Oh the Boss is now the big Boss :Brendan Nelson elected Liberals leader

[Kiwi]

Brendan Nelson elected Liberals leader



By staff writers and wires | November 29, 2007

BRENDAN Nelson has been elected as the new leader of the Liberal Party, beating favourite Malcolm Turnbull by 45 votes to 42 in a party room ballot.
Malcolm Turnbull and Brendan Nelson / Jeremy Piper

Loser, winner ... Malcolm Turnbull and Brendan Nelson / Jeremy Piper

Mr Turnbull was the firm frontrunner with punters - betting agency Lasseters had him at short odds of $1.10 yesterday against $5.00 for Dr Nelson.

Western Australian MP Julie Bishop was elected as his deputy, beating South Australian Christopher Pyne and Victorian Andrew Robb.

The results were announced publicly by outgoing deputy leader Peter Costello.  He said Dr Nelson and Ms Bishop had made "warm statements" thanking he and Mr Howard for their contributions to the party.

Few Liberal MPs were prepared to publicly back their preferred candidate when they arrived for the party room meeting this morning.  Mr Howard was not at the meeting.

Dr Nelson arrived first, walking through a group of reporters without answering questions.

"Good morning. (We have a) very important meeting and I'm certainly looking forward to it," Dr Nelson said.

Mr Turnbull, who has been conducting much of his campaign on the airwaves, also declined to comment.

"Good to see you," he said as reporters tried to persuade him to speak, when he arrived at 8.35am (AEDT).

Senior cabinet member Tony Abbott withdrew from the leadership race yesterday, but reserved the right to challenge for the leadership again in the future.

Outgoing arts and sports minister senator George Brandis was one of the few MPs to publicly declare his intentions.

"I'm going to vote for Mr Malcolm Turnbull," he said.

Beaten deputy leadership aspirant Mr Pyne said all members of the party would unite behind the winners.

"The party room will decide the leadership then we'll all get behind them 100 per cent," Mr Pyne told reporters as he entered Parliament House today.

Asked if his comment applied to Mr Abbott, Mr Pyne replied: "Even Tony Abbott."

[newman]

Nelson got a 100% FREE university education (thanks to Labor) then became Education Minister and told us we'd all have to pay tens of thousands for ours!

[Kiwi]

No such thing as a free education Newman, trust me he has paid a bigger price. But interesting the Defence Boss is heading a political party. 

[newman]

No such thing as a free education Newman, trust me he has paid a bigger price. But interesting the Defence Boss is heading a political party. 

He didn't leave uni with a $80,000 + debt like kids will now since he changed the HECS scheme.

[Kiwi]

No such thing as a free education Newman, trust me he has paid a bigger price. But interesting the Defence Boss is heading a political party. 

He didn't leave uni with a $80,000 + debt like kids will now since he changed the HECS scheme.

80,000 ? where that figure from the amount of times they failed, or became professional students.

33,000 to be a nurse most are less than that, and its 4% of end of year tax on their return to pay it back after they make 21,000 per year. Most just sit on their behinds doing very little, and never even start to pay it back.

HECS debt does not cause any from of hardship.

[newman]

No such thing as a free education Newman, trust me he has paid a bigger price. But interesting the Defence Boss is heading a political party. 

He didn't leave uni with a $80,000 + debt like kids will now since he changed the HECS scheme.

80,000 ? where that figure from the amount of times they failed, or became professional students.

33,000 to be a nurse most are less than that, and its 4% of end of year tax on their return to pay it back after they make 21,000 per year. Most just sit on their behinds doing very little, and never even start to pay it back.

HECS debt does not cause any from of hardship.

Medical and law degrees can get that high.

It's not the point.....HIS was FREE

[Kiwi]

Medical and law degrees can get that high.

It's not the point.....HIS was FREE

He served his country, that is priceless, and a Uni degree is such a small price to pay.

[newman]

Medical and law degrees can get that high.

It's not the point.....HIS was FREE

He served his country, that is priceless, and a Uni degree is such a small price to pay.

No problem. But my point is it's a bit rich to get free education then abolish free education.

It'd be like you living in a housung commission house for ten years, saving a bundle, buying a place and then lobbying to abolish public housing.

He's a hypocryt.

[Kiwi]

He's a hypocryt

Aren't all pollies?

I have never lived in a Government Welfare house when I had no money I earnt it, and paid for honest living quarters.

I am no different to 22 million other people in this country, I chose to better myself, so should they.

Australia is imploding due to welfare, and most of it needs to be removed.

[newman]

He's a hypocryt

Aren't all pollies?

I have never lived in a Government Welfare house when I had no money I earnt it, and paid for honest living quarters.

I am no different to 22 million other people in this country, I chose to better myself, so should they.

Australia is imploding due to welfare, and most of it needs to be removed.

I agree.

But if you take advantage of a welfare freebie like Nelson did, you have no right to demand abollishion of that freebie unless you donate an equivalent dollar amount to charity.

Nelson should have made a 50k donation to charity if he wanted to whack up HECS fees after he got a FREE education to that value.

[JTFFan]

He's a hypocryt

Aren't all pollies?

I have never lived in a Government Welfare house when I had no money I earnt it, and paid for honest living quarters.

I am no different to 22 million other people in this country, I chose to better myself, so should they.

Australia is imploding due to welfare, and most of it needs to be removed.

I agree.

But if you take advantage of a welfare freebie like Nelson did, you have no right to demand abollishion of that freebie unless you donate an equivalent dollar amount to charity.

Nelson should have made a 50k donation to charity if he wanted to whack up HECS fees after he got a FREE education to that value.

Agreed.

[Kiwi]

He is now in a 300k+ 50k is nothing to him. And why should he do that when Howard cut back the Uni places for Australian's and increased them for Aisans that were full fee paying.

Buy you account Howard owes us Millions in school fees.

[newman]

He is now in a 300k+ 50k is nothing to him. And why should he do that when Howard cut back the Uni places for Australian's and increased them for Aisans that were full fee paying.

Buy you account Howard owes us Millions in school fees.

Howard payed for his education in the 50s

[Kiwi]

He is now in a 300k+ 50k is nothing to him. And why should he do that when Howard cut back the Uni places for Australian's and increased them for Aisans that were full fee paying.

Buy you account Howard owes us Millions in school fees.

Howard payed for his education in the 50s

Well he should of asked for his money back or sued them one or the other.