Family Formula Gets Workout

WHEN Kevin Rudd delivered his campaign launch speech in Brisbane on Wednesday, two words kept popping up. "After 11 years, Mr Howard has lost touch with working families ... When did Mr Howard tell working families they would be put on AWAs or lose basic rights? ... We understand that working families are under financial pressure and they need every bit of help we can offer." The Opposition Leader mentioned working families 12 times in his speech. That was restrained compared with some of his speeches and interviews, where it has cropped up as often as 20 times in the space of a fewminutes. He makes use of the term for one reason: polling for the ACTU has shown that it is a powerful way to reframe the debate about economic management to Labor’s advantage. Read Mike Steketee Blog @ The Australian