Malcolm Turnbull has steered clear of Abbott First Fleet comments

The PM is steering clear of the storm Tony Abbott has created over the ‘beneficial’ arrival of the First Fleet | LISTEN

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has outlined several key policy changes he thinks will help the Coalition become more competitive at the next federal election.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has slapped down suggestions from Tony Abbott that white settlement in Australia has been beneficial for everyone, including indigenous people.

Speaking in Queensland, Mr Turnbull briefly addressed issues raised by Mr Abbott in an opinion article in The Australian today and an interview he gave on Sydney’s 2GB Radio.

“I would argue that what happened on the January 26, 1788 was on balance for everyone, Aboriginal people included, a good thing because it brought Western civilisation to this country, it brought Australia into the modern world,” Mr Abbott told 2GB.

“Now, yes, white Australians for a long time did a lot better than indigenous Australians but at least in recent years that is not through lack of good will and it’s not through a lack of extraordinary efforts to improve the lot of indigenous Australians.

“All of the things that we know and love about modern Australia are the lineal descendants of the attitudes that came ashore with the First Fleet on that day in 1788.”

Mr Abbott wrote January 26 should remain Australia Day. “There are 364 other days of the year when we can wear a black armband and strive to overcome our national failures,” he wrote.

Mr Turnbull would not be drawn into a “debate” but insisted the country is working to make the future better for indigenous Australians.

“I won’t engage in a debate about Australian history, the history of European settlement in Australia,” he said, “other than to say that obviously it had tragic consequences for thousands of indigenous Australians and the wrongs that were done in the past, we are setting right.”

He added it was “appropriate” that there had been an acknowledgment of country at the event that was in the “spirit of reconciliation”.

Mr Abbott when speaking about the settlement of Australia said the First Fleet’s captain, Arthur Phillip, was the “George Washington of Australia”.

“There is a case for thinking that in his own way, Arthur Philip is the George Washington of Australia and I think it is a little sad that we do not make more of this truly great man who was right there at the foundation of modern Australia and helped to give modern Australia a liberal, decent and humane flavour,” he said.

Abbott also suggested Australia’s immigration intake should be lowered to reduce house prices and make it easier for locals to get work.

Mr Abbott this morning said the government could improve its public standing with a change of policies, including lowering the priority on combating climate change and culling the immigrant numbers.

“If in the coming year we can take real action to take the pressure off powers prices by perhaps further scaling back our climate change preoccupations, if in the coming year we can take the pressure off housing prices and make it easier for locals to get jobs by scaling back immigration, these are the sorts of things that when it comes to an election the government would get credit for,” Mr Abbott told Sydney radio station 2GB.