Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

Let me say to members on this side and on the other side that no borrower likes interest rate rises. No motorist likes petrol price increases. But the test of a politician is not his or her ability to complain about things which no-one likes; the test of politician is his or her ability to actually make a difference to the things complained about. The easiest thing in politics is to complain; the hard thing is to actually make a difference to the fundamental economic issues that our country faces.

All we could really make out today from the Leader of the Opposition’s lengthy harangue is that he is against interest rate rises and he is against petrol price increases. So say all of us. We are all against these things. None of us likes these things. The question is: what will he do to bring about the happy outcomes that he says he is in favour of? I have to say it: yet again, the Leader of the Opposition has illustrated the truth of his predecessor’s statement that ‘a big bellowing cow in this parliament will never persuade the Australian public’. Let’s not forget for a second that, when members opposite had a choice between the former member for Werriwa and the current Leader of the Opposition, they voted for the former member for Werriwa, because at least the former member for Werriwa—

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