Abstract

...[Obama's visit] gave followers of politics a rare opportunity to observe the performances of three distinct leaders in three distinct roles. These leadership roles impart varying levels of authority and encourage leaders to act in different ways. Of these, the role of the opposition leader in welcoming the visiting leader is most interesting because of its ambiguity. While prime ministers have the authority to speak on behalf of the nation, it is less clear who opposition leaders represent. Should they copy prime ministers and attempt to speak on behalf of the nation? Should they speak solely for their party and supporters? How opposition leaders respond to this choice provides an insight into how they understand their role. Abbott, unlike any of his predecessors at similar events, spoke primarily for his party and supporters and used every opportunity to denigrate the government. Clearly, his understanding of his job follows Benjamin Disraeli’s maxim, “The duty of an opposition is to oppose.”

Read Obama's twice in a lifetime speech and Tony Abbott's unwelcome welcome paper (PDF 103KB)

Read Brendan McCaffrie's invitation to Obama's parliamentary address (PDF 516KB).