The Real Opposition

Margie Abbott, the wife of the nation’s Opposition Leader, knows better than most that behind every strong man stands an even stronger woman.
Behind the media shy wife stands a woman who holds a strong philosophy towards life, the political arena and raising children. From juggling the lives of three teenage daughters to directing a community based Childcare Centre in St Ives whilst supporting her larger-than-life character husband, Margie does not overlook her role as the main coordinator of it all. With Tony’s job taking him away from home, Margie often feels the pressure to adopt the role of both mother and father. “It is not an easy existence but it is not an unusual one because often Tony was not about but look that’s life,” she says, “we just make the most of it and I think they are pretty balanced normal kids so it is all pretty good and I have done a good job.” It seems that she has done more than a good job in raising three young women, as the eldest is in her fourth year of studying International Studies Communications at The University of Technology Sydney, the second enjoying a GAP year and the youngest an aspiring Medical Student in her last year of high school. “I have always told our daughters that they can be and do anything they want to. And that hasn’t just happened in the last 8 weeks, that is something I have been telling them for the last 21 years.” Support and encouragement are two traits that Margie has passed on to her daughters, reflected through their recent active participation in the election campaign.

“They have only ever known a political life”, she says “they were all involved at various stages throughout the campaign. And you know it would have been easier for them to say look dad this is your race; we are just going to step back from all of this. But you know they are very proud of their father and they support him so they were very happy to be involved.” From the beginning of the campaign to the tail end, the modest two-story estate nestled deep in the sticks of suburban Forestville has been invaded by media scrutiny and submerged in surveillance cameras. From an outside perspective, such intense attention can seem a little unnerving, however, it is nothing foreign to Margie, and is nothing she cannot handle. “There is a media pack that travels everywhere... but there is an intensity with the media. There is scrutiny certainly throughout an election campaign which fairly or unfairly is part of the game.” Not dissimilar to house arrest, the Abbott estate has been inundated with police presence since the beginning of the election campaign with a convoy of Federal Police cars posted outside the estate at all times. When one would usually feel a sense of discomfort under constant watch, Margie understands it comes with the territory. “The police present I suppose is a little unnerving because there are sensor lights and cameras all around the place. And I feel very sorry for those guys who have to sit down stairs and just monitor everybody who comes and goes. They are not here when he (Tony) is not home. So he’s the problem.” Being the wife of a man who dominates the political arena and attracts the public eye, it is all too easy to assume that Margie would have a heavy involvement in politics, however it seems to be the opposite. “I have never been involved in politics prior to being married to Tony. So yes I am not a political animal.” Despite stating this, she does seem to have some strong opinions about the political profession itself. “In terms of the broader picture; the policy, the cut and throat. I mean it is a brutal business.” “You see when you see these people on the floor of parliament, in a way that is almost a bit of theatre because that is question time which is televised and they are asking questions and there are responses. So that is the drama of politics.” Although Margie admits she has some influence in his campaign she explains, “obviously we talk around the table. But at the end of the day I do not harang him. I do not look to put pressure on him. I mean he has shadow ministers and colleagues that all have opinions and they are the elected people.”

Running a strict non-political house means that she may ban conversations and the television from being played but that does not stop her from trying to influence Tony in the slightest of ways, “if I have any input it is subtly. You know it is a drip drip method.” Mrs. Abbott “absolutely” believes her career has affected his policies in the context of family aesthetics. In order for a political marriage to function, Margie believes that the home and politics are and should always remain separate entities as she heavily enforces that the home be a political-free zone. “I have also said in interviews that we make a decision that when he walks in the door this is not his office. And that has really worked for us in terms of a political marriage.” When questioned on whether Tony is sexist, it became clear that the media can and does permeate into this political free zone, as the once composed Margie Abbott tensed right up. Despite her obvious discomfort she answered the question, displaying once again the strength needed to be a politicians wife, she is never afraid to defend her husband. “It is just not the man we (the family) know.” She explained “it is easy to put people into boxes and to put tags on people. And for those tags no matter what one does, they try and show they are not that way inclined, there are certain sections of the media, certain sections of the community that will not agree with their policies your never going to budge that perception.” Margie was not afraid to stand up for her family’s actions during the campaign. She commented “It was disappointing during the campaign because people would say he is pimping his wife and his daughters, he has them out there on the campaign trail. But you know we are his family and what is a more natural thing?” For curiosities sake one had to ask, if, coming from a female dominated household, Mrs. Abbott would retain a sense pride if Julia Gillard were elected as the first female Prime Minister? “No, I mean gender should have really nothing to do with it. I think at the end of the day it is what is best for all Australians... It was only a matter of time, Julia is lucky she was the one.” For Margie, it seems that gender does not entail strength; rather strength is determined by ability and character. To prove Margie Abbott can handle almost any situation, she had the Rudd family over for dinner. “Well it was a long time ago, it was before Kevin was Prime Minister. And it was before in fact they were in government. It was fine... I think the big thing is particularly when you are socialising with the other side you want it to be a social event and people are getting together because they are friends rather than political foes or people with different perspectives. I mean

they have their kids we have our kids. You know it was just a barbecue out on the deck. Very normal, very natural.” She explained that, “these are normal people who have families who they go home to see every weekend or whatever. You know I think they just enjoy socializing as well.” We sometimes overlook the support system and backbone of it all. For Margie, she is the strength and the spine that holds it all together, work, family and life. With Tony only three votes away from being Australia’s next Prime Minister it is good to know he has the support of his wife, even if he does not gain the support of the independents. PLEASE NOTE THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BEFORE TUESDAY