The first Newspoll of 2013 has shown Julia Gillard (L) leading Tony Abbott 45-33 as preferred PM.

Gillard's Green embrace fatal: Abbott

Published: 11:49:24 AM, Tue 19 February 2013 UTC

Prime Minister Julia Gillard's embrace of the Australian Greens was a fatal move that compromised her government from the beginning, says Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

The Greens have ended their alliance with the federal government after the party's leader Christine Milne accused Labor of walking away from the agreement that kept the minority government in power for more than two years.

"I think her government from the beginning has been fatally compromised," Mr Abbott told Fairfax radio.

"She embraced the Greens.

"It has turned out to be a fatal embrace."

Mr Abbott said he had not been prepared to make deals with the Greens or independents that were inconsistent with coalition principles following the 2010 election.

"I wasn't prepared to give the independents, I wasn't prepared to give the Greens what they wanted," Mr Abbott said.

"Julia Gillard was.

"I don't do these sorts of deals with people."

Senator Milne said by siding with the big miners, Labor had made it clear it no longer had the "courage or the will" to work with the Greens on a shared agenda for the national interest.

But the Greens will stand by its pledge to deliver confidence and supply to Labor until the next election so not to advance the interests of Mr Abbott.

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