Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd yesterday gave us a reminder about one very important aspect of Labor Party election promises: a future Labor Government will not have the power to keep any of them.

The fate of all Labor’s legislation will require approval by a Senate where it certainly will not have a majority and where it is even possible that a Coalition Opposition will have the numbers in its own right.

Mr Rudd raised the uncertain legislative future that would confront him as a Prime Minister when giving details of the changes made to planned new industrial relations laws. If he gained office, Mr Rudd told a press conference, his government would have a mandate for its industrial laws and would expect the Senate to pass them.

The comment marks an early start for the mandate debate. Normally Australian politicians don’t talk about such things until after they have won an election but I suppose it is in keeping with the style of Mr Rudd to act as if he is the Prime Minister already.

Not that mandate pleas normally account for much. Should there be a Liberal-National Opposition in the Senate it will act no differently to the Labor one of the last 11 years and ignore the whole idea of a Government being entitled to enact a law just because it promised to do so before an election. The concept of a mandate in practice exists only in the mind of Government ministers after they become ministers

This is what makes the current debate about Labor’s industrial relations plans, and everything else promised, rather pointless. What changes are finally made will depend on the composition of the Senate after 1 July 2008.

My advice is to disregard all analysis of all party policies.