional and has been toiling at the top level for a decade or so; the other is younger, blonder and has had a meteoric ascent. At heart, however, they could be siblings.

So just how are Australians to choose between Megan Gale and Jennifer Hawkins?

Gale for me better symbolises womanhood and sophistication. So I guess Iâve given myself away when Molitorisz says:

The stoush between these warring clothes-horses also makes a neat metaphor for that other rivalry: the one between John Howard and Kevin Rudd.

Letâs check that analogy. Is Megan the conservativesâ girl, and Jennifer the Leftâs?

you know what really gets me? the lack of choice in this election. i thought labor and liberal were supposed to have different outlooks and policies and it seems that we have a choice between 2 people, but not 2 parties or styles of government...

being ultra-conservative, i'm going megan all the way :P

its megan for me too...

labour governments are big spenders, but they are... lets just call them, myer shoppers, sure there are good/flashy products but they don't usually care about the quality... sure it looks good but 3 months down the track the fabric's gonna warp and the buttons will fall off.

Thanks Bob Hawke! You maxed the credit card on crap! hahahaha

Liberals are economists, they shop at DJ's and don't need a DJ's card cause they paid off their debts and now have their own money to burn. That means it's their money and they need to think alot more about what to buy and they usually pick the right thing in the end... its a prolonged investment that lasts, infact, just like dj's the styles never change much... its nearly always the same product - 5 years down the track the trends will change and it'll be back in fashion.

So when the election comes by i'm voting megan/howard hehe