The stresses beneath Abbott's calm Niki Savva says Tony Abbott is paddling calmly, but under the surface lies some snags that need clearing: Key staff appointments still await approval, others have been vetoed for obscure or ill-defined reasons, even the most junior appointments are given full star chamber treatment, and a requirement for senior staff to be Canberra based is needlessly eliminating good people. Because of the overseas travel, cabinet has met only twice. The Commission of Audit has not yet been ticked off, but should be announced before parliament resumes, probably around November 12, for a four-week sitting... Behind the scenes his chief of staff Peta Credlin has unfettered licence to roar at the most senior of his colleagues, an entitlement that they resent greatly and which could backfire spectacularly at some point down the track when he, or she who must be obeyed, becomes vulnerable. People elected to office don't take kindly to being tongue-lashed by unelected staff. Abbott has already been told by at least one senior cabinet minister he will not tolerate it. I've thought for some time that the key challenge for Abbott (and his team) will be managing the transition to real power after being dependent for so long in Opposition on the art of persuasion. Power is tempting, because it saves so much time. An order takes seconds; an argument can take days. But Abbott leads a team of equals: colleagues, not soldiers, and many of them with ambitions as great as his own. That said, the government now is at the time of maximum stress and least time: people are scrambling to get on top of their briefs and put the government on the right track. I expect things to settle down soon, and a more collegiate style to develop. You'd hope so. There's also a lot of criticism of Abbott's strategy to starve the media beast. Critics say the media will just feed at Labor's table instead. I think saying less and letting actions speak for themselves is an attractive strategy and one the drama-weary public may well appreciate now, after what we've gone through and with three years before the next election. I know as someone who has to fill radio, TV and print space with commentary that there is less now to chat about politically, and more reason to talk about something else - which may well suit Abbott. But Labor will soon regroup and build narratives. Narratives take time to develop but then become hard to shift - and are potent come election time. That is one reason it is wrong to be too complacent even years from an election about the media messaging and the need to counter the Labor lines. There is also a dangerous temptation to confuse what is expedient (shutting up) with what is simply easy (not bothering with a media strategy). Abbott is confident that in the end his achievements will speak volumes for him. Trouble is, achievements don't speak. Politicians do.