Nationals leader Matt Canavan has identified the "original sin" committed by a former Coalition government which he claimed was to blame for the worrying slide in the polls.
Mr Canavan has claimed Tony Abbott's knifing was the Coalition's "original sin" which turned voters off the party. Mr Abbott was ousted as prime minister in 2015, before exiting the party when he lost his seat of Warringah to independent Zali Steggall.
The former prime minister has now returned to the Liberal Party more than seven years later to take on the role of federal Liberal Party president. Mr Canavan said he was amongst those in the opposition who welcomed Mr Abbott's return.
"I'd love to see Tony back. He was a good prime minister that had his term cut way too short," the Nationals leader said. "It was the original sin, if you like, of the former Coalition government. With his return to a leadership position in the Liberal Party, within our Coalition... I think finally that miserable ghost of Malcolm Turnbull has been exorcised from the Liberal (and) National parties and we are back together."
His comments came after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese compared and contrasted the former Liberal leadership with the current. Speaking about Opposition Leader Angus Taylor in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Mr Albanese said parliament did not need to hear from the "Tony Abbott cover band". "We had the real thing out there on Friday become national president. Then he did seven interviews yesterday, because he knows that this bloke just ain't up to the job," he said.
Mr Canavan did not address the characterisation, but told Sky News the Coalition had a "strong team". "We're going to fight for conservative values and principles... like spending with restraint, lowering taxes, scrapping net zero and common sense on energy, and... securing our borders once more," he said.
Mr Abbott was elected unopposed at the end of last week. The Coalition is attempting to address a series of election defeats across Australia and growing competition from Pauline Hanson's One Nation.
Since taking on the role, Mr Abbott has been a constant presence in the media, outlining policy positions and attempting to reconnect the party with voters who have drifted away from the Coalition. Poll after poll this year has rubbed salt into wounds left by the party's 2025 election thumping. Data from across several pollsters has mapped a bleak future for the Coalition since December while simultaneously charting a surge in support for Ms Hanson's once-fringe party.
Mr Abbott has argued the polling reflects widespread dissatisfaction with Labor rather than a permanent shift away from the Coalition. He promised voters the Coalition was "under new management" after stepping in as Liberal Party president.
"We are drifting backwards. Our economy is stagnating, our society is fragmenting, our security is imperilled, and underneath it all, there is a kind of spiritual malaise," he said in a speech on Friday. "I promise you, we are under new management. We are hungry to win for our country's sake."
