Craig Hill Media and Consulting
Tony Abbott
China concerned about Australian opposition leader; possible future leader
If the polls are right, conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott will be Australia’s next prime minister. Abbott goes into tomorrow’s election with little-to-no foreign policy experience, and throughout the campaign he offered few clues to his approach – especially regarding Australia’s crucial relationship with China. But strategic experts are pinning their hopes on Abbott emulating … Continue reading
Australian government focus on jobs, training ahead of election
Officially launching Labor’s campaign, Kevin Rudd has urged voters to choose the ALP at this Saturday’s election to save jobs and protect family budgets from Tony Abbott’s cuts. Warnings about the Opposition Leader featured heavily in the Prime Minister’s speech – a crucial address, especially given there are just five days left in the campaign. … Continue reading
Australian opposition leader refuses legal aid for asylum seekers
A Coalition plan to deny asylum seekers the right to free legal advice would result in refugees being wrongly returned to countries where they are fleeing persecution, lawyers and human rights advocates warn. In the latest addition to Tony Abbott‘s border protection strategy, the Coalition announced on Saturday that asylum seekers who arrive by boat … Continue reading
Australian opposition leader describes burqa as “confronting”
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has confessed to finding the burqa “confronting” while defending Liberal candidate Ray King for describing the Islamic attire as a “sign of oppression”. Asked whether he supported the statements by Mr King, who drew a link between the burqa and criminality at a fund-raiser, Mr Abbott admitted he found it “a … Continue reading
Australia’s opposition leader unfit for international diplomacy
Kevin Rudd has attacked Tony Abbott‘s character, questioning whether he has the temperament and judgment to handle international crises such as the human rights atrocities in Syria. After switching his campaign focus to diplomacy and national security, the Prime Minister last night used the unfolding events in Damascus to skewer the Opposition Leader over his … Continue reading
Indonesia says Australian opposition party unfriendly, insulting
Australian opposition party leader Tony Abbott‘s plan to buy boats from Indonesian fishermen to prevent the vessels being used by people smugglers has been slammed by Jakarta as unfriendly and an insult to Indonesia. The buyback plan has met with heavy resistance in Jakarta, with a senior member of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono‘s ruling Coalition … Continue reading
Australian Opposition leader shows sexism once again
No one wants to hear politicians talk about sex. Tony Abbott should have known this when he compared the Liberal candidate for the marginal seat of Lindsay, Fiona Scott, with her successful predecessor, Jackie Kelly. He said: ”They’re young, they’re feisty and, I think I can probably say, have a bit of sex appeal.” No, … Continue reading
Australian government will legalise gay marriage if reelected
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Monday it was time to end the “acrimonious” debate on gay marriage, after he vowed to introduce a bill legalising same-sex unions if returned to office. If re-elected on September 7, Rudd said Labor would introduce a bill within 100 days, becoming the first Australian leader to promise to … Continue reading
Australian government recruits Obama’s social media team
The Australian Labor Party’s recruitment of “Team Obama’s” campaign heavyweights and “digital attacks dogs” for the upcoming election campaign is no surprise. Political parties around the globe, with varying degrees of success, are embracing social media because they have seen what it can do. According to the Pew Internet Project’s Civic Engagement in the Digital Age … Continue reading
Australian election set for September 7th
Australians will go to the polls on September 7 after Kevin Rudd today fired the starting gun on a five-week election campaign. Mr Rudd said voters faced a stark choice. ”This election will be about who the Australian people trust to best lead them through the economic challenges ahead,” the Prime Minister said. ”This will … Continue reading
Australia neglects Aboriginal crisis for asylum seekers
Tony Abbott‘s indigenous affairs spokesman Nigel Scullion has attacked both sides of politics for an obsession with “boats” over indigenous Australians, arguing the bigger crisis was with closing the gap. In comments that criticise the current focus on border security, the Northern Territory senator said he thought this issue should have a higher priority. Senator … Continue reading
Papua New Guinea attacks Australian opposition party for disrespect
Papua New Guinea has warned Australian politicians to show it more respect, a day after Opposition Leader Tony Abbott went on the attack over foreign aid flowing to the country. Mr Abbott had accused Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of subcontracting out the nation’s aid program to PNG as part of the asylum seeker processing deal, … Continue reading
Australian government fears conflict with Indonesia under opposition asylum policy
Australia’s Opposition Immigration spokesman Scott Morrison has called on Kevin Rudd to refrain from “desperate and reckless” attempts to draw Indonesia into the domestic political argument over asylum seekers when he visits later this week. Mr Rudd, who is this week due to meet Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, on Friday warned of “some sort … Continue reading
