The Fall and Fall of Tony Abbott

Alternatly I was going to title this post: The perils of boxing as a young man. For only its many blows to the head, affecting his internal sense of balance can explain Tony Abbot's strange claims tonight:

TONY ABBOTT has attacked any taxpayer-funded paid maternity scheme that delivers more help to working mothers than stay-at-home mums.
In response to today's Productivity Commission recommendation of a new taxpayer-funded scheme offering 18 weeks' paid leave to working mums, the Opposition families spokesman told The Australian Online he is concerned that women not in the paid workforce will miss out.

"I have real issues with the government giving women in the paid workforce more than they give mothers in the unpaid workforce,” Mr Abbott said.

"I don't think stay-at-home mothers should be classed as second hand citizens."

The draft maternity leave report recommends 18 weeks of paid leave at the minimum wage for working women - about $11,000 for every child. Women not in the workforce would only secure the equivalent to the baby bonus of about $5000.

It would cost $1.3 billion or a net cost of about $400 million after the baby bonus was abolished and the savings rolled into the new scheme.

Right, because getting $5'000 to do exactly what you were doing previously, is the sign of a "second-class citizen".

Abbott is someone i've always peversely liked, much to the annoyance of my more left wing friends. I may disagree with just about everything he says, but he is someone who holds clear, passionate views about improving the country. He rarely uses his faith as an argument for his positions (the RU-486 was a notable slip up). And he is involved in many organisations servicng their causes, from the volunteer firemen through to local charities. He's smart, articulate, and ambitious.

But he has a political tin ear. That he has risen so highly is slightly amazing until you see the mentors behind his rise, first Hewson as an advisor, then later Howard who pushed him all the way into the Cabinet. Indeed you have to wager Howard was seeking to groom Abbott to take over instead of Costello, but a combination of Costello's supporters, Howards own love of the job, and Abbotts faltering political skills (only barely helping electorally despite the billions thrown into the 2004 'medicare plus' policy, the Ru-486 debacle, and numerous other slip ups. By the time he was insulting Roxon on mike for the 2007 election, everyone knew his fall from grace was complete.) Time after time, he has either failed to take advantage of issues, or made himself out to be the bad guy in a situtation, even if many in the community would agree with his position.

In 2003, Michael Duffy wrote one of the best books on Mark Latham. In perhaps his wisest move he made it a duel book about Latham, and Abbott.


Unless Tony's out rallying forces now against Turbull, it's likely Abbott will never be PM. And thats probably in the countries best interest, but for someone with so much obvious talent and genuine public service, it's intriguing to see so much of the damage to their career being entirely self-inflicted. Tonight's effort, which even The Australian(!) is slamming him for, is just one more highlight on his fall.