About Tony Abbott: we hate to say 'We told you so', but ...

That stench of hypocrisy – worsening by the hour – is from Australia's mainstream media – newspapers and electronic media run by Fairfax, Murdoch and the ABC.

Those 'news' outlets are now beginning to tell their customers what alternative publications have been saying for years – that the federal Coalition does not have the leader, the team, the vision, the policies or competence in economics to govern effectively.

Since December 2009 when Tony Abbott beatMalcolm Turnbull for the Liberal leadership by one vote, the alternative media has sounded warnings. Those were based on solid information available at the time.

Articles here at On Line Opinion documented the Coalition's policy contradictions, its intention to reverse climatepolicy, confusion over proposed cutsto services, Abbott's intentionto shift wealth from the poor to the rich, his refusalto negotiate with minor parties, his 'whatever it takes' attitudeand the untruthful statements by both Abbottand Treasurer Joe Hockey.

Other new media to alert voters to Abbott's character were Crikey, The Guardian, New Matilda, Independent AustraliaandThe AIM Network.

Lenore Taylor wrotein The Guardian before the September 2013 election,

'Abbott wants to be a prime minister known for both truthfulness and economic management. But he's busy making promises that bring the first intention into direct conflict with the second.'

New Matildawarnedof 'the economic fantasy-land inhabited by the Coalition' and noted that 'the Coalition struggles to separate partisan politics from sound economic policy.'

The AIM Network was blunt:

'... because we are looking at a litany of instances of lying, deception and bad behaviour over a long period of time, he [Abbott] simply doesn't have the essence of character which is one of the main ingredients in the recipe of leadership.'

The mainstream media, in contrast, ignored the evidence and advanced the message their wealthy backers wanted voters to believe.

The ABCdeployedFairfax chairman and senior Liberal Party member Roger Corbett, just three days before the election: