PM Tony Abbott - The Butt of US TV Show.

[Astra.]

Apparently, the US has received a crash course in Tony Abbott's missteps and controversial comments, thanks to TV show "Last Week Tonight".

http://www.sbs.com.a...us-tv-show-joke

" Ya! gotta watch the vid folk"

Edited June 3, 2014 by Astra00

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

I feel your pain.

But we have to live with the nasty piece of work.

[Astra.]

Well, you brought it on yourself Mr Abbott......loose lips sink ships mate!

[DingoLingo]

I feel your pain.

But we have to live with the nasty piece of work.

heh we have to live with 2 Hats..

remember not only do we have One Term Tony in the Federal Gov.. we have Can Do Cambell in the state..

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

And Can Sell Newman is about to flog all our assets and Tony is looking down the barrel of a Double Dissolution courtesy of bring unable to pass a budget.

[libstaK]

I'm really sorry 'bout that folks *hangs head in shame*

Just to add the guy at the end in the supermarket - is my hero

Edited June 3, 2014 by libstaK

[Eldorado]

Is the Deputy PM named Costello?

[libstaK]

Is the Deputy PM named Costello?

Er no, that was the treasurer of the previous Liberal Govt.

By the grace of God (or someone?) Costello resigned before Abott made his bid for the Liberal Party Leadership - they are not exactly "mates" either.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Is the Deputy PM named Costello?

There was a time where it looked like our PM might have been Costello and his deputy Abbott.

Then the incumbent PM realised what a parade of dip****s Costello, Abbott and Bishop are, so stayed on as leader.

[Eldorado]

There was a time where it looked like our PM might have been Costello and his deputy Abbott.

Then the incumbent PM realised what a parade of dip****s Costello, Abbott and Bishop are, so stayed on as leader.

Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few. -- George Bernard Shaw

[psyche101]

He cops a lot of flak old dumb dumb does. To be expected seeming as the last Government before him was just dumb and dumber. However, this seems to be the major attack from the media on Tony all the time. Where are the suggestions to better the policies, when are they saying what he is doing wrong? For instance, this very article lists:

Did US viewers see the infamous Winkgate moment? Yes.

And? A very very likely set up ny Rudds cronies. So what? How does that affect what he does to and with Australia and Australians?

A school kid describing how his mum calls the prime minister "Tony Dumb Dumb"? Yes.

So some anonymous person make a derogatory remark, and that's somehow a reflection of his work is it? How does that affect what he does to and with Australia and Australians? Bit childish really isn't it?

Abbott's comment that he'd probably "feel a bit threatened" by gays? Yes.

Again - so what? Is anyone actually blind enough to believe he is the only one? I vote no to gay marriage too so what, that's my right as a citizen. How does Tony being completely honest with the people affect what he does in the big chair? How does that affect what he does to and with Australia and Australians? Should he not be honest and lie so people hear what they want?

His "s*** happens" comment while discussing a Queensland soldier killed in Afghanistan? Yes.

If they want to be picky, they could look at their own spelling. His s*** happens??

But the comment taken out of context, was still not that bad, does anyone say it's inaccurate? He said:

"Jared's death was more likely one of the terrible things that happen in war for which no-one or nothing could necessarily be blamed,"

Is anyone here honestly thinking the PM would make light of a soldiers death? Think about it. The media should be the ones being hung out to dry or that comment - if there was any justice in journalism, we all know there is not.

His "housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing" remark? Yes.

Yes they do I agree, it's life, men get paid better than women and they always have, women in the majority take time off to raise the family. As such household duties tend to end up with the females, not by choice, not by order, it's not disparaging for a woman to help hold a house together, it's something that the larger of majority of us would be lost without, as such, it's a compliment, not an insult. Bra burning feminists need to pull their butch heads in. He said, it's how it works in his house, hell, it works that way in my house and everyone I know too. We would be lost without the women of the world helping us get to work to pay the mortgages.

