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Memo About The War Says Don't Mention The War

Coalition MPs told to say there's no sign of leadership conflict.
That day in September. Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull depart at the end of Question Time, just before the leadership spill was called.
Alex Ellinghausen, Fairfax
That day in September. Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull depart at the end of Question Time, just before the leadership spill was called.

CANBERRA -- Are the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the former Prime Minister Tony Abbott at war?

According to Turnbull Thursday "of course not!," but leaked government "talking points" indicate something different.

Talking points are a supposedly private list of daily media messages prepared for MPs -- not intended for public consumption.

They manage to make themselves public in times of controversy or if a particular MP has a grumble. And here we are.

An unnamed Coalition MP has given Sky News the latest talking points that tell the MP to say that there is "no sign of any conflict" between Turnbull and Tony Abbott.

But the section of the talking points where it says the pair are "working in the same direction" is headed, "Abbott-Turnbull war."

Got that?

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