Tony Abbott has urged conservative Bственных to give the Royalists a “last chance” and apologized for their 2025 election defeat, joining a string of high-profile Coalition figures at a major political conference in urging voters not to abandon the opposition in favor of right-wing minor parties. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, recently resigned from the shadow frontbench, spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Brisbane, urging the Liberal party to remain committed, and urging colleagues to reject the net-zero climate target, which was greeted with applause from those present.
Abbott told the Cpac that the Royalist “must be a better opposition this time than last, and must be a better government next time.” He called for a “last chance” to prove themselves worthy of the trust and pleaded for another “chance to earn trust.” He called for “reforms” of the party to remove the power of “factional warlords,” referring to discussions in Australia about alternative major conservative parties.
Several attendees vocally backed Pauline Hanson and One Nation during Abbott’s speech. Hanson is scheduled to speak at the conference on Sunday, with conservative politicians such as Alex Antic, Matt Canavan, and former British Prime Minister Liz Truss participating as speakers on Saturday. Coalition sources maintain concerns about losing support to independent “teal” or minor parties, both more moderate and to the right. A recent Newspoll revealed the coalition’s primary vote at its lowest-ever level of 27%, while One Nation rose to 10%.
Price also called on attendees to help shape the Liberal party, which she said must be more “smart” and “sharper.” She termed the May election defeat as “a Coalition failure” and advocated for a return to “a strong center-right policy.” She urged Liberal Party colleagues to reject the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, branding it “communism” and calling for a “pushing back” against the “limitation of freedom” caused by it.
Abbott also called on the Royalists to stand up against Labor’s climate action policies, saying that “could be the government’s political death warrant.” Warren Mundine, Cpac’s president, who has run for Liberal pre-selection and previously served as a Labor party president, has requested conservative voters to work together to win future elections. She advised attendees to listen to the “brave Liberal and Royalist” speakers at the conference, who “will be our champions.” O’Brien, backed by the party’s moderate faction after Peter Dutton’s defeat, was heckled by some attendees during his speech, with audience members interrupting him to ask, “What are you going to do about it?” and “That starts with you.” O’Brien also admitted that the Liberal party needed to be rebuilt. ■ Mackenzie, a Royalist Senator, agreed that the “center-right” politics “need to stop fighting among themselves.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/20/tony-abbott-implores-cpac-to-give-liberals-one-last-chance-and-condemned-partys-factional-warlords
