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Should the Prime Minister risk his life fighting fires? (Australia)
Herald Sun (Melbourne) ^ | 18th October 2013 | Laurie Oakes

Posted on 10/18/2013 3:21:40 PM PDT by naturalman1975

TONY Abbott did today what any responsible, caring prime minister would do, visiting one of the communities devastated by bushfires raging out of control across NSW.

But, as he inspected damage and sought to give comfort to those affected, one of the emotions Abbott no doubt felt was frustration.

He would have had a strong urge to take off his prime ministerial hat, don his firefighter's helmet and join the thousands of yellow-clad volunteers battling the flames.

Abbott has been a highly skilled member of the NSW Rural Fire Service for 13 years. He is a specialist breathing apparatus operator, chainsaw operator and tanker driver.

Until he became Liberal leader four years ago. he was also deputy captain of the Davidson brigade in Sydney's Warringah Pittwater Rural Fire District.

So it is natural that he would have wanted to pitch in with the other firies. And, if the emergency had struck last Sunday when he was on standby in Davidson Rural Fire Service truck number 5, that might very well have happened.

Australia's prime minister might have been risking life and limb on the firefighting front line. The mere thought of it must cause nightmares among the Australian Federal Police officers assigned to protect him.

(Excerpt) Read more at heraldsun.com.au ...


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bushfire
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I love having a Prime Minister where we need to ask this question.
1 posted on 10/18/2013 3:21:40 PM PDT by naturalman1975
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To: naturalman1975

We hate you...

;-(


2 posted on 10/18/2013 3:23:17 PM PDT by null and void (I'm betting on an Obama Trifecta: A Nobel Peace Prize, an Impeachment, AND a War Crimes Trial...)
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To: naturalman1975

You making me jealous today LOL!


3 posted on 10/18/2013 3:23:51 PM PDT by SevenofNine (We are Freepers, all your media bases belong to us ,resistance is futile)
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To: naturalman1975

America had such a man in President Bush.


4 posted on 10/18/2013 3:24:49 PM PDT by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults)
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To: naturalman1975

And no, the PM needs to see the whole picture.

No one on the front lines can, the immediate job requires too much narrow focus to survive, let alone do.


5 posted on 10/18/2013 3:25:06 PM PDT by null and void (I'm betting on an Obama Trifecta: A Nobel Peace Prize, an Impeachment, AND a War Crimes Trial...)
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To: naturalman1975

Congratulations on your PM.


6 posted on 10/18/2013 3:31:44 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: naturalman1975
Rubbing it in is bad sportsmanship.

But it is EVER so appropriate.

/johnny

7 posted on 10/18/2013 3:35:45 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: naturalman1975

No one is indispensable.


8 posted on 10/18/2013 3:39:04 PM PDT by kabar
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To: naturalman1975

The U.S. pResident hangs curtains and rides girlie bikes in his mom jeans.

Can you spell p-o-o-f-t-e-r?


9 posted on 10/18/2013 3:42:08 PM PDT by twister881
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To: null and void
And no, the PM needs to see the whole picture.

No one on the front lines can, the immediate job requires too much narrow focus to survive, let alone do.

"And, if the emergency had struck last Sunday when he was on standby in Davidson Rural Fire Service truck number 5, that might very well have happened."

He wouldn't have been there as the Prime Minister, he would have been there as a regular volunteer firefighter. One who's day job just happens to be being the Queen's First Minister.

This is comparable to being a doctor in the Congress who still does surgeries, and there are several of those.

10 posted on 10/18/2013 3:49:39 PM PDT by GreenLanternCorps
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To: twister881

P-o-o-f-t-a-h.

(State high school spelling champion of Virginia, 1984)


11 posted on 10/18/2013 4:19:28 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("The heart of the matter is God's love. It always has been. It always will be."~Abp. Chaput)
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To: naturalman1975
Abbott has been a highly skilled member of the NSW Rural Fire Service for 13 years. He is a specialist breathing apparatus operator, chainsaw operator and tanker driver

Yeah, but is he a successful Community Agit-, Organizer?

12 posted on 10/18/2013 4:38:57 PM PDT by mikrofon (Good on ya', Mates!)
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To: naturalman1975
I'm gettin’ to like PM Abbott as much as PM Howard.
13 posted on 10/18/2013 4:42:17 PM PDT by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
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To: All

Yeah I agreing with everybody

I start like your current OZ PM as much as John Howard


14 posted on 10/18/2013 4:55:22 PM PDT by SevenofNine (We are Freepers, all your media bases belong to us ,resistance is futile)
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To: twister881
So it is natural that [Abbott] would have wanted to pitch in with the other firies

BHO's "associations" are somewhat ... different.

15 posted on 10/18/2013 4:57:14 PM PDT by mikrofon (Good on ya', Mates!)
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To: mikrofon

Well, I suppose if Obama was working part time
as a sqeegee man on a street corner he would
at least be in touch with a lot more of America.


16 posted on 10/18/2013 4:59:09 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: naturalman1975

Abbott has been a highly skilled member of the NSW Rural Fire Service for 13 years. He is a specialist breathing apparatus operator, chainsaw operator and tanker driver.

Great stuff, finally a man who has the *alls to dirty his hands and do something other than wash dishes.....


17 posted on 10/18/2013 5:14:55 PM PDT by B212
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To: null and void; SevenofNine; Tijeras_Slim; Jonty30; JRandomFreeper; kabar; twister881; ...
It seems the Prime Minister has made his decision for the moment:

Prime Minister Tony Abbott joins Davidson Rural Fire Brigade to fight NSW bushfires

18 posted on 10/20/2013 1:19:28 AM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: naturalman1975

Best wishes to the PM and his crew. I hope the fires are under control soon.


19 posted on 10/20/2013 3:31:12 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("The heart of the matter is God's love. It always has been. It always will be."~Abp. Chaput)
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To: naturalman1975

Good for him!

Who is acting PM while he’s engaged?


20 posted on 10/20/2013 7:36:26 AM PDT by null and void (I'm betting on an Obama Trifecta: A Nobel Peace Prize, an Impeachment, AND a War Crimes Trial...)
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