Viewers even saw a shirtless Abbott on the beach in his budgie smugglers.

And????????

The budgie smuggler lines annoy the heck out me. I have never understood how that affects politics, or what sort of a leader Tony is, it should make him Iron Man if anything. That is the traditional uniform of the Aussi Lifesaver. Like it or not. Those wee lycra coverings might not cover up much, but that ugly sight means lives have been saved, and it seems Tony is a strong supporter of those saving Australians. Now I don't know an attractive bloke from my armpit - not my thing - but he seems pretty fit? How many obese bastads are putting crap on someone who is fit and running the country from their armchair with a chocolate milk in one hand and a Krispy Kreme in the other? How does that affect what he does to and with Australia and Australians?

Abbott was described on the show as a "hard-line right wing prime minister" who "rose to power promising to be pro-business and religiously anti-immigration".

What's wrong with pro business???? FFS this is what the country actually needs isn't it?? Jobs, and all that sort of thing?

Australia the Multicultural country - do you realise how many people are against immigration? I don't know if it has anything to do with the recalcitrants who arrive here, demand the dole and burn down the accommodation they have been given, which they seem to be insulted by when coming here from a war torn hell, but that's the impression I get. I know as well as every other person in the country that genuine refugee cases exist, the bad eggs are just so many these days that one cannot help but employ caution. That's just natural, it does not mean Australia is full of racist rednecks. Most if the world is still on edge with terrorist actions hitting as hard as they have in modern times. It's barbaric and scary, so people are scared. That's nothing to blame on Tony either.

The show then noted Abbott was born in England.

Where was Obama born? Hawaii is a state grated, it's not in the US, but Australia is part of the Commonwealth. How does that affect what he does to and with Australia and Australians?

"What is it about Tony Dumb Dumb that has led to his current approval rating of 30 per cent?" the show asked its viewers.

It didn't ask the ones who would have answer, and it's a US show, so they don't ask Aussies who vote? I bet those idiots don't even know voting in Australia is mandatory. I mean, real academic geniuses aren't they - saying such intelligent things like:

"Did you know there are other countries that are not America and each of them has a leader of its very own?"

If one has to ask that question, I don't think one has the right to bag Tony. Stupid TV show hosts.

If you want to see Tony bagged fair and square, I recommend The Roast on ABC.

Edited June 5, 2014 by psyche101

[acute]

.....loose lips sink ships mate!

[toyomotor]

Tony Abbotts public persona is perhaps not what a lot of people would like, but it's a fact of life that we're all different.

And speaking of public persona, Gillards harping voice grated on my nerves, while Rudds self important superiority simply indicated how inadequate he really was.

Given the choice between Abbott, Gillard and Rudd, I'll take Tony every day of the week.

Personally, I don't care that he occasionally fumbles his words (Pres. Reagan did the same thing), what I care about is that his policies will get Australia out of the financial pit dug by Gillard and Rudd.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Tony Abbotts public persona is perhaps not what a lot of people would like, but it's a fact of life that we're all different.

And speaking of public persona, Gillards harping voice grated on my nerves, while Rudds self important superiority simply indicated how inadequate he really was.

Given the choice between Abbott, Gillard and Rudd, I'll take Tony every day of the week.

Personally, I don't care that he occasionally fumbles his words (Pres. Reagan did the same thing), what I care about is that his policies will get Australia out of the financial pit dug by Gillard and Rudd.

I'd rather not have a PM who has meetings with foreign leaders while wearing an ear-wig and concealed microphone or who builds a climate of fear about refugees.

[psyche101]

I'd rather not have a PM who has meetings with foreign leaders while wearing an ear-wig and concealed microphone or who builds a climate of fear about refugees.

