Election 2013: Abbott worshipped and kissed at Sydney Markets, Flemington Nino Barbaro smooches a surprised TonyAbbott at the markets. TONY Abbott has been greeted by a boast that fruit growers had "kicked Kevin Rudd out" of Sydney Markets at Flemington as he campaigned there. One man grabbed Mr Abbott, who was accompanied by daughter Frances, by the head and kissed him. Nio Barbaro knelt down in worship at Mr Abbott's feet before grabbing both sides of his head and planting a giant kiss on his forehead. He told him to "fix this country up." "He is the best," Mr Barbaro, of Sydney's Freshest Eggs, later said of Mr Abbott. Kevin Rudd, p... off. Kevin Rudd was also affectionately manhandled on his earlier visit to the markets, being lifted from the ground by forklift driver Michael Roberts and Daniel Terwissha. Mr Abbott and NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, who arrived in a taxi wearing a Blues tracksuit top, took part in the auction of the first mangos of the season, the tray selling for $30,000. He was welcomed to the stage, amid cheers, applause and some boos as "Leader of the Opposition, but not for long." These have been touched by the incoming prime minister. Surely that has to add value," the auctioneer said as Mr Abbott held the case of mangoes. Before the auction, as he toured the market, grower Charlie Vella boasted: "Kevin Rudd got kicked out of here!" "He didn't get this far," he said, pointing to his stall in the middle of one of the sheds. Jeff Perestrelo said: "I think Tony Abbott could kick Kevin Rudd a bit harder." Andrew Lee, from Coolibah Salad, told Opposition treasury spokeman Joe Hockey to "get this country going again." We'll do it. Don't worry," Mr Hockey told him. Mr Lee said the reception was starkly different to Mr Rudd's visit earlier in the campaign. "They've had a much better reception than Kevin Rudd had," he said. You can see there's an awful lot of swinging voters around here. Manuel Grima already knew Mr Hockey, who is a regular at his family's Helensburgh fruit shop, and the two chatted. "I think they're fantastic," Mr Grima said later. "When Kevin Rudd came here, he came down the first aisle, he got booed straight away, he has just done nothing for the whole industry," he said. I think Tony Abbott is doing good so far, it would be better when he is in government, you can't run the country as Opposition Leader. Mr Abbott told the crowd that "anything could happen" before the election. "Government should be your friend, not your enemy," he told the growers, business owners and workers. He said he would "be buoyed by the reception you gave me this morning" in his final days of campaigning. Mr Abbott, who bounded on to the stage and did a little dance while the band played Shout, took home a $2100 mango. The victorious bidder and Your Local Greengrocer chair Heath McInerney gifted his 14th mango of the tray to Mr Abbott. "One for the kids," he said.