Brits, Take It from an Aussie: If Tony Abbott Is Your Solution, You've Got Big Problems

THE GUARDIAN: Our former PM has not only made deeply sexist remarks, he’s also inept – and unsuited to be anyone’s trade envoy

It’s true that Tony Abbott was a highly effective opposition leader.

Between 2013 and 2015, he was involved in enough domestic scandals, international embarrassments and local protests to damage the reputation of a sitting Australian prime minister.

Alas for Abbott, he was prime minister himself at the time.

We Australians have been obliged to reflect on the qualities of our former conservative “Liberal” leader at the prompting of the British. For reasons that are inexplicable to us, Abbott has been given the role of trade adviser by Boris Johnson’s government.

The task ahead is to skilfully create for Britain a post-Brexit trade environment. The nation must replace a forsaken European common market membership with international exchanges that are profitable, advantageous and – fingers crossed! – don’t result in too much visible pus in the food.

I can only imagine someone in the appointment process believed the whole endeavour is destined to fail and only a fool would take the job. In that case, Britain, fair enough: Abbott romps it home on both fronts. » | Van Badham | Friday, September 4, 2020

Former Australian PM Tony Abbott Confirmed as UK Trade Adviser

THE GUARDIAN: Critics say Abbott’s views on women and homosexuality and the climate crisis make him unfit for role

Boris Johnson has appointed Tony Abbott as an official UK trade adviser, defying widespread condemnation of the former Australian prime minister’s record of misogyny and homophobia and his views on the climate emergency.

Abbott, whose consideration for the role prompted criticism from opposition parties, charities and LGBT and environmental activists, is among nine external advisers appointed to the Board of Trade. The board, revived by Theresa May, is intended to help shape post-Brexit trade policy.

Liz Truss, the international trade secretary, who declined to defend Abbott’s views when asked about them in a TV interview last week, said the advisers were “a diverse group of people who share Britain’s belief in free enterprise, democracy and high standards and rules-based trade”. » | Peter Walker and Kevin Rawlinson | Friday, September 4, 2020

Tony Abbott Has Called for a Religious Reformation of Islam

NEWS.COM.AU: TONY Abbott has controversially called for a religious “reformation” of Islam, labelling it as a “culture” that “thinks you can kill in the name of God”.

The former Prime Minister made the comments in a wide-ranging interview on the Paul Murray Live program on Sky News.

Mr Abbott said not only did there need to be a military offensive, but also a “hearts and mind” offensive to tackle the rise of radical Islam while also calling for Australians to have greater confidence in Western civilisation. » | Emily Moulton | News.com.au | Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Tony Abbott: 'Love Your Neighbour Leading Europe to Catastrophic Error' (Tony Abbott Delivers 2015 Margaret Thatcher Lecture)

During his Margaret Thatcher lecture at London’s Guildhall on Tuesday night, former prime minister Tony Abbott invokes the biblical commandment to ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’ but goes on to say that: ‘no country can open its borders to all comers without fundamentally weakening itself’

Malcolm Turnbull Sworn In as Outgoing PM Tony Abbott Lashes Out in Emotional Farewell Speech

Outgoing Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott attacks "treachery" of fellow Liberal MPs and the media but pledges not to undermine the new leader Malcolm Turnbull

Read the Telegraph article here | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott Ousted by Staunch Republican Malco[l]m Turnbull

Tony Abbott speaks during a press conference in the Blue Room,
at Parliament House in Canberra

THE TELEGRAPH: Millionaire lawyer Malcolm Turnbull defeats controversial Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott in a matter of hours just two years into his term

Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has been ousted in a stunning coup by self-made millionaire Malcom Turnbull continuing the nation’s five-year run of leadership swaps.

Winning a 54 to 44 Liberal party-room vote in Canberra on Monday, Mr Turnbull, 60, promised to unite the party and the nation with a new style of leadership that “respects the people’s intelligence”. The deputy Liberal leader, Julie Bishop, backed Mr Turnbull and easily won back her position in a 70 to 30 vote against cabinet minister Kevin Andrews.

The former Rhodes Scholar and investment banker holds more progressive political views than Mr Abbott, an ardent conservative and monarchist, but immediately signalled he will restrain his own personal support for same[-]sex marriage and strong action on climate change.

“This will be a thoroughly Liberal government committed to freedom, the individual and the market,” he said. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Monday, September 14, 2015

Push to Make Australia a Republic Is 'Doomed,' Says Prime Minister Tony Abbott

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

THE TELEGRAPH: The Australian leader has dismissed calls to remove the Queen as head of state

Australia's Prime Minister has dismissed calls for the country to become a republic, in spite of his own treasurer leading the cross-party campaign.

Conservative leader Tony Abbott insisted that efforts to resurrect a push for Australia to become a republic were "doomed" and said he doubted the Australian people would support the campaign.