I am not sure what incident you refer to with the microphone, but it was back in the early 1990s when refugee policy began to shift. Paul Keating’s Labor Government introduced a policy of indefinite mandatory detention in response to a modest increase in asylum seekers entering Australia by boat. It was only back in '73 we moved away from a white Australia Policy. Immigration has always, and will always be, a touchy subject but it's not a new thing at all.

Tony has a little wig for his ears now? Must be cold in Canberra this year huh.

Edited July 1, 2014 by psyche101

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

here was a photo of Ton coming out of one of the recent meetings when he was OS with an ear piece and a suspicious bulge under his tie, smart money is on the bulge being a microphone pickup.

So basically, there was someone else telling him what to say and listening to and maybe even recording secret meeting.

[Harry_Dresden]

Generally i like Tony Abbott. But he unnecessarily hit the panic button with his austerity drive and will pay the political cost with the Joe Hockey budget. Too much too soon.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Did Abbott really just say this country was "unsettled" before the British arrived?

And to Nova Perris of all people??

[libstaK]

Did Abbott really just say this country was "unsettled" before the British arrived?

And to Nova Perris of all people??

In any dictionary an illustrated example of appropriate facepalm would have to include this - and from a man who claims to spend time in indigenous communities regularly no less.

*facepalm*

[Black Red Devil]

Not a bad track record for Misterabbit in 10 months. Ok, it's a biased site written by the Branch Secretary of the ASU (Australian Services Union) and some of the broken promises listed are pretty innocuous to say the least, but nevertheless that's quite a list in 10 months.

The Broken Promise Count

1. Does not spend his first week as Prime Minister with an Aboriginal community – 14 September 2013. This promise was made in front of indigenous elders and participants at the Garma Festival on 10 August 2013, this is a

.

2. Fails to “stop the boats” – 23 September 2013. This promise was repeated so many times I can’t count. Here’s Abbott’s 2013 campaign launch speech.

3. Breaks his promise to support Gonski – 25 November 2013 and 13 May 2014. Fails to commit to future funding or to require States to match the Commonwealth funding commitment. See paragraph two from Christopher Pyne on 29 August 2013

4. Breaks its NBN election promise of giving all Australians access to 25 megabits per second download speeds by 2016 – 12 December 2013 This was the Coalition’s policy they took to the election first announced 9 April 2013.

5. Changes name of NDIS “launch sites” to “trial sites” and flags cuts to funding – 17 December 2013. The unequivical promise to deliver the NDIS in full was made 20 August 2013 and is in the policies they took to the election

6. Breaks his election promise of no cuts to education by cutting funding for trade training centres in schools on 17 December 2013. He made this promise at the National Press Club on 2 September 2013 and in writing on 5 September 2013 as part of their policy commitments.

7. Breaks a promise to make no cuts to health. He made this promise at the National Press Club on 2 September 2013 and in writing on 5 September 2013 as part of their policy commitments. This promise was first broken on 27 November 2013 when they cut funding to the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council and again on 17 December 2013 when they cut $150 million from hospitals and health services.

8. Fails to provide the promised customs vessel to monitor whaling operations in the Southern Ocean – 23 December 2013 Promise made by Greg Hunt – 9 April 2013

9. Breaks a promise to provide fibre-to-the-premises for all Tasmanians for the National Broadband Network. This promise was confirmed my Malcolm Turnbull on 17 August 2013 and confirmed as broken by the NBN Co executive chairman Ziggy Switkowski on 13 February 2014.

10. Breaks a promise to introduce the paid parental leave scheme he took to the election on 30 April 2014 by reducing the promised benefit for those earning above $100 000.

11. Breaks promise of “no cuts to the ABC or SBS” by cutting $43.5 million from the ABC and SBS.

12. Breaks a promise of “no new taxes” by introducing a deficit tax rise of two percentage points for people earning more than $180,000 a year.

13. Announced to sacking of 16,500 public sector workers as whole Departments are abolished despite promising only 12,000 job losses and through natural attrition.

