Tony Abbott reflects on how he could become prime minister again

GEORGE Brandis has delivered a stinging smackdown of Tony Abbott after his controversial speech on climate change.

GEORGE Brandis says “life is too short” to read everything Tony Abbott has to say in a stinging smackdown of his outspoken colleague today.

The Attorney-General noted he had heard Mr Abbott had made some “interesting” observations about “people and goats and volcanoes” in his speech on climate change last week but hadn’t bothered to read it.

Senator Brandis made the remarks in Senate Question Time today after he was asked about the former prime minister refusal to back a Clean Energy Target.

It’s understood pressure from the backbench, including Mr Abbott, has prompted the government to drop the CET from its energy strategy, which is set to be announced this week.

“I assume you are referring to some observations that Mr Abbott made during a lecture to a think tank in London last week,” Senator Brandis said in response to the question from Labor Senator Claire Moore.

Tony Abbott was roasted over his controversial speech on climate change. Picture: AAP

“Now, I haven’t actually read Mr Abbott’s speech, but I have seen reports of his remarks and I actually saw some extracts from his speech on the Insiders program yesterday morning.

“He made some interesting anthropological observations about people and goats and volcanoes and things like that.

Senator Brandis acknowledged Mr Abbott was entitled to his views, “but life is too short to read everything that all of one’s political colleagues may have to say, no matter how interesting they may be”.

“You can be rest assured, Senator Moore, that the views of the Australian government are the views of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, not the views of a backbencher,” he said.

George Brandis said “life is too short” to read everything Tony Abbott has to say. Picture: Kym Smith

ABBOTT: HOW I COULD BECOME PM AGAIN

Tony Abbott believes the only way he’s likely to return as Liberal leader is to be drafted by his federal colleagues.

The former prime minister was responding to a hypothetical scenario - put to him by Ray Hadley on 2GB radio on Monday - in which Malcolm Turnbull resigns in the face of continuing opinion poll losses.

“I’m not talking about a challenge,” Hadley said.

Mr Abbott, having noted Mr Turnbull had set 30 Newspoll losses in a row as the test for leaders, said the only way back for an ex-leader is to be drafted.

“When you are an ex the only way you can come back is if you’re drafted and I think that is a pretty rare and unusual business in politics,” Mr Abbott told Sydney radio station 2GB.

“You are talking about hypothetical ... the only way an ex could ever come back would be by way of a draft and that is almost impossible to imagine.”

During the interview, he also hit back at critics of a speech where he claimed climate change was doing “more good than harm”.

Mr Abbott suggested his critics hadn’t actually listened to the speech, which sparked condemnation last week from Labor, the Greens and even members of his own party.

He rejected suggestions he had backflipped on his stance on climate science since his time in the top job.

“It’s nice to think that people were listening,” he told host Ray Hadley.

“I’m not sure that all of the people who criticised it have actually read it.”

RELATED: Abbott doubles down on climate change message

Tony Abbott speaks on 2GB radio station. Picture: Supplied

Ahead of a week in politics where energy policy is set to dominate the conversation, Mr Abbott said the speech had been about putting the issue into perspective.

“The problem, Ray, over the last few years is that we haven’t been running a system for affordability and reliability, we’ve been running a system to reduce emissions,” he said.

“It’s given us some of the most expensive power in the world — and this is literally insane, given we are the country with the largest readily available reserves of coal gas and uranium.”

Mr Abbott made those key points in his speech to climate sceptics in London but also likened climate scientists to the “thought police” and claimed some of their findings were “absolute crap”.

Tony Abbott says Australia hasn’t been focused on affordability and reliability but reducing emissions. Picture: AFP Photo

He also said: “At least so far, it’s climate change policy that’s doing harm; climate change itself is probably doing good; or at least, more good than harm.”

Mr Abbott pointed to soaring power costs and the South Australian statewide blackout in 2016 as the results of current policies, while highlighting that there were some benefits to global warming.

Higher concentrations of carbon dioxide were “greening the planet and helping to lift agricultural yields,” he said.

And in most countries “far more people die in cold snaps than in heatwaves” so a gradual lift in global temperatures “might even be beneficial” if accompanied by greater prosperity.

Malcolm Turnbull will put the government’s final energy plan before backbenchers including Mr Abbott tomorrow. Picture: AP/ David Moir

Mr Abbott — who signed Australia up to the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in his stint as prime minister — told 2GB today he did not think there had been any big shifts in his stance on climate change.

“I was the PM that abolished the Carbon Tax,” he said.

“That saved the average household $500 a year.

“I’m the only person so far to bring the Renewable Energy Target down, from 28 to 23 per cent.

“It wasn’t far enough but I had to work with the senate we had and of course there were a range of views in government.

“Frankly, what we now need are no further subsidies for intermittent and unreliable power.”
Asked about a damning report by the ACCC today, which revealed the main causes of soaring power prices, Mr Abbott said one of the findings was that green schemes added at least $100 to the average household bill.

Generation costs had have gone up “dramatically” as well as an indirect result of the schemes, he said.

The report showed the schemes contributed just 7 per cent to bills, while network infrastructure such as power poles contributed 48 per cent.