Opinion

Tony Abbott boxes clever, but can he KO Kevin?

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was on pretty safe ground when he visited Mt St Thomas Public School yesterday.

He only had to read yesterday's Illawarra Mercury to gauge the level of anger displayed by parents over the shortcomings of the school's $2.5 million hall being built and funded through the Rudd government's $14.7 billion Building the Education Revolution program.

They are furious that despite the multimillion-dollar expenditure, the new hall will not be big enough to accommodate the entire student body, while another school down the road got a bigger hall for half the price.

Like any good politician, he made the most of his half-hour visit. But really, who could blame him?

It is becoming evident that the schools building program has become the most wasteful of all the Government's so-called stimulus packages and the normally pugnacious Abbott is gleefully throwing political punches in all directions.

With an election looming at the end of the year, Mr Rudd has already taken a few hefty body blows, especially over the disastrous free home insulation scheme, which has cost lives and caused property damage.

The once-invincible Prime Minister is looking decidedly punch-drunk, but it remains to be seen whether Mr Abbott can deliver a knockout blow.

Posted By: Editorial on 21/03/2010 3:16:00 PM | Comments (4)

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What on earth is the pugnacious anti-everything Abbott on about now? He apparently thinks that the future welfare of Australia and her people is nothing more than some sort of political game for him to play for his own selfish fun. Abbott, listen to the wisdom of Sir Robert Menzies viz. “... the duty of an Opposition ... is not just to oppose for opposition’s sake, but to oppose selectively. No Government is always wrong on everything, whatever the critics may say. The Opposition must choose the ground on which it is to attack. ..." Abbott, the head-kicking attack dog, is about to debate health. A debate is between two points of view - but Abbott says that he won't "reveal" his point of view and that all he has to do is to question the other debater! The mind boggles! Though one can just see another "silly" (to use Peter Costello's word) thought bubble emanating from Abbott at the 11th hour. So sad ...

Posted by JudyS, 21/03/2010 8:34:19 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

Well Judy aren,t you a victim of the Labor lies. Here you are attacking an individual and party, who are not in government and are trying to hold these incompetent fools to account for the waste and mismanagement of YOURS an MY taxes on the insulation debarcle, the rorts involved in the BER scheme and God help us when theNBN is rolled out at a staggering $45 billion.These dropkicks are bringing this great nation to it,s knees and all people are concerned about are Abbotts speedos. Time to wake up to yourself Judy.

Posted by nf, 22/03/2010 8:44:17 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

"What on earth is the pugnacious anti-everything Abbott on about now?". You are kidding, right? What he is on about Judy is $2.5million of taxpayer funds being spent on a hall too small to accommodate the whole student body when a structure that would have done so could have been built for the same or less money. Its called waste Judy. This is the sort of thing that Opposition leaders of all political colours should bring to the attention of taxpayers, or do you think he should just say nothing about such an inefficient outlay of public funds? And the "future welfare of Austrlia" you mention will in part rely heavily on governments getting the absolute maximum benefit for the people from every taxpayer dollar that is spent.

Posted by Suburban Boy, 22/03/2010 9:02:54 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

Well, I am heartened by the comments I have read so far in that the absolute waste of the taxpayers money in very inefficient schemes by K Rudd and his cohorts has not gone unnoticed by most people. The spending to see Australia through the GFC is one thing. To now spend more good money after bad to try and fix the debarcles caused (e.g the home insulation mess) is an absolute crime. My children and my grandchildren (and I don't have any grandchildren, yet!) will be paying extra for the Rudd Government's recklessness for many years, if not decades, to come. Tony Abbott understands this only too well. Keep it up Tony

Posted by TonyvK, 25/03/2010 3:58:30 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

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