Very important to remember, as this article mentions, that the Coalition did not win the last election. Labour lost it thru the perceived gross political mismanagement of Rudd and Gillard.
It looks like Abbott will stop the boats, but at what cost to our regional friendships? And once the boats do stop, how will he repair some real damage to our north? He's not a mug, a fact the ALP misjudged from the start of his leadership, so perhaps he will pull a regional balance out of the mix. However, his fixation on all things USA might not be a great help in this.
The economy is volatile. Good luck with all that.
And other than Abbott? Malcolm is waiting quietly in the wings for another call. If the Libs give him a chance, I expect he would lead with more circumspection the next time around.

It has to be remembered that Tony Abbott only won his party's leadership ballot by one vote. This is not a ringing endorsement and serves as an indicator to possible challenges in the future. Although the Liberal Party is generally better than Labor at keeping their internal squabbles behind closed doors with only an occasional peep at what is happening behind.

But would a change of leadership make difference? Would there be a shift in improving transparency, something this government appears to hold with disdain.

My biggest concern is the lack of transparency around the TPP negotiations and the risk that corporations will be able to sue governments should their laws and regulations affect profit potential (ISDS). The leaked chapters of the TPP give cause for concern but is there any information coming from the government? Not a brass razoo. In fact DFAT banned media from an 'open' public consultation on the TPP in Sydney at the end of 2013.

I can't say if Labor would have been any better on this front either. It seems we are determined to corporatise governments, a further affront to democracy of 'we the people'.

Graham it's very easy in giving political analysis of this kind to overlook the appalling behaviour of the Left and Greens, and the failure of their governance in Australia. It is also easy to repeat the Labor argument that Abbott is unpopular. This attack on him for several years is why it is easy to repeat it. Where is the analysis of this, compared with Rudd/Gillard, whose performances were patently disgraceful. Another point is that the Rudd/Gillard v Abbott is a very polarising debate in which the writer automatically loses a large percentage of the readership, who might be fed up with writers pushing one view or another ( as if they belong to one side or the other). We have a new government, we have a terrible previous government, we have a long a public record of misgovernment from Labor/Greens. Too early yet to be judging, in my view. But don't you feel we are already winners with the boats being stopped and not having a frantic PM on the news every night and day, or national and domestic issues managed in a mature way?

Amazingly, Labour did not actually create the mess everybody is talking about. It is easy to forget the appraisals of the treasurer's EU counterparts, when they praised his handling of the Australian economy through the GFC. The then Labor government invested in the economy from the bottom up. This created cash-flow and therefore jobs. They did so by borrowing, a normal business strategy, in order to keep the impacts of the GFC from our doorstep. Compared to other countries, Australia's debt was relatively low and for this Wayne Swan received the accolades. It was only the Liberals that predictably, once seated at the desk, set out to paint a gloomy picture that was supposedly hidden from the eyes, even of treasury... I think not. Before the election Abbott said he would turn back the boats, cut the carbon and mining taxes and put the economy on an even footing, aiming at a return to surplus. Well, he has started to turn back the boats, offending our northern neighbours and the UN. He has attempted to cut the carbon tax and in doing so, make a start at cutting funding for sustainable projects that actually create sustainable jobs. He did not lie to the public and has attempted to do what he said he would do. The wrecking ball is swinging but after the demolition, what will follow? I absolutely agree Graham, a good article that asks some serious questions.

<< Abbott won the last election in a landslide >>

Not really. Labor lost in a landslide and Abbott’s team was the only alternative. And a pretty ugly one for most voters.

<< The first problem is the nature of the win >>

Absolutely!

<< The second problem is the electorate's expectation of performance >>

Is it? I mean, how many people expected Abbott to do well? He’s doing about as well as expected, I would think.

With the political doctrine that the Coalition holds, he never had a chance of becoming a good and/or well-liked PM.

And therein is the REAL problem. The absurdity of never-ending rapid growth, especially in population, which means that we have a never-ending rapidly increasing demand for everything and increasing pressure on all our resources, services and infrastructure.

The day that a political party sees this as the core issue and goes to the polls with a platform of sustainability, rather than gross and utterly absurd antisustainability, is the day we might just be able to regain a bit of respect for our politicians and welcome a leader that can both do a lot of good and be well-liked.

But until that happens neither the Coalition nor Labor have got a hope in hell of doing significant things to improve the lot for ordinary Australian citizens.

It appears the popularity of Shorten is also because he seems to care about the health of middle income families and Australian manufacturing and how this helps create a more moral, inventive and patriotic society.

The other side seems more interested in the global economy.