{"id":6119,"date":"2013-07-09T15:00:45","date_gmt":"2013-07-09T05:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?p=6119"},"modified":"2022-05-02T00:28:51","modified_gmt":"2022-05-01T14:28:51","slug":"abbotts-battlerort-lines-collapse-under-bkjabour-questioning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/abbotts-battlerort-lines-collapse-under-bkjabour-questioning\/","title":{"rendered":"Abbott&#8217;s #Battlerort lines collapse under @bkjabour questioning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jArGOsJTygY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>By\u00a0<a title=\"Margo Kingston\" href=\"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/authors\/margo-kingston\/\">Margo Kingston<\/a><\/p>\n<p>9 July, 2013<\/p>\n<p><strong>Today&#8217;s original Abbott #BATTLERORT transcript was kindly transcribed by Dr Lachlan Hinds &#8211; @Doclach, and Brock Turner &#8211; @Turlow1.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are errors and lies throughout &#8211; have a go at finding them by reading the letters in <a href=\"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/2013\/07\/06\/exclusive-abbott-forced-to-repay-taxpayers-9400-he-charged-taxpayers-to-promote-his-book\/\">EXCLUSIVE: Abbott forced to repay $9,400 he charged taxpayers to promote his book<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tonyabbott.com.au\/LatestNews\/InterviewTranscripts\/tabid\/85\/articleType\/ArticleView\/articleId\/9272\/Joint-Doorstop-Interview-Sydney.aspx\">Yesterday&#8217;s lie<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Did you claim travel expenses on your book tour?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I did not.<\/p>\n<p>*<\/p>\n<p>(Transcript Source: <a href=\"http:\/\/tonyabbott.com.au\/LatestNews\/InterviewTranscripts\/tabid\/85\/articleType\/ArticleView\/articleId\/9275\/Joint-Doorstop-Interview-with-the-Hon-Joe-Hockey-MHR-Sydney.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mr Abbott website<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mr Abbott, how is Peter Slipper incorrectly claiming $900 and offering to pay it back different from you incorrectly claiming $9000 worth of travel expenses and then paying it back? How are the situations different?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well look, this matter was fully dealt with last year. There\u2019s nothing further to add.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well he\u2019s facing charges and you just got to pay $9000 back. How are those two situations different?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well as I said, this matter was fully dealt with by the Labor minister last year who said that the matter was closed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And why were the travel expenses incorrectly claimed? How did that happen? Can you explain what happened in your office that you incorrectly claimed $9000 worth of travel expenses?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The matter was fully dealt with last year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But you\u2019re not explaining how it occurred, why it occurred, why it happened in the first place?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As I said, it was an oversight in my office. It was fully dealt with last year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Why did you use Comcars on your book tour? Surely you would have known when you were using the Comcars that you were on private business?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fully dealt with last year. The Labor Minister at the time was perfectly satisfied that there had been nothing that was deliberately done wrong and the matter was closed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Do you take responsibility for the mistake?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I think I\u2019ve fully dealt with it. Time to move on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s been reported that you have been forced to repay the amount? Are the reports inaccurate?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was dealt with two years ago. This is old news. Old news. Now, why is Kevin Rudd now trying to dish this sort of dirt? Kevin Rudd came into the prime ministership a few days ago and he said let\u2019s have a kinder, gentler polity. Now, that was a bit rich from someone who\u2019d spent three years and three days plotting against a prime minister, but he called for a kinder, gentler polity and he called for positive politics. Now, we\u2019ve got the Labor Party spinning this kind of stuff. Now, let\u2019s move on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not the Labor Party. It\u2019s an independent website who did an FOI?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s move on. Let\u2019s move on.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>&lt;Poll, boats, debt and deficit blah blah blah&gt;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mr Abbott, why didn\u2019t you say yesterday you had incorrectly claimed those travel expenses?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Look, I think we\u2019ve fully dealt with this. Gary Gray dealt with this\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You just repeated your lines over and over again to me you haven\u2019t answered any questions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Calm down. Gary Gray looked at this matter two years ago. He said there&#8217;s nothing to see here. Ok. Next question.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After you repaid. Do you take responsibility for the incorrect claim of $9,000?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t claim travel allowance. I never claimed travel allowance. My office inadvertently booked some travel as official, which should not have been booked that way. It\u2019s been fully dealt with.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No, there were expenses. Gary Gray wrote back after you repaid the initial $6,000 and said there were travel expenses that had been claimed, such as comcars.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ok. Are there any other questions?<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What is your response to the Labor Party reforms for the Caucus and leadership with Kevin Rudd?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As I said, this is all about Kevin. This is all about Kevin. The faceless men did for Kevin before, and he wants to make sure that he&#8217;s protected against him if he gets another chance. Now, it shouldn&#8217;t be all about Kevin, it should be about the Australian people and the best thing that we can do right now is to ensure that the prime ministership of this country is in the hands of the Australian people. So, again I say to the Prime Minister, I say to Kevin Rudd, what are you hiding from? Give it back to the Australian people. Name the date, end the suspense, let&#8217;s have an election.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUESTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Will the Labor Party reforms neutralise your attack on the faceless men?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONY ABBOTT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well, it vindicates our attack on the faceless men. It absolutely vindicates our attack on the faceless men. It is an admission by Kevin Rudd that he is frightened of the faceless men. It is an admission by him that he is frightened of the faceless men. But the choice for the Australian people is between a party which is controlled by faceless men and a party which has always belonged to its members. The choice for the Australian people is between a party which doesn&#8217;t think it elects its leaders the right way and a party which has never had this kind of a problem. It&#8217;s a choice between debt and boats and the carbon tax on the one hand and between surpluses and deregulation and low tax and border security on the other hand. It&#8217;s the clearest possible choice and I say let the choice be made. Name the date, let&#8217;s have the election. Stop running away from it. Bring it on now, Mr Rudd.<\/p>\n[ends]\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>For the Public \u00a0Record:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"500\">\n<p>Tony Abbott blames Kevin Rudd for dishing dirt over his travel expenses claim <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/e0OQ27kX3w\">http:\/\/t.co\/e0OQ27kX3w<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Emma Griffiths  (@EJGriffiths) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EJGriffiths\/statuses\/354422576799424513\">July 9, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"500\">\n<p>.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EJGriffiths\">@EJGriffiths<\/a>, I uncovered Battlelines expenses via FOI early this year re Slipper summons. Labor input = zilch. Update story with truth?<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/margokingston1\/statuses\/354430743709106176\">July 9, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"500\">\n<p>His <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%23Battlerort&amp;src=hash\">#Battlerort<\/a> lie re Labor smear typical of Abbott when cornered &#8211; when I pressed him on Hanson slush fund he accused me of being her mate<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/margokingston1\/statuses\/354452710076067842\">July 9, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"500\">\n<p>Thank you <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/smh\">@smh<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theage\">@theage<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GuardianAus\">@guardianaus<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/couriermail\">@couriermail<\/a> for acknowledging <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NoFibs\">@NoFibs<\/a> as source of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%23battlerort&amp;src=hash\">#battlerort<\/a> story. Only <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABC\">@ABC<\/a> lacked class to do so.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/margokingston1\/statuses\/354438343100088320\">July 9, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By\u00a0Margo Kingston 9 July, 2013 Today&#8217;s original Abbott #BATTLERORT transcript was kindly transcribed by Dr Lachlan Hinds &#8211; @Doclach, and Brock Turner &#8211; @Turlow1. There are errors and lies throughout &#8211; have a go at finding them by reading the letters in EXCLUSIVE: Abbott forced to repay $9,400 he charged taxpayers to promote his book. 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