The Abbott cabinet is still "functioning exceptionally well", according to talking points leaked to Fairfax Media for a second successive day.
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In fact, a day after the embarrassing leaking on Wednesday of the government's morning note to senior ministerial advisers, just five words had been changed in Thursday's edition of the morning note, which is authored in the Prime Minister's office and sent to chief of staff Peta Credlin, deputy chief of staff Andrew Hirst and the government's senior press secretaries.
On the rolling series of leaks that have hit the Abbott government this week, the Thursday note tells ministers to say that:
- We don't comment on cabinet discussions
- The government is focused on delivering jobs and growth. On Tuesday, the government announced its decision on lawfare
- In contrast to the experiences of Rudd and Gillard governments, our cabinet is functioning exceptionally well. Everyone knows that under Labor, cabinet submissions were almost never lodged on time and would instead more often arrive on the day or weekend before a cabinet meeting.
- Julia Gillard used to send her bodyguard to NSC meetings. Our cabinet processes are far more effective and productive than Labor's chaos
The only specific changes between Wednesday's and Thursday's notes on the issue of leaks are "just yesterday" has been changed to "On Tuesday" and the word "sent" has been changed to "used to send".
Thursday's breach of confidentiality is the latest in a rolling series of leaks that have hit the government this week, including Monday night's threadbare cabinet agenda to the Seven Network and the Guardian Australia, details of Tuesday's party room meeting and Wednesday's morning note.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott reassured the Coalition party room on Tuesday that he had read the riot act to his cabinet on Monday night, warning his ministers that those found to be leaking would face serious consequences, though that message has clearly not gotten through to everyone in the Coalition.
In question time on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten asked:"Can the Prime Minister confirm that government ministers have been directed to say that cabinet is 'functioning exceptionally well' when asked about cabinet leaks? Can the Prime Minister confirm that the government is functioning so exceptionally well that cabinet ministers immediately leaked this document?"
Mr Abbott shot back: "What I am not going to do is accept lectures on cabinet solidarity from a Leader of the Opposition, who backstabbed two prime ministers. He backstabbed two prime ministers because they could not run an effective government."
Thursday's morning note has been updated over the investigation into the Victorian Liberal Party, a front page story in The Australian about an ACTU-led campaign directed at the Abbott government and a report on early childhood education.
