For the first four years after its election in 1996, the Howard Government’s program was dominated by the pursuit of free market economics, continuing the former Labor Government’s sell-off of public utilities like Telstra, Qantas and government railways; deregulating industrial relations and industries such as dairying and wool; pushing ahead with National Competition Policy; and introducing a new tax system built around the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).At the same time, Sta…
