Can the second coming of Tony Abbott resurrect the Liberal party? Or is it another step towards ‘self-destruction’

Tony Abbott’s prominence and power are set to rise to a new level after he was elected unopposed as Liberal Party president on Friday. Composite: Nenov/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Tony Abbott’s prominence and power are set to rise to a new level after he was elected unopposed as Liberal Party president on Friday. Composite: Nenov/Getty Images Can the second coming of Tony Abbott resurrect the Liberal Party? Or is it another step towards ‘self-destruction’ 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 unelectable Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Immediately 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”. The theme, the tone, the repetition, the rhythm: the echoes of another Liberal opposition leader rang loud and clear. “It sounded exactly like Tony Abbott,” remarked one Liberal MP, wryly observing the only difference being that Abbott preferred his slogans to be three words, not five. View image in fullscreen Angus Taylor at his first press conference as opposition leader. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images ‘Another step on the road to self-destruction’ Australia’s 28th prime minister – the most powerful conservative in an increasingly conservative party – has long exerted influence over Taylor, rightwing MPs and Liberal rank-and-file members. But Abbott’s prominence and power are set to rise to a new level after he was elected unopposed as Liberal Party president on Friday afternoon, marking a return to active political life seven years after losing his seat in federal parliament. The presidency is an unpaid, typically low-profile position overseeing the party’s administrative and campaigning wing, operating at arm’s length from the parliamentary team. Abbott’s predecessor, the former South Australian premier John Olsen, was invisible to the public during his five years and two federal elections in the position. But few Liberals expect things to be similar under Abbott, whose prolific writing, frequent appearances on Sky News, involvement with right-wing groups and closeness to the Murdoch media empire have helped make him the most high-profile conservative in Australia. View image in fullscreen Sources say Taylor (right) asked Abbott to stand for the president’s role despite reservations from some colleagues. Pictured: The political allies in 2015. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian Taylor and his allies believe Abbott is uniquely placed to resurrect the Liberal Party from its lowest ebb, where it faces declining grassroots membership and existential political threats from teal independents and One Nation. But other Liberals – and not just factional rivals – fear the 68-year-old will become a toxic distraction, a de facto opposition leader whose obsession with culture wars will poison the party room and render it even more unelectable. One Liberal MP said installing Abbott was “another step on the road to our self-destruction”. Another Liberal said of Abbott: “Sometimes he’s brilliant, sometimes he’s crazy, sometimes he’s halfway in between. . “But paradoxically, he’s the guy that might take us to the right further, but also the guy that was the number one prosecutor against One Nation.” “I owe the Liberal Party big time, and that’s why I regard it as my duty to serve the party in this time of existential crisis,” Abbott said in his acceptance speech on Friday. Liberal sources said Taylor, who was first elected to parliament in Abbott’s landslide 2013 election win, asked the former leader to stand for the president’s role despite reservations from some colleagues, including fellow conservatives. “I welcome him to the role, because he’s been one of our most successful opposition leaders in history, and he’s going to work with me and rebuild the party,” Taylor said, describing Abbott as a “great patriot” and a “great believer in this country”. A genuine desire to loyally assist the leader and the ailing Liberal Party was a motivation for Abbott to accept the role, according to people familiar with his thinking. But there’s another, more powerful, driver: “unfinished business”. View image in fullscreen Abbott’s eagerness to re-enter the political battleground has been met with mockery from his opponents. Pictured: Abbott at a Christian rally against antisemitism in 2024. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP Abbott, according to allies, still believes he has more to contribute in Canberra after a 25-year political career was cut short by the independent Zali Steggall at the 2019 federal election. The former Warringah MP’s “first priority” would be a return to federal parliament and the frontlines of Australian politics. Abbott was mentioned as a replacement to fill the late Jim Molan’s senate seat in 2023. He was open to running in 2025 but remained on the sidelines to avoid creating a distraction for then leader Peter Dutton. His name was floated ahead of the Farrer byelection, which ended in crushing defeat for the Liberals, and is expected to be raised again ahead of the next ballot scheduled for 2028. Abbott’s eagerness to re-enter the political battleground has been met with mockery, scorn and bemusement from his opponents. “Tony has always had a zeal for politics,” said the One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce, who served in Abbott’s first cabinet. “(But) politics is like heroin, and once you get off it, you should go cold turkey.” The Labor minister Chris Bowen sarcastically said, “I cannot think of anyone better” than Abbott for the position. “Tony Abbott has been utterly out of touch with the views of mainstream Australia for 20 years. If he is going to play a bigger role in Liberal Party policy, that is bad for the Liberal Party and good for the Labor party,” he said. For now, Abbott will have to settle for the “ceremonial” position of party president, which includes chairing the Liberal federal executive: the party’s top administrative decision-making body. Abbott, with Taylor, will effectively choose the Liberals’ new campaign chief to replace the outgoing Andrew Hirst, forming a troika that will control all aspects of the party. The director of the right-wing lobby group Advance, Matthew Sheahan, is rumoured to be among the candidates under consideration, offering an insight into the direction the Liberal campaign machine could take under Abbott and Taylor. Sources said Abbott intends to use the position to push for the “democratisation” of all state and territory branches to give branch members power over candidate preselections. As the Liberals risk losing more seats and grassroots members to One Nation, one ally said his return would give conservatives “hope” that the party was listening to their grievances. But it’s what Abbott might do beyond organisational reform and inspiring disillusioned members that is causing anxiety among Liberals. The party president traditionally does not have a role in developing or making policy decisions, creating a clear separation of powers from the parliamentary leader. But some Liberals fear Abbott won’t be able to resist intervening, using his large public megaphone – including Sky News appearances with his former chief of staff, Peta Credlin – to influence a further rightward shift. View image in fullscreen Liberal MPs say Taylor wants the former PM back in the fold to replicate ‘Tony Abbott-era magic’. Pictured: Taylor giving his budget reply earlier this month. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images The former prime minister takes an even more hardline stance than Taylor on issues such as Immigration, including openly supporting aspects of White Australia-era policy. “His political views are offensive to many in the party,” said one Liberal MP, who holds deep concern about Abbott’s potential infiltration of the party room. “If he continues to speak out on matters that interest him, the public will believe the party also holds those views.” Another said: “The concern is that he will, without question, influence the decision-making of the party-room and that will damage Angus.” Broadcast live on Sky News, Abbott’s speech on Friday was delivered with the energy and fervour of a man itching for the political frontlines. He raged about emissions reduction, mass migration, the flag and the “spiritual malaise” that was plaguing the nation. “Our job, individually and collectively is to lead a people’s revolt to be rid of the worst government in living memory. I promise you, we are under new management,” he said, repeating the same declaration he made on the night of the 2013 election. Abbott’s record as opposition leader in tearing down Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard was a major reason Taylor wanted him back in the fold as he attempts to do the same to Anthony Albanese. But one MP cautions that seeking to replicate “Tony Abbott-era magic” was not necessarily going to work more than a decade later, where Labor is not the “hot mess” – and least not yet – that it once was. Waging a campaign against Albanese’s changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax, the opposition leader is deploying the phrase “axe Labor’s toxic taxes”. The echoes of the “axe the tax” line that Abbott used to kill Labor’s carbon price are loud and clear. Explore more on these topics Tony Abbott Liberal Party Angus Taylor news Share Reuse this content