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Tony Abbott

Tony Abbott Quotes

Prime Minister of Australia

Tony Abbott served as the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from September 2013 to September 2015. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has held various political positions throughout his career. Born on November 4, 1957, in London, United Kingdom, Abbott moved to Australia with his family at a young age.

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All People Government Thinking Ifs Australia Excuse Should Want Country Taxes Ministers Prime Prime Minister Needs Wells Knows Party Politician Way Aboriginal

Famous Tony Abbott Quotes

“If we're honest, most of us would accept that a bad boss is a little bit like a bad father or a bad husband ... you find that he tends to do more good than harm. He might be a bad boss but at least he's employing someone while he is in fact a boss.”

Ifs Littles Facts Might Father Bits Accepting Honest Husband Little Bit Harm Boss Employing Bad Husband

Author:Tony Abbott

“I know politicians are going to be judged on everything they say but sometimes in the heat of discussion you go a little bit further than you would if it was an absolutely calm, considered, prepared, scripted remark. The statements that need to be taken absolutely as gospel truth are those carefully prepared scripted remarks.”

Ifs Knows Needs Littles Sometimes Bits Taken Politician Little Bit Prepared Calm Statements Discussion Heat Judged Remarks

Author:Tony Abbott

“I think I would say to my daughters if they were to ask me this question... it [their virginity] is the greatest gift that you can give someone, the ultimate gift of giving and don't give it to someone lightly, that's what I would say.”

Ifs Thinking Giving Asks Daughter Ultimate Ask Me My Daughter Greatest Gifts Virginity Gift Giving

Author:Tony Abbott

“No senior politician can expect to have work-life balance. I'm afraid there are some jobs for which work-life balance inevitably goes out the window. If you want work-life balance you just have to accept that you can't be a senior member of a government, or for that matter a senior member of an opposition.”

Ifs Want Matter Government Jobs Accepting Balance Politician Members Window Opposition Senior Work Life Balance Life Balance

Author:Tony Abbott

“I've always avoided those sorts of self-assessments because if you give yourself a 10 out of 10 people think you're a big head, if you give yourself a 6 out of 10 they think you're plagued with self-doubt, so I'm just not going to rate myself.”

People Ifs Thinking Giving Self Bigs Doubt Rate Avoided Assessment Self-doubt Self Assessment Big Heads

Author:Tony Abbott

“There are some issues where ministers should come and talk to the prime minister, if the prime minister hasn't already talked to them. Any issue which a minister thinks is going to be profoundly controversial, where we do not have a clear existing position, it is important that there be a conversation between the minister and the prime minister. I think they all understand that and I think it is working very well.”

Ifs Thinking Should Wells Important Issues Clear Position Conversation Ministers Prime Prime Minister Controversial

Author:Tony Abbott

“What will most certainly happen is that there will be very clear and full communication between the government and independents and minor parties. The precise mechanisms will evolve over time, but we certainly intend to keep the minor parties and the independents very much in the loop. We have to if we want our legislative agenda to have a reasonable chance of success and that's what we intend to do.”

Ifs Want Government Happens Chance Party Clear Communication Evolve Reasonable Agendas Mechanism Minors Precise Loops

Author:Tony Abbott

“There are tens, perhaps hundreds of millions of people living in poverty and danger who might readily seek to enter a Western country if the opportunity is there.”

People Ifs Country Might Opportunity Poverty Millions Danger Western

Author:Tony Abbott

“If we boost productivity, we can improve economic growth.”

Ifs Growth Economic Productivity Economic Growth Boost

Author:Tony Abbott

“If I was in a refugee camp somewhere on the Pakistani border, of course I'd want to come to Australia.”

Ifs Want Courses Borders Australia Camps Refugee Refugee Camps

Author:Tony Abbott

“We just can’t stop people from being homeless if that’s their choice.”

People Ifs Choices Homeless Homeless People

Author:Tony Abbott

“What the housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing is that if they get it done commercially it’s going to go up in price and their own power bills when they switch the iron on are going to go up.”

Ifs Needs Done Bills Australia Iron Housewife Get It Done

Author:Tony Abbott

“There may not be a great job for [Aboriginal people] but whatever there is, they just have to do it, and if it’s picking up rubbish around the community, it just has to be done.”

People Ifs May Done Jobs Community Rubbish Great Job Aboriginal

Author:Tony Abbott

“I also think that if you want to put a price on carbon, why not just do it with a simple tax? Why not ask motorists to pay more, why not ask electricity consumers to pay more and then at the end of the year you can take your invoices to the tax office and get a rebate of the carbon tax you've paid”

Ifs Thinking Want Years Ends Asks Simple Pay Taxes Office Paid Consumers Why Not Electricity Carbon Just Do It Carbon Tax

Author:Tony Abbott

“I think leadership is knowing what you want to achieve and then purposefully and sensibly taking steps to achieve it, remembering always that you have got to bring people with you if you are seeking to be a successful political leader.”

People Ifs Thinking Want Remember Political Leader Steps Knowing Successful Achieve Seeking What You Want Political Leaders Knowing What You Want

Author:Tony Abbott

“I think that people should come to Australia through the front door, not through the back door. If people want a migration outcome, they should go through the migration channels.”

People Ifs Thinking Want Should Doors Fronts Outcomes Australia Migration Front Doors Back Doors

Author:Tony Abbott

“What I would like to see is sufficiently good education and health services being delivered to Aboriginal people so that they are prepared and ready to leave and join the economic mainstream if that's their choice.”

People Ifs Choices Economic Ready Prepared Mainstream Good Education Aboriginal Health Services Ready To Leave

Author:Tony Abbott

“Both Mum and Dad were converts to Catholicism, and normally if you convert to Catholicism you have thought about it more than someone who just grew up with it, taking it for granted.”

Ifs Grew Dad Grew Up Granted Catholicism Mum Mum And Dad

Author:Tony Abbott

“Now if you are condemned to life on welfare, I'm not so sure that being in a bigger welfare village is that much better than being in a smaller welfare village.”

Ifs Bigger Welfare Village

Author:Tony Abbott

“I think that the best things that governments can do for productivity is not whack on new taxes and, if we can get institutions like schools and hospitals functioning better, well that's obviously good for the overall productiveness of our society.”

Ifs Thinking Wells Government School Can Do Taxes Institutions Productivity Best Things Our Society Hospitals

Author:Tony Abbott

“If people are going to do things which have certain consequences that they would rather avoid, they should do whatever they need to avoid the consequences.”

People Ifs Needs Should Certain Consequence

Author:Tony Abbott

“Most of the people who are coming to Australia by boat have passed through several countries on the way, and if they simply wanted asylum they could have claimed that in any of the countries through which they'd passed.”

People Ifs Way Country Wanted Boat Australia Asylums

Author:Tony Abbott

“I want to run a government, Barnaby wants to be part of a government, which is characterized by the motto if you like, no surprises, no excuses. That will be the motto of an incoming Coalition government. No surprises, no excuses.”

Ifs Want Government Running Surprise Excuse Motto Coalitions No Excuses

Author:Tony Abbott

“If you don't want to work weekends, don't.”

Ifs Want Weekend

Author:Tony Abbott

“If you want to put a price on carbon why not just do it with a simple tax?”

Ifs Want Simple Taxes Why Not Carbon Just Do It Carbon Tax

Author:Tony Abbott

About the Author

Born: November 4, 1957
Known for: Prime Minister of Australia
Quotes: 192

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