Among his slogans, open for business seems to be one of the slogans he is most proud, it is certainly a slogan that gets plenty of use.
You certainly wouldn't do it to support an industry (cue the departure of Holden and Toyota), or to support both an industry and a region (SPCA - manufacturing in the Goulburn Valley). If you're open for business you use the possibility of investment to launch an attack of workers conditions, then withdraw the offer of support in the midst of being accused of lying by those from your own side of politics. When that happens we know 'The Adults are in charge'.
And if the country had a national carrier airline... let's call it QANTAS... your plan to assist would include banging on about the Carbon Tax (even though the airlines get a proportion of their customers to cover that cost through the 'fly carbon neutral' option) and promoting legislation that would allow the airline to be flogged off to overseas interests at bargain basement prices.
I'm no economist, but I don't see how that helps Qantas operate more profitably in Australia one bit. Apparently the ABC's business reporter agrees.
That'll make a big difference.
So is there any other indication that we're open for business... apart from a willingness to sell off assets like the Great Barrier reef to appease mining interests?
According to Roy Morgan Research - consumer confidence is diving, business confidence is flat, and expectations of Unemployment and Inflation are rising. If Australia was solely in the business of running a a very large morgue... things are looking good. But we're not, and I'm sure Abbott grieves for that fact as well.
But what about business investment? After all, money talks (a great deal more than opinion polls) and if prospects are improving, surely investment will be rising.
Apparently not!
Business investment collapsed after the election (another broken election promise!) and reportedly worse is to come. Official figures show investment slid 5.2per cent in the last three months of 2013 (the most since the GFC). And the estimates for 2014-15, as reported to the Bureau of Statistics are 17 per cent down on the estimate of a year ago. The estimate for mining investment is down 25 per cent, and for manufacturing investment it is down 20 per cent.