what is the significance of an election process in which voters don't know in advance what a party will do?

sham? charade? self-delusion?

al loomis,
How true. Any Party!

Len
I see that Gillard says that
reducing disadvantage is now a both a moral and economic imperative for Australia; and that fairness and prosperity are utterly inseparable. She adds:

...that turning our backs on the disadvantaged will come at a serious cost to our economic future. Too many individuals and communities remain caught in a spiral of low school attainment, high unemployment and under-employment, poor health, high imprisonment rates and child abuse. Too many Australians are socially excluded.

But if we are going to solve the problem of social exclusion we have to develop a new agenda that can bring social and economic policy together to complement each other.

Sounds promising, doesn't it. I'll have a closer look and get back.