[lg policy] Australia: Abbott's only language is 'no', Wong

[Harold Schiffman]

Abbott's only language is 'no', Wong
Updated: 06:45, Friday May 11, 2012

Finance Minister Penny Wong says Tony Abbott's tactic when it comes to
the Australian people is to 'tell them nothing'.

Mr Abbott told parliament on Thursday that Labor's budget played the
class war card by portraying the political contest as one between
billionaires and battlers.

But Finance Minister Penny Wong hit back, insisting the opposition
leader's tactic when it comes to the Australian people is even
simpler: 'Tell them nothing.'

'Tony Abbott has simply rehashed old policy, not put forward any
detail, in an attempt to pretend that he has something to say other
than 'no',' she told reporters in Canberra.

'He said nothing in his speech about the budget, the economy ... or
any costed policies.'

Senator Wong said that was a sign of Mr Abbott's negativity and arrogance.

The finance minister denied the Liberal leader's adoption of a small
target strategy was actually an indictment on Labor's performance.

Rather, Senator Wong said it was an indictment on the coalition and
proof its economic and fiscal policy was in 'complete disarray'.

Mr Abbott pledged on Thursday night that a coalition government would
work with the states to ensure that within a decade at least 40 per
cent of Year 12 students were studying a foreign language.

At the moment just 12 per cent take a language other than English.

But Senator Wong said even that policy was a 'rehash of a previous
policy that they then backflipped on'.

Before the 2010 election the coalition said that if elected it would
work to ensure 'a significant percentage (of students) have studied a
foreign language through to school leaving'.

'The language that Mr Abbott needs to recall is the language of
working families and the language of the family budget,' Senator Wong
said, adding that he only really understood 'no'. - AAP

http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=749100&vId=3245058&cId=Top%20Stories

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