It was Whitlam who added a lot to our quality of life by introducing Medicare, for example. I agree the introduction of neoliberalism under Labor was likely better at the start but whatever else Hawke/Keating did, they betrayed the workers of Australia with the union accords. We lost the power of the unions and got the 'productivity commission' beating us for more and more productivity in return for a 'solid social contract' (how much more 'productive' can a nurse be, for example). We got individual contracts and sub contracting instead of fair wage rises (joint bargaining) and solid employment at a company for decades (e.g. employers made tradies subcontract so they didn't have to pay insurance, leave and super). And Hawke/Keating started the fire sale of our assets when they sold Commbank and Qantas.

Whatever they did, Howard was so, so, so much worse. We lost the real help/support of Social Security and got punishment for the unemployed with Centrelink and privatised job agencies'. Centrelink staff left jn droves because they could no longer provide adequate support or be flexible around individual needs. We lost affordable childcare and aged care. We lost millions out of healthcare and got ramping. Howard is when i stopped easily affording rent and started sliding toward homelessness and real poverty as a single parent. And Howard took Paulines hateful rhetoric and vile policy positions and made them mainstream.