No doubt a lot of people are going to hate Abbott for what must be done but the finger points squarly at Rudd and what's her name. We're 220 years in debt, china is buying up our land and everything else, Newman is despised by some after cutting and slashing. 1/2 the PS has to go [ and they knew this when they joined - free rides are over long ago ].You can't live on a credit card and Labors aim was scorched earth policy [ make it impossible to reverse things by setting poicies in concrete ]People are going to suffer and suffer badly, especially seniors - Hard cheddar, I'm not bitter about it because in the long term, this country is going to pull itself up by bootstraps, tell the UN to shove it, use our coal to generate cheap power, kick alternative agenda disidents out'a my country, dump climate change stupid policies and put the money into safe guards against what's coming.

Public service cuts made in the wrong places will make no difference and in fact will impact greatly on service delivery. No good implementing new programs without the people to deliver them directly to the public.

Cuts to the public service are rarely supervised by governments because there is this belief that governments should not interfere too directly in the bureaucracy. There is some merit in that traditional stance, but there are disadvantages. It will come as no shock that public servants often tell politicians what they want to hear and briefings rarely outline mistakes and blunders, but serve to update policy aims and stages of implementation. A good brief will also include risks.

I hope Abbott insists that cuts to the APS start with the fat at the top which has grown disproportionately over the years and attends to bracket creep where jobs which were once done, for example, at the APS5/6 level sare now EL1/2s in many cases.

This is well recognised within the APS privately. Also cutting middle class welfare will reduce the burden of administration.

Dear Pelly,

I stated earlier that Mr Abbott's big test will be
to adapt his combative style to the serious
business of government. It's one thing to be in
Opposition and focus on the failings of the
government (repeatedly) and quite another having
to solve the same problems and govern the country.

Mr Abbott has already ditched an earlier boast that
he'd return the budget to surplus in his first term.
Abolishing the carbon tax and other pledges may well
face challenges in the Senate.

Mr Abbott did state that there will be "qualitative
differences in the way things happen in Canberra."
What these differences will be remains to be seen.

It also remains to be seen whether the ALP having
"saved the furniture" by holding many safe seats
and preserving future leadership talent like
Chris Bowen, Tony Burke, Kate Ellis, Tanya Plibersek,
et al, whether they will actually
listen to these people and re-group and reform the
Party or continue with their previous traditional
factional mistakes.

I am sorry but the truth remains.
We lost that election.
On the night Gillard took the knife to her strong partner.
Try to not see it but know it still.
Every single thing after that night would not have taken place with out her actions knifing my party!
We saw Tony Abbott, a man who for the most part was never liked as much as his opponent, win.
We saw better policy,s fall.
But after we sweep the floor and understand our position, we will become much the better for it.
SCREAM ABUSE AT ME!
But I truly believe an awakening is coming, to voters and from within Abbott,s party.
This man is no Liberal.
And the effort in cleaning our own bed first may bring a stunning reversal!
A one term Liberal government.
Abbott has a honey moon period coming, some of his policy,s will be good.
He will confront things Labor has failed to, and in our next term in office we will not change.
Lets not forget Tasmania and South Australia will fall under a Liberal government soon, SA may survive Tassy is lost and hopeless, Greens give our government the smell of death there.

Belly,

I think you are suffering from amnesia, I remember you being delighted with the ascension of Juliar. Rudd was knifed because he was a liability and Labor's popularity was plummeting. She was then knifed when labor reached record lows.

The problem was not the leaders, the problem was bad policies driven by publicity, combined with poor management, little to no consultation with those affected, and a litany of broken promises and backflips.

"..... a litany of broken promises and backflips."

The Coalition didn't even wait until government before unleashing it's first broken promise and/or backflip.

I remember it like it was just the other day....

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/how-malcolm-turnbull-was-ambushed-by-the-coalitions-own-internet-policy-20130906-2t9bd.html