14. Breaks a promise of “no new taxes” by introducing a fuel levy.

15. Reduction in foreign aid budget of $7.9 billion over five years despite promise to not exceed $4.5 billion and cut via indexation.

16. Increases the pension age to 70 from 2035 after promising last month that changes to indexation and pension age would come in three years.

17. Cuts to old age pension by indexing to CPI, while it was promised there would be no changes.

18. Scraps The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) which was set up to support new and emerging renewable technologies and in doing so breaks an election promise.

19. Tears up Federal Government’s agreement with states and territories to help fund increasing health costs despite promise of no cuts to health.

20. Breaks a promise to make no cuts to health with a $368 million cut from preventative health measures.

21. Reduces the Medicare benefit for optometry services and allows optometrists to charge more, despite promise to not cut health budget.

22. Axes the Charles Sturt University’s dental and oral health clinics, despite promise to not cut health budget.

23. Abolishes Medicare locals, despite promise to not cut health budget.

24. Breaks a promise to spend $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund by committing less than half this amount in the budget.

25. Breaks a promise to have one million more solar roofs across Australia and at least 25 solar towns.

26. Breaks a promise not to cuts funding to health by dramatically cutting hospital funding.

27. Breaks election promise and slashes funding to Landcare

28. Breaks promise that no public servants will be forced into redundancy after revelations that two public servants in the Department of Industry have been made involuntarily redundant since September.

29. Breaks promise that no public servants will be forced into redundancy as it is revealed that at least 30 staff in Treasury will be made involuntarily redundant.

link

Some of the health and education cuts have really irked off many Australians.

[psyche101]

here was a photo of Ton coming out of one of the recent meetings when he was OS with an ear piece and a suspicious bulge under his tie, smart money is on the bulge being a microphone pickup.

So basically, there was someone else telling him what to say and listening to and maybe even recording secret meeting.

Mate, don't you think that might well be a bloody good idea?

Did Abbott really just say this country was "unsettled" before the British arrived?

And to Nova Perris of all people??

See what I mean?

And quite possibly not a Hockey fan?

All men are fallible, it's the party that matters. Libs are for business, business makes money, the more money we have the better off everyone is. Labour is for the people, they do not create wealth for the country at all, they draw form it, we need Libs to keep the wheels turning with Labor dropping in every 25 years or so for a term to keep them honest to the workers.

[psyche101]

Not a bad track record for Misterabbit in 10 months. Ok, it's a biased site written by the Branch Secretary of the ASU (Australian Services Union) and some of the broken promises listed are pretty innocuous to say the least, but nevertheless that's quite a list in 10 months.

The Broken Promise Count

1. Does not spend his first week as Prime Minister with an Aboriginal community – 14 September 2013. This promise was made in front of indigenous elders and participants at the Garma Festival on 10 August 2013, this is a

.

2. Fails to “stop the boats” – 23 September 2013. This promise was repeated so many times I can’t count. Here’s Abbott’s 2013 campaign launch speech.

3. Breaks his promise to support Gonski – 25 November 2013 and 13 May 2014. Fails to commit to future funding or to require States to match the Commonwealth funding commitment. See paragraph two from Christopher Pyne on 29 August 2013

4. Breaks its NBN election promise of giving all Australians access to 25 megabits per second download speeds by 2016 – 12 December 2013 This was the Coalition’s policy they took to the election first announced 9 April 2013.

5. Changes name of NDIS “launch sites” to “trial sites” and flags cuts to funding – 17 December 2013. The unequivical promise to deliver the NDIS in full was made 20 August 2013 and is in the policies they took to the election

6. Breaks his election promise of no cuts to education by cutting funding for trade training centres in schools on 17 December 2013. He made this promise at the National Press Club on 2 September 2013 and in writing on 5 September 2013 as part of their policy commitments.

