Tony Abbott’s take: Australians are ‘sick of politicians’

FORMER prime minister Tony Abbott has offered a five-point plan for the government’s re-election, but Labor MPs say his motivation is a little more personal.

Australia's former prime minister Tony Abbott. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP

A LABOR frontbencher has called out Tony Abbott’s five-point plan for the government’s re-election as a sign the former leader is fighting to return to the top job.

The former prime minister today issued a warning to the government, saying Australians are “sick of politicians” and warned there was an expectation among voters that Bill Shorten “could soon be in the Lodge”.

Appearing on Sky News on Monday, Labor MP Andrew Leigh said the motivation behind Mr Abbott’s advice to the government was clear.

“Tony Abbott’s clearly fighting a rearguard action to the return to the prime minister-ship,” he said.

Mr Leigh said it was clear that “a significant portion of the Liberal Party are dissatisfied”, and that backbenchers were waiting to “bring on the challenge to Malcolm Turnbull”.

“When you talk to backbenchers, what’s evident there is that all they're looking for is a clear challenger to coalesce around,” he said.

.@ALeighMP says @TonyAbbottMHR is 'clearly leading a rearguard action for
a return to the prime ministership' https://t.co/zBtaeUUYAw pic.twitter.com/hLjd4bjcnD

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 16, 2017

In his manifesto published in today’s Daily Telegraph, Mr Abbott said it was important the party stick with its current leader to ensure Labor stays out of the Lodge.

The former prime minister penned a piece sharing the results of the ultimate pub test — a long-distance charity bike ride in which few pubs or coffee shops were spared from a temperature-testing drop-in from the backbencher.

“Between the riders, the sponsors, and the passers-by, I reckon I spent the best part of eight days listening to a pretty good sample of Middle Australia. And people aren’t happy,” he writes. “There’s the usual grizzling about poor roads, not enough services, and out-of-touch government ... But there’s an added dimension of frustration with everyone in politics: with governments that don’t deliver, with oppositions that oppose just to score political points, and with minor parties that are all grievance and no solution.”

Tony Abbott with members of Manly-based StreetWork charity, which was one of the beneficiaries of the Pollie Pedal.

The ousted leader, who adopted a “no sniping” policy when he took up a seat on the government’s back bench, emphasised that he was offering not his but Middle Australia’s assessment of the Turnbull government’s performance.

“My ‘take’ from hundreds of conversations on the road is that people are sick of politicians who are more talk than action and are especially sick of politicians who change their policies to suit their political convenience,” he said.

Mr Abbott has warned that he picked up an expectation that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten could soon be installed as prime minister, and helpfully offers a five-point plan for the government to follow.

Mr Abbott says people expect Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to be installed as PM. Picture: Stuart McEvoy/The Australian.

“The best way to keep Shorten out is not to sack an elected prime minister yet again but to ensure that the government does its job better,” he says.

Mr Abbott says to retain power and please the public it must reform the Senate; stop subsidising wind power; dump the Human Rights Commission; protect workers but make it easier for future generations to get work; and “don’t apologise for Australia; celebrate it”.

Trade Minister Steve Ciobo responded to the former leader’s advice saying he didn’t find the intervention concerning.

“Every backbencher has a right to put in their view. I encourage every backbencher to keep contributing to the arsenal of ideas that the coalition government has,” he told ABC radio.

“I don’t get overly concerned about the interventions or former prime ministers, backbenchers or others.”

Mr Ciobo said there was nothing revolutions about his colleagues insights that Australians were fed up with their representatives in Canberra.

“I’ve been in politics more than 15 years and I’ve never in that 15 years known the Australians pubic to love politicians,” he said. “I think it’s stating the obvious to say that Australians don’t like politicians.”

Mr Abbott’s warning follows a string of poor opinion polls for the government.