The federal election campaign has ground on for another week with neither side showing any hint of having a real conversation with the electorate.

Both prattle on about being “economic conservatives” but just what does that mean?

John Howard also presents himself as the experienced economic manager but how much truth is there in that?

Both the prime minister and opposition leader offer money for this and money for that like a pair of hectoring Santa Claus professing concern for our wellbeing.

Yet neither of the major parties seems willing to have an open discussion about the values that should underpin our society.

Do education, health, aged and early childhood care, public housing, the environment, public transport and roads, and research and development of sustainable energy really count on either of their agendas?

Whoever wins the federal election will have access to a huge pot of money collected from taxes and charges levied against Australian businesses and taxpayers.

Elections are supposed to be about us deciding which one is better able to use that money to deliver the services we expect.

Are we happy with the access we have to public health? Are parents happy with the size of the classes in which their children build their education?

Does everyone have access to affordable higher education either through universities or trade training? Are there adequate funds being invested in research and development of new technologies?

Most would answer these questions with a resounding “No” but will vote for a party on November 24 that has not benchmarked what it considers acceptable outcomes on most or any of these fundamentals.

Surely “economic conservatives” and “experienced economic managers” would get these basics right first?

We have youth unemployment and under-employment hovering around the one million mark, and women miscarrying while waiting for attention in the emergency departments of our hospitals while governments rave on about their surpluses and their economic credentials.

We have to demand more of them.

Fixing health will require more money – more money to train more nurses, doctors and surgeons, and more money for hospital beds.

Where that money will come from should be what this election is all about if it really is being contested by a pair of economic conservatives.

There has been no discussion about whether the bureaucracy has become too big and too unwieldy. There has been no discussion about whether the PR machine of governments and the advertising budgets they command are extravagant, and absolutely none about the entitlements and benefits afforded politicians or the cost of the transport they are provided.

There can be no doubt about John Howard’s desire to hang on to power or the earnestness of Kevin Rudd’s desire to seize it.

But I continue to doubt the sincerity of either’s interest in the community’s needs, nor the core basic human values underpinning our society.

I didn’t expect to be inspired by this election campaign and I have not been let down on that score.

What we all should have been able to expect to hear though from an opposition wanting to enter government for the first time in 11 years and claiming to be economically conservative is just what standard it finds acceptable for core services.

And I would have expected our prime minister to have offered some explanation why 11 years of his fine economic management has left the delivery of those services in the state they are in.

Silence is deafening

Why is there so much silence about the major change to driving legislation introduced in Queensland on October 1?

It is now November 7, yet there are still no guidelines, education program or understanding of the penalties that will relate to drug driving in Queensland.

Will the planned roadside saliva testing detect a joint puffed at a party three months ago, one smoked in the past week, day or what? Driving under the influence of anything is not only not smart but also extremely dangerous.

But just when is it safe to drive again after taking either prescription or illegal drugs?

Does the state government intend to educate drivers or are these things they will discover at roadside testing stations?