Its torchbearer, Treasurer Joe Hockey, is leading a bipartisan lobbying group which has called for a plebiscite to be held by 2020 on having an Australian head of state. » | James Rothwell | Thursday, August 27, 2015

Australia PM Tony Abbott Urges Regional Action against IS

Australia has introduced new national security measures
including criminalising travel to terror hotspots

BBC AMERICA: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has urged Asia Pacific nations to fight jihadist groups, saying Islamic State (IS) has global ambitions.

At a conference in Sydney on countering terrorist propaganda, he said IS was a death cult with far-reaching tentacles.

Australia says more than 100 of its citizens are fighting with militant jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq.

Last year, Australia raised its threat level to high and has conducted a series of counter-terrorism raids.

The two-day regional security summit includes ministers from 25 countries and executives from Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites.

"Daesh [IS] is coming, if it can, for every person and for every government with a simple message: 'Submit or die','" Mr Abbott said in his opening remarks. "You can't negotiate with an entity like this, you can only fight it."

"This is not terrorism for a local grievance, this is terrorism with global ambitions." » | Thursday, June 11, 2015

'A Crime Is a Crime Is a Crime': Tony Abbott Warns No Mercy for Remorseful Jihadis

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Remorseful jihadis who have joined Islamic State but want to return home will be welcomed back only to a jail cell, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned.

Three Australians who have joined Islamic State in Syria or Iraq are in talks with the government about potentially returning home.

Officials are suspicious about whether the trio is genuinely reformed and the immediate danger they could pose for embassy staff in the event they were assisted in coming back to Australia.

Mr Abbott said the men would be "arrested, prosecuted and jailed" should they return home, because they could easily "become a terrorist in Australia".

"A crime is a crime is a crime," Mr Abbott said. » | Latika Bourke, Marissa Calligeros | Tuesday, May 19, 2015

New Dark Age Alert! The Hon Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia: National Security Statement 2015

Please note the Prime Minister of Australia’s reference to a “New Dark Age”! People are slowly coming round to the reality that the “New Dark Age” of which I wrote many years ago has indeed already DAWNED.

Eat your heart out, Mr. Obama! In your refusal to refer to ‘radical Islam’, you are fast becoming an IRRELEVANCE! – Mark

I refer you to my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age, which was first published in 2003!

JIHAD WATCH: Australia: Muslims outraged at PM’s “aggressive rhetoric against Muslims” » | Robert Spencer | Thursday, February 26, 2015

Is Tony Abbott's Australian Administration the Most Hostile to His Nation's Environment in History?

THE INDEPENDENT: Shark culling, dumping on the Great Barrier Reef and the felling of Tasmanian forests have made the country an ‘international laughing stock’, environmentalists say

In Western Australia, endangered great white sharks are being slaughtered. In Queensland, dredging spoil is to be dumped on the Great Barrier Reef. In Tasmania, ancient forests – harbouring some of the planet’s tallest trees – are in danger of being stripped of their World Heritage listing.

Australians could be forgiven for wondering if the federal government they elected last September is the most conservation-hostile in living memory.

Critics warn that moves by Tony Abbott and his Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, will not only degrade the country’s most outstanding natural assets, but make Australia an international laughing-stock. The UN has already threatened to list the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger” when its World Heritage watchdog committee meets in Qatar in June.

Compounding the right-wing government’s apparent disregard for Australia’s unique environment, say conservationists and scientists, is its resistance to any meaningful action to tackle climate change.

Mr Abbott has axed three key agencies, including one which supported private investment in renewable energy. So contemptuous is he of the science behind climate change – of any science, for that matter – that he has not even bothered appointing a science minister. » | Kathy Marks in Sydney | Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Tony Abbott to Be New Australian Prime Minster after 'Landslide Win'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's conservative leader Tony Abbott swept into office today in a landslide election after incumbent prime minister Kevin Rudd conceded defeat.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday called a clear win for the Abbott-led opposition party over Mr Rudd's Labour in national polls.

"The coalition is on a pretty secure 74 seats already. On that basis they're going to get a majority. I think we can say the government has been defeated," Antony Green, the state broadcaster's election analyst, said.

Meanwhile a government minister said her party had lost the election. Health Minister Tanya Plibersek told ABC after 13 percent of the votes were counted that her government's loss was no longer in doubt.

She said: "I am a cautious person by nature, but I think that it's pretty clear it's a matter of the size of the victory" for the conservative Liberal Party-led alliance.

The apparent victory by Australia’s British-born opposition leader would mark a dramatic return to power for the conservative Liberal-National party after six years of shaky Labour rule. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Saturday, September 07, 2013

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tony Abbott wins, but does Australia care?: Australians have elected Tony Abbott with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, writes Andrew Mueller » | Andrew Mueller | Saturday, September 07, 2013

Conservatives Poised to Win Australian Votes

Australians go to the polls on Saturday for an election that is likely to see a new government elected

Parlamentswahlen: Australier wählen: "Dr. Death" oder "Dr. No"?

