Monday 29th of April 2024

theatre royale .....

theatre royale .....

Malcolm Turnbull will crawl all over Kevin Rudd's patch this week by announcing his new-look combat team as the globetrotting Prime Minister flies to New York. 

The freshly anointed Opposition Leader deliberately delayed announcing his shadow front bench until tomorrow to capitalise on Mr Rudd's controversial trip in the midst of deep uncertainty about the economy. 

A last-minute complication for Mr Turnbull is Andrew Robb, who is gaining significant support for the shadow treasurer's job. 

The 11th-hour push to give the plum job to Mr Robb, a former party fund-raiser and strategist, is at odds with the ambitions of Deputy Leader Julie Bishop. 

All In The Timing For Turnbull 

and ….. 

Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for spending too much time overseas. 

Mr Turnbull is expected to delay unveiling his new frontbench line-up to capitalise on Mr Rudd making his second trip to the United States this year during a sitting week. 

Mr Rudd will fly out for New York tomorrow afternoon and is due make a speech to the United Nations and hold talks with US financial regulators. 

But Mr Turnbull has told Channel Nine that Mr Rudd is 'mistaking motion for action'. 

'The Prime Minister's got to run the country. It's a question of balance,' he said. 

'Just because you're sitting on an aeroplane flying to New York doesn't mean you're doing anything. 

'Nobody is saying that he shouldn't travel overseas. The question is, he is spending more time overseas than any prime minister in our history. He's spending more time overseas than his own foreign minister.' 

'Have we elected a Prime Minister, or a prime tourist?' 

meanwhile ….. 

Mr Turbull says he will 'take on board' a new opinion polling which shows almost half of voters think he is arrogant. 

Today's Galaxy poll in the Sunday Telegraph polled 400 voters to find 48 per cent thought Mr Turnbull was arrogant. 

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was deemed arrogant by 23 per cent of those polled. 

'I listen to all of that,' Mr Turnbull said. 

'It's very important to hear all those messages and it's also very important for me to engage with the Australian people and make sure that people get to know me well - or better than they do now.' 

Mr Turnbull's rating as preferred prime minister is 28 per cent compared to Mr Rudd on 58 per cent. 

Turnbull Attacks 'Prime Tourist' Rudd

Rocks in his head...

From the SMH

...

This is a three-point improvement in the Opposition's position since last month and is the highest share of the two-party vote the Coalition has recorded by Nielsen since November 2006, just before Labor dumped Kim Beazley for Kevin Rudd.

It comes as Labor attacked Mr Turnbull yesterday for floating a radical scheme to use taxpayers' funds to buy securities that financial institutions were having trouble selling on financial markets.

The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, said Mr Turnbull's call for an Australian version of the US Government's $US700 billion ($840 billion) bail-out scheme for American banks was either a monumental gaffe or intentionally irresponsible because Australian financial institutions did not have the bad debts of their US counterparts (see story, Page 4).

The Nielsen poll's findings of a bounce in the Coalition's fortunes will prompt Labor to step up its attacks on Mr Turnbull's economic credibility, while the Opposition will seek to capitalise on the political honeymoon for its leader when Parliament resumes today.

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Gus: Turnbull of course, first and foremost, is a banker... So you know were he's coming from... Would you trust Aussie banks to behave "alla americana" with a buyout of their bad debts from the Aussie government????  No F... Way!!!!. Rocks in his head. Pox on his leadership!!!

shoving in the wrong direction

Disunity 'working against Coalition'

By Online parliamentary correspondent Emma Rodgers [ABC]

Liberal frontbencher Andrew Robb has conceded recent disunity has damaged the Coalition's image among voters, but has hit back at reports that some within the party are unhappy with Malcolm Turnbull's leadership style.

In the last Newspoll for the year the Coalition has performed badly against the Government with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd opening up his biggest lead against Malcolm Turnbull since Mr Turnbull became Opposition Leader.

Mr Robb says there is no doubt the Opposition's shambolic split on the Government's infrastructure bill last week has made the Coalition look "ragged".

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