especially the GST (which I often jokingly call the “Green Services Tax”).
I cannot see that Australia would be any different from where it is now. Howard implemented most of Hewson’s policies during his reign in power from 1996 to 2007, especially the GST (which I often jokingly call the “Green Services Tax”).
In fact, with One Nation potentially not the electoral force they briefly were in late 1990s Queensland, Hewson might have gone further with privatisation and deregulation than Howard did.
I have always said PJK created One Nation by hanging around an election too long and pushing his social agenda a little too far.
By extension by pushing the social pendulum that far it created a bigger swing back as the conservatives got more rabid. There are global forces at play as this is a world wide issue, but I wonder what could have been done if the breather was in 93 and let the country digest the 80s. Australians will let you do pretty much anything to them as long as they think that they are in control.
With an election looming, one of the biggest what-ifs in Australian politics is if John Hewson didn’t gave the birthday cake interview and won the 1993 Federal Election over PJK?
Of course, he lost that year and was replaced by Downer then Howard in 1994. Where would Australia be today?