From television news video footage of Tony Abbott debating Julia Gillard during the 2010 election it seems he was doing exactly what Kevin Rudd did on Sunday night.
But whereas Rudd has pleaded that he was unaware of the rule and received no guidance from the moderator, we have no such explanation from Abbott.
It seems that benchmark was set by Tony Abbott; just as it has been for highly personalised mud-chucking, refusal to release policy details, for knee-capping attempts to better manage asylum seekers, for talking down the economy and for relentless negativity.
