Peta Credlin talks to Josh Frydenberg about his attack on Tony Abbott

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says he has no regrets about ridiculing Tony Abbott despite getting some advice from Peta Credlin.

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says he has no regrets about ridiculing Tony Abbott for undermining Malcolm Turnbull.

Mr Frydenberg said he stands by his criticisms of the former prime minister, despite Mr Abbott’s former chief of staff Peta Credlin claiming the Energy Minister had told her he would refrain from any commentary in the future.

“I stand by what I said and I will continue to call it as I see it,” Mr Frydenberg said in a statement to The Australian this morning.

Mr Frydenberg last week showed dismay that Mr Abbott had ramped up his negative comments about the Prime Minister after the release of the government’s 30th consecutive Newspoll loss to Labor.

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

Speaking on Sky News last night, Ms Credlin said Mr Frydenberg’s comments had “diminished” him in the eyes of conservatives.

“I think it probably diminished Josh in the eyes of conservatives, it certainly wouldn’t have helped him with the base,” Ms Credlin said.

“I think it was levity, I think he thought it was funny, I think afterwards he probably reflected and decided it wasn’t funny.

“I have had a conversation with him, I’m not going to go into it on air, but I don’t think you will see that again.”

Opposition infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese said Ms Credlin was attempting to dictate what cabinet ministers should say. “As Josh should, he has called Tony Abbott out for being a wrecker because that is the way that he is behaving,” Mr Albanese told Sky News.

“What’s extraordinary was Peta Credlin’s comments. I mean, this is a Sky News commentator seeking to dictate to cabinet ministers what they say. I’m not surprised that Josh Frydenberg has rejected that.

“That’s the sort of approach that has led to Tony Abbott’s demise.”

Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar backed Mr Frydenberg’s right to criticise Mr Abbott.

“You wouldn’t expect anything less from Josh, he will call it as he sees it,” Mr Sukkar also told Sky News.

“In the Liberal Party sometimes we are one big raucous family and Peta Credlin and Josh, and indeed Tony Abbott and Josh, myself and so many other Liberals, in the end we can have disagreements from time to time but I don’t think anyone would expect that Josh would do anything other than say what he thinks in a really frank way and there is absolutely no criticism of him for that.”