Crikey

It’s a rare day in Australia’s political media, but following Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott’s health care slug-fest yesterday, the pundits appear to be of one mind: a unanimous victory to Rudd.

On Crikey’s The Stump blog, Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane says it was a double victory for Rampaging Rudd and camp ALP:

Health and health funding has remained the dominant political issue, and Rudd easily outpointed Abbott in the debate by staying positive, appealing to bipartisanship and emphasising attractive themes like the impact on families.

But, as he pointed out in yesterday’s Crikey Daily Mail, the debate is likely to have very little impact on the Federal election itself:

So this debate, in the middle of the day, months away from an election when voters aren’t paying the slightest bit of attention, will have virtually no impact.

Meanwhile, at our health blog Croakey, the health commentariat seem to agree that, regardless of who won, the big loser was anyone looking for actual health policy discussion.

Yet regardless of the no-brainer win for Rudd, every punter and his dog has weighed-in this morning.

Was it a KO for the PM, or was the bout fixed before the pair even entered the ring? Was Abbott left flat on the canvas, or will he be back to fight another day? And then there’s the worm…

Here’s how they’re calling it this morning:

The Australian

Paul Kelly: Rudd skates home with sweet reason

Abbott threw lots of punches but he still let Rudd off too lightly.

Samantha Maiden: Nothing arouses like motherhood

Abbott was starting to look like a big-eared lout who hadn’t done his homework, up against Harry Potter.

Mark Cresswell: Primary care was big loser in debate

Neither side had anything new to offer for mental health, or aged care, or dental health.

Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Hartcher: Abbott was the north wind and Rudd was the sun

… [Abbott] came across as unreasonable and sometimes undergraduate.

Julie Robotham: Jaded election year jousting rather than true debate on health

It left precious little time and space to address current and future issues concerning publicly-funded health care.

The Age

Michelle Grattan: Yawning policy gap lets leader down

Little that was new came out.

Pater Hartcher: Worm tales: negativity works against Abbott

Australian voters prefer a can-do problem-solver in their leaders to a naysayer

Shaun Carney: Abbott’s health attack went down like an iron kite

One of Rudd’s natural advantages, a corollary of his workaholic ways, is to be able to memorise the detail, so he didn’t slip up.

Daily Telegraph

Malcolm Farr: Australia sick of all talk and no action on hospitals

It was a political ambush, and it worked.

Piers Akerman: The great debate was anything but

Rudd’s specialty is superficiality. Spin not substance, and that is what he delivered.

Courier Mail

Dennis Atkins: Abbott allows ‘nice’ Kevin onto high ground

The question for the Opposition is whether this was just a bad day for Abbott or a sign of his limitation.

Herald Sun

Andrew Bolt: Kevin Rudd’s runaway win opens a can of worms for lacklustre Tony Abbott

Rudd won, if only in the battle of temporary perceptions.

Phillip Hudson: Kevin Rudd wins round one of health debate

Just turning up to the debate on time and not falling over means Abbott gains from being given equal billing with the PM

Adelaide Advertiser

Mark Kenny: Rudd steps out on a limb - and stays balanced

It was actually a clever move from the PM suggesting he is every bit as wily as the man he replaced, John Howard.

ABC

Barrie Cassidy: Positivity the best policy as Rudd tweets ahead

Kevin Rudd looked like a prime minister and Tony Abbott behaved like an opposition leader

Tim Dunlop: Substance trumps speedos

… an unequivocal disaster for Tony Abbott.

Elsewhere…

New Matilda, Ben Eltham: Abbott the brawler struggles in debate

Style versus substance. Confrontation versus diplomacy. Plain talking versus grasp of detail.

Trevor Cook: Not even close: Rudd trounces Abbott in health debate

Abbott’s so-called great debating skills amount to nothing more than a sneer and a shout from a schoolyard bully.

The Punch, Paul Colgan: Rudd’s gamble pays off

Abbott didn’t show up today looking for consensus or solutions. He came, as is his instinct, looking for a fight.

The Piping Shrike: Who does negative better?

[Rudd] was wrapping up in positive vibes an anti-political attack that is at the heart of the health debate.

Grog’s Gamut: The health debate — Kevin grins, Abbott grits and journalists talk

If Abbott doesn’t know the difference between being a leader and being a Minister, he should know it now.

The Political Sword, Ad astra: Comprehending the Great Big New Health Debate

Federal politics changed ominously for the Coalition today.

Parton Words, Mark Parton: The worm

Kevin could have farted three times in quickfire succession and then given a cheeky grin. The worm would have gone through the roof.