Tony Abbott calls rumours of an affair with Peta Credlin ‘scurrilous gossip’
A MEMBER of Tony Abbott’s staff has revealed how his chief of staff Peta Credlin called her a “f***ing useless bitch” as more explosive insights into the ex-PM’s relationship with her come to light.
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A MEMBER of Tony Abbott’s staff has revealed how his chief of staff Peta Credlin called her a “f***ing useless bitch” as more explosive insights into the ex-PM’s relationship with her come to light.
The allegation is revealed in a new book released today, The Road to Ruin, by political commentator Niki Savva, which explores the peculiar relationship between Mr Abbott and Ms Credlin and the level of influence she had over every aspect of his life.
Fiona Telford, who worked with Ms Credlin in 2007 told Savva she “cannot forgive Credlin for the way she treated people.”
She said on one occassion Ms Credlin called her a: “a f***ing useless bitch”, telling her “you don’t f***ing know anything”.
Ms Telford resigned shortly after the outburst but said “the damage by Peta was done”.
The book also claims Mr Abbott insisted a staff member apologise and buy flowers for Credlin after he had asked her not to swear at junior staff.
It discloses details of a dramatic meeting in Sydney in 2012 when one of Mr Abbott’s long-time staffers, Murray Cranston, addressed Ms Credlin about her behaviour “because he had become concerned about the treatment of junior staff”.
He said her mood swings had a dramatic effect on the morale of the office, Savva writes.
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Ms Credlin allegedly fled the room in tears, closely followed by Mr Abbott who was later seen consoling her on a Sydney street.
Abbott then instructed Mr Cranston to buy Ms Credlin a bunch of flowers and apologise rather than looking into the complaints of the treatment of junior staff.
Mr Abbott said late yesterday he “did not respond to scurrilous gossip” when asked about rumours he was having an affair with Credlin in the book.
“Plainly (Ms Savva) made no effort to talk to me or my office. Plainly she made no effort to talk to Ms Credlin,” Mr Abbott told Channel Nine yesterday while volunteering for the Rural Fire Service.
“I do not respond to scurrilous gossip, full stop, end of story.”
The book referred to a conversation Mr Abbott had with NSW Liberal conservative Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who is now a federal Senator for NSW, in February last year.
“Rightly or wrongly, the perception is that you are sleeping with your Chief of Staff. That’s the perception, and you need to deal with it”, she said according to the book.
The conversation came at a time when Mr Abbott was under pressure to sack Ms Credlin.
Savva told Channel Nine, “There are people who had been abused for years in that administration who suffered in silence, and I thought they should be given the chance to tell their story.”
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull refused to comment on the book.
“I don’t want to buy into all that commentary,” he told Channel Nine. “I am focused on my job.”
The book takes readers through the fiery relationships MPs had with Mr Abbott’s office where Ms Credlin held huge sway.
Savva writes about the infamous finger-wagging footage in which Ms Credlin confronts Liberal MP Stuart Robert. She said the tongue lashing was over a selfie of Mr Robert and Mr Abbott taken without the then PM’s traditional blue tie.
“Robert wanted Abbott to take off his famous blue tie, then pose for a picture wearing the other one,” the book says. “Robert wanted to auction the red-and-black tie with the photo of Abbott wearing it.”
Ms Credlin refused the MP’s request but the selfie was taken anyway.
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