Overwhelmingly they are negative. Only Rupert Murdoch’s paid liars and Michelle Grattan have a kind word, it seems. Catalogue of failures: broken promises, outright lies, excruciating gaffes, internal policy disputes, damaged relations with regional neighbours, inability to frame a fair budget, shifting wealth and income from the poor to the rich, climate vandalism, posturing in distant conflicts and inept attempts at jingoistic nationalism.

Let’s not be too cynical the Government has certainly stopped news of the boats and has ended reports of drownings. Some have hailed Abbott’s diplomatic ‘victories’ abroad. True, these generate positive press at home. But overseas?

More than 35 issues in the last year have generated news stories abroad ridiculing Abbott and Australia. Examples include:

• ‘Australian leader appoints lone woman to Cabinet’
• ‘Australia gaffes explode into Indonesian diplomatic crisis’
• ‘Is Australia run by anti-science climate change deniers?’
• ‘Abbott says sorry to Najib’
• ‘Move to reintroduce knights, dames to honours list ridiculed’
• ‘Abbott’s refugee plan crazy’
• ‘Budget backlash as Aussie Govt support plunges’
• ‘Australian PM ribbed over ‘cringe-worthy’ Abe photo’
• ‘Australia falls short on Aboriginal welfare targets’

Far more scathing assessments have appeared in other languages elsewhere. This journal has linked to about 65 media reports in more than 30 countries scoffing at Australia in recent months.

Surely it was obvious that Abbott in Opposition was dispensing slogans, negativism, half-truths and blatant untruths, but had no actual plan for government. This was openly admitted in June, when Abbott announced he would start looking at reforms to the tax system, with a white paper due at the end of 2015. He is attempting to run a government by media. Murdoch Media and that’s the lazy way which has come back to bite him.