"There was some embarrassment for Mr Abbott when a couple of the big-end-of-town guests asked: "What are you going to do about Joe Hockey?"
"As I listened to Mr Abbott's speech I recalled his response back in February to a Treasury report dealing with policy implications of an ageing population between now and 2050. "I think the most you can expect from any politician is policies dealing with his or her likely life in Parliament," the Liberal leader said."
"In other words, political leaders should not think long-term. They should not plan for the nation's future. It was a ridiculous and very worrying statement for a would-be prime minister to make."
"The Government - already rolling out an optical fibre network to bring fast broadband to just about every home, business, hospital and educational institution in Australia - is thinking big."
"Mr Abbott - who would cancel what the Government is doing and replace it with a Mickey Mouse network, cheaper but very much slower - is thinking small."
