Questions for Abbott, Gillard, etc.

49

Questions for Tony Abbott

• Is it true that you have a weekly meeting at News Limited headquarters? If not, how often do you meet with Rupert Murdoch or News Limited people?  When did you last have a meeting with Rupert or someone in his employ?
• If you get to be PM, how often will you consult with Cardinal Pell?  On which issues? (Inspired by Susan)
• Do you promise not to appoint Mr Howard GG if you win the election in September? (From Susan)
• Mr Abbott, why did you lie to the Australian Electoral Commission, in regards to their letter requesting the names of the donors to your “Australian’s for honest politics” slush fund, by falsely claiming that you had received advice from a lawyer prior to seeking donors, when in fact you acknowledged later, in an interview with Margo Kingston, that you didn’t seek legal advice until after you received the letter from the AEC?  (From Truth Seeker)
• Do you really believe that our pollution of the planet could not possibly be having anything to do with climate change? Do you really believe that we can keep on trashing our planet without any repercussions?  Do you really believe that climate change is happening without any input from us? Do you really believe that all that poisonous trash is having no effect on our planet, and that the climate change we are now experiencing, is due to something else? Or do you believe that we are not experiencing climate change at all?
• Why do you seem to have stopped hounding the Prime Minister about her connection with the AWU slush fund?  Is it because you could find no evidence of any wrong-doing on the PM’s part?  If that’s the case, why don’t you apologise?
• April 5, 2013.  In response to Mr Shorten’s announcement today about the Government’s plan to tax sperannuation earnings in excess of $100,000 p.a., you said, ‘ … and it shows that this is a government which is prepared to tax the people to fund its own spending.’ Are you saying that a government led by you would not ‘tax the people to fund its own spending?’
• Why would you govern just for the top 10%?  (From cornlegend)
• With regard to the defamation case being brought by Barbara Ramjan against Michael Kroger and The Australian: if the Supreme Court of NSW finds that you did, in fact, punch the wall on either side of Ms Ramjan’s head when Ms Ramjan defeated you in a ballot for the Presidency of Sydney Uni’s SRC in 1977, will you apologise to Ms Ramjan?  And do you promise to resign from any office you might hold in the Parliament at that time? (Inspired by cornlegend)
• If Mr Kroger or The Australian elect to settle the Ramjan defamation matter out of court, do you promise to resign whatever office you may hold in the Parliament at that time?  (Inspired by cornlegend)
• When will you grow a spine, and appear on 7.30 Report, Lateline, Q & A, where real people will ask you real questions?  As opposed to the famous dodge you performed on Twitter, when the most pertinent questions you were asked were not answered?
  Tony, you can run, but you cannot hide forever!  (From cornlegend)
• And the nastiest serious question of all?  Emma Alberici – @TonyAbbottMHR #asktony When will you accept our invitation to do an interview on #lateline?’ ‘(Thanks to Jeremy Sear – from his article, Pure Poison on Crikey. Wonderful stuff.)
• With reference to Rupert Murdoch’s address to the Institute of Public Affairs dinner in Melbourne, April 4, 2013 – What do you suppose Mr Murdoch meant when he said, ‘And, here is something else we are not hearing about: we must argue the morality of free markets and the immorality of markets that are not free.’? Do you think Jesus would use or understand the word, ‘morality‘ as Mr Murdoch uses it and understands it? (Inspired by Tinfoilhatter)
• Would you agree with Rupert Murdoch that freedom of speech as it applies to the media is synonymous with freedom to lie, misinform, twist information, report partial truths, use headlines and photos to manipulate the public, fail to report news which does not ‘suit’?  Etcetera? (Inspired by Tinfoilhatter)
• With reference to this remark you made on the 7.30 Report: ‘I know politicians are gonna be judged on everything they say, but sometimes, in the heat of discussion, you go a little bit further than you would if it was an absolutely calm, considered, prepared, scripted remark, which is one of the reasons why the statements that need to be taken absolutely as gospel truth is those carefully prepared scripted remarks.’  Would you say this applied equally to you and to Julia Gillard? Would you say that Julia Gillard, and others, should be cut the same kind of slack you quite clearly express that you expect for yourself? The 7.30 Report, ABC, 17 May, 2010. (Thanks cornlegend)
• ‘Is it really Liberal policy to give away $47 billion a year in superannuation  tax breaks, of which just 23 per cent goes to the 60 per cent of Australians in  the bottom and middle, while 26 per cent goes to the richest 5 per cent?’  Question posed by Tim Colebatch, Brisbane Times April 6, 2013

 

Questions for Julia Gillard

• Mr Abbott claims that the government has broken two earlier promises on superannuation – never to tax payments of those over 60 and undertaking to lift the concessionary contributions cap to $50,000.  Is this true? (From a Max Blenkin piece in The Brisbane Times, April 6, 2013)

Questions for Rupert Murdoch