Ten years after leaving office, the former prime minister and his chief of staff are still playing a role in federal Liberal Party politics – and not everyone is happy about it.
Dutton has taken a leaf from the Abbott “just say no” playbook and has relentlessly highlighted climate change as a key point of difference between the opposition under his leadership and the Albanese Labor government.
A key example of the pair’s input on opposition strategy and tactics has been the decision to aggressively pursue outer suburban seats in major cities and focus less on winning back the formerly Liberal-held teal seats in inner-city Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. A second Liberal MP argued that “the fear among colleagues is we are going back to that Abbott-Credlin style of management – our way or the highway”.
The poisonous relationship between Abbott and his successor, Malcolm Turnbull, saw the sway he and Credlin held over the party diminished while Turnbull was leader. The pair was also less influential during Scott Morrison’s time as prime minister.Both Abbott and Credlin confirmed they were in contact with Dutton but played down the frequency of their encounters and their influence. Credlin does not have a formal role with the national party machine and is not on Dutton’s staff.
On the recent federal takeover of the NSW branch of the Liberal Party, recommended by Loughnane after a rapid review that was green-lit by Andrew Hirst, one moderate former NSW state Liberal MP said bluntly: “It’s Dutton, Credlin, Hirst and Abbott. They’ve taken over because NSW is a problem as far as the Right is concerned. But we win elections from the centre and they’re trying to wipe that out.
Describing the input of Abbott and Credlin, the Liberal MP and ally said the former prime minister played two roles: as a “sounding board and sanity check” for Dutton when he needed advice and as a motivator.
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