Aussie PM slammed for likening opposition leader to Nazi propagandist
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been criticized for likening the country’s opposition leader Bill Shorten to a propagandist of the former Nazi regime in Germany.
On Thursday, during a heated debate, Labor leader Shorten asked about whether a debt level of about 60 percent of the GDP would “see Australia lose its AAA credit rating.”
Abbott responded by saying “such a question from such a leader of the opposition, it’s like the arsonist complaining about the fire.”
He continued by criticizing the opposition’s budget policies and referring to Shorten as “Dr Goebbels of economic policy,” an allusion to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.
Following the remarks, opposition figures, including former Attorney-General and Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus and his fellow lawmaker Michael Danby, erupted in outrage. Speaker Bronwyn Bishop ordered Dreyfus out. Danby also walked of the chamber saying, “If he’s out, I’m out over this.”
Later, Danby said that Abbot “can slag us as much as he likes but it is silly to use an example of the ultimate evil in politics.”
The prime minister quickly apologized, repeating, “I do withdraw and I do apologize for using that phrase.”
Dreyfus also slammed the remarks, saying, “Comments like this should have no place in Australian political debate and should never have been made in the first place.”
Abbott defeated the center-left Labor Party in the September 2013 federal election.
The premier’s leadership has come under criticism following an unpopular belt-tightening budget, and shifts in a number of policies, including paid leave for new parents.
He also came under pressure after he blamed – back in February – the recent jump in Australia’s unemployment rate on the Labor opposition party, calling it a “holocaust of job losses.”
He later apologized and withdrew the remark after criticism from Mark Dreyfus.
Opinion polls carried out over the past year show that support for the Australian prime minister’s government has plummeted as it has been harshly criticized for its attempts to press ahead with extensive spending cuts to control a growing budget deficit.
The premier’s personal ratings have also dropped to 27 percent compared to 44 percent for Shorten.
HJM/HJL/HMV
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