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

I suppose one good thing to come out of Matthew Franklin's I hope temporary retirement from the Australian is that we finally have the government saying something nice about a News Limited publication, which is excellent.

Matthew Franklin will be much missed from the press gallery, which he has adorned for some 11 years. Prior to coming down to the press gallery in Canberra he was in the press gallery in Brisbane for some nine years. He has brought a grace, a decency, a balance and a fairness to his reporting of politics, which, I have to say, ought to be an exemplar.

The great thing about a good journalist is that a good journalist is the master of analysing an issue quickly and then distilling it succinctly into something that the average person can well understand and appreciate. A good journalist is like a good barrister, only much more affordable, so I am confident that Matthew will not be idle for long, that he will be snapped up by the many people who would love to use the services of someone of such insight, such gifts of expression and such decency.

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