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| Tony Abbott says US election shows 'we shouldn't be ruled by polls' | Tony Abbott says US election shows 'we shouldn't be ruled by polls' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Tony Abbott has said the election of Donald Trump as US president should be a wake-up call for Australia, proving it needs a strong centre-right leader. | Tony Abbott has said the election of Donald Trump as US president should be a wake-up call for Australia, proving it needs a strong centre-right leader. |
| But he praised Malcolm Turnbull for becoming a more “orthodox” centre-right prime minister since the election, pointing as evidence to Turnbull’s policies on coal and renewable energy. | But he praised Malcolm Turnbull for becoming a more “orthodox” centre-right prime minister since the election, pointing as evidence to Turnbull’s policies on coal and renewable energy. |
| Speaking on the ABC Radio National on Friday, Abbott said recent political events showed the danger of paying too much attention to polls. | Speaking on the ABC Radio National on Friday, Abbott said recent political events showed the danger of paying too much attention to polls. |
| He said many voters had stopped being upfront with pollsters because they did not want to be excoriated for not being politically correct. | |
| “The UK election last year, the Brexit vote and the Trump vote are a good sign that we should not be ruled by polls,” Abbott said. | “The UK election last year, the Brexit vote and the Trump vote are a good sign that we should not be ruled by polls,” Abbott said. |
| When Turnbull deposed Abbott in September last year he noted that the Coalition had “lost 30 Newspolls in a row”. | When Turnbull deposed Abbott in September last year he noted that the Coalition had “lost 30 Newspolls in a row”. |
| Abbott said Trump’s election demonstrated that voters wanted a leader who would get things done, regardless of his personal failings. | Abbott said Trump’s election demonstrated that voters wanted a leader who would get things done, regardless of his personal failings. |
| “In the end people are not voting for a role model or a saint, they’re voting for a leader,” he said. | “In the end people are not voting for a role model or a saint, they’re voting for a leader,” he said. |
| He warned voters who were unhappy with conventional standard bearers in modern politics would look for alternatives, and “this is something that mainstream politicians ignore at their peril”. | |
| “If you don’t have a strong centre-right party ... people who are looking for what might broadly be described as conservative positions will find other voices to represent them. | |
| In that context, he said, Turnbull had made some positive policy changes since the election. | |
| “It’s quite interesting, ... that if you actually listen to the prime minister, there’s been a lot less talk about innovation and agility and the new economy, a lot more talk about national security and border security, a lot more talk about cost of living and the need to reject Labor’s 50% renewable energy target, which will result in a $50bn overbuild of surplus power capacity and everyone will be paying that through their power bills. | |
| “There’s been a lot more talk about the problems inside the Labor Party and union corruption. | |
| “So what you’ve seen from Malcolm Turnbull post-election is a much more orthodox centre-right leader.” | |
| He said the government must continue to resist unnecessary attacks on the cost of living. | |
| “And the most obvious and unnecessary attack on your cost of living right now is what Labor is doing to your power bills through renewable energy and its assault on the coal industry.” | |
| He vigorously endorsed the latest push to overhaul section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which he had abandoned when he was prime minister because of the public backlash, and described the Human Rights Commission as “a pretty crook organisation”. | He vigorously endorsed the latest push to overhaul section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which he had abandoned when he was prime minister because of the public backlash, and described the Human Rights Commission as “a pretty crook organisation”. |
| He said 18C was a “bad, bad law” and recent actions against a group of Queensland university students and cartoonist Bill Leak were outrageous. | He said 18C was a “bad, bad law” and recent actions against a group of Queensland university students and cartoonist Bill Leak were outrageous. |
| He said people had been hauled before the “thought-police” and made to feel “un-Australian” because they had spoken their minds. | He said people had been hauled before the “thought-police” and made to feel “un-Australian” because they had spoken their minds. |
| “We are not precious little flowers in this country,” he said. The best antidote to something people found offensive or insulting was to point out exactly why it was untrue and unfair. | “We are not precious little flowers in this country,” he said. The best antidote to something people found offensive or insulting was to point out exactly why it was untrue and unfair. |
| Abbott said there should be appropriate laws against the incitement of violence and hatred. | |
| “One of the reasons why I hesitated back in 2014 when it came to amending section 18C ... was because I didn’t want to see people standing up in the prayer rooms of this country saying about Jewish people – the sort of things that we are hearing regularly. | |
| “This whole idea that it is OK to stand up and say ‘death to the infidel’ I think is just wrong and we need to stop that. | “This whole idea that it is OK to stand up and say ‘death to the infidel’ I think is just wrong and we need to stop that. |
| “But 18C is not stopping that. That’s going on and on and on. | |
| “It’s a bad, bad law but you’ve also got a pretty crook organisation in the Human Rights Commission.” | “It’s a bad, bad law but you’ve also got a pretty crook organisation in the Human Rights Commission.” |
| Asked whether he still entertained leadership ambitions, Abbott said: “I’m not asking to be promoted, I’m just seeking to do the best possible job where I am.” | Asked whether he still entertained leadership ambitions, Abbott said: “I’m not asking to be promoted, I’m just seeking to do the best possible job where I am.” |