Tony Abbott is trying to restrain Barnaby Joyce from blurting nonsense, but who will restrain Tony Abbott?

The opposition leader has shown that he can't tell a kiwi from a kangaroo, a plus from a minus, wreckage from recovery.

In a fundamental error, he has told Australians that we would do well to follow New Zealand's lead in managing our economy.

''There are other countries which have chosen a different path, and there is no evidence that their response has been any less effective than ours,'' Abbott told ABC Radio National yesterday.

''For instance, in New Zealand they have tried to reform their way through the global financial crisis under the new government's leadership, and they seem to be doing pretty well. What Mr Rudd chose to do was to spend his way out of the crisis.''