Tony Abbott has been elected president of the Liberal Party, declaring the party is 'under new management' and promising to help leader Angus Taylor lead a 'people's revolt' against the Labor government. The former prime minister secured the unpaid role unopposed at the party's federal council meeting in Melbourne on Friday, marking his return to active politics seven years after losing his seat.
In his speech, Abbott described the Liberals as the 'patriot party' and called for an urgent rebuild of grassroots membership, which he estimated at 'lucky to number 50,000'. He warned that Australia was 'drifting backwards' under a government 'incapable of fixing the nation's problems' due to its ties to trade unions, its 'obsession' with cutting emissions, and 'ambivalence about the country itself'.
Abbott's high-profile and hardline views have sparked concerns among moderates about a further lurch to the right and potential distractions for Taylor. However, Liberal frontbencher James Paterson welcomed the election, calling Abbott the party's best campaigner in 'modern times' and a 'devastatingly effective opposition leader'.
Labor ministers were quick to criticise the move. Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Abbott had been 'utterly out of touch' with mainstream Australia for 20 years, while Environment Minister Murray Watt argued the Liberals were 'chasing One Nation and drifting further to the right'.
