Kudos to Nicola Roxon for observing a couple of hard truths at yesterday’s health debate with Peter Dutton. However, she also appeared to rank action on obesity as a lower priority than tobacco and alcohol and that doesn’t cut it. Croakey diagnoses (and continues) the debate.
Health debate
Will the election health debate move beyond sickening?
Most of Australia’s disease burden is driven by preventable risk factors, yet prevention is virtually nowhere to be seen in this election campaign. Time to make it an issue during this week’s health debate, writes Professor Boyd Swinburn.
Those waiting in the wings need to work on their lines
Tony Abbott was right to reject acting lessons, he’s already a showman, writes Peter Brent. But other pollies desperately require some professional personality jazzing. Here’s looking at you Wayne Swan and Penny Wong.
A marathon and a health debate? You’ll have to work harder than that
Aussies enjoy Tony Abbott and are amused by his Action Man antics, but they don’t want him leading the country. So far there just aren’t enough reasons to get rid of Kevin Rudd, says Jack the Insider.
PolliGraph debate drilldowns
Roy Morgan has shared its audience data from last week’s Rudd-Abbott health debate with Crikey, and Possum Comitatus is drilling into all the dirty demographic breakdowns.
Savva: Abracadabra, it’s Howard’s magic disappearing health policy!
It’s obvious that Tony Abbott is in desperate need of a health policy. Could John Howard’s never-fully-announced 2007 policy help lift the Liberals’ curse on health? asks Nikka Savva.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Abbott, Rudd, debates and health
Crikey readers join the health debate and whether or not the journos attending asked the right questions. Plus, Kevin Rudd’s love for working families.
Voters love negativity!
All this talk about voters — and the worm — loving Rudd’s positive Obamaesque language during the health debate is absolute rubbish. It’s just that Rudd is better at wrapping his negativity in positive vibes.
Health care ain’t just hospitals
When will we move on from the simplistic focus on hospitals when discussing health reform? asks Trevor Carr from the Victorian Healthcare Association. Instead, let’s focus on industrial relations, primary care and prevention.
Sinodinos: Abbott’s plan of attack
Kevin07 is back and Tony Abbott should be worried. If Abbott is to rule, he shouldn’t waste time with a new political manifesto, but just push classic Liberal strengths: security, the economy and individual choice, says Arthur Sinodinos.
Devine: The worm is a moron
All the “wormologists” in the health debate are snivelling idiots with low IQs, says Miranda Devine. Why? Because they loved Kevin Rudd. Even though his hospital system didn’t operate on Miranda’s sliced thumb.
The questions journos forgot to ask at the National Press Club
The National Press Club failed to really grill the prime minister about his health proposals — or lack of them, writes Melissa Sweet. Here are the questions they forgot to ask.
Crikey Says: Rudd has a plan, but it’s full of holes
Kevin Rudd is a man with a plan. Tony Abbott has none. And so the worm turned, the pundits pounced, and the Great Debate was declared an emphatic KO.
Political snippets: Abbott vs. Rudd: a close bout
Kevin Rudd’s may have won the health debate, but he didn’t win over the media, what Tasmania’s politicians could learn from Canberra’s on dealing with the Greens, some dodgy documents from the Public Relations Institute of Australia and more snippets.
Breaking the rules, bettering the debate
It seems the debating handbook was thrown out the window yesterday, with neither Rudd, Abbott or adjudicator Chris Uhlmann obeying the normal debate rules. Thank god, says Dennis Shanahan.
Who made the worm turn?
Why did the channel Seven and Nine worms vary so dramatically during the health debate yesterday? Possum Comitatus has the inside scoop on just who was sitting in each audience.
A KO win for Kevin?
Daily media wrap: The pundits have declared yesterday’s health slugfest a unanimous victory to Rampaging Rudd. But was it a knock-out, or just another pointless punch-up? And is it time to ground ‘n pound the worm?
The health debate diagnosis: underwhelming
Croakey rounds up what the health commentariat is saying about yesterday’s big health debate between Rudd and Abbott. Looks like an acute case of “unimpressed”.
The health debate: all campaigning, no content
Bernard Keane adjudicates today’s big health care debate at the National Press Club: Rudd easily won the day, and takes home the “best speaker” award, but the loser was anyone looking for some actual substance.
The debate behind the non-debate
Today’s 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 on the Federal election.
Political snippets: The news bite, not the debate, is what matters
Forget about the hour long health debate, what counts will be the 2-minute version shown on the evening news. Plus, booing the PM, and awkward guilty plea and other political news of the day.
Crikey Says: This smackdown doesn’t look much like change
The press gallery is scrubbing up in preparation for today’s Abbott v Rudd 12.30pm health debate.
Experts give last-minute debating prep tips
Some advice from health experts — including senior bureaucrats, Professor Gavin Mooney and Professor Glenn Salkeld to help the PM and Opposition leader with their last-minute preparations.
Rudd goes rogue
Rudd’s pulled a risky move by calling for the health smackdown, but he’s banking on Abbott being stuck talking about Howard days. Too bad Rudd failed to mention the treacherous plan to any of his staff beforehand, says Christine Jackman.
Rudd vs. Abbott: the smack-down
Daily media wrap: It’s Kevin “Dr Death” Rudd vs. Tony “The Mad Monk” Abbott in the slug-fest of the century, and the pundits have gathered ringside, ready to land a few blows of their own.
