Even a failed Prime Minister can be President of the Liberal Party

When Tony Abbott was elected unopposed as Federal President of the Liberal Party on Friday, 29 May, I wasn’t surprised. The party’s inability to comprehend genuine change is striking. After their resounding election defeat, one would think the message was clear: adapt or risk irrelevance.

The Party appears to ignore the electorate’s rebuke, convinced it can recover through nostalgia rather than progress. Abbott exemplifies this fixation.

After Tony retired from politics following his defeat by Independent Zali Steggall at the 2019 election, he frequently reappeared with the same sorts of comments that had contributed to his downfall. Rather than embracing change after their loss, the party seems determined to hold on to the past.

At the time, hearing that 1,000 people would pay $1,000 each to attend a function celebrating Tony’s 25 years in Australian politics left me stunned. I was even more surprised to learn that many others had to be turned away. (‘Tremendous debt’: Turnbull and I owe Scott Morrison, declares Tony Abbott, 2019) The realisation that most speakers considered him underappreciated left me feeling disbelief and frustration.

I found it difficult to understand how anyone could praise a man who, at the time, I regarded as the greatest liar to have walked the halls of our parliament. I was genuinely baffled and disappointed by their praise.

At that moment, it seemed that there was a broader trend toward celebrating leaders whose records were divisive, raising concerns about societal values.

Hearing Abbott repeatedly described as undervalued at the function left me incredulous.

Then, when I was told what they said:

“I used to think that the Abbott government was a remarkably underappreciated one,” one speaker said.

“A great thing tonight is that finally I think it might be seen for what it really was – a good-faith effort to help our country to be the very best it could be,” said another.

Such statements prompted me to reflect further on the varied interpretations of his legacy.

Good lord, hadn’t he admitted that it was a chronic failure? “Good government starts tomorrow,” he had said after he was threatened with the sack.

Reading that many at the event again described Mr Abbott as undervalued left me questioning their perspective. Is this the same leader who repealed the carbon tax, a decision many have criticised?

The Master of Ceremonies was no other than Alan Jones, who said there was so much love for Mr Abbott that even with 1,000 guests attending, “hundreds” more had to be turned away. (Murphy, 2014). At this point, I found it hard to reconcile these positive assessments with my own observations of his leadership. I recall writing this about the man when he was the opposition leader.

“When looked at in isolation, the lies and indiscretions of Tony Abbott, his problems with women and even his negativity could perhaps all be written of as just Tony being Tony? Or that’s just politics.

However, my focus here is on character and whether Mr. Abbott had enough of it to be the leader of our nation.”

My contention was that because we are looking at a litany of instances of lying, deception and bad behaviour over a long period of time, he simply didn’t have the essence of character, which is one of the main ingredients in the recipe of leadership.”

Abbott’s daily negativity as the opposition leader affected the community. He often accused the Prime Minister of lying while making outrageous statements himself and opposed most legislation, frequently without proper scrutiny.

Some argue Abbott’s approach to political communication changed the tone and frequency of discourse in unprecedented ways.

Nevertheless, Jones spoke about a leader who faced significant challenges within his own party and during his tenure.

He continued, describing Abbott’s defeat as a contradiction for a politician involved in a tough campaign for the seat of Warringal.It was a contradiction for a politician who had been defeated in a nasty and bruising campaign for the seat of Warringal.

“Tony Abbott … has a heart which beats like everybody else and he’s been brutally wounded by appalling condemnation and vilification which no person of his ability should ever have had to endure,” Mr Jones told a Liberal Party who’s who.

Mr Jones described the campaign that unseated Mr Abbott at this year’s election as “one of the most disgraceful chapters in Australian political history.”

Notably, Mr Abbott’s language toward the nation’s first female Prime Minister drew criticism for being highly inappropriate, such as the remark “Send her out to sea in a chaff bag….”

“It wasn’t the defeat it was the extent to which the personal vilification and undermining of the character and decency of this man was not only embraced by the electorate but condoned by people who should have known better.”

Jones expressed strong views about Mr Abbott’s treatment, and Peter Dutton subsequently suggested Mr Abbott was largely misunderstood.

“I think in fact it’s his intelligence and depth of thought that wasn’t properly appreciated (really) by many of the modern-day journalists,” he said, adding that most people who meet Mr Abbott say he is nothing like what he seems on television.

“In fact, that is the great tragedy, not that he’s a different person publicly but that he is portrayed as such by his opponents.

“Nevertheless Australians sensed a decency in Tony and they were right.”

That reminded me of the 2014 budget, which even conservative commentators agreed was the unfairest budget ever. (2014 Australian federal budget).

Mr Abbott was also praised for policy achievements such as abolishing the carbon and mining taxes and putting Australia “on the path to surplus.” (Taylor, 2014).His volunteer work, such as supporting Pollie Pedal and firefighting, was also acknowledged, although there has been public debate about the motivations and coverage of these efforts. (Griffiths, 2013.

Scott Morrison noted Abbott’s early identification of the Islamic State as a threat to Australia and praised his efforts toward Indigenous communities, though the impact and intent of these actions have been subject to public scrutiny. (Hurst, 2014).

Former Prime Minister Howard reckoned his greatest policy achievement was “restoring Australia’s border protection regime”. (Davies, 2022.

Joe Hockey’s contribution, in a video, was to say that Abbott was a man for others.

“Whatever you do or say in the future will most definitely be for others – you are genuinely a man for others,”

It is open to interpretation whether Abbott’s beneficiaries included the underprivileged.

Mr Abbott attributed the loss of his seat to his own actions: “If anyone wants to know who is to blame for the Warringah result it was not the campaign — it was just the candidate.” This appeared to be a rare admission of responsibility.

That the conservative party can celebrate a Prime Minister whose leadership is widely seen as a failure speaks volumes about its refusal to confront uncomfortable truths. That in 2026 they could elect Abbott as Party President is truly remarkable.

Their tendency to disregard history, letting inconvenient facts pass without challenge, never ceases to amaze me.

My thought for the day

Reflecting on Tony Abbott’s tenure, questions remain about his effectiveness in understanding technology, the environment, science, and societal diversity.

Enough said.