More Abbott stuff ups

What annoys me is that this clown is in a safe seat yet someone like Malcolm Turnbull gets stuck in a marginal.

Abbott gaffe puts Coalition on back foot again

Prime Minister John Howard was today forced to defend Tony Abbott after the gaffe-prone health minister admitted workers were worse off under Work Choices.

Mr Abbott claims his comments were taken out of context after the Labor Party released a video which shows him saying workers have lost protections under the coalition’s industrial relations reforms.

The amateur footage shows him talking about the Coalition’s unpopular workplace reforms at a local electorate function earlier this week.

Mr Abbott is seen saying: “I accept that certain protections, in inverted commas, are not what they were.

“I accept that that has largely gone. I accept that.”

In an audio file of the speech, released by his office, the comments appear accurate.

But Mr Abbott accused Labor of doctoring the video and says his comments were taken out of context.

During the speech, he goes on to say that the best protection for a worker who felt they were under pressure in their job was the chance of another job.

“That is the best protection,” he told the audience.

“Not going off to some judge or industrial commission that might order your employer, who you don’t like and he doesn’t like you, to keep you in an unhappy partnership forever.”

Mr Abbott maintained he has been the victim of a cut-and-paste job.

“I have been outrageously verballed by the Australian Labor Party,” Mr Abbott said today.

“The footage that they released ...last night was a cut-and-paste job which completely distorts what I said.”.......