Abbott warned not to do what Brown does without comment. As for Rudd…

So many journalists seem so very worried that the Leader of the Opposition might ask whether the right things were done to avoid the worst of the damage from these floods.

Ten News:

HAMISH MACDONALD (to Tony Abbott): There has been some credit given to politicians for effectively keeping politics out of this for the moment. Do you think that it will remain that way or do you think this will become a political issue?

Nine News:

KARL STEFANOVIC (to Abbott): Earlier today there was a call for a more bipartisan approach to getting things up and rolling in terms of a recovery. At this point, I know it's early days but are you willing to provide that bipartisan support?

Seven News:

MARK FERGUSON (to Abbott):  I spoke with the Prime Minister here yesterday evening. Is this the time that not only state boundaries come down but political boundaries as well?

Question. The only politician I've seen very obviously making political points out of this disaster is Greens leader Bob Brown, blaming coal miners for the floods. Why isn't he asked the same questions?

But wait. There has also been some criticism of one other politician, and from an unlikely source - a Sydney Morning Herald journalist on 5AA:

Mike Smithson: David Penberthy yesterday bought in the Kevin Rudd factor with the flood washup, Rudd's people let the media know exactly what Kevin Ruidd was doing at just about every moment of the day and were invited along….(for flood victims) the last thing you need is a man with a business short who can speak Mandarin coming along with the media in tow to help you out?

Phil Coorey: Yeah, I noticed that a bit….suitcase on his head…it all looked a little bit contrived….why did we know he was doing it, why did a whole bunch of camera crews turn up and do it, that was a little bit crass but that's Rudd…never miss an opportunity, probably felt a bit aggrieved because it was home town of Brisbane…it was absolutely one-upmanship, there's absolutely no love between those two (with Gillard) now and Rudd must have been rueing the fact he wasn't still Prime Minister….must have killed him not being able to do that in his home state so he did the next best thing, look at me, I'm Kevin. Gillard was sort of largely powerless…you can go around the comfort the people who have lost their homes, tour the disaster areas …. He hates what happened and he's not going to go away as much as they may like him to he's not going to and he's done that in a number of ways. He bought a great big house in Canberra -$2.2m just down the road from The Lodge…he's a very active Foreign Minister and he won't be pushed away.

Rudd has also helpfully given out medical bulletins to help the media keep track of the sufferings of flood victims:

FOREIGN Minister Kevin Rudd says he is recovering well from a foot infection he received while helping in the Brisbane flood clean-up effort.

The former prime minister, whose seat takes in many flood-hit east Brisbane suburbs, was admitted to the Mater Private Hospital on the weekend after a cut sustained during the clean-up became infected.

Mr Rudd this morning, told ABC Radio he was recovering well.

"I've been getting lots of antibiotic treatment on that," he said.