abbott late for press club, page-8

LOL Nicola Roxon wins the debate with Mr Abbot by a mile...

Health Minister Tony Abbott has turned up half an hour late for his National Press Club debate with his Labor opposite number Nicola Roxon.

Ms Roxon took the National Press Club stage first after the traditional toss of the coin was shelved in the absence of her opponent.

Mr Abbott was delayed en route to Canberra from Victoria, where he was speaking to the media this morning.

Ms Roxon began her address by referring to Mr Abbott's absence as a lack of respect for the importance of the debate.

"I'm delighted to be here and I have to say I feel... particularly pleased to be here, I'm sure I'm going to win a lot of votes, particularly if I'm the only person prepared to debate myself on health policy," she said.

Ms Roxon targeted the Government's plan to implement local hospital boards as hypocritical and another layer of bureaucracy.

She also made reference to Mr Abbott's recent comments towards asbestosis sufferer Bernie Banton as "ugly politics".

Ms Roxon finished her address and had fielded several questions from journalists by the time Mr Abbott arrived.

When Mr Abbott did arrive at the National Press Club, he told the audience he regretted his lateness.

"First of all ladies and gentlemen thank you for being so patient, I didn't wish to make such a grand entrance, I really do apologise for it, but even in election campaigns, sometimes things go awry," he said.

Mr Abbott says he had to be at a policy announcement this morning, and was not able to get to the debate any faster.

But Ms Roxon says Mr Abbott should have managed his schedule so that he was not squeezed between the campaign event in Melbourne and the debate in Canberra.

"This is mea culpa month I think for Tony Abbott - 'I'm sorry we didn't invest in the public hospitals', 'I'm sorry we didn't plan for the work force', 'I'm sorry I offended Bernie Banton' and now 'I'm sorry I offend a whole national TV audience'," she said.

"I mean really this Government is so arrogant and so out of touch that they won't even plan their own policy announcements to allow the Minister to meet his commitments."

Dave R