Josh Frydenberg distances himself from PM on one big issue

Fighting for his political life, Josh Frydenberg has put the Prime Minister at arms length over one major issue.

Josh Frydenberg has again distanced himself from the Prime Minister over his handling of Katherine Deves.

Scott Morrison has repeatedly defended his captain’s pick amid furore over her claims transgender teenagers are being “surgically mutilated.”

In an interview on Thursday, the Treasurer was asked if he would have backed in the embattled candidate if he were Prime Minister.

“I would use different language to what the Prime Minister has used,” he told the ABC.

Mr Frydenberg has distanced himself from the Prime Minister. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“I’ve been pretty outspoken and strong in my criticism of the way Katherine Deves has approached this issue.”

It’s the second time Mr Frydenberg, who is fighting for his political life to retain his blue ribbon seat of Kooyong, has declined to support Mr Morrison.

Just last week the Treasurer steered clear of repeating the Prime Minister’s claim the NSW anti-corruption watchdog was a “kangaroo court”.

“I would use different words,” he said.

But former Warringah MP and prime minister Tony Abbott has pleaded with Liberals to not abandon Ms Deves.

Tony Abbott pleads with Liberals to stand by Katherine Deves in a video sent to members.

In a video sent to party members, the former prime minister described Ms Deves as someone who “deserves to be supported”.

“The more I see of Katherine Deves the more impressed I am with her courage, with her common sense, with her decency and with quite frankly her capacity to win this seat back for the Liberal Party,” Mr Abbott said.

“So I really do urge all Warringah Liberals to get behind our candidate. She is our candidate, she’s doing a good job, and she deserves to be supported.

“Whatever faults we might see in the selection process, we’ve got to do this, to get behind her for our community, for our party, for our country, and to help give the Morrison government the victory that our country needs.”

Ms Deves has come under fire her views on transgender people and for invoking the Holocaust many times in her thousands of incendiary online posts.

But on Tuesday she sensationally poured fuel on the fire and walked back her previous apology.

Ms Deves walked back her apology on Monday. Picture By Jason Edwards

Instead of apologising for her remarks, Ms Deves said she was sorry if anyone was offended.

The Prime Minister’s office has sought to shut down reports the interview with Sky News, and her campaign was orchestrated by them.

Meanwhile, Mr Morrison stopped over in Tasmania to unveil his $55m mental health pitch.

He appeared alongside outspoken Liberal MP Bridget Archer who called for respect in the conversation about transgender people.

“I think there is a place for having the conversation we are having, and I don’t necessarily think that we should seek to censor people,” Archer said.

“When we’re talking about people, whoever they might be, we should always seek to do that in a way that is respectful and not damaging to people’s mental health.”

Ms Archer was pressed by reporters on Thursday. Picture: Jason Edwards

Ms Archer, who hails from the moderate faction of the Liberal Party, also declined to criticise the Prime Minister when asked if he had been hypocritical in his promotion of mental health while also sticking by Ms Deves.

According to LGBTIQ+ Australia, 48 per cent of transgender people aged 14-25 have attempted suicide, while three quarters of those over the age of 18 have considered suicide.

More than 85 per cent of trans men, 76.1 per cent of non-binary people, and 68 per cent of trans women aged 14-21 have reported self harming in their life.

Transgender and gender-diverse people aged 14-25 are more than seven times more likely to be diagnosed with depression, and five and a half times more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety.