“Good evening, Mr Turncoat, and thank you for agreeing to this interview.”
“Now let me just correct you here. It was my media adviser who agreed to this interview. If you can’t get your facts straight, no wonder you keep misquoting Tony Abbott about the ‘no cuts to the ABC and SBS’ that he’s alleged to have said.”
“But there’s footage of him saying it”
“Yes, but you have to put that footage in context.”
“And the context is?”
“It was in an election campaign where people were suggesting that we’d be cutting some of the programs on the ABC and, let’s be real here, we’re not in charge of the programming.”
“So Mr Abbott was promising not to cut ABC programs, as opposed to funding.”
“That’s right.”
“But didn’t you just say that you’re not in charge of programming? If that’s the case, then how could he promise that programs wouldn’t be cut?”
“Let me be very clear here. We’d been going around for months saying that there was a Budget Emergency and that we’d have to do all we could to get the Budget back in the black, so why would the ABC and SBS be immune?”
“You’d also said that you’d cut the Carbon tax, the Mining Tax, while maintaining all the concessions and benefits and that you wouldn’t raise taxes or cut pensions.”
“Well, we haven’t cut pensions.”
“You changed the indexation arrangements so that future increases would be smaller.”
“See, we haven’t cut them. As you said, INCREASES. Pensioners will still be getting increases at the rate of inflation which is something our defence forces would love to be able to say.”
“On the subject of the “Budget emergency”, don’t you feel that it’s rather strange that one of the things you are doing is dropping the Carbon tax – revenue – and replacing it with your direct action scheme – spending? I mean, even if you don’t believe in climate change…”
“I do. I do believe in climate change.”
“You’re on the record as supporting an emission trading scheme…”
“Let me be clear on that. Tony Abbott is the leader and I support him one hundred and ten per cent.”
“Is this your way of avoiding facing up to all the things you said on an ETS?”
“I think you have to take what Joe said about a Budget emergency in context. After all, he wasn’t Treasurer and any Budget that the Liberals don’t bring down may take money off people who do all the investing and if you do that, you’d have to rely on the government to do all the investing and that’s socialism. Once you go down that path, you could end up like China.”
“Um… But isn’t China doing very well?”
“Economically, yes. But would you really want to live in a country where the government listens to everything you do and the press isn’t free? Why, in China, the Chinese secret service could throw you in jail for revealing state secrets!”
“Couldn’t that happen here after the recent legislation?”
“Look, I don’t care what you’ve heard, the free trade agreement with China doesn’t entitle the Chinese secret service to throw anyone in jail… Well, not unless we agree to it first.”
“Just finally, in relation to Scott Morrison’s recent suggestion that the Minister for Immigration should be allowed to revoke the citizenship of any individual, even if they haven’t committed a crime, doesn’t it concern you that if Labor gain power, you could lose most of your front bench?”
“That’s appalling. I find that racist and offensive. Australia is a country that welcomes anybody. You only have to look at our record on 457 visas to see that.”
“And completely ignore our record on things like the White Australia policy.”
“We never had a White Australia policy. I think you’ll find that this is one of those myths like the stolen generation and Tony Abbott’s cuts to the ABC.”
“And your credibility?”
“F*cking lefties, no wonder we’re selling you to Rupert first chance we get!”
“Sorry, what was that?”
“Nothing. And I’m sure that Tony’ll back me on that one!”
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To the Abbott-oir
Murdoch’sWhore
Look Malcolm down there good lord.
What,,what, what why the panic?
There’s a bloody hole in your foot.
Oh damn not another one.
The party of “Real Solutions”
I’m wondering what the “context” was when Malcolm wrote “While a shadow minister, Tony Abbott, was never afraid of speaking bluntly in a manner that was at odds with Coalition policy….I am sure he won’t complain if I tell a few home truths about the farce that the Coalition’s policy, of lack of policy, on climate change has descended into.”
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/abbotts-climate-change-policy-is-bullshit-20091207-kdmb.html#ixzz3Jbov0BgA
Or when Julie Bishop, speaking about Labor’s bid for a seat on the Security Council, said “There really has been no justification for the benefit that will accrue to Australia by pursuing a seat at this time.”
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/the-irony-behind-julie-bishops-success-at-the-united-nations-security-council-20141120-11qcmp.html#ixzz3JbqAN0Ge
Or when Joe Hockey, voice choking with emotion, revealed he had fought with John Howard over the Pacific Solution option of processing asylum-seekers in Nauru.
“And I opposed it until the moment he assured me that at all times Australians would be able to supervise the people that were sent there, that they would be protected, that they would have healthcare and education support,” Mr Hockey said.
“Until he could assure me that those most vulnerable would be protected, that was when I agreed with him and I was prepared to cross the floor in a previous government with the absolute majority in this place because I disagreed with the treatment of those most vulnerable by my prime minister.”
