Josh Frydenberg ridicules Tony Abbott’s ongoing destabilisation tactics

Josh Frydenberg ridicules Tony Abbott’s ongoing destabilisation tactics but the former PM swiftly defends his right to speak out.

Senior government frontbencher Josh Frydenberg has ridiculed Tony Abbott’s ongoing destabilisation tactics in the wake of the former prime minister’s claim that Malcolm Turnbull was being “tricky” on the issue of migration levels.

Appearing on Channel Nine’s Today program, Mr Frydenberg suggested Mr Abbott had been ramping up his criticism of Mr Turnbull in recent times.

“(Mr Abbott) is always going to cut across what the prime minister has been saying lately,” Mr Frydenberg told the Nine Network.

“Tony Abbott, I mean he’s always going to try to cut across what the Prime Minister’s been saying lately.” @JoshFrydenberg #9Today pic.twitter.com/3LHnO44jSn

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) April 12, 2018

Earlier this week, The Australian reported that Peter Dutton had last year lobbied senior government colleagues — including Mr Turnbull — to consider lowering the annual migration intake.

Mr Turnbull denied the report, prompting Mr Abbott to label the prime minister as “tricky”.

This morning, when Today host Ben Fordham questioned whether Mr Abbott and Mr Turnbull were on the same team, the minister said, “I think you are covering up the biggest secret in sport”.

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese, also appearing on Today, questioned both Mr Turnbull and Mr Dutton’s statements this week on immigration.

“They can’t both be right, that is the point,’’ Mr Albanese said. “Peter Dutton’s response was to say something different from what Malcolm Turnbull said actually happened, but that Malcolm Turnbull was right. The contradiction was there in Peter Dutton’s own statement.”

Mr Abbott, when told of Mr Frydenberg’s comment this morning, responded: “We’ll keep it to policies, not personalities.”

“My focus is on what (sic) is going to do the right thing for the people of Australia,” he told Sky News on his annual Pollie Pedal charity bike ride.

He again spruiked his policy plans to reduce electricity prices through coal- fired power and reduce immigration levels to drive down housing prices.

Cabinet minister Mathias Cormann this morning defended Mr Frydenberg, who he said as minister for energy had done an outstanding job on policies designed to drive down prices.

“I guess Tony Abbott is just helping us make sure that we can properly explain the reasons why our policy approach is the right way forward for Australia,” Senator Cormann told Sky News. He said Mr Abbott was entitled to express his views.

“Josh and I, we are team players,” he said, noting that in politics, to make a difference, people have to work as part of a team to come up with decisions. “The place we make these decisions is inside our party room.”

Finance Minister @MathiasCormann: Josh Frydenberg and I are team players, and we know that the way to get the best results for the Australian public is to work as a team.

MORE: https://t.co/LghUyjsqLK #AmAgenda pic.twitter.com/x3kbZtsppH

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 12, 2018

Additional reporting: AAP