Tony Abbott Quotes

It is not an arrogant government that chooses priorities, it's an irresponsible government that fails to choose.

But, you know, once you're in government, very often you need to shoulder responsibility. I hope the new Spanish government will think about this and will therefore act accordingly. I really and sincerely hope so.

The fact is that I'm interested in getting on with my job of holding the Government to account and I think that the Government should get on with the job of effectively running the country and not making excuses for poor performance, not lowering expectations. Their job is to deliver on their election commitments.

There can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny - they should be setting the example of transparency.

The American people deserve truthfulness, not more political campaigning. The American people deserve a responsible government that seeks to address their needs, not more ideological dogma.

People want a grounded government. They want a government that's going to be responsible to them.

The government itself is — and should be — accountable when its officials run amok.

Office holders are the agents of the people, not their masters.

The more responsibility you can move toward local government, the better of you're going to be … City governments do better than their State governments in terms of accountability.

If every politician, in or out of government, were made to apologize for injudicious remarks, he would have little time to do anything else.

We are hiring too many people who are called politicians, and we are not holding them accountable…. You do not hire someone and not tell them what to do. Make a trip to Washington and see that they are doing what you want them to do.

Presidents and cabinet officials could send a strong message of accountability if they held senior appointees responsible for their performance.

Officeholders are the agents of the people, not their masters. Not only is their time and labor due to the government, but they should scrupulously avoid in their political action, as well as in the discharge of their official duty, offending by a display of obtrusive partisanship their neighbors who have relations with them as public officials.

The Australian people expect the Government to govern, they don't expect it to make excuses.

Restoring accountability will be one of the major priorities of our new government. Accountability is what ordinary Canadians, working Canadians, those people who pay their bills, pay their taxes, expect from their political leaders.

There's a real danger in the way our representative government functions today. It functions properly only when paired with accountability.

Politicians can and should be held accountable for their choices.

All public officials, including the secretary of state, must be held accountable.

One, if one is sensible, blames government, not the servers of government, not those entangled in their governments.

Government should do a few things, and do them right

And I want every one of you, every one of us, 100 senators to look in that camera, and you tell your people back home what you think. Don't hide anymore; none of us. That is the essence of our responsibility. And if we're not willing to do it, we're not worthy to be seated right here. We fail our country. If we don't debate this, if we don't debate this, we are not worthy of our country. We fail our country.

It's important to make sure that governments have some checks on what they do, that people can oversee what's being done so the government doesn't abuse it.

I think it's time for the Prime Minister to stop making excuses and to start governing.

They'll be granted immunity!" I feel myself rising from my chair, my voice full of resonant. "You will personally pledge this in front of the entire population of District Thirteen and the remainder of Twelve. Soon. Today. It will be recorded for future generations. You will hold yourself and your government responsible for their safety, or you'll find yourself another Mockingjay!

We should always measure a government's environmental rhetoric against its environmental record