Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has never shied away from controversy. But his recent criticisms of Anthony Albanese’s diplomatic outreach to China reveal more than just a policy disagreement – they expose a deeper ideological shift that places Abbott firmly in the camp of authoritarian-aligned, right-wing populism.
Abbott’s condemnation of Albanese’s visit to Beijing – framed as weakness in the face of Chinese aggression – ignores both geopolitical complexity and economic necessity. China remains Australia’s largest trading partner, and despite strategic tensions, maintaining a functional relationship is in the national interest. Albanese’s trip was not about capitulation but about stabilisation – a fact acknowledged by business leaders and foreign policy experts across the spectrum.
But Abbott’s critique isn’t really about trade. It’s about worldview.
Over the past number of years, Abbott has become an increasingly vocal supporter of Donald Trump and his confrontational brand of politics. Whether it’s echoing his suspicion of global institutions, or defending hardline positions on borders, Abbott has taken positions that align more with America’s far-right than with traditional Australian conservatism.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Abbott’s own words, published shortly after Trump’s 2024 election victory. In a revealing post on his website, he wrote:
“Rightly or wrongly, for better or for worse, the president of the US is the leader of the free world and therefore our president too…
With aggressive dictatorships united in their hatred of the West… it’s more important than ever that Australia stand with America and do whatever we reasonably can to help like-minded countries under deadly threat.
This would be true regardless of who is president. But with a Trump presidency, it now changes the sort of help they will seek; namely, help in containing an increasingly assertive Beijing. In the case of a Harris presidency, it would’ve been help to deal with what she thinks are the more fundamental problems of climate change and identity politics.”
This is not just a declaration of alliance – it’s a declaration of ideological preference. Abbott sees the world in binary terms: strength versus weakness, the West versus its enemies, Trump versus the woke. His framing of Kamala Harris’s priorities as misguided compared to Trump’s reinforces the culture war lens through which he now interprets global affairs.
Abbott’s foreign policy stance now seems less about Australia’s national interest and more about Western ideological warfare. In his narrative, cooperation with China is tantamount to appeasement, engagement with international institutions is weakness, and loyalty to the United States – specifically its Trumpian incarnation – is paramount.
This posture may resonate with sections of the conservative base and the Liberal Party – where even today he is considered to be as “influential as he has been” – but it risks pushing Australia toward a more dangerous, unstable posture. Blind alignment with America – particularly under a Trump administration – could entangle Australia in conflicts it neither causes nor controls.
It is one thing to call for caution in our dealings with China, a legitimate concern shared by many across the political divide. It is quite another to conflate pragmatism with surrender and to promote a vision of the West led by strongmen and culture warriors. His endorsement of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán – who openly attacks liberal democracy – further underscore this drift.
Abbott’s rhetoric – and the ideological alliances that underpin it – is not what Australia needs. Not because criticism of China is unwelcome, but because his brand of critique trades in fear, division, and an unsettling admiration for authoritarianism.
In an era where diplomacy is as vital as deterrence, Australia needs level-headed leadership, not ideological crusades. Abbott may see himself as a guardian of Western values, but increasingly, his actions suggest he’s fighting the wrong battles – for the wrong reasons. And that is precisely why he is no longer our prime minister.
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An imaginary erection in a fictional work might well be entitled an “Abbott”, something wonderful to behold. Eternally powerful, threatening, a symbol of life forces, an “Abbott” stands (hah) as a mighty monument to power, unfettered by education, logic, reason, all norms of decency and social convention. How egofixated, masterly, idiotic, evil, irrelevant, socially sickening. This Tony is a bony, phoney, moany show pony.
Abbott is the perfect example of the far right armchair chicken hawk warrior.
All for war, as long as he and his kids are not doing the fighting.
We all know his hero Trump was a draft dodging coward, acting out of fear, not principle
Other glaring contradiction is his affinity for the land of PM ‘mini Putin’ Orban, allied with China, Russia and anti-Ukraine, home of the anti-semitic & Islamophobic Soros conspiracy.
