Latest Tony Abbott Quotes from Interviews

Quotes about:

• No country or continent can open its borders to all comers without fundamentally weakening itself and this is the risk that the countries of Europe run through misguided altruism.

  Tony Abbott

  Running, Country, Europe

  "Tony Abbott urges Europe to adopt Coalition's hard-line asylum seeker policies". "AM" with Sabra Lane, www.abc.net.au. October 28, 2015.

• There are tens, perhaps hundreds of millions of people living in poverty and danger who might readily seek to enter a Western country if the opportunity is there.

  Tony Abbott

  Country, Opportunity, People

  Transcript of former prime minister Tony Abbott’s address to the Second Annual Margaret Thatcher Lecture in London, October 27, 2015.

• We are looking at what more we can do. As well as a strong security response we need a strong humanitarian one.

  Tony Abbott

  Strong, Needs, Humanitarian

  Australia politics live with Katharine Murphy, www.theguardian.com. September 7, 2015.

• There's a sense in which politicians can never work hard enough.

  Tony Abbott

  Hard Work, Politician, Enough

  Australia politics live with Katharine Murphy, www.theguardian.com. September 7, 2015.

• I'm focused on doing the job the treasurer should do.I don't respond to gossip.

  Tony Abbott

  Jobs, Gossip, Should

• What we are determined to do is to take more people from Syria and that war-torn part of the world as a response to this particular crisis, but again I stress we are taking people from camps because the last thing we want to do is to encourage and reward people smuggling.We are taking people from camps and we are taking family groups; our focus will be on family groups, from persecuted minorities.

  Tony Abbott

  Stress, War, People

  "Sticking to our Plan: two year anniversary of the Abbott Government". Joint Doorstop Interview, Canberra, pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au. September 7, 2015.

• We are sticking with the plan. We have a plan to get taxes down, to get regulation down, to get productivity up, to create jobs, to reduce taxes, to boost prosperity. The plan is working and we are sticking with it.

  Tony Abbott

  Jobs, Regulation, Prosperity

  Australia politics live with Katharine Murphy, www.theguardian.com. September 7, 2015.

• Australia will take more refugees from Syria in response to the growing international crisis but it will not increase the total number of asylum seekers it accepts.

  Tony Abbott

  Numbers, Australia, Asylum Seekers

  "Tony Abbott signals extending military campaign to Syria - politics live" by Katharine Murphy, www.theguardian.com. September 7, 2015.

• We will act to build a better world. We always have, we always will. We will act to lend a helping hand, not just here but wherever we humanly can.

  Tony Abbott

  Hands, World, Helping

• When the world is in trouble, Australia responds. Australia is a good, global citizen.

  Tony Abbott

  Australia, Citizens, World

• We have already provided a strong humanitarian response to the problems in the Middle East and that response will be stronger within coming days.

  Tony Abbott

  Strong, Middle East, Problem

• Should we choose to extend our airstrikes into Syria, we will be doing this in the collective self-defence of Iraq. We would be doing this out of a responsibility to protect innocent people at risk of horrible death from the most violent people imaginable.

  Tony Abbott

  Responsibility, Iraq, Self

  "Tony Abbott signals extending military campaign to Syria - politics live" by Katharine Murphy, www.theguardian.com. September 7, 2015.

• The one thing that has changed dramatically when you talk to the people of New Zealand and people from Ireland? They feel a darned-sight better about themselves because they made the decision to do what they've done, and I can say to you, we would feel a bloody darned sight better about ourselves once we get an opportunity to put this [vote on same-sex marriage] out there.

  Tony Abbott

  Sex, Opportunity, Sight

  Source: www.theguardian.com

• Australia would play its role in taking displaced people from the Syrian conflict.

  Tony Abbott

  Play, Australia, People

  "Tony Abbott signals extending military campaign to Syria - politics live" by Katharine Murphy, www.theguardian.com. September 7, 2015.

• In the era of mobile phones and emails, you're no more out of the loop in China than you are in Sydney.

  Tony Abbott

  Phones, Email, Eras

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.

• It is very important for our long-term economic future that the relationship with Japan, Korea and China, who are our three biggest trading partners, be ever stronger.

  Tony Abbott

  Japan, Korea, Long

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.

• I think all senior politicians tend to be rather more subtle then the commentators would have it. It is a natural tendency for human beings to try to classify. We all have this classification urge - so and so is such and such, that person is in that camp - but look, most sophisticated people defy stereotype.

  Tony Abbott

  Senior, Thinking, People

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.

• What will most certainly happen is that there will be very clear and full communication between the government and independents and minor parties. The precise mechanisms will evolve over time, but we certainly intend to keep the minor parties and the independents very much in the loop. We have to if we want our legislative agenda to have a reasonable chance of success and that's what we intend to do.

  Tony Abbott

  Party, Communication, Government

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.

• I think we've produced a stronger prohibition on real racism, while maintaining freedom of speech in ordinary public discussion. So I'm very comfortable with where we're at. We're not dogmatic or impervious to a further argument, that's why we released it as an exposure draft rather than simply releasing it straight into the parliament.

  Tony Abbott

  Real, Thinking, Racism

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.

• Putting labels on people is so counter-productive. Most of us on some issues could be considered conservative, on other issues could be considered progressive, on other issues might be thought of as being moderate, on other issues might be thought of as being rather forthright.

  Tony Abbott

  Issues, People, Labels

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.

• The the relationship between the prime minister and the monarch is very much a personal one and when it comes to the constitution of the Order of Australia, which is headed by the monarch, this is governed by letters patent, which are a matter between the prime minister and the monarch.

  Tony Abbott

  Order, Australia, Patents

  Source: www.sbs.com.au

• I want to be a very good friend to Indonesia, but there are some things which are non-negotiable. Border protection is just non-negotiable. Maintaining a strong security network is just non-negotiable. I think the Indonesians understand that.

  Tony Abbott

  Strong, Good Friend, Thinking

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.

• I'm confident that there are plenty of people who have the strength of character and the presence of mind to warn me of difficulties and alert me to opportunities.

  Tony Abbott

  Character, Opportunity, Presence Of Mind

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.

• Like the Governor-General, when asked what you enjoy most about the job my tendency is to say "today", because of the insights you get into our nation and because of the privileged contact you have with so many people.

  Tony Abbott

  Jobs, People, Today

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.

• In respect of Indonesia, I am determined to be the best possible friend of Indonesia that I can be, consistent with my overriding duty to protect our country. We would never do anything that was damaging to Indonesia, because we want Indonesia to flourish. We want Indonesia to take its rightful place as one of the really important countries of the world, as it will, sooner or later.

  Tony Abbott

  Country, Countries Of The World, Important

  "Grattan on Friday: In Conversation with Tony Abbott". Interview with Michelle Grattan, theconversation.com. March 27, 2014.