7. Breaks a promise to make no cuts to health. He made this promise at the National Press Club on 2 September 2013 and in writing on 5 September 2013 as part of their policy commitments. This promise was first broken on 27 November 2013 when they cut funding to the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council and again on 17 December 2013 when they cut $150 million from hospitals and health services.

8. Fails to provide the promised customs vessel to monitor whaling operations in the Southern Ocean – 23 December 2013 Promise made by Greg Hunt – 9 April 2013

9. Breaks a promise to provide fibre-to-the-premises for all Tasmanians for the National Broadband Network. This promise was confirmed my Malcolm Turnbull on 17 August 2013and confirmed as broken by the NBN Co executive chairman Ziggy Switkowski on 13 February 2014.

10. Breaks a promise to introduce the paid parental leave scheme he took to the election on 30 April 2014 by reducing the promised benefit for those earning above $100 000.

11. Breaks promise of “no cuts to the ABC or SBS” by cutting $43.5 million from the ABC and SBS.

12. Breaks a promise of “no new taxes” by introducing a deficit tax rise of two percentage points for people earning more than $180,000 a year.

13. Announced to sacking of 16,500 public sector workers as whole Departments are abolished despite promising only 12,000 job losses and through natural attrition.

14. Breaks a promise of “no new taxes” by introducing a fuel levy.

15. Reduction in foreign aid budget of $7.9 billion over five years despite promise to not exceed $4.5 billion and cut via indexation.

16. Increases the pension age to 70 from 2035 after promising last month that changes to indexation and pension age would come in three years.

17. Cuts to old age pension by indexing to CPI, while it was promised there would be no changes.

18. Scraps The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) which was set up to support new and emerging renewable technologies and in doing so breaks an election promise.

19. Tears up Federal Government’s agreement with states and territories to help fund increasing health costs despite promise of no cuts to health.

20. Breaks a promise to make no cuts to health with a $368 million cut from preventative health measures.

21. Reduces the Medicare benefit for optometry services and allows optometrists to charge more, despite promise to not cut health budget.

22. Axes the Charles Sturt University’s dental and oral health clinics, despite promise to not cut health budget.

23. Abolishes Medicare locals, despite promise to not cut health budget.

24. Breaks a promise to spend $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund by committing less than half this amount in the budget.

25. Breaks a promise to have one million more solar roofs across Australia and at least 25 solar towns.

26. Breaks a promise not to cuts funding to health by dramatically cutting hospital funding.

27. Breaks election promise and slashes funding to Landcare

28. Breaks promise that no public servants will be forced into redundancyafter revelations that two public servants in the Department of Industry have been made involuntarily redundantsince September.

29. Breaks promise that no public servants will be forced into redundancy as it is revealed that at least 30 staff in Treasury will be made involuntarily redundant.

link

Some of the health and education cuts have really irked off many Australians.

Tax changes always irk of many Australians. Good effort by the author though, that must have been time consuming.

And Pollies always make promises they cannot keep. But at least we are doing actual politics now, and the schoolyard battles for the big seat are hopefully done and dusted.

The one thing Liberal has over Labor is they can say they have not killed any Australians. It always amazed me that people voted for a party that actually killed of some countrymen by being lousy at their job. Seems a pretty big red flag to me.

It's not perfect, I think anyone will agree with that, but at least we have grown ups back in Parliament.

Edited July 8, 2014 by psyche101

[psyche101]

In any dictionary an illustrated example of appropriate facepalm would have to include this - and from a man who claims to spend time in indigenous communities regularly no less.

*facepalm*

I like it, it shows he is very much human.

That was the best thing about Joh's era - the interviews with Jana Wendt. Damn funny TV that.

[libstaK]

I like it, it shows he is very much human.

That was the best thing about Joh's era - the interviews with Jana Wendt. Damn funny TV that.

What it shows to me is that he is shallow and disingenuous, he is playing to the audience when he makes his little expeditions into indigenous communities and cares not one wit for them or their place in Australia's history. Every time he speaks without a written and carefully worded speech to work with he outs himself and his true colours.

