Brough and Abbott take home Ernies

The organisers of the Ernie awards for sexist comments have given Prime Minister Tony Abbott the ''repeat offender'' award, while another Liberal MP, Mal Brough, took out the political Ernie for the ''Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail'' menu Fairfax

Abbott rules out reform of MP expenses

Under pressure to explain why taxpayers should spend thousands of dollars to help politicians compete in sports events and attend colleagues' weddings, Mr Abbott said there would “always be arguments at the margins” and changing the rules would achieve nothing.
“I'm not proposing to change the system,” Mr Abbott said on Thursday.
Advertisement“You don't want members of Parliament to be prisoners of their offices.” Fairfax

Midweek roundup: Week 4

I don't know whether the expenses scandal counts as a scandal since the info's been out there for years, but w/e here we go with the week's scores and highlights

• Barnaby says Gina bought him cheaply, saving taxpayers money.
• Defence Minister D. Johnston defends censored report, because you can't handle the truth, or national security or something.
• Tony Abbott's excited about consummation with China.
• Scott Morrison proposes a new plan: lock innocent people up for being innocent, and when they get out, lock them up again because there's a 0.13 percent chance they could commit be charged with a crime.
• Tony Abbott does a Barbra Streisand by trying to repay Slipper wedding expenses on the sly.
• And some claimed for an iron man thing.
• The ABC gets on the bandwagon, revealing that ' Mr Abbott has claimed thousands of dollars to take part in various sporting events in recent years.' 
• Abbott prostrates himself* before Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in an act of contrition.
• Victims of terrorism get compo, and it's not at all because they are middle class white people.
• Abbott cries crocodile tears over the time he was in Bali enjoying a holiday with his family, and then it was ruined. By terrorists.
• Abbott proclaims to everyone in Asia that Japan is Australia's BFF, so everyone else back off okay.

*: may or may not have actually occurred

Abbott's no apology tour of Asia continues

Tony goes and puts everyone else off by proclaiming Japan's our BFF.

"As far as I'm concerned, Japan is Australia's best friend in Asia and we want to keep it a very strong friendship," Mr Abbott told Mr Abe, before the talks were closed to the media. ABC

Family man Tony Abbott reminisces about terror attacks

TONY Abbott remembers vividly that fateful day in 2005 when he, his wife Margie and his three daughters were holidaying in Bali.

They were asleep when three bombs went off, two at a food court on Jimbaran beach and a third at Kuta Town square, claiming the life of four Australians and injuring a further 19.

His sister called him from Australia to ask if he was OK, and told him there had been an attack.
 

News ltd

Abbott puts a price on victims of terrorism

The number is "up to $75,000" in compensation. ABC

Tony Abbott's crocodile tears

Mr Abbott says he offered an “act of contrition” to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak when they met for the first time on the sidelines of the APEC leaders’ summit in Bali last night.

But he told Mr Najib the Coalition's problem was with Labor's policy, not with Malaysia. Australian

Rortgate continues

ABC's 7.30 can reveal that Mr Abbott has claimed thousands of dollars to take part in various sporting events in recent years.
In 2012 he went to the famed Lorne Pier to Pub race in Victoria and claimed $1,444.
In August that year Mr Abbott went to Coffs Harbour for its cycle challenge, claiming $1,002.
The next month he went to Wagga Wagga for its Lake to Lagoon fun run and claimed $515. ABC

Expenses scandal claims ironman

Abbott's paid back a bit more money.

Tony Abbott quietly repays expenses for Slipper wedding

Not much to add. Australian

Let them out, then lock them up again: Morrison

Asylum seekers who live in the community and are charged with a crime are having their visas cancelled or being returned to immigration detention centres.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the crackdown came after a rise in the number of serious offences allegedly committed by asylum seekers on bridging visas or in community detention.
"Warnings from the coalition about risks to the community and the need for tighter controls were not only ignored, they were mocked," the minister said on Monday.
The federal government has revoked 14 bridging visas due to criminal charges, including 10 cancellations since the federal election, Mr Morrison said on Monday.
There are more than 21,300 people in Australia on bridging visas. Fairfax

Abbott wants to consummate with China

"It would be wonderful if a trip towards the end of the first half of next year was consummated by an agreement here," he said.
"Our intention is to move as quickly as we can. I would be disappointed if we couldn't conclude a significant free-trade agreement with China in 12 months." ABC

Defence Minister David Johnston backs censored report

The victims' families called for a coronial inquest into the incident following the release of a highly-censored Australian Defence Force (ADF) report into the deaths last month.

But Defence Minister David Johnston said such reports should remain "virtually unintelligible" to protect personnel still in Afghanistan. SBS

Barnaby defends wedding trip

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says the fact that mining magnate Gina Rinehart paid for him to fly to a wedding in India helped make the trip cheaper for taxpayers. ABC

Abbott Government: Week 3 in review

What have Tony and friends been up to since last time ? Ask the media!

• Tony sandbags, incurs wrath of Indonesian press corps
• New Zealand is 'not a consolation prize', guys
• Julie won't use taxpayers money to save you from piracy charges, Indonesian jails, or whatever. That's for travel expenses
• Malcolm puts Ziggy in charge of deconstructing the NBN
• Scott Morrison lets Syrian refugees join the line, tells others not to queue jump.
• Tony Abbott says he will treat all Senators with respect.
• Joe Hockey faces a decision to be made, and decides not to make it just yet.
• Scott Morrison bravely decides not to let journos talk to asylum seekers. Not that they could before.
• He also denies that there was ever any policy to tow back boats. It's all a media misrepresentation
• Abbott is confident of repealing the carbon tax, because he bought all the Senators-elect gift baskets.
• T.Abbs tells Prince Harry 'everyone feels like a monarchist', pimps out his daughters
• Julie Bishop has a word on the sidelines with the Russians about the whole piracy thing
• Everyone that has ever gone to a wedding and claimed expenses (haven't we all) is now looking over their shoulder, because Fairfax has found their Watergate moment.

and that's all that passes for political journalism in this country, until next time.

Weddings expenses cause headaches

Barnaby Joyce, Julie Bishop and Teresa Gambaro collectively claimed more than $12,000 in ''overseas study'' allowances to pay for their flights

Tony Abbott repays expenses after charging taxpayers to attend Sophie Mirabella's wedding

If in doubt, don't claim expenses, Malcolm Turnbull tells colleagues

Julie Bishop talks on the sidelines about protestor

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has officially registered concerns with the Russian government over the treatment of an Australian Greenpeace protestor. Ms Bishop had talks on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Bali with Russia's deputy foreign minister Igor Morgulov. ABC

Tony Abbott to Prince Harry: ' everyone feels like a monarchist'

Mr Abbott told the crowd: "Prince Harry, I regret to say not everyone in Australia is a monarchist, but today everyone feels like a monarchist".

He said it was "fitting" that the Crown was still a "symbol of continuity and decency in public life". Fairfax

Abbott confident of repealing carbon tax

Labor and the Greens are against the move, so in the new Senate Mr Abbott will have to convince six crossbenchers to pass the legislation.
Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm, Democratic Labour Party Senator John Madigan and Family First's Bob Day also support moves to scrap the tax, but not all of them back the Coalition's carbon reduction policy.
Billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer has indicated his party supports the repeal but says its three senators will wait to see all bills before guaranteeing support. ABC

Scott Morrison: Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia

Coalition ‘never had a policy of towing boats back’, says Scott Morrison
Immigration minister accuses media of ‘misrepresentation over a long period of time’ Guardian