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/hockey-reveals-personal-anguish/story-fn9hm1gu-1226410516122
Or when Scott Morrison, in his maiden speech to Parliament, said
“From my faith I derive the values of loving kindness, justice and righteousness, to act with compassion and kindness, acknowledging our common humanity and to consider the welfare of others; to fight for a fair go for everyone to fulfil their human potential and to remove whatever unjust obstacles stand in their way … Desmond Tutu put it this way: ‘We expect Christians … to stand up for the truth, to stand up for justice, to stand on the side of the poor and the hungry, the homeless and the naked, and when that happens, then Christians will be trustworthy believable witnesses.’ These are my principles”
http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2014/february/1391173200/sunil-badami/scott-morrison-shirelive
I wonder if Abbott understands the meaning of the term resign – it doesn’t mean to sign up again – it means to go, now.
@Terry2…
I suspect that there are a lot of things Abbott that Abbott doesn’t understand. Obviously he doesn’t understand the meaning of shame
“I want this government to be the best friend that the workers of Australia have ever had and making it more likely that more Australians will join the workforce is part of that” ~24 June 2014.
“As a former health minister who declared regularly, meant it and delivered upon it, that I wanted to be the best friend that Medicare had ever had, I can say that again as a prime minister – I want this government to be the best friend that Medicare has ever had” ~21 February 2014.
“I want to make it very clear that this government is the best friend that the carers of Australia have ever had” ~19 June 2014.
…and lest we forget that he is a friend of the whole planet!!
“I regard myself as a conservationist; frankly, we should rest lightly on the planet and I’m determined to ensure that we do our duty by the future here” ~13 June 2014.
Abbott said it himself with the comment – We are not talking- we are ACTING! Actors out of work everywhere and our pm wants to take that stage as well. Actors alright!
British P.M. Cameron is calling Abbott a ‘flat-earther’ due to his ‘baffling’ statements on Climate Change.
Yup. The whole world can see the danger that Abbott is placing this country in. Luckily we have Maurice Newman to advise us that everything is hunky dory and tickety poo.
“The attitude of Prime Minister Tony Abbott to the global challenges of climate change is “eccentric”, “baffling” and “flat earther”, according to a group of senior British Conservatives.
The group, including Prime Minister David Cameron’s Minister for Energy and a former Thatcher Minister and chairman of the Conservative Party, says Mr Abbot’s position on climate change represents a betrayal of the fundamental ideals of Conservatism and those of his political heroine, Margaret Thatcher.
In a series of wide-ranging, separate interviews on UK climate change policy with The Age, they warn that Australia is taking enormous risks investing in coal and will come under increasing market and political pressure to play its part in the global battle against climate change.”
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/uk-tories-slam-tony-abbott-on-climate-policy-20141120-11qos6.html#ixzz3JdTZB2W4
The first ten months of 2014 (January–October) were the warmest such period since record keeping began in 1880, with a combined global land and ocean average surface temperature 0.68°C (1.22°F) above the 20th century average of 14.1°C (57.4°F), surpassing the previous record set in 1998 and tied in 2010 by 0.02°C (0.04°F). 2014 is currently on track to be the warmest year on record. The most recent 12-month period, November 2013–October 2014, broke the record (set just last month) for the all-time warmest 12-month period in the 135-year period of record, at 0.68°C (1.22°F) above average, with November 2013 and May, June, August, September, and October 2014 all record warm for their respective months. For January–October, the average global sea surface temperature was also record high, beating the previous record of 1998 by 0.03°C (0.05°F)
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2014/10
There’s no doubt that political statements should be seen in context. But who can we rely on to provide that context?
In August, 2011 Abbott said:
“It is an absolute principle of democracy that governments should not and must not say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards.
Nothing could be more calculated to bring our democracy into disrepute and alienate the citizenry of Australia from their government than if governments were to establish by precedent that they could say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards.”
Well… the context of THAT statement is perfectly clear! Those words only apply to the government of the day. Only the government should be held to it’s promises. The opposition is free say whatever it wants!
A really amazing thing is to see members of the Coalition now saying to the ABC/SBS that there are a necessary cuts to ABC/SBS funding, but do not cut ABC/SBS services to rural areas in their states (SA, Vic…)
Where is the conviction in their decisions?
Why are we told the Coalition is rock-solid behind the Minister?
Why can they not see their own blatant self-seeking – cut, cut, cut…but NIMBY!
Coming from Russia Today one can remain circumspect however if true Dear leader kicks another own goal.
Remember there is no Russian rep so the only interested party is the Ukraine. Could the launcher be theirs?
Something fishy going on here that Oz media should investigate.
http://rt.com/news/207243-netherlands-mh17-investigation-documents/
Well Kaye there you go making it all up again.
You just left your house and car heater on by mistake.
As Tony Little Brain would say get over it. It’s all an illusion.
Can’t see it or smell it don’t exist.
Tadah problem solved!
Bloody genius what?
I said before the election that the LNP would be the first government that would actively punish all who didnt vote for them, well? I didn’t think I would be so accurate.
If I believed in mythical sky beings who made everything in 6 days Id say “God help us”, but I don’t so we are all screwed.
If Labor doesn’t call a RC into the pathological lying corrupt behavior of this bunch after we win in 2016 we will have exactly the same thing done to us again, we MUST remove Murdoch’s pervasive control in this country immediately after 2016.
