Abbott silent on Turnbull’s ‘C-bomb’

Tony Abbott says there have been “many milestones” in his more than forty-year relationship with Malcolm Turnbull.

Malcolm Turnbull reportedly delivered then-PM Tony Abbott and expletive-laden serve in 2014. Picture: Kym Smith

Tony Abbott says there have been “many milestones” in his more than forty-year relationship with Malcolm Turnbull, but he won’t be commenting on reports the PM gave him an expletive-ridden serve in front of three ministers as the group returned from The Australian’s 50th birthday celebration aboard a government plane in 2014.

Several sources have told News Corp Mr Turnbull’s spray at the then-prime minister was so venomous it contained the C-word.

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However, a spokesman for Mr Turnbull has disputed that he uses such language.

Mr Abbott said he did not talk about the matter at the time, and is “certainly not” going to talk about it now.

“Malcolm and I go back a long, long way,” Mr Abbott told 2GB.

“We first met when we were both at Sydney University in the late 1970s, then of course we locked horns in the Republican debate of the early ‘90s and beyond, so Malcolm and I go back a long way and there’ve been many milestones in our relationship, some good, some not so good.”

Asked whether he was aware of Mr Turnbull using the C-word and other expletives, Mr Abbott said he would not go into the “precise terminology” different people used on different occasions.

“But I think that most senior politicians on occasion can use pretty robust language,” he said.

Mr Abbott said he couldn’t quibble with the arithmetic of today’s 19th Newspoll loss for Malcolm Turnbull, and the fact that it is on the way to reaching the 30 Newspoll losses Mr Turnbull cited when he challenged Mr Abbott for the prime ministership in 2015.

“When I was party leader I didn’t comment on the polls and I’m not going to start now,” he said.

“I think the important thing is for the government to try to make people’s life easier, and this is why I keep saying that we’ve got to change policy to take the pressure off power prices.”

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, then-treasurer Joe Hockey and Attorney-General George Brandis were reportedly aboard the VIP flight from Sydney to Canberra with Mr Turnbull, Mr Abbott and five Coalition staffers.

Ms Bishop said the reported exchange did not take place in front of her.

“It certainly didn’t happen in my presence,” she told the Nine Network.