ABC 7.30: Tony Abbott denies leaking against the Turnbull government

Tony Abbott has denied he has sniped, wrecked, or leaked against the government in an interview attacking the PM’s energy policy.

Tony Abbott on the ABC's 7.30.

Tony Abbott has denied he has sniped, wrecked, or leaked against the government in an interview attacking Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s National Energy Guarantee as “poor policy”.

In his first appearance on the ABC’s 7.30 program since he lost leadership of the government to Mr Turnbull, Mr Abbott questioned the modelling underpinning the NEG, which he said has repeatedly been wrong in the past.

Ahead of a party room meeting tomorrow at which Coalition MPs will discuss the NEG, Mr Abbott criticised the policy for legislating emissions targets and lining Australia up for “massive penalties”.

“If you look around the world, the countries with the highest energy prices are the countries that have got the highest percentage of renewables in the system because the problem with renewables is that they are not 24/7 power. If it is not 24/7, it is not really power,” he said.

“We have got to be able to turn the switch and have the lights go on. If you are relying on wind and solar, the wind doesn’t always blow. The sun doesn’t always shine. There has always got to be back-up. That is what makes renewables so expensive.”

He fired back at comments by Mr Turnbull in parliament that “ideology” and “idiocy” should not guide energy policy.

“Well, idiocy is doing more of the same and expecting a different result. We have massively increased renewables and what have we got? We have a doubling of price. We’ve got blackouts and rationing now routine,” he said.

“If you want to increase renewables even more, that is to say unreliable power, from the current 17% to 36%, we are going to get more of the same.”

Mr Abbott was quizzed about his own support for higher emissions targets in 2015, when he was Prime Minister. He replied that he had qualified his support and that “when circumstances change, you change your opinion”.

He was also questioned about comments he made when he lost his role as Prime Minister in 2015. “Leadership changes are never easy for our country,” Mr Abbott said at the time. “My pledge today is to make this change as easy as I can. There will be no wrecking, no undermining, no sniping.”

Tony Abbott denies being a sniper or a wrecker. More tonight on #abc730 with @leighsales. #auspol pic.twitter.com/ZSKU0vunEn

— abc730 (@abc730) August 13, 2018

“Could you look Malcolm Turnbull in the eye and say that you have not been a sniper or a wrecker?” 7.30 host Leigh Sales asked.

“Oh, look, there has been no leaking, there has been no briefing against the government,” Mr Abbott replied.

“Sniping? Wrecking?” Sales asked.

“There’s been none of that. Look, I have talked in this term of parliament, but not prior to the 2016 election, I have talked a lot about policy because I want this government to be the best it possibly can be. But I have confined myself, as I think is quite proper for a backbench Member of Parliament, to policy … I’m prepared to back myself against my former colleagues when it comes to playing it straight and playing it fair.”