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It’s Tony time! Conservative Libs turn to Abbott for answers

ByKishor Napier-Raman andNoel Towell

July 14,2022 — 5.00am

Every man and his dog has an opinion about the future of the Liberal Party.

Naturally,that includes oneTony Abbott,a bloke whose Prime Ministership lasted less than a term,whose “miserable ghost” backbench antics divided the party,and whose loss in Warringah delivered the blueprint for the teal successes which left some of his former colleagues out of work.

In August,Abbott will address the North Sydney Conservative Forum at the party’s Roseville branch,to discuss “where to now for the Liberal Party and the conservative side of politics,” along with 2GB andSky NewshostChris Smith.

The dinner,at Roseville Golf Club,falls in shadow government services ministerPaul Fletcher’s Bradfield electorate,which has the distinction of being one of the only seats north of the bridge still held by the Liberals and whose member is one of the few moderates still standing after the May election (despite copping a 15 per cent slump in the primary vote).

Apparently tickets will sell out quick – although we’re not certain the last remaining north shore moderates will appreciate the insights of Abbott,whose obsession with coal and culture wars perhaps make him at least partly responsible for the party’s near-extinction in the wealthiest parts of Sydney.

Republicans in the money

The election of the Albanese government is no doubt the biggest moment for Australia’s frustrated republicans in decades and they’re increasingly getting the momentum (and money) to show for it.

An event held by the Australian Republic Movement this week filled an entire floor at Sydney’s Edinburgh Castle Hotel – a turnout that wouldn’t have been dreamed of in years gone by,when meetings would sometimes draw attendance in the single digits.

Part of that momentum is down to Labor’s decision to employMatt Thistlethwaite as assistant minister for the republic (to the chagrin of monarchists),kicking off talk of a referendum as part of a second term agenda.

In a move that will likely anger monarchists further,Thistlethwaite made an unannounced appearance at the Sydney meeting this week.

CBD hears the Republicans also received a generous $125,000 donation all the way from Dublin,thanks to Irish-Australian businessmanCameron O’Reilly (son of former rugby union player and billionaire media baronTony O’Reilly).

It’s not the first time O’Reilly junior has thrown cash behind the movement,with a $250,000 donation in 2015 instrumental in giving the organisation a leg-up.

Another crucial donor from those days wasJames Packer,who stumped up $250,000 in 2016. In a recent interview,Packer reaffirmed his commitment to the republican cause,telling News Corp papers it remained an important issue to him.

Perhaps there’s more cash to come.

Woke Perrottet

Dominic Perrottet has been called many things in his political career. We doubt “woke” is one of them. But this was the attack levelled against him by Christian right organisation FamilyVoice,which has put out an online petition calling on the “woke” premier to keep the NSW flag on the Harbour Bridge instead of the Aboriginal one.

Perrottet,who famously once called putting the Aboriginal Flag on the bridge “virtue signalling”,recently made the eminently sensible call to fly it instead of the NSW state flag,abandoning plans for a new $25 million flagpole.

Now,we doubt most residents of the Premier State could even identify the NSW flag in a line-up,let alone feel any deep affinity to it,but the move has FamilyVoice riled up enough to urge Perrottet to “ditch the woke identity politics”.

We’re not sure what the flag issue has to do with FamilyVoice’s usual concerns – religious freedom,LGBT issues,“gender ideology,” but perhaps the group feels a little betrayed by Perrottet. Despite being a conservative Catholic,the Premier hasn’t exactly governed like one and,despite his own personal opposition,is part of a government which legalised voluntary assisted dying and decriminalised abortion.

Albo’s leggie

Some of Labor’s outer ministry might be struggling to staff their offices,(perhaps the thought of 80-hour weeks and spending half the year in Canberra outweighs any remainingWest Wing fantasies) but that’s not a problem forAnthony Albanese.

The prime minister has picked upJames Newton,a government relations manager at Cricket Australia,to work as a speechwriter (the spin jokes write themselves),joiningJames Jeffrey,who jumped over fromThe Australianin 2019.

Newton,a former speechwriter (and running buddy) toBill Shorten,is widely regarded as one of the best in the Labor tent and is yet another staffer from Albo’s predecessor headed to the new PMO. Newton is so well regarded by Albanese he helped draft his last budget reply speech.

Meanwhile,Infrastructure MinisterCatherine King has picked upLyndal Curtis,a former ABC political editor andSky NewsCanberra bureau chief as her spinner,after a stint doing media with the Department of Parliamentary Services. Curtis is one half of a gallery power couple withPhil Hudson,formerly of theHerald Sun,The Australian andThe Sydney Morning Heraldand The Age.

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The Sydney Morning Herald