Returned Tony Abbott has surging One Nation in his sights
New Liberal Party president Tony Abbott has vowed to woo voters back to the Coalition saying the party has been at a “low ebb”.
Source: Today
New Liberal Party president Tony Abbott has vowed to woo voters back to the Coalition, saying it is the government that Australia “so desperately needs”.
Abbott, who was prime minister from 2013 to 2015, said his return to politics would help Opposition Leader Angus Taylor turn things around.
“Our party has been at a low ebb, but I think I can help persuade the Australian people that we are fair dinkum about abolishing net zero, scrapping the toxic taxes and ending mass migration because the last government to do any of that was actually mine,” he told Nine’s Today on Monday.
“It’s so important that we persuade people the only way to make things better is to have a government that is actually capable of making a difference.
“My job is to ensure that as far as is humanly possible, all of us are focused on getting rid of an absolutely terrible government, the worst government in living memory.”
Abbott’s comments came after a poll on Monday showed One Nation has leapfrogged Labor to become the country’s most popular political party, as the Coalition slipped further.
The Redbridge Group/Accent Research poll, published by The Australian Financial Review, had support for One Nation at 31 per cent compared to Labor at 28 per cent and the Coalition on 20 per cent.
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That was a rise of four points in favour of One Nation. Labor’s primary vote was down three points and the Coalition down two since the last survey a month ago.
Support for the Greens dipped one point to 12 per cent and backing for the “other” category of parties rose two points to 9 per cent.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese remains preferred prime minister on the latest numbers, with 31 per cent support. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has 25 per cent and Taylor 14 per cent.
Hanson also has the most favourable position of any of the three with a net favourability rating – her approval minus her disapproval – of zero. Albanese is on -19 while Taylor and Nationals leader Matt Canavan are both on -4.
Hanson said she was shocked by the poll numbers, but believed she was up for the job – and had the ability to be prime minister.
“I want to change for the country. I want people to feel that they’ve, you know, got some hope for the future,” she told the ABC.
“At the moment, I’m head of the party. I’m leader of the party.
“Would I be able to do the job? I believe that I could. I do believe I have the ability, but it’s another year and a half outside of an election.”
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Hanson has not ruled out leaving the Senate to run for a lower house seat at the next federal election.
Asked if she could properly represent all voters given her brand of politics, which has been labelled racist by some, Hanson said she was focused on a unified national identity.
“I can be a prime minister for all those who want to be Australians,” she told Sydney radio station 2GB.
“I expect people, if you’re here in this country and you want to become Australian, then you be Australian and you actually assimilate.”
Abbott refused to criticise his conservative rival, despite the bruising numbers for the Coalition.
“I’m not disparaging someone who has been around and has shown a lot of resilience and consistency over the years,” he told Today.
“But I do believe that the strong Liberal-National Coalition has proven again and again that we are capable of giving Australia the good government our country so desperately needs.”
He said he wasn’t “to excited” by the most recent poll.
“Obviously, we are in a degree of competition with other parties and voices on the centre-right. But in the end, our opponent, our enemy, if you like, is a really bad Labor government, a really bad Green-left-Labor government. Which in its budget, [has led an] assault on aspiration and wealth creation,” he said.
Abbott said he would help persuade voters back to the Coalition and vowed to be vocal in his new political role.
“The party president is the organisation leader, not the political leader, but I don’t think there’s ever been a party president who’s taken a vow of silence, and I’m certainly not going to start,” he told the ABC.
-with AAP
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