Kids Say The Darndest Anti-Abbott Things
The Prime Minister fronted a group of kids while they were on a school trip in Canberra. Unfortunately for him, they were from Newtown High.
If you’re the Prime Minister, walking over to a school of year nine kids on a school trip to Canberra and taking a few questions is actually a pretty generous way to spend your time.
So let’s all sympathise with Tony Abbott, at least for a few seconds — because this particular group turned out to be from Newtown High School Of The Performing Arts, arguably one of the most progressive schools in Sydney.
“I’m getting a clear message here,” he says nervously, after a very strong question from a girl about marriage equality, followed by uproarious applause from her peers. “Let’s get a bloke’s question next?”
Unfortunately, the next question isn’t about sport. “Why do you think that following Howard’s footsteps with the Tampa, and turning back asylum seekers, is a good idea?” (“Ooooooooh,” goads the crowd, who Abbott asks to go to the next Q&A program instead — presumably because he won’t ever be there to answer their questions.)
“Did you know it’s a human right to seek asylum in another country?” comes the next question, which is avoided with all the skill of a well-seasoned question avoider.
“If people are so desperate to risk their lives to come to Australia, why are they pushed out when there’s so much to share here?” comes another, which is not really answered at all.
And a tip-of-the-hat to LJ, who has the final zinger: “Not saying that I don’t trust you or anything. Just a simple question: why is a man the Minister for Women?”
Abbott waffles his way around this one too, before hurrying back to his office to raise the voting age.