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ay 3, p3

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced he would not attend a regional forum in Bali next week amid speculation that his visit would thaw bilateral tensions in the wake of the spying row. An Indonesian official claimed earlier that Abbott had confirmed his attendance at the upcoming Open Government Partnership (OGP) Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in Bali on May 6 and 7 in Nusa Dua, where he would also hold a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Your comments:

Headlines in the Australian media today (Sunday) say Abbott would lose the election if it was held today by a significant margin.  His loss of support is linked directly to a broken promise not to increase taxes in the coming budget:  Effectively telling a lie.  Former prime minister Julia Gillard was ousted for telling a lie about the carbon tax and Abbott is more than a bit worried about his future.  He needs to stay here to shore up support. Sending illegal boats back are the least of his worries.

Peter

It will not be a good week for Abbott because a national budget has to be handed down.  This budget is unlikely to be popular as Australia has been spending too much on government services such as education, health and other social services with a declining revenue base.  Paradoxically the attraction of asylum seekers to Australia is because of the services available that the country is finding increasing difficulty in funding.  Increasing unemployment of youth is placing a large strain on social welfare services.  

Jagera