Search our site:
Yesterday Tony Abbott delivered his campaign launch address with the opening quip “Isn’t it great to lead a united political party with a deputy I can trust, a predecessor who’s a friend and a former prime minister who’s a hero!”
Over at Get Up! they’re having some fun with Abbott’s words. The online activist site has taken a greatest hits approach to Abbott’s speeches and given them to women to read lines which he’s said in his parliamentary career including “Abortion is the easy way out” and “I think it would be folly to expect that women will ever dominate or even approach equal representation in a large number of areas.” Abbott’s history of talking about issues may haunt him at the ballot box.
And what did the expert commentators make of it? Michelle Grattan at the Age thought “Abbott convinces as PM” and his action plan was “a strong organising idea”. Annabel Crabb at The Drum couldn’t see saying “the closest thing to new policy it contained was the low-cost, high-moral-fibre promise to ratchet up mandatory prison terms for people smugglers”.
Explore by area of interest
Tony's "fair dinkum" has got to be the endless quote of this election...
Alison Manorie
09 August at 12:36PM
'Moving forward' never gets old.
Lara
09 August at 05:15PM
As the mighty Michael Kroger said "Look, if you can't stop the leaks, you won't stop the boats."
Anton Forbes
10 August at 12:43PM
May I offer you the Latham Syndrome:
"Terminal irrelevance characterised by childish tantrums"
Ron Horgan
10 August at 01:00PM
Julia Gillard's response on QandA last night when asked "On a scale of 1 - 10 how big a 'tool' was Mark Latham she reponded "There are some things that can't be measured!" - very witty and very, very clever.
Janette Ellis
10 August at 01:27PM
As a voter I would like to see Julia Gillard get tough on budgie smugglers. Thanks for asking.
Hugh Kiernan
10 August at 01:27PM
Hugh, we wondered about the links between smugglers of people and budgies.
Wheeler Centre
10 August at 02:30PM
Last week, media Analyst Chris Pash recorded that 'Fair dinkum' was used a total of 1,000 times in the OVERSEAS press as far away as Canada.
Gillard's response to the Q&A question was indeed brilliant, measured and a rather elegant avoidance of a trick question.
Maryanne Khan
10 August at 02:34PM
Tony Abbott has nothing to offer, is a complete knocker and determined to turn back the clock. Julia Gillard is a breath of fresh air.
Phillip Holmes
10 August at 04:20PM
This is probably not quite what you're looking for here, but it did amuse me quite a lot a few weeks back...
Rudd, speaking at Cooparoo State School: "Well, this is terrific, being in this new hall. Put your hands up - what do you like best about this new hall?"
Student: "We can sit on seats."
Rudd: "You can sit on seats. That's a big difference."
Suzi Macbeth
10 August at 06:12PM
Rudd at Cooparoo is priceless. There are many gaffs on the campaign trail - has the media caught any other gems we've missed?
Wheeler Centre
11 August at 09:08AM
caught a snippet on last night's ABC24 news of a cartoon of Abbot & Co (he's the stick figure in red speedos) to the tune of "Let's Do the Roll Back Again" (tune from the Rocky Horror Show)
11 August at 10:43AM
A sly little tweak by the ABC this morning. Interviewing Abbot on the hustings and the quality of the video was shocking. Time to cut back to the studio and a small image of the reporter in the studio appears top left with the banner: 'LIVE ON BROADBAND.'
Needless to say, the two images were like chalk and cheese, Abbot, (not live on broadband,) fuzzy, low-grade and the ABC studio shot as clear and sharp as you please.
11 August at 10:52AM
Love cartoon "Let's do the roll back again"..after Kerry O'Brien's interview with the "No I am not Bill Gates,or a tech head Abbott" I think it is most apt. Yes instead of rolling out highfibre broadband Abbott will be rolling backwards into the "digital dark ages"....good quote by Stephen Conroy....as a rabbit and a monk Abbott would be used to dark burrows and dark abbeys....roll on Julia.
11 August at 01:51PM
"Mr Rabbit."
=:B
Jon Tjhia
12 August at 09:56AM
Make that "Pesky damn Wabbit."
12 August at 10:48AM
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/some-phrases-wont-disappear-anytime-soon/story-e6frg996-1225902781259
some phrases that aren't going to disappear anytime soon
12 August at 12:39PM
I am totally confused.
One party is led by a professed aethiest.
Another party is led by clerics - an abbot and a bishop.
The third party is led by a green who calls himself brown.
I am totally confused.
a simple voter
14 August at 01:32PM
julia quoted to laurie oakes about latham that it was unfortunate he was on channel nine as well during the interview
jenny
15 August at 08:47PM
Paul Howes and Michael Kroger on lateline has many of them, it's a strange interview at times...
SALLY
15 August at 08:56PM
My favourite quote of this election would have to be:
Questioner: On a scale of one to 10 how big of a tool is Mark Latham?
Julia Gillard: Sometimes cannot be measured.
Favourite quote of all time: (you can never beat Paul Keating) when he described the senate as 'unrepresentative swill' or the 'recession we had to have'
Phoebe
17 August at 02:27PM
"Global warming is absoloute crap"
feel the heat Abbott...
Florence Daisy
17 August at 07:42PM
Been a bit dull lately really..however we now know Rabbit is not a tech head or a scientist
so he needs to stop making comments about NBN and Climate Change because he just makes a fool of himself with his obvious ignorance on key issues......and the debate over the debate.....he does look a little startled though when he is in the spotlight! ....back to the burrow I say!
Observer
17 August at 09:58PM