Absolutely, Tony Abbott is about Tony Abbott his half baked attacking style targetting single mothers was absolutely wreckless. What politician would firstly attack females let alone make horrid prejudice assumptions based on what suits his argument. He is not capable of inspiring better workplaces with that heated up banter he calls addressing the nation. Most single paernts I know would jump at remunerated incomes that allowed them to care for their chldren on full pay with a higher steadier income than $9 a day. The mans a turd!

Love the ABC and SBS, especially with their docos. Yes good Oz material is light on the ground and it is most frustraing when the ABC is constantly attacked and criticised, while we continue to cope with the inane real life servings of the commercial stations. But there is an occasional pearl in the pig slops, when you look closely.

As an example, the recent Oz series on ABC called Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries was a hoot. Fun Christie style stories, well acted and produced, and as good as anything coming from overseas at the moment. We can make them.

Trouble is that too often if they're good, they get pinched by one of the commercial stations, and then too often perverted. We've got Oz writing and producing talent in this country, but only the ABC and SBS seem willing to give them a proper go, and if the finances arent there, the Oz cultural desert prevails and we get served cheap local real life slop, or U.S. and brit offerings (mind you I dont mind some of these shows, especially a good Brit one, but I think Oz can do it just as good) .

Like Newscorp. The ABC has succumbed to every trapping of aggressive ratings grabbing possible, The ABC I followed in the 90's was less brazen and tailored for sensationalism than it is now. There's still quality, there's an Indigenous profile the two only redeeming features remaining. The ABC has its inner circle and a culture of questionable work ethics, they'll defend their shoddiness even when its clearly a sitting duck. Very unfortunate..

Sadly, Our ABC has already become Their ABC.

Sadly, nothing demonstrates better the need for an excellent, independent public broadcaster than these critiques of the ruthless, aggressive, exploitative, shallow, and often highly political mainstream media. Our ABC provided a very good alternative for those outraged at commercial media behaviour, since its role is to produce Australian content that informs, educates, and entertains using Australian cultural values, and the increasingly rare Australian idiom.

Sadly, far from being the excellent, independent, full-service public service broadcaster that it should be, what was Our ABC has degenerated into Their ABC - All But Commercial, little more than a shell used as a cash cow for the profit-seeking media production sector, Macquarie Bank's apparently lucrative transmission monopoly, Newscaff journalism displaying a capacity for indefinite degeneration, self-censorship and a senior managerial drive for mediocrity. Mark Scott recently confirmed that Their ABC is now ratings-driven, and that ABC24 and ABC3 are funded by internal cuts.

For that, ABC CEO Mark Scott is largely responsible. While most of the Hard Right Board put in place as part of John Howard's "Long March Through the Institutions" that appointed and supported him is now gone, it is usually difficult for a Board to challenge an apparently successful CEO. But he isn't. His departure, even to the BBC, should be welcome.

Their ABC's pitiful drama output means that funding has been either or both of misappropriated to fund ABC24, iview, or wasted on uncoordinated and inefficient floggings-out rather than on the excellent internal TV production capacity the ABC once had. Our ABC is now limited to the specialist programmes on Radio National and Classic FM.

While for many years the ABC was rightly able to justify far more money than it was receiving, the situation now is unfortunately far less favourable. We increasingly see a reactionary bias very few of us would want to fund. Now, no true believer could campaign for the ABC as it is. It would have to be substantially re-oriented, with most of the most senior staff sacked.

Dont quite know what to make of Hockey. I was thinking of a creamy goulash, with mushrooms, capsicum and a sharp chianti. But a straight stew with the house red would probably be more suited.

What a crying shame to see the most talented, principled member of the Liberal Party languishing in the Communications portfolio. He is the only one, of a rather sorry bunch admittedly, who seems to have a sure command of facts/figures/science/economics across a whole range of portfolios. He is actually able to expound on conservative policy and to see a way forward acting on those principles. Most of the rest just shrug off policy questions, or reply with any old gobbledygook, and return to castigating the government. For instance, Sophie (spinning like a) Mirrorball on QandA Monday night. Her performance was a disgrace. She simply didn't know her stuff and, when asked directly about coalition policy, was caught flat-footed every time and had to resort to fallback position of more criticism of government.

Turnbull claims an antipathy/lack of trust/lack of sympathy with unions, and their influence in the Labor Party, as the most compelling reason he is a Liberal. But surely the sheer stupidity of the personnel/policy of the current Liberals must be giving him some pause for thought. Their Direct Action climate policy? A load of bunk, and Turnbull knows it. Their paid maternity leave scheme? Absurdly generous, not means-tested, unaffordable and un-Liberal (The Greens love it!) and Turnbull knows it. Abbott/Hockey/Robb, regularly spouting economic voodoo, as the economic unit? The 3 stooges would do better, and Turnbull, as a savvy politician/businessman knows it.

As a respecter of facts, reason, science, economics, literacy Turnbull must be very disillusioned with the current Liberal regime. How much longer can he keep a (relative) silence, defend indefensible Liberal policy, and fake respect for a completely negative, cynical and unprincipled 'leader'?