Wednesday saw another debate, as well as the Liberal Party’s costings coming out, though the didn’t seem to make sense to me – then again my understanding of economics is dodgy at best.
I have to say, the best moment in a debate where I nearly fell asleep due to the constant repetitiveness of party spin, was the guy who asked Tony Abbott about his paid parental leave and said this:
I like him. Anyway, back to the costings. They are, in case you’ve been deaf for the last four weeks, going to cut the mining tax and carbon tax. The only new bit is that they are cutting 12,000 public service jobs – none of which will come from education and health.
Thursday will be the day forever etched in the memories of a netball team told “a little contact never hurt anyone” by Tony Abbott – the players faces were priceless to look at. On the other side, Kevin Rudd got in trouble with the Treasury Department for saying the Coalition’s costings had a hole. Oops.
Rural Queenslanders are feeling ripped off – maybe because all the focus is on Brisbane and Western Sydney. Trying to make them feel better (and to win votes of the Liberals), Warren Truss, the Nationals leader, said that he was announcing rural funds – AU$200m to help towns that need it.
Friday showed just how annoying the tabloid papers can get – I don’t read them for that reason, unless I am searching quotes. Kevin Rudd had a go at them for not asking Abbott about the Liberal’s finance plans. Mind you this is only 24 hours after Treasury corrected him, but even so, they haven’t asked Abbott at all during this election. It has got to the point, it appears, that the Finance Minister herself, Penny Wong, is sick of it. She got asked if the two Treasury Department guys who called Rudd out would still have jobs after the election if Labor won. The intelligent woman she is (sorry, I like her) she rolled her eyes and refused to answer.
Julia Gillard will not be attending the Labor Party launch on Sunday. However, she will be getting an honourary degree from a university in Adelaide.
One week to go….
Kara L 