Tony Abbott has moved swiftly to reassure voters his party is modernising, announcing his support today for Australia’s transition to decimal currency.
In a pitch aimed squarely at wooing younger, urban voters aged in their sixties and seventies, the newly elected party President said he wanted to oversee a refreshed Liberal Party that had the courage to make the big calls.
“This nation has always been at its best when it looks confidently toward the future. And while there are understandable concerns about abandoning the florin, I believe – sixty years after the official shift to decimal currency – our supporters are ready for the change”.
Abbott said the decision demonstrated the Liberals were listening to younger Australians, many of whom have never even used a farthing. “As a party we need to understand that there is a whole new generation of voters who use decimal notes and coins to make their daily purchases”.
But some within the party said Abbott was moving too quickly and risked alienating the base. “A lot of us are only just getting used to women speaking in meetings. I think he needs to slow down before abandoning the shilling, or there will be a revolt,” one party member said.