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Die Australier entscheiden bei den Parlamentswahlen am Samstag zwischen einem Bücherwurm und einer Sportskanone, zwischen dem fließend chinesisch sprechenden Ex- Diplomaten Kevin Rudd (55, li. im Bild) und dem Ex- Priesteranwärter Tony Abbott (55, re. im Bild). Rudd von der linken Labor- Partei gibt gerne den souveränen Social- Media- Fan, der fleißig postet und twittert. Abbott macht mehr auf alten Charme - Flirten mit Kandidatinnen inbegriffen. Abbott hat mit seiner konservativen Koalition nach Umfragen die Nase vorn.

Beide Politiker teilen gerne aus, besonders im Wahlkampf. Rudd sei "dünnhäutig", lästert Abbott, und verliert in einer Debatte dann kurzzeitig selbst die Contenance: "Hält der Kerl irgendwann auch mal die Klappe?", schnauzt er in Brisbane, als Rudd das Mikrofon nur für sich beansprucht. Abbott sei "arrogant", hält Rudd dagegen. "Er leidet wohl an Gedächtnisschwund", sagt er abfällig an anderer Stelle. » | AG/red | Dienstag, 03. September 2013

Australian Election: Tony Abbott in Fresh Sexism Row

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tony Abbott, Australia's opposition leader, has added to long-running concerns about his attitudes towards women after he described a young female candidate as "feisty" with "a bit of sex appeal".

Standing alongside his daughter - who appeared to wince - Mr Abbott made his remarks in response to a query about the local Liberal party candidate, Fiona Scott, and her predecessor, Jackie Kelly.

"They're young, they're feisty, I think I can probably say have a bit of sex appeal, and they are just very very connected to the local area," he said.

The comment triggered an awkward smile from Ms Scott, who was whisked away before the travelling media pack could reach her. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Australian Election: Tony Abbott Hits Bum Note

Tony Abbott, Australia's opposition leader, has triggered a wave of scatological jokes with an unfortunate slip-up, declaring that no one can be a "suppository of all wisdom".

Read the article here | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Monday, August 12, 2013

Tony Abbott Woos Sydney's Muslims

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has used his first set speech on the campaign trail to appeal to western Sydney's Muslim community.

Mr Abbott spoke at a dinner hosted by Auburn Council to mark "Iftar", or the fast-breaking meal at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan.

In front of more than 100 people, at the Westella Renaissance Hotel in Lidcombe, Mr Abbott praised multiculturalism as a "heroic dimension to our national history".

"[Our] multiculturalism is a beacon of hope to a troubled and divided world," he said. "People from all around the four corners of this earth have come to this country of ours to be welcomed by us and to build a better life in freedom, for themselves and their children."

The audience included a number of Australian Muslim leaders, including the Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohammad, and diplomatic representatives from countries with large Muslim populations such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, India and Lebanon. » | James Robertson | Monday, August 05, 2013

Bernardi Tests Abbott's Patience by Backing Dutch MP Geert Wilders

THE AUSTRALIAN: COALITION Senator Cory Bernardi tested the patience of his parliamentary leader Tony Abbott by affirming his support for Dutch MP Geert Wilders, who has been forced to cancel a speaking engagement in Perth because no venue was willing to provide him a stage.

Senator Bernardi, whom Wilders this week described as an old friend, had distanced himself from the anti-Islam campaigner since late last year, when he was given a visa to visit Australia. However, the cancellation of Wilders' tour date today prompted the Senator to lament the "double standard" of free speech in Australia.

"Dutch politician Geert Wilders' public speaking tour has run into constant problems as venues continue to pull out or refuse to host his events," Senator Bernardi wrote to subscribers of his weekly "common sense" newsletter. "In such a tolerant and open society like Australia, why is it so difficult to accommodate a speaking tour by a member of the Dutch parliament who has a different perspective?" » | Chip Le Grand | The Australian | Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Related »

Dutch MP Geert Wilders Substantially Wrong about Islam, Tony Abbott Says
AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVE: “There are very few lessons that Holland has to teach Australia when it comes to the integration of newcomers,” federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said on Melbourne radio 3AW today.

Asked by 3AW presenter Neil Mitchell if visiting Dutch MP Geert Wilders was wrong about Islam, Mr Abbott said: » | AC | Wednesday, February 20, 2013

My comment:

Tony Abbott's IGNORANCE of Islam is truly astonishing. How has this man become a leader of a party with this level of ignorance? He would do well to inform himself of the nature of Islam. The future of his still free country depends on it.

I am not an Australian, but were I to be, with the level of ignorance he has shown about the greatest threat to world democracy, I should NEVER vote for him.

He would do well to listen to Geert Wilders. Wilders completely understands the problems we are facing. Abbott can take Geert’s words to the bank. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Gillard Labels Abbott a Misogynist
Julia Gillard has used a call by Tony Abbott for the Government to remove Peter Slipper as Speaker to attack the Opposition Leader for hypocrisy, labelling him a misogynist.