Gillard has no life says Abbott from news.com.au FIREBRAND Health Minister Tony Abbott has accused fierce Labor rival Julia Gillard of lacking "life experience" to be Australia's deputy prime minister.
"Voters expect a bit more humanity, a broader range of interests and experience than that of a political apparatchik," Mr Abbott told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.
"It would be a lot easier for her to realise her ambition if there was evidence of a broader lifetime experience."
Ms Gillard - who was famously labelled "deliberately barren" by Liberal hardman Senator Bill Heffernan - has interpreted the remarks as another Coalition attack on her character.
She responded by questioning whether Mr Abbott could have succeeded in politics if not for the fact that his wife had brought up their children while he pursued his career.
And in a dramatic climb-down, Mr Abbott last night attempted to withdraw his comments about Ms Gillard, saying he had not intended to ridicule her.
The drama started when Mr Abbott unloaded on Ms Gillard in an interview with The Daily Telegraph about the Labor deputy.
He accused her of lacking "broader life-time experience" and being obsessed with politics.
"The average person would look askance at such a political animal," he said.
But the woman poised to become Australia's first female deputy prime minister has returned fire, claiming Tony Abbott would never have made Cabinet if he was the mother of his children.
"Could Tony Abbott have been at the same stage of his political career if he'd been the mother of his three children, rather than the father of them?" she said.
And she predicted her rise to the top in the Labor Party will pave the way for other single women - and men - to enter parliament as part of a "diversification" of politics.
In the latest sign the election will become a brutal war of words, Mr Abbott said voters were seeking a "bit more humanity" from their political leaders.
Mr Abbott insists he was not personally attacking Ms Gillard, who he debates on morning TV every Friday.
"The thing about (Ms) Gillard is that she is very bright, just uber-professional and a formidable debater," Mr Abbott said.
"(But) it would be a lot easier for her to realise her ambition if there was evidence of a broader lifetime experience. It's very hard to be a leader in a democratic society if your life has been consumed by the job."
Last night, Mr Abbott sought to retract his remarks.
"I should not have said anything that could be construed by anyone as a personal attack on Gillard," he said.
Gillard has no life says Abbott
ReplyDeletefrom news.com.au
FIREBRAND Health Minister Tony Abbott has accused fierce Labor rival Julia Gillard of lacking "life experience" to be Australia's deputy prime minister.
"Voters expect a bit more humanity, a broader range of interests and experience than that of a political apparatchik," Mr Abbott told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.
"It would be a lot easier for her to realise her ambition if there was evidence of a broader lifetime experience."
Ms Gillard - who was famously labelled "deliberately barren" by Liberal hardman Senator Bill Heffernan - has interpreted the remarks as another Coalition attack on her character.
She responded by questioning whether Mr Abbott could have succeeded in politics if not for the fact that his wife had brought up their children while he pursued his career.
And in a dramatic climb-down, Mr Abbott last night attempted to withdraw his comments about Ms Gillard, saying he had not intended to ridicule her.
The drama started when Mr Abbott unloaded on Ms Gillard in an interview with The Daily Telegraph about the Labor deputy.
He accused her of lacking "broader life-time experience" and being obsessed with politics.
"The average person would look askance at such a political animal," he said.
But the woman poised to become Australia's first female deputy prime minister has returned fire, claiming Tony Abbott would never have made Cabinet if he was the mother of his children.
"Could Tony Abbott have been at the same stage of his political career if he'd been the mother of his three children, rather than the father of them?" she said.
And she predicted her rise to the top in the Labor Party will pave the way for other single women - and men - to enter parliament as part of a "diversification" of politics.
In the latest sign the election will become a brutal war of words, Mr Abbott said voters were seeking a "bit more humanity" from their political leaders.
Mr Abbott insists he was not personally attacking Ms Gillard, who he debates on morning TV every Friday.
"The thing about (Ms) Gillard is that she is very bright, just uber-professional and a formidable debater," Mr Abbott said.
"(But) it would be a lot easier for her to realise her ambition if there was evidence of a broader lifetime experience. It's very hard to be a leader in a democratic society if your life has been consumed by the job."
Last night, Mr Abbott sought to retract his remarks.
"I should not have said anything that could be construed by anyone as a personal attack on Gillard," he said.