At an October 2009 meeting in the Victorian town of Beaufort, Abbott was reported to have said: "The argument (on climate change) is absolute crap... However, the politics of this are tough for us. 80% of people believe climate change is a real and present danger".[80] On 1 December 2009, when questioned about that statement, he said he had used "a bit of hyperbole" at that meeting rather than it being his "considered position".[81]