An attempt by Tony Abbott to drag the Liberal Party to the political right has backfired spectacularly as former Abbott loyalists broke ranks in disgust at comments they viewed as disloyal to the party and a flagrant attempt to visit revenge on Malcolm Turnbull.
Senior ministers lined up on Friday to condemn a speech and related Sky News interview Mr Abbott had done on Thursday evening in which he had attacked Malcolm Turnbull's government as "Labor light" and as drifting to defeat.
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Turnbull won't be 'provoked' by Abbott
The prime minister is tired of Tony Abbott's "outbursts", telling 3AW's Neil Mitchell that the former prime minister "knows exactly what he's doing," when he openly criticizes the government.
Mr Abbott, who according to one report had recently told Liberal defector Cory Bernardi that he still coveted the prime ministership, had outlined a five-point plan to recover the government's conservative credentials through such things as cutting immigration, ending the renewable energy target, cutting taxes, cutting spending, and scrapping the Human Rights Commission.
The former leader-turned backbencher also questioned why Mr Turnbull had remained living at his Point Piper mansion in Sydney, rather than moving into the taxpayer-funded Kirribilli House across the harbour.
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While a minority of colleagues from the party's disgruntled right flank defended his right to speak out, senior figures were aghast, with long-time friend and loyal backer, Mathias Cormann, admitting to being "flabbergasted" at an interview clearly designed to cause trouble.
Manager of government business Christopher Pyne said every single aspect of Mr Abbott's critique was wrong.Â
"He said that we should freeze immigration yet when he was the prime minister, he had record levels of immigration. He said we should abolish the Human Rights Commission and yet when he was the prime minister, he shut down the debate on whether we should reform section 18C," said Mr Pyne.
"He says we should cut taxes, and yet when he was the prime minister he increased taxes, whether it was the deficit levy on high income earners or whether it was the fuel tax. He says we should slash spending and yet when he was the prime minister in 2014 he attempted to slash spending and all he did was create zombie bills that couldn't pass through the Senate.
"The fifth subject, of course, was the renewable energy target and the truth is, of course, he set the RET at 23.5 per cent and described it at the time as one of the achievements of his government."Â
It was a common theme among Liberals, with one describing "disbelief" in the party at how far Mr Abbott was willing to go.
"He was the architect of his own government's downfall but now he is seemingly intent on bringing down the next one. This is so far beneath a former prime minister."
Mr Turnbull said Australians wouldn't be impressed by Mr Abbott's "latest outburst".
"It's sad," the Prime Minister said.
Mr Turnbull said every Coalition MP should ask if they are contributing to the government's success and said Mr Abbott "knows exactly what he's doing and so do his colleagues".Â
"The fact is my government has a record of achievement. In the last six months or so since the election, we have achieved more with fewer seats in the Senate, in the House, than in the previous three years," he told Melbourne radio.
One theory is that Mr Abbott was reacting to Mr Turnbull's recent "turn to the right", typified by the Prime Minister's advocacy of "clean coal" in the Australian energy mix.
As the day proceeded, Mr Abbott language softened: "He's the Prime Minister. He's the person that the party chose to lead the government and obviously I support the leader of the government.
"I did everything I humanly could to get the Turnbull government re-elected and I did everything I could to help the Prime Minister win the election. We just got there."
Mr Abbott's attack was all the more surprising because in recent months he had praised Mr Turnbull's rightward swing, which had seen "a lot more talk about national security and border security . . . a lot more talk about cost of living and the need to reject Labor's 50 per cent renewable energy target".
"So what you've seen from Malcolm Turnbull post-election is a much more orthodox centre-right leader," he had said.
with Heath Aston