Tony Abbott reveals how Peter Dutton can claim title of best Opposition Leader in defeating Albanese government

Former PM Tony Abbott, who is widely believed to be the greatest Opposition Leader in post-war memory, said there’s one thing Peter Dutton needs to do for him to relinquish the title.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has declared Peter Dutton is poised to take the title of Australia’s best post-war Opposition leader if he can win the next election.

“I will take the gold medal from around my own neck and hand it to Peter Dutton,” says Abbott.

The former prime minister applauded Mr Dutton’s “courageous” opposition to the Voice to parliament and his backing of nuclear energy.

Mr Abbott added he believed Mr Dutton was a “50-50 chance” of winning the next election, while saying he thought the Opposition leader is doing better than he did in the role.

“I think Peter Dutton has the potential to be John Howard Mark II,” Mr Abbott said.

Tony Abbott says Peter Dutton can claim the mantle of the greatest opposition leader. Picture: Martin Ollman

Mr Abbott also said the Queensland MP’s leadership had the Coalition at an even chance to win the next election, which has to be before May next year but has already seen speculation it could be as early as September.

“I could not win in one term,’’ Mr Abbott said, referring to his own efforts across two terms to beat Labor before the Coalition’s victory in 2013.

It comes as fresh polling conducted for The Australian between June 3 and June 7 showed Mr Dutton had sharply cut down on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s position as preferred prime minister.

Back in 2014 when Peter Dutton was Health Minister and Tony Abbott the PM..

The Newspoll showed the race for preferred prime minister had tightened, with 46 per cent naming Anthony Albanese the better PM to Dutton’s 38 per cent, narrowing the gap by 11 percentage points since last month.

A News Corp Australia poll of 923 people, conducted in the wake of Mr Dutton’s announcement he would build nuclear power plants if the ­Coalition wins the next election, also showed six in 10 supported nuclear as part of the country’s energy mix.

“I think that ‘Dutts’ proved with his courageous opposition to the Voice that he knows what he is against,” Mr Abbott said. ”And I think he is now proving with his courageous support for nuclear that he knows what he is for.”

Mr Abbott also conceded part of him “would love to (still be) in” parliament, and declined to fully rule out a return.

‘’As a former prime minister, who is inevitably asked to make speeches and write articles, you are never really out of politics,’’ he said.

”There is a part of me that would love to be still in it.

“But I don’t want to make any of my successors’ lives more complicated.

“And, were I ever to be back, inevitably I would complicate their lives.”

Originally published as Tony Abbott reveals how Peter Dutton can claim title of best Opposition Leader in defeating Albanese government