Tony Abbott was famously dumped as prime minister after suffering 30 consecutive Newspoll losses – the same number current leader Malcolm Turnbull is facing in a matter of hours.
Now an angry Abbott is calling on politicians for answers, claiming “life is not fair – we know that”.
Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, the ex PM added: “As for that particular metric, that was not my metric and it is for others to explain the rhyme or the reason in it.”
He is reportedly demanding answers over why he was dumped from his position, when Turnbull is staying put amid the same number of losses.
However, while Turnbull’s leadership hasn’t proved popular in those polls in recent weeks – a new one has found most Aussies would prefer it if he wasn’t toppled at all.
The Fairfax-Ipsos poll, published on Saturday, shows 62 per cent of those taking part would not choose to have a new leader in his place. Meanwhile, Turnbull is said to have improved his approval rating to 45 per cent since December, while Labor’s Bill Shorten remained at 38 per cent.
Turnbull cited Abbott’s 30 Newspoll losses when vying for the top position in 2015, but he has since defended his decision – insisting that wasn’t the only reason he chose to overthrow Abbott.
It comes after Pauline Hanson threw her support behind Abbott becoming Australia’s next prime minister.
Speaking with Neil Mitchell on 3AW radio on Tuesday morning, the One Nation leader said she thought Abbott had a lot to offer the country. Hanson famously once said that she detested Abbott, blaming him for sending her to jail in 2003, but appears to have had a change of heart.
“We amended our ways and I decided that in 2013. I wished him all the best going into that election to be prime minister,” she told Mitchell. “After I got elected in 2016, Tony rang me up and congratulated me on my win.”
She said the pair made up after a meeting in which Abbott admitted he felt bad for contributing to her conviction, which was later overturned.
“We’re all members of parliament, we’ve all got to work together,” she added. Mitchell then raised the topic of Abbott potentially returning as leader for the Liberal Party, particularly if they lose the next election. He then asked Hanson if she’d like to see Abbott back in the top job.
“I think that Tony Abbott has a lot to offer,” she said. “We don’t agree on all policies, but when I see that he sees the need to address immigration and other issues that he’s looking at, I think that Tony Abbott may have possibly learnt a lot from his first time around and I think he will come back as a stronger, better prime minister.”