Then his international advisor, former ONA & Ambassador Mark Higgie & Danube Institute lead John O’Sullivan. Higgie was removed from their website after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in ’22, but still appears to be employed and lives part time in Budapest.
You can see his X account posting anti UK govt., renewables, immigrants, Tories (!) etc. but shares Farage’s and Elon Musk’s posts, still…. despite the latter’s public anti-semitism, eugenics and Hitler salutes. Nothing to see here?
The Mad Monk was always bitter and twisted, and since being pantsed by Malcolm Turnbull, his bitterness has been stratospheric,not to mention unhinged.
A sad, sick individual.Much like the company he keeps, and his cheer squad.
Who gives a flying fkcu what that despised, lying, unspeakably corrupt intellectual midget, Phony Abbott has to say on ANY issue! Not only was Abbott a rusted-on, regressive misogynist, a hateful racist, a smug contemptuous elitist and, along with that arrogant fascist, Morrison, a pompous sanctimonious bible-thumping hypocrite, there can be no doubt that Abbott, Morrison and that diabolical war criminal, John Howard, were the three WORST, most destructive Crime Ministers in our nation’s history!
The fact that these irrational RWNJs introduced that horrendous, ILLEGAL Witch Hunt, known as Robodebt – responsible for the traumatic suicidal deaths of so many vulnerable Australian victims and all under the cover of religious hypocrisy; the fact that these appalling, totally inept megalomaniacal lunatics then tried to privatise EVERYTHING taxpayers own, selling off OUR assets to ruthless foreign-owned corporate predators then, in addition, tried to defund vital, socially-aware services like Medicare into oblivion, parachuted that Murdoch-controlled harridan, Ita Buttrose, into the role of Chairwoman over OUR taxpayer ABC in order to corrupt the ONLY form of media in our country not already controlled by the LNP/Murdoch/IPA Alliance and pumping out cruel, racist and undemocratic right/wing propaganda 24:7, is a RED FLAG WARNING just how dangerous the fascists, who take up EVERY seat in the LNP, really are!
Truly, it comes as NO SURPRISE that Abbott (and the rest of the sociopaths in the LNP) are deluded and amoral enough to cheer on, support and admire that like-minded misogynistic and racist, Trump, a totally unconscionable, internationally-discredited CONVICTED CRIMINAL and six times’ bankrupt – they have SO MUCH in common! The fact that Abbott is going out of his way to discredit, condemn and ridicule China, a nation that is, by far, Australia’s largest trading partner, PROVES that Abbott has ZERO diplomacy, no foresight and not a drop of concern for the huge numbers of Australian farmers and businesses who have worked hard to establish a good, successful business relationship with China over many years!
Do Australia, China and the world a HUGE favour, Abbott, just shut up and purchase yourself and your family a ONE WAY TICKET to the UK and FFS, stay there!
Some people may ask why I would want to talk about a person whose opinions mean nothing to us. I will explain:
It was the quote in the Guardian article where a senior Liberal claimed he has more influence in the Liberal Party now than when he was prime minister.
So, whatever he says… Liberals are listening. Future policies might have a tinge of Abbott in them. We arm ourselves now.
… weakness in the face of Chinese aggression
What aggression?
Also: Dragging the Libs ever further right? The more out of touch they are with Australian society, the less relevant they become so, keep dragging, Tones. We’ll have to find a proper opposition elsewhere.
leefe, I said “framed as”.
You might recall how the Libs have been losing their minds when a Chinese naval ship comes within 1,000 nautical miles of our coastline.
Michael:
Yeah, I know. I’mm just wondering what the budgie smuggler imagines China has done that could, by any sensible, logical person, be genuinely considered as aggression and I’m coming up with nothing except … exist as not christofascist.
leefe, the quote in the article from his website gives us a glimpse, though more details are revealed in his full article (link provided). Or… if you’re really brave… the first link in my article takes you to a video where he spills out all his wisdom.
