Forster backs big brother
Like any brother and sister, Christine Forster and her brother often disagree.
But when your brother is Federal Leader of the Opposition weeks out from a Federal Election, disagreements can become public knowledge.
“Like most siblings, there are loads of small things that we would disagree on,” says Tony Abbott’s sister, Christine Foster. “I’m a republican, and he’s a monarchist.”
But the differences certainly won’t stop the City of Sydney Liberal Councillor campaigning for Mr Abbott and Liberal candidate for Sydney, Sean O’Connor.
“I have a pretty normal brother-sister relationship with Tony,” says Ms Forster. “Obviously we’re both very busy, but we still manage to see each other every couple of weeks or so. He and I also talk on the phone pretty regularly.
“The Abbott family is just like most others, I imagine. We get together when we can and do all the usual things that families do – talk, laugh, debate and sometimes argue.”
The notion of intra-family argument has augmented many caricatures of the relationship between Ms Forster and Mr Abbott. Ms Forster’s status as a lesbian is in juxtaposition to Mr Abbott’s staunch position against same-sex marriage.
But the pair’s similarities are often overlooked.
Mr Abbott wrote a glowing letter of commendation for his sister when she first ran for Council, opening with: “My sister Chris is one of the bravest people I know. It takes real guts for a basically conservative person to admit she’s gay and to build a new life based on who she really is.”
And there is mutual admiration. “Tony is a man of enormous integrity and honesty,” says Ms Forster. “In his dealings with other people he’s extremely empathetic and non-judgmental. He’s a natural leader and is very resolute. If he says he will do something, he’ll do it.
“That said, he’s highly intelligent and thinks deeply about important issues, and can be persuaded around to other points of view.” It’s for these reasons she believes he’d make “an absolutely cracking PM”.
When quizzed of about her brother’s weaknesses, Ms Forster is upbeat: “He sometimes pushes himself too hard, I think,” she says. “He’s truly terrible at karaoke, but he thinks he isn’t.”
The softer image of Mr Abbott is a contrast to the public masks he has donned or been adorned with: the bureaucratic ‘border protector’, the divisive misogynist, or as ‘Dr No’. But for Ms Forster, the key for her brother will be focusing on the basics – the cost of living, jobs, and the economy.
“[We agree on] individual freedom, small government, equal opportunity and free enterprise,” says Ms Forster. “We really agree that we need a change of government, and fast.”
If she could have one topic gain more traction during the current Federal Election campaign, it would be reforming the Marriage Act to allow same-sex marriage.
“In an ideal world, I’d like that to be on the agenda for both parties,” says Ms Forster. “Tony has been quite clear, however, that it will be a matter for the new Liberal party room to discuss, after the election.”
