The ABC talks up Tony Abbott’s popularity:

Wait… the “faithful”? Where precisely did this “sympathetic audience” come from?

Adelaide Now! has the answer:

Mr Abbott said the attendees had been invited by the office of Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham.

Oh. Not that that detail needed to be shared with ABC readers. It might have undermined the main point of the story.

Which, was, uh… that Tony’s on the up and the proof of this is that he can make Liberal supporters cheer. I know – astounding.

I hope this story was at the top of the ABC News site.