Major Australian newspaper calls for Prime Minister to resign
The following is today’s editorial from Melbourne’s The Age newspaper: It is time for Julia Gillard to stand aside as leader of the federal parliamentary Labor Party, as Prime Minister of Australia, so that vigorous, policy-driven democratic debate can flourish once again. Ms Gillard should do so in the interests of the Labor Party, in … Continue reading
Indonesia won’t agree to Australian plan to turn back asylum boats
Indonesia’s ambassador to Australia has ruled out agreeing to the coalition’s boat turnback policy, declaring no such collaboration will occur. Ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema said Indonesia would welcome Tony Abbott or whoever leads Australia after the September election. But he said asylum seeker boats should be turned back to other countries, not to Indonesia. “Indonesia … Continue reading
The hidden costs of Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme
You do not have to own a building to get naming rights. You just have to be the biggest tenant. So it is with DisabilityCare, the national disability insurance scheme. The Prime Minister wants naming rights so she promises a levy, starting next year, to part fund it. And Tony Abbott was not about to … Continue reading
Australian university allows sex segregation at Islamic events
Australian opposition party leader Tony Abbott has condemned Melbourne University for allowing gender segregation at on-campus Islamic events, branding the practice “a leap back into the dark ages.” “I just think it’s un-Australian what’s happened here and I can’t understand for a second why Melbourne University would tolerate it,” the Opposition Leader said. “I would … Continue reading
Australia to investigate one million foreign workers in fraud crackdown
The Department of Immigration will hand over the records of one million temporary visa holders to the Australian Tax Office to identify fraud and visa rorts, in a massive data-matching operation. The exercise will target the holders of 27 temporary visa types including skilled “457 visa” workers, students, backpackers and foreign sports people playing in … Continue reading
Australia says asylum seeker boat arrival not a new people smuggling strategy
Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor believes an asylum-seeker vessel that made it to the mainland is an exception, and does not herald a new strategy by people-smugglers. The Sri Lankan navy has warned the vessel’s arrival in the West Australian port of Geraldton will encourage more people to take the dangerous voyage, believing they can evade … Continue reading
Australian navy chief says Opposition’s plan to resume turning back asylum seeker boats is dangerous
The navy chief responsible for turning back asylum boats under the Howard government has warned that any decision to reintroduce the policy would be “dangerous stuff” for all concerned. David Shackleton said the Coalition should be under no illusion that such a policy would lead asylum-seekers to sabotage their boats, jump overboard and do whatever … Continue reading
Australian expert warns of more asylum seeker deaths at sea unless changes made
The Australian governments own immigration expert Paris Aristotle says it is ”absolutely certain” there will be more asylum-seeker deaths at sea unless the government implements the full suite of measures recommended to it last year. In the wake of the deaths of two asylum-seekers this week Mr Aristotle, who is currently visiting the Nauru detention … Continue reading
Australian opposition party says asylum-seeker bridging visa system is out of control
Tony Abbott insists the government needs to do more to monitor asylum-seekers who he says are just “disappearing” into the community. Backing comments by his immigration spokesman Scott Morrison, the Opposition Leader said not enough was being done to keep tabs on asylum-seekers released from immigration detention on bridging visas – a claim denied by … Continue reading
Aboriginal recognition bill passes lower house in Australia
Parliament has taken another stride toward reconciliation on the fifth anniversary of the national apology to the stolen generation, as campaigners urged MPs on both sides not to give up. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott put aside politics on Wednesday as the lower house passed legislation to create an Act of … Continue reading
Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott backs away from ‘move north’ plan
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is backing away from a draft coalition discussion paper proposing incentives and beneficial tax rates to encourage people to move to northern Australia. However, the plan – described as “wacky” by Labor – has received support from several premiers and Nationals members as well as maverick Queensland MP Bob Katter. The … Continue reading
Australian Prime Minister urged to use Kevin Rudd in election campaign
Pressure is growing on Julia Gillard to exploit Kevin Rudd‘s popularity with the electorate and elevate his role in the election campaign, with four members of her cabinet now publicly declaring that the former prime minister is an asset for the party. Two of the Prime Minister’s key supporters, Victorian Right faction powerbrokers Stephen Conroy … Continue reading
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