[psyche101]

What it shows to me is that he is shallow and disingenuous, he is playing to the audience when he makes his little expeditions into indigenous communities and cares not one wit for them or their place in Australia's history. Every time he speaks without a written and carefully worded speech to work with he outs himself and his true colours.

I am afraid that is just pure nonsense.

For any person who is not indigenous, to claim one fully understand the traditions and dreamtime are kidding themselves. If one actually has a good look at the traditions they require concepts that Western Culture cannot possibly fathom. That is why some complete idiots try to re-write this important chapter in History for a fast buck, invoking Aliens or some other entirely stupid idea to explain something they cannot possibly understand. I completely believe one has to spend time with an Indigenous family to so much as gain an inkling into the indigenous way of life. I have been fortunate enough to have a Koori person in my family, and have become firm friends, and have been asking her questions and listening to her for a good 20 years. It haas taken that long to work out we cannot work this out with out background. She also studied at Batchelor Indigenous University for some years.

As such, it would be much more disrespectful for Tony to pretend that he understands. But I would say he knows a great deal more than you realise, having served time as the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs. I do not see any validity in claims against him such as the time when he labelled Ken Wyatt (the first Indigenous Australian in the House of Representatives) as "Urban" which Ken did not seem to mind, but which Kens Nephew took offence to, considering his Uncle a "man of culture" and that was what the papers focused upon. Storm in a B cup.

To say he does not care for the indigenous is patently ridiculous, he is responsible for the very first Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, (Senator the Hon. Nigel Scullion), he also flew to Alice Springs to back Aboriginal Country Liberal Party MLA Alison Anderson to run in the federal seat of Lingiari and become the first indigenous woman to enter Parliament, Noel Pearson heralded his bill that would reverse the injustice of Wild Rivers laws and he completely supported Rudd's apology speech, and during the passage of the Gillard Government's historic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Bill through the House of Representatives in 2013, Abbott said:

Australia is a blessed country. Our climate, our land, our people, our institutions rightly make us the envy of the earth, except for one thing—we have never fully made peace with the First Australians. This is the stain on our soul that Prime Minister Keating so movingly evoked at Redfern 21 years ago. We have to acknowledge that pre-1788 this land was as Aboriginal then as it is Australian now. Until we have acknowledged that we will be an incomplete nation and a torn people ... So our challenge is to do now in these times what should have been done 200 or 100 years ago to acknowledge Aboriginal people in our country's foundation document. In short, we need to atone for the omissions and for the hardness of heart of our forebears to enable us all to embrace the future as a united people.

He still visits the Indigenous communities on a regular basis because he is keeping a promise that he made before becoming PM, during his time as Shadow Minister, he volunteered as a teacher in remote Aboriginal Communities and gave a commitment to continue to live one week a year in such communities if elected Prime Minister. And looking back, when he was Health Minister he established the Nurse Family Partnership to improve conditions for indigenous youths as well.

Honestly, what more can one expect? He has an active interest in assisting the Indigenous, and is making it happen. I feel you are far too harsh, and have not taken the above benevolent acts into account. Everybody make a blunder, that is human I feel I can say wit all certainty, that every single person on this board has made blunders too. I do not know any other PM that has put this much effort into Indigenous Affairs.

And in fact, the "unsettled" comment was taken out of context anyway, as media likes to do in order to create controversy so they sell many papers and can feed their families. It was referring specifically to foreign investment. And without doubt, Britain was the first Foreign Investor in Australia. I feel it is wrong to hang him, based on the poor interpretation of some halfwit reporter. The best way to get the facts wrong is tell them to a reporter. Science has been complaining about that for as long as both science and journalists have existed.

Anyone who is not conversant with Indigenous lifestyles I feel has no place in putting him on trial with regards to a culture we simply do not understand, and only see sensationalist headlines about.