Amid the clamour surrounding Tony Abbott as the new Opposition leader one of his utterances stands out as having critical significance. It is his definition of what it means to be Her Majesty's Opposition. In his view the job is to oppose the government.
This apparently straightforward definition of Opposition fits the popular image of Abbott the boxer standing his ground resolutely in the middle of the ring.
But it is actually a simplistic view not just of Opposition but of boxing. It neglects the very many different ways of winning a boxing match.
The textbook view of the role in a Westminster system is that it is multi-faceted. Professor Graham Maddox, the Australian political scientist who specialises in the topic, reckons the functions are fourfold.
Even he misses some. In a bicameral Parliament, where the Opposition holds the cards in the upper house, there is at least one more. The Opposition must work with the Government in the Senate to reach common ground. Without compromise there is gridlock.
Nevertheless Maddox's list directs attention to the complexity of successful Opposition.
The Opposition must first be an alternative government ready and able to govern. The shadow cabinet is the alternative government and must present itself convincingly as such. The prime function is not to undermine the government, but to present its own credentials to govern.
This is the task of Abbott's team. Yet so far the emphasis is on attack alone. Attack comes naturally to Abbott; he doesn't have to pretend in the way previous Opposition leaders like Andrew Peacock and Malcolm Turnbull had to. But to attack is not enough.
The second function follows logically. It is to provide alternative policies. Here Maddox would like Abbott's style, at least in one sense. He is critical of me-too middle way policies and sees great value in real choice being offered to voters by distinctive alternative policies. Abbott is a clear choice from Rudd in a way Turnbull was not.
But policies must be more than just slogans. They must have substance. That will be the hardest task for an Abbott Opposition to undertake successfully. They have little time to frame detailed policies. Abbott has a book full of ideas, but he denies that they are his party's policies.
Even to present a new policy on climate change is an enormous task if it is to be completed by February. If he doesn't adopt most of Turnbull's policies, he