I’m truly staggered at the shear contempt for the truth & the citizens of this country by this bunch of lying bastards.
In May this year the government announced three thousand jobs would be slashed from the Tax Office.
About 70 of the 600 employees in the Australian Tax Office in Newcastle have taken redundancies as a result of Federal Government budget cuts. Newcastle is held by the ALP’s Sharon Claydon.
But an hour down the road, in the very marginal seat of Robertson, slimly held by Abbott choice Lucy Wicks, Joe Hockey announces a new tax office will be built with 300 new jobs.
“In the Budget we looked to relocate 300 Australian Taxation Office jobs here to the Central Coast — an area of high unemployment and also an area that has been neglected by government for a long period of time,” Mr Hockey said.
Expect more of this targeted pork-barrelling as we get closer to the election.
It ain’t going to work Kaye. Broad scope issues will predominate at the next election and local bribes will be generally seen for what they are. Abbot has succeeded in making all issues national issues and the swing voter is not prone to be influenced by bribes. We just have to maintain a steady ship and keep attacking. There are just too many vulnerable seats for him to play that hand without ramifications.
Last night on TV, Labor were running an ad with Napthine and Tones heads morphing into each other, the last thing Naptime wants because he knows Tony is Toxic in Victoria..
http://theconversation.com/poll-trend-to-labor-continues-34367
Ah the first sign of a market scare for Rupy. Gotta sell those rags. Better watch out Tones. Its on virtually calling Abbott, Turnbull and Corman liars. Would not get through without agreement from his masters voice.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/party-games-communications-minister-malcolm-turnbull-has-endorsed-tony-abbotts-campaign-lie-about-abc-funding/story-fnihsr9v-1227130117860
THE LYING LIBS,LIE TO COVER UP LIES… NO SURPRISE!
stephentardrew:
So why did both major parties spend so much time and effort in the western Sydney suburbs during the last campaign?
The Coalition, as usual, will be selling a mixture of hope and fear. Hope that the worst of it is over, and the good times will soon be back. Fear that Labor back in office will mean more boats, more infighting and more debt.
Sadly I agree with you mars08. The problem is most of the public are stupid.
Hip pocket mates that’s the go. All else is window dressing. The economy was on a fairly even keel then but now watch out. Brand new ball game. Labor’s debt just ain’t gonna wear it. Money first.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/a-tale-of-two-tonys-20141121-11r7rp.html
Listening to a Senator Anne Ruston, L-NP, being interviewed on ABC News 24 on the ABC cuts, and yet again the contradictions from this government come through.
In what were a lot of non-answers, where she always threw back to the Lewison report, she was running Pyne’s specious argument that programming and regional services do not need to be cut from the ABC, the savings can be found elsewhere. She said especially the Adelaide bureau should not be cut because it is profitable.
After having a double take to make sure of what I had just heard from a Liberal politician, here was one using the positive profitability of a public entity to keep it.
Another contradiction and I don’t need to list all the other contradictions this one raises, like the sale of Medibank Private and forcing the States to sell off their profitable entities to receive Federal funding for roads.
http://www.afr.com/p/opinion/global_triumph_conceals_house_of_jNWCX7lLYJBtDnJbp2DcXK?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Outbrain_cpc
Thank you Taxpayers and Tony – George Pell
DanDark I wish the media would stop pushing the spin that the G20 was a global triumph for Abbott. The ABC did it again this morning,once in News Breakfast and again on Insiders.
The right wing MSM plus the ABC may have falsely touted it as such but the reviews and stories in the international media were mixed with most not giving Abbott or his government any mention.
Mobius Ecko I wish Tony would walk off the flat earth he still thinks we walk, but that isn’t going to happen because the Earth is round, Tones missed that bit of important information when he went to primary school,
the gooses will one day wake up to themselves and report the TRUTH, well we can hope
I watched Bill Shorten today live at the rally in Melbourne today, and he said to reporters later….”Victoria have got an Abbott Proof fence around It” this election in Vic hasn’t been good for Tones and his ego 🙂
This government is really, really embarrassing 😳
[audio src="https://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2014/11/bbg_20141123_0805.mp3" /]
I didn’t vote for the rabbit and his performance in his opening address to the G20, where he attempted to use the international forum to air his personal domestic grievances; made me proud of my action and embarrased by our “natioanl leader. Abbot, you are a first class bunny.
Abbot is a filthy sub-human dog, he is Australia’s newest ‘dirty abbot’ he makes the Fergerson 5-0 look like a racial tolerance initiative and Genghis Khan seem like a social worker. Abbot is a one man popish plot and anti-environmental ministry for carbon pollution. He is a cathouse wank bucket of a thing who cant’ even be put down because no vet would dirty their hands on the low maggot. He is an international embarrassment and so homophobic that even Christopher Pine wouldn’t push his shit in for 3 Million bucks. I wouldn’t even use this unter-dog, monkey f*cker as a boat mooring. Sruff him an his swine reich!!!! Errrrrr.