Coalition should heed lessons from Labor: perceptions can hurt you ALMOST exactly four years ago, the newly minted opposition leader, Tony Abbott, began his campaign of terror against Labor's great big new tax, then proceeded to kill Kevin Rudd twice and Julia Gillard once. Yesterday, the newly minted Prime Minister introduced a bill to destroy their progeny. Abbott refused to yield to fierce criticism of his ruthless tactics, the verbal violence, the unremitting aggression.