This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Tony Abbott Urges Turnbull Government To Do A Better Job Or Risk Defeat

The former prime minister has warned that Bill Shorten could soon be in The Lodge.
Tony Abbott has said that being prime minister is the hardest job in Australia.
Toby Melville / Reuters
Tony Abbott has said that being prime minister is the hardest job in Australia.

Tony Abbott has publicly taken aim at Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull again, expressing his concerns that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten could "soon be in The Lodge."

In an opinion piece written for News Corp, the former prime minister said Australian voters were "sick of politicians who are more talk than action" and "who change their policies to suit their political convenience".

Abbott, who was himself ousted by Turnbull in 2015, cautioned that the best way to keep Shorten out of office "is not to sack an elected prime minister yet again but to ensure that the government does its job better".

The former prime minister has again outlined ways for the Coalition to win back voters before the next election, including reforming the Senate and ceasing subsidies for wind power to take the pressure off power prices.

He also said that "nanny-state bureaucracies" that persecuted journalists "but do nothing about Muslim extremists" should be de-funded.

This recent criticism comes after Abbott unleashed on the Turnbull government in February in which he said it was "easy to see why" the major parties lost votes in last year's election.

Appearing on the ABC's RN Breakfast on Monday morning, Trade Minister Steve Ciobo said he wasn't "overly concerned about the interventions of former prime ministers or backbenchers or others".

"There is...an appropriate level of cynicism sometimes about what government are doing, of either persuasion."

Abbott's comments come off the back of his completion of the Pollie Pedal long-distance charity bike ride, which he used as a "listening tour" to hear the concerns of "Middle Australia".

Following the ride, the Liberal backbencher said that he is now "more convinced than ever" that his measures would "get Australia working again".

ALSO ON HUFFPOST AUSTRALIA

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.