Turnbull government has more freedom on tax, Sinodinos says

Pressed on the politically disastrous 2014 budget, which contained a slew of broken promises – unquestionably the moment his leadership began to unravel – Abbott maintained it had been the right formula for the country but simply “too gutsy” for the Parliament.

“Obviously, it was an injudicious appointment, obviously”, Abbott reportedly told Melbourne radio station 3AW.

But naturally it turned to canvassing his dumping.

But Mr Abbott was careful not to rubbish his successor, for fear of tearing apart the Liberal party. We can’t afford to lose good members.

He continued to Hadley: “I said that the job of the then leader of the opposition, the leader of the Coalition, was to stand for things, was to establish a few clear policy positions on which to run and fight an election”. Those “weak compromises”, by the way, went to Turnbull’s convictions on the science of climate change, and his preference for a market mechanism – a value on which Abbott had been a self-described “weather vane”.

“If you still have a contribution, feel you still got a contribution to make to politics, by all means do so”, Sinodinos said.

Despite former Tony Abbott’s Festival of Snipe, in which the feather duster did his best to tarnish his replacement as a “no change” PM, it became clear this week that Malcolm Turnbull is planning a radical overhaul of Abbott-era policies.

“He’s now got his chance in the top job… let’s hope he makes the most of it”.

Mr Abbott today confirmed the Mr Morrison had spoken to his chief of staff Peta Credlin but that interpretations of that conversation differed.

NEIL MITCHELL: Personal vitriol from your own side?

True to his word, Mr Turnbull is giving the government’s policies a Spring clean, seemingly intent on expelling the fustiness of the previous administration.

The awarding of knighthoods and damehoods was discontinued in 1976 but brought back very briefly in 1986 – Tony Abbott reinstated them in 2014. That’s the last thing we need.

A ReachTEL poll for The West Australian, published on polling day, suggested support had increased for the Liberals after Malcolm Turnbull’s ascension, 57-43, but by that stage about one-fifth of voters had already cast their ballot by pre-poll or postal vote.

SIMON BIRMINGHAM: We have to accept the reality that the Senate has twice blocked reform proposals and so today I’ve announced that the intended start date of 2016 for these reforms will not be proceeded with and that of course does two things.

Malcolm Turnbull was successful in the second attempt in mid-September.

“In light of the new direction that the Australian economy is heading in, Mr Turnbull is welcomed as a leader who understands the economic value of technology”.

TONY ABBOTT: We were modestly reducing government spending; we were modestly increasing the user-pays of higher education.

LOUISE YAXLEY: But overall, Mr Abbott insists there has been no change. Abbott reflected that he himself had “never been very popular”, but that hadn’t stopped the party winning government in 2013. The Government hasn’t changed, and the sorts of principles which animate a Coalition Government today are the same as the principles yesterday and they’ll be the same as the principles tomorrow.