This is becoming something of a regular occurrence on Australian TV nowadays, to the point where you’d have to start questioning the wisdom of repeatedly agreeing to appear on the program.
The ABC‘s flagship current affairs program The 7:30 Report took full advantage of today’s dramatic (or remarkably uneventful, depending on which way you look at it) Leadership Spill, that resulted in the re-affirming of Tony Abbott as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Australia, with his party returning a 61-39 vote against a spill motion.
7:30 Report’s chief journalist Leigh Sales took full advantage of the situation, conducting a lengthy interview with the (still) Prime Minister earlier today, which aired in full on tonight’s instalment of the program.
And hooley dooley, did she ever take him to task. Despite meandering through a few (relatively) lighter questions early in the piece, and bringing out the “Scrap the Tax/Stop the Boats/Build the Roads” mantra for perhaps what could legitimately be the hundred thousandth time, Abbott’s real struggles began when Sales posed what on paper seemed like a fairly straightforward question.
“Who are you?“
This, in reference to the seemingly three-faced political evolution that Abbott has undergone in transitioning from Opposition Leader, to Prime Minister in both a pre- and post-spill environment.
Add to that the veritable mic drop of “Prime Minister, you said “Good Governance starts today.” What on Earth have you been doing since you’ve been elected?” and I don’t think it’s much of an exaggerating to state that Sales takes this one in straight sets, 6-0 6-0 6-0.
Perhaps it’s time Prime Minister Abbott begun exploring the potential of an in-depth appearance on The Project instead. Not live at the panel with smart people like Waleed Aly, mind you. Pre-taped. From somewhere safe. Like a hotel. With Steve Price asking the “questions.“
Just a thought.
