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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Tony Abbott says home affairs ministry was not needed when he was leader | Tony Abbott says home affairs ministry was not needed when he was leader |
| (6 months later) | |
| Abbott questions the ‘massive bureaucratic change’ and rejects calls for reconciliation with Malcolm Turnbull | |
| Gareth Hutchens | |
| Wed 19 Jul 2017 10.16 BST | |
| Last modified on Wed 19 Jul 2017 10.17 BST | |
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| Tony Abbott has raised doubts about the need for Malcolm Turnbull’s new home affairs super-department, saying Australia did not need such a “massive bureaucratic change” when he was prime minister. | Tony Abbott has raised doubts about the need for Malcolm Turnbull’s new home affairs super-department, saying Australia did not need such a “massive bureaucratic change” when he was prime minister. |
| He has also rejected the call by Liberal party president Nick Greiner for a rapprochement between himself and Turnbull, saying if he needs to talk to Turnbull he will. | He has also rejected the call by Liberal party president Nick Greiner for a rapprochement between himself and Turnbull, saying if he needs to talk to Turnbull he will. |
| Back from a brief holiday in Croatia, Abbott returned to his regular radio slot on Sydney’s 2GB on Wednesday to question the need for Turnbull’s plan to significantly overhaul Australia’s national security architecture. | Back from a brief holiday in Croatia, Abbott returned to his regular radio slot on Sydney’s 2GB on Wednesday to question the need for Turnbull’s plan to significantly overhaul Australia’s national security architecture. |
| Turnbull announced a controversial decision on Tuesday to create a new home affairs department, incorporating the immigration, border protection and domestic security agencies. | Turnbull announced a controversial decision on Tuesday to create a new home affairs department, incorporating the immigration, border protection and domestic security agencies. |
| Intelligence and security experts are split over the need for such a department, and some have questioned whether the plan has been thought through properly. | Intelligence and security experts are split over the need for such a department, and some have questioned whether the plan has been thought through properly. |
| Abbott said the advice he received when he was prime minister was that such a “massive bureaucratic change” was unnecessary. | Abbott said the advice he received when he was prime minister was that such a “massive bureaucratic change” was unnecessary. |
| “I can only assume that the advice has changed since then,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham. “No doubt the prime minister will give us more information in due course about the official advice that he’s had on this.” | “I can only assume that the advice has changed since then,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham. “No doubt the prime minister will give us more information in due course about the official advice that he’s had on this.” |
| But despite his doubts about the new super-department, he said the immigration minister, Peter Dutton – who has been named the new home affairs minister – would be the perfect person to lead it. | But despite his doubts about the new super-department, he said the immigration minister, Peter Dutton – who has been named the new home affairs minister – would be the perfect person to lead it. |
| “If you were going to create something like this I can think of no better person than Peter Dutton to be the minister,” Abbott said. | “If you were going to create something like this I can think of no better person than Peter Dutton to be the minister,” Abbott said. |
| “He’s done an outstanding job as minister for border protection and I know he’ll do this job well when it’s finally clarified.” | “He’s done an outstanding job as minister for border protection and I know he’ll do this job well when it’s finally clarified.” |
| Abbott rejected the call from Greiner for him to sit down with Turnbull to talk through their differences. | Abbott rejected the call from Greiner for him to sit down with Turnbull to talk through their differences. |
| Greiner said last week he planned to take Abbott aside in coming weeks to urge him to stop undermining Turnbull’s government, warning the Coalition would lose the next election if it did not present a unified face to voters. | Greiner said last week he planned to take Abbott aside in coming weeks to urge him to stop undermining Turnbull’s government, warning the Coalition would lose the next election if it did not present a unified face to voters. |
| Abbott declined to say if he had spoken to Greiner in recent days. He only said he expected to have “plenty of conversations” with him while he was Liberal party president. | Abbott declined to say if he had spoken to Greiner in recent days. He only said he expected to have “plenty of conversations” with him while he was Liberal party president. |
| “We all know he’s a fine Australian, did a great job as New South Wales premier, and I think he’ll do a good job,” Abbott said. | “We all know he’s a fine Australian, did a great job as New South Wales premier, and I think he’ll do a good job,” Abbott said. |
| “As for myself and Malcolm, if we need each other we’ve got each other’s phone numbers and we make the relevant call, and that’s as it should be. | “As for myself and Malcolm, if we need each other we’ve got each other’s phone numbers and we make the relevant call, and that’s as it should be. |
| He also made it clear that he would continue to criticise the government’s policies if he felt they were leading the country in the wrong direction. | He also made it clear that he would continue to criticise the government’s policies if he felt they were leading the country in the wrong direction. |
| “As a former prime minister I’ve got not just a right, but a duty, to speak out where I think it’s important,” he said. | “As a former prime minister I’ve got not just a right, but a duty, to speak out where I think it’s important,” he said. |
| “We will win the next election if we are the best possible government, and the best possible party. | “We will win the next election if we are the best possible government, and the best possible party. |
| “We’ll be the best possible government if we ensure that we are the party of lower power prices, and that Labor [is] the party of higher power prices because of their green obsessions. | “We’ll be the best possible government if we ensure that we are the party of lower power prices, and that Labor [is] the party of higher power prices because of their green obsessions. |
| “And we’ll be the best possible party if we support one-member one vote on the weekend,” he added, in reference to proposed changes to Liberal party preselections in NSW. | “And we’ll be the best possible party if we support one-member one vote on the weekend,” he added, in reference to proposed changes to Liberal party preselections in NSW. |
| Australian politics | |
| Tony Abbott | |
| Liberal party | |
| Peter Dutton | |
| Malcolm Turnbull | |
| Australian security and counter-terrorism | |
| news | |
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