The reason that they want to do something about it is because it is abysmally high. We are only .25% off the high of the GFC for goodness sake. Swan and Bowen claim we have low unemployment, and the public suck it up, but the reality is quite bad.
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You can see the failed stimulus policy was really only that, keeping people in jobs for a year before the unemployment rate rises again. I imagine that if we didn't have the unprecedented cash rate easing we would have broken the 5.75% level in the past year. I mean if we are running deficits can we at least reduce unemployment too?
And Abbott wasn't even leader of the opposition when both stimulus packages were started.