Politics with Michelle Grattan: Tony Abbott on Australia’s past and the opposition’s future

Australia’s history is distinct and much contested, stretching from its First Nations origins, to the impacts of colonialism and the birth of a multicultural nation.

Former Liberal Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s new book, “Australia: A History”, argues Australia is not perfect, but still has “a history to be proud of”.

Abbott joins us to talk about his take on Australia’s past, as well as his views of the Coalition’s current woes and how it should forge a path ahead.

On why he wanted to write this book, Abbott says he thinks Australia has “an overwhelmingly positive story” to tell.

I think these days, there’s too much focus on the downside, whether it’s Indigenous dispossession, whether it’s the White Australia Policy, there is this sense of original sin, if you like, hanging over our country. I don’t think it’s justified.

Yes, there were obvious problems for Indigenous people, given the clash of the ancient and the modern. But even at the very beginning, there were good intentions on the part of the early colonial governors. The good intentions didn’t always work out well, particularly on the frontier. But in the end, I think we have to accept that it was inevitable that Australia would be settled, and that British settlement, on balance, has been overwhelmingly a good thing for every Australian, including eventually even Aboriginal Australia.

On immigration, Abbott agrees it’s been “central” to the Australian story, but says he prefers cultural assimilation to multiculturalism.

Generally speaking, all of our immigrants – from 1788 to this very day – have come to Australia to join us, not to change us. I’m not a big fan of the policy of multiculturalism, and I do think that one difference between the post-war immigration and contemporary immigration is that the post-war migrants were expected by officialdom to integrate immediately and ultimately to assimilate.

I think that migrants, almost to a man and a woman, from the beginning to this day, have very much wanted to become Australian as quickly as possible. But official policy in more recent times has, I think, sometimes encouraged people in a degree of, if you like, separateness.

On what advice he would give to the Liberal Party, Abbott urges his party colleagues not to compromise on policy.

We should have campaigned [at the election] more strongly for our nuclear policy, and we should have campaigned more strongly against Labor’s wealth tax. But our job now – as I said back in 2009 and I think it’s a pretty good template for oppositions – the job of an effective opposition is not to make weak compromises with a bad government, but to be strong and clear and effective alternative.

[…] Successful conservative political movements are not highly ideological. They identify practical problems and come up with sensible ways of dealing with them.

On whether the Coalition is likely to split, given present fractures, Abbott says “I’m a coalitionist”.

The Liberal Party does best when it is in a strong and effective coalition with the National Party. And likewise, the National Party best helps regional Australia when they’re in a strong and effective coalition with the Liberal Party. I don’t think it’s an absolutely terrible thing if, on occasions, the National Party takes the lead. It was, in fact, the National Party that initially decided to oppose the Voice [referendum].

[…] So were the National Party, for argument’s sake, to reject the net zero straight-jacket, I don’t think that would be a Coalition-buster. But I would expect that the Liberal Party, at some point in time, would come to the same position.

On former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s decision to distance himself from the Nationals and ongoing speculation that Joyce will join Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party, Abbott urges him to reconsider.

Barnaby is a great bloke. He’s one of Australia’s most effective retail politicians. I can understand his frustration at the present time. I hope that he reconsiders his decision to not stand again in New England. I hope he continues his campaign inside the National Party to get his party, and ultimately the Coalition, putting forward the best and the strongest policy position.

[…] I don’t want to see a proliferation of protest parties. And while I have considerable respect for Pauline Hanson – who I think in recent times has been certainly the most constructive of the crossbenchers as far as the Coalition is concerned – I think that people should vote for the mainstream party that best reflects their values.