5 September 2004

Lathams Cardboard Guarantee in Tatters

On Thursday Mark Latham signed a large piece of cardboard emblazoned with huge lettering: "LABOR’S LOW INTEREST RATE GUARANTEE".

Today on Business Sunday Simon Crean stated that Mr Latham had made no such guarantee:

Journalist: Mr Latham this week signed a " Low Interest Rate Guarantee". How can you guarantee something that’s not up to you to deliver?

Crean: But this is up to us to deliver. The question of the interest rate level is not up to us to deliver, that’s the Reserve…

Journalist: But that’s what that was…it was a "Low Interest Rate Guarantee".

Crean: No it’s not.

Journalist: …It was a "Low Interest Rate Guarantee". There was no ’we will promise to put pressure for low interest rates.’ It was a "Low Interest Rate Guarantee".

Mr Latham’s cardboard guarantee has been exposed by his economics spokesman as a flimsy fraud.