Don’t want slam Morrison headline: Abbott

“We’ve had five prime minsters in five years – that’s bad”, Mr Abbott said.

“Tony Abbott, if you are good to your word, it’s time to leave politics”.

Abbott reassured listeners that his mental state was okay despite being pushed from the job, saying he knew politics was “a pretty brutal business”. It’s a game of snakes and ladders and yes I’ve hit a snake. “I always thought that the important thing was to focus on those who are supposed to be your opponents and that’s what I’ve done”.

It didn’t take long for Abbott to slip back into the old language of “stopping the boats” and talk of pink batts.

Then, Abbott started to run through his policies – policies which are still being used under Turnbull’s rule – and Hadley joined in as if they were performing an emphatic musical round.

Regarding his political future, Abbott said he will make a decision on his parliamentary future before Christmas.

“Certainty there were conversations between Scott and Peta… he’s put one construction on the conversation, Peta has put another” he said, “but it’s probably a bit counter-productive to look at all this now”.

Mr Abbott said it would be counterproductive to labour over what was said and he did not want the headline coming out of the interview to be “Abbott slams Morrison”. “In the end all of us have got to answer to our god and our conscience…”

“One of the reasons why the ballot had to be brought on the week it was brought on by the proponents of the ballot was because a strong result in Canning, which is what we were going to get, would have put paid to this notion that somehow I was unelectable because of the polls”, he said.

Speaking in a live interview for the first time since he was ousted in a surprise challenge by Malcolm Turnbull, Abbott said Australia had a problem as it was changing leaders “like you might change your clothes to suit the fashion”. Climate change, the same. Border protection policy, the same. I can appreciate that there are a lot of people out there who are dismayed by what’s happened, but, as I said, it would be even worse if we were to end up with a sixth prime minister in six years.

Mr Abbott has already returned to his previous volunteer firefighting role and said he also expected to do surf patrol over summer.

He also claimed there had been no policy changes since his departure. It was only that Turnbull’s language on domestic violence was a step up from what Abbott had used in the past.

The Australian says his call on conservative voters to support Mr Turnbull through “gritted teeth” to ensure continuity of leadership was immediately dismissed by the Labor Party.

“All I can say of both Julie and of Scott, they were extremely effective ministers in my Government”, he said.

“It would be awful if people were to abandon Liberal party because of this”, he said, “It’s always better to stay and fight”.

Former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, whose government was booted out after one term, told the ABC’s 7.30 program on Monday night that the changed media environment and tougher community attitudes made it harder to govern.

“This is a real myth”.

“When someone is absolutely focused on a particular objective they are not going to be put off if they are thrown a few human sacrifices as it were”.

OUSTED prime minister Tony Abbott will give his first radio interview since his fall from the top job. I’ve still got something to contribute to public life.