Tony Abbott calls for Coalition to refocus amid Sussan Ley’s approval rating slump
This is the Coalition’s third frontline arrangement in the five months since the May election.
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The changes are designed to balance tensions between factions of the Liberal Party who are currently fighting over policies such as a target for net zero emissions by 2050 and immigration.
Earlier, Abbott said he was “disappointed” that Hastie had resigned from the shadow cabinet, saying “I think he is capable” but that the party needed to take a longer view.
“It’s very easy today to focus on what’s urgent and lose sight of what’s important in the long run. I also think we spend too much time getting angry over unimportant things. And you know whether an individual is good or bad on a particular day. After all, most of us won’t be worrying about it six months from now, let alone 60 years,” he said.
Abbott was leader of the opposition for almost four years, from December 2009 to September 2013, before returning to Coalition government. He was prime minister for less than two years before being sacked by Malcolm Turnbull and told Radio National this morning that he “wish[s]he had taken a bigger bite of the onion”, reflecting on his short tenure in office.
Asked about Ley’s performance, Abbott said: “Naturally Sussan has my support and encouragement, but a good opposition is a strong and clear contrast to the government of the day. Politics is a contest and, as I said when I became opposition leader in 2009, there is no point in making weak concessions with a bad government. You have to be in strong and clear contrast.”
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Abbott said he was disappointed to see Hastie leave the front bench, saying he had “vast potential and promise” and “had a lot to contribute”.
Abbott was interviewed by various media outlets Monday morning to promote his new book. Australia: A Historycharting the country from the colonial period onwards and reflecting the contributions of several prime ministers, from Curtin and Hawke to, more briefly, his predecessor and successor, Julia Gillard and Malcolm Turnbull.
