Abbott

Lincoln Folo has been tasked with helping rebuild after two federal election defeats. Follow liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to the live blog for Sunday 7 June. I’m Josh Taylor and I’ll be bringing you the news for today.The Liberals have appointed a new top strategist as the new federal president, Tony Abbott, begins to make his mark on the party. Continue reading...

Greens support needed to pass proposed changes but party concerned it will give government sweeping discretionary powersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has ridiculed Angus Taylor as a “Temu [Tony] Abbott” amid an increasingly bitter fight over tax changes in the budget, as the Greens raise concerns about key provisions of the government’s proposal.Labor will speed the first tranche of its budget legislation through the lower house on Thursday, and hopes to pass it through the Senate within weeks. Continue reading...

Angus Taylor believes the former PM is uniquely placed to help the party as its new president, but some fear he will render it even more unelectableGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastImmediately after ousting Sussan Ley, Angus Taylor used his first press conference as opposition leader to debut a slogan he hoped would define a new era of Liberal conservatism.“The door must be shut,” Taylor said of his approach to prospective migrants who didn’t subscribe to Australia’s “core beliefs”. Continue reading...

Former prime minister elected Liberal party president on Friday after running unopposedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTony Abbott has declared the Liberals are “under new management” after his election as party president, vowing to help Angus Taylor lead a “people’s revolt” against the Labor government.The former prime minister and conservative warrior was elected to the position at the Liberal federal council meeting in Melbourne on Friday, marking a return to active political life seven years after losing his seat in federal parliament. Continue reading...

Liberal insiders concerned former PM could pull party even further to the right by appointing Advance allies to prominent positionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTony Abbott will step down from his role advising the rightwing advocacy group, Advance, as the conservative ideologue prepares for his high-profile role as the Liberal party’s new federal president.Liberal insiders have also shared concerns Abbott is considering Advance’s director, Matthew Sheahan, or Steve Doyle – who runs Whitestone Strategic, the consultancy group that supports its operations – to fill the vacant federal director position, warning it could dismantle what is left of the party’s identity. Continue reading...

Unopposed nomination comes seven years after Abbott lost his Sydney seat of Warringah at the 2019 electionTony Abbott will become the new federal Liberal party president in a return to the political frontlines for the conservative former prime minister.Abbott was the only nominee for the presidency after the other contender – former foreign minister Alexander Downer – chose to instead run for one of the vice-president’s positions. Continue reading...

Former Australian PM, who has been associated with pro-Orbán Danube Institute since 2023, praises ousted Hungarian leaderGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTony Abbott has likened Viktor Orbán to “[Donald] Trump with brains” and labelled him Hungary’s “greatest modern leader”, as the future of his work for the ousted leader’s pet thinktank hangs in the balance.Orbán’s 16-year grip on power in Hungary has ended after the rightwing populist leader conceded his Fidesz party had lost to the opposition Tisza party led by Péter Magyar, which won at least 138 of the 199 seats in the country’s parliament. Continue reading...