It’s only 8am and the West Australian MP has already done three interviews and has no trouble handling weighty topics despite the early hour. 

Ms Bishop was in Warrnambool yesterday to add momentum to the official re-election campaign launch of Wannon MP Dan Tehan. 

From the outset it’s clear the Coalition’s focus this election will be not on spruiking their own policies but on attacking those of the government. 

“The first order of business for an incoming Coalition government will be to repeal the carbon tax,” Ms Bishop declared. 

“We’re going to have repeal days in the Parliament where we do nothing but repeal unnecessary red tape.” 

In a wide-ranging interview Ms Bishop covered ground ranging from Peter’s Project to the dairy industry. 

But the deputy leader took a hard line when asked about personal abuse and sexism that has dogged politics this year, saying she had little sympathy for the toxic debate that marred the final months of Julia Gillard’s leadership. 

“I was always deeply disappointed that Julia Gillard, being the most powerful woman in Australia, always chose to portray herself as a victim,” she said. 

“If you live by the sword you die by the sword — that was Julia Gillard’s fate.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She was the first female prime minister of Australia. She was in the most powerful position a woman could be in, yet she chose to blame others for her own failings.” 

Focusing locally, Ms Bishop gave tentative support to a number of key regional issues, including a south-west integrated cancer care centre.

“Dan has raised it with me in the past. I know he’s put in a submission to our costing team for it. He’s a pretty persuasive advocate.” 

Both Mr Tehan and Corangamite Liberal challenger Sarah Henderson are also pressing their colleagues to spend millions on restoring the Great Ocean Road. 

“We’re certainly considering it because Dan and Sarah have made a good case but I’m not in a position to announce specific details,” she said. 

Ms Bishop, who is also the Coalition’s spokeswoman for foreign affairs and trade, met with Midfield Meat officials as well as farmers in Terang during her overnight visit. 

On the challenges facing the dairy industry, Ms Bishop again referred to the carbon tax as a cost burden but also issued a warning over the rollout of farm finance packages targeted at struggling farmers. 

“We have grave concerns that this won’t actually assist the dairy farmers it should be assisting and when we get into government we’ll work with the state governments to ensure this money is spent where it’s needed,” she said. 

Although the Rudd government has effectively watered down the carbon tax by moving early to the emissions trading scheme, Ms Bishop said it would not push the issue from the Coalition’s crosshairs. “It’s still a tax but what’s worse is that he’s going to link it to the European trading system that is at about $6 a tonne, which means that they’ve got a massive hole in their budget,” she said. 

An Abbott government will pursue free trade with China and other Asian neighbours. Ms Bishop denied many in the agriculture sector opposed the agreements. 

“We will conclude free-trade agreements with the booming economies to the north, with China, Japan and South Korea,” she said. 

“When you see New Zealand conclude a free-trade agreement with China in 2008 and see their exports that are mainly agriculture treble in that time ... farmers are very keen to have the same opportunities that our competitors have.” 

She labelled Labor’s handling of asylum seekers as “the greatest policy failure of a generation” but denied the Coalition’s policy of towing boats out of Australian waters would damage the country’s international reputation. 

“The United States does it all the time. Their coast guard turns back boats that are bringing people into the United States illegally. Australia is entitled within its sovereign boundary to protect its borders. It would be ludicrous if Australia were to surrender the control of its borders.”