Abbott has achieved what generations of politicians have only dreamed of: the media take him at his word. His speeches are reported verbatim and accorded a merit they do not deserve. Where his words differ from those of others (particularly the Prime Minister and members of the incumbent government), he is assumed to be right and they wrong.

Andrew Elder: The National Pikers Club

Opponents of a given politician always complain that they are given soft coverage in the press, but there’s an important point about Abbott: he speaks with what could be described as a calculated recklessness, a contrariness that is both striking and quite thought-out. He consciously distinguishes himself in every regard from the government: this is done not even primarily because he believes in it but because it increases his prominence and distinctiveness in news coverage. Dispute everything. Put your own perspective on everything.

Not only is black white, you have to question the motivations of anyone who would be trying to pretend that it is white to begin with.

He is a master at shaping identities via the media; not only has he managed to shape his own, scrubbing out many of the features that render him despearetely unpopular among the electorate, but also he has successfully shaped that of his opponents.