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Tony Abbott gaffes

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Based on this list of gaffes since August 2010, Tony Abbott is no more fit to be Prime Minister or to represent Australia on the world stage now than he was three years ago. Between August 2010 and August 2013 Abbott insulted, offended or annoyed to varying degrees Africans, Irish, Indonesians, Chinese, Finns, Papua New Guineans & Luxembourgers. Abbott was elected as PM on 7 September 2013. He is the only world leader who, as a parliamentarian, attended court to vouch for the character of a priest found guilty of indecently assaulting a 15 year old boy.

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Abbott

’s creepiness is evident in a pre

-election video to Big Brother housemates in which he appeared with two of his daughters, asking for votes becaus

e his ‘daughters are hot’.

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Questions have been asked about expenses Abbott claims for days he swims, runs, cycles and volunteers.

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Taxpayers paid $336 in taxi fares for him to attend church on Good Friday

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and $23,560 to charter a plane for two days in 2012 to visit Bendigo and Horsham.

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In 2009

Abbott used $9,400 of taxpayers’ money

to promote his book which he repaid in 2010 after being caught out. Compare with Peter Slipper, who has faced court over alleged misuse of Cabcharge vouchers worth $964.

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Compiled by

choosing@ch150ch

Please tweet information/links to other gaffes to @ch150ch Sources for gaffes are at the end of the document. (Volume 2, from September 2013, is available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/202303393/Tony-Abbott-Gaffes-Vol-2 )

Aug 2010

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It’s

the launch of

Abbott’s

paid parental leave policy in the lead up to the 2010 election. Mums and toddlers are present. While comme nting on the to-ing and fro- ing between him and then PM Gillard about the number of televised debates, Abbott uses wording associated with campaigns again st rape to criticise Julia Gillard. "Are you suggesting to me that when it comes from Julia, 'No' doesn't mean 'No'." Abbott repeated this phrase a number of times. He later rejected suggestions that some women might find his comments offensive. Aug 2010

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Abbott offended thousands of people with disabilities by suggesting that discussions in parliament about accessibility were a waste of time. Aug 2010

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Abbott makes himself the butt of jokes after saying he would personally take the

decision for asylum seeker boats to be turned around. “

Mr Abbott said the phone call from sea would come to him - on the boat phone - and it would be his choice whether or n

ot to turn a boat back if it was safe to do so.” The Daily Tele’s headline –

alluding to jokes about bat phones -

was “

Holy asylum seekers! Tony Abbott to take charge of boat people hotline

”.

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