But if watch the video you may need to take a shower straight after, followed by a lie down. He has a way of making a person feel drained and contaminated.
Totally OT, but speaking of budgie smugglers, as an impressionable 15 yr old and on an overnight hike with teachers & other kids along the banks of the Murray in the Riverland district of SA, I was pleased to see a local SA Parks & Wildlife ranger in action against a couple of blokes who were illegally shooting ducks etc. out of season – he confiscated their boat, their guns, the birds they’d shot, as well as putting them before the court to be fined & convicted.
Some years later, he himself, the good guy, the protector of wildlife, was before the SA courts for his involvement in a significant catch & smuggle operation of native birds, primarily parrots & cockatoos, these birds bringing thousands of dollars when sold on overseas black markets. A huge wake-up to the inherent corruptibility potential where big dollars are the reward.
Tony Abbott’s latest China rant isn’t foreign policy — it’s ideological cosplay dressed up as national security. He’s not warning us about China; he’s auditioning for relevance in a world that’s left him behind. By parroting Trump-era slogans and fawning over Orbán-style strongman politics, Abbott shows he’s more interested in stoking fear and division than offering anything useful to Australia’s future.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about strength — it’s about nostalgia for a simpler world where shouting counted as strategy. Abbott doesn’t want Australia to lead; he wants us to follow Trump into whatever mess comes next. It’s not leadership — it’s legacy-chasing through loud opinions and borrowed outrage.
Frankly, the country’s safer with him out of office and shouting from the sidelines, rather than steering the ship.
Canguro:
There doesn’t need to massive amount of money involved.
Back in my days as a TasPAWS office lizard, one of our rangers was caught by the local fisheries people with a nice load of illegal abalone onboard (on the service launch) – undersized, over the bag limit, out of season. Abalone was not the big thing it is now; this was just a little bit of pocket money.
Abbott’s performative ‘hard man’ exterior, hides an unimaginative ignoramus, a hater of all things not ‘Abbott’, a fearful non-negotiator, and a desk jockey to FRWNJs and borrower of their expressions.
When he couldn’t get a job, he worked hiding for a time as a concrete batch plant operator – he would’ve lasted 5 mins in the cut and thrust of actually working in construction during that (or any other) era.
Unless he’s running his ‘hard man’ soliloquy, he’s completely lost for words unless he can dredge them from his borrowed FRWNJ lexicon. Just one of the many examples of his bully-boy ineptitude.
Of the three past worst PMs of the LNP, Morrison, Abbott and Howard, Morrison the betrayer is out and has his new sinecure, but the LNP keeps dredging up the other two irrelevant cranks in the hope of finding relevance from these antediluvian dragon chasers.
Having found no sinecure in Oz, they should retire to their caves of ignoble discontent and stay there.
On an AUKUS note:
“Hendrix has also argued AUKUS does not provide enough capacity for Australian shipyards to repair American and British submarines, as well as Australian ones, and the US should “more heavily leverage” the agreement.”
Playing the heavies and leaning on us to, “Pay us much much more money and we might like you a bit more.” Not unexpected from the bastards. What will Albo do? Bugger all I expect.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/noticeably-fickle-trump-s-new-submarine-chief-a-critic-of-australia-20250722-p5mgqi.html
I had a dream last night… or was it a nightmare? Abbott featured, riding his bike, Credlin was side-saddle on the crossbar. The mad monk was shirtless, and had tattoos – Howard’s face on one bicep, Bronwyn Bishop’s on the other, and a much larger one of George Pell’s mug spread across his back. He was riding furiously in some sort of Mad Max scenario, alongside the crazy vehicles and their warriors.
I woke up, fevered, a little disturbed by that vision of a somebody whom I hold in deep disregard, nevertheless, it was just a dream.