Concetta Fierravanti-Wells’s confidence trick on Abbott

What is worse than violating someone’s trust and disclosing a private conversation about sensitive information you raise with them? How about seeking a reference from that same person before they know you have breached their confidence?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has done exactly the above to Tony Abbott. It’s hard to imagine a fiction writer penning such a plot line.

As The Weekend Australian reveals today, the senator obtained a reference from the former prime minister for her preselection contest, doing so before Abbott became aware she had gone on the record disclosing a private conversation the two had last year, in which she told Abbott the perception among colleagues was that he was having an affair with his chief of staff, Peta Credlin. I wrote yesterday there is nothing wrong with having such a conversation in private. But leaking it (not to mention confirming its veracity on the record) should be a sackable offence. At the least, it’s conduct unsuited to receiving a character reference, much less from the very person whose confidence has been violated.

Fierravanti-Wells must have told Niki Savva about the private exchange before approaching Abbott for a reference, the last paragraph of which praises the senator for her loyalty. Abbott would be within his rights to write to every preselector withdrawing the endorsement. I doubt he would have written it if the senator had been upfront and honest about what she had done.

If Malcolm Turnbull won’t demand she resign, consider the double standard from his time as opposition leader. Back then frontbencher Cory Bernadi was sacked for attacking a colleague, with Turnbull making it quite clear such conduct wasn’t acceptable for a frontbencher. What’s changed, other than the fact Bernardi was attacking a Turnbull ally, whereas Fierravanti-Wells (promoted by Turnbull) attacked Abbott?