4 days ago
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May 11, 2026 — 5:00am
Former prime minister Tony Abbott, who this masthead reported just last week is in the frame to become president of the Liberal Party, doesn’t seem to be making any secret of where he thinks the party can shore up support: its right flank.
For the latest crumb of evidence, we point you to an invitation from Family First Party national director Lyle Shelton to the right-wing party’s national conference dinner in August, set to feature Abbott as a guest speaker slated to talk about his bestselling book on Australian history. Early bird tickets are going for $120 a pop.
“The ticket price includes a sumptuous three-course meal with wine on the table as well as non-alcoholic beverages,” Shelton wrote in the invite. “The dress code is lounge suit.”
Sure, Abbott will be there to talk history. By then, it’s not impossible to think he’ll be Liberal Party president, at which point it’d be hard not to view the appearance as an opportunity to pitch hardline conservatives on a Liberal Party bounceback.
If he gets it, Abbott is expected to use the role to try and claw back disaffected conservatives who like what they see in Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and may be mulling other conservative alternatives, taking donations and resources away from the Liberal Party along with them.
But we can’t imagine Liberal moderates will be thrilled by even the faintest whiff of association with Shelton’s culture war politics.
The Family First website lists a pro-life campaign among its stated issues, as well as a campaign to “close the gender clinics” and a petition against a recommendation for a South Australian ban on parents smacking their children, listed on the party website under the title “Smacking is not DV”.
When we reached Abbott on Sunday, he had this to say: “I’m more than happy to attend events run by broadly like minded-groups. And as for the Liberal Party, we’re surely in the business of making friends rather than enemies.”
Abbott, a staunch social conservative, was out campaigning in the seat of Farrer ahead of the weekend’s by-election, this masthead previously reported, which saw the Liberals lose Sussan Ley’s old seat to One Nation’s David Farley in an historic loss.
Only a few days earlier, Abbott was seen lunching with the high-profile stockbroker and One Nation donor, Angus Aitken, according to The Australian, no doubt launching a charm offensive over steak to steer Aitken’s political donations back to the Liberal Party.
Abbott and the Liberal Party would be wise to do all they can to woo big money conservative donors. But the prospect of a political friendship between the Liberals and Family First? Talk about a broad church.
Spotted: Kyle Sandilands gets his wheels washed
Just hours after the chairman of Kyle Sandilands′ former employer, ARN Media, was left reeling following a repudiation from the company’s shareholders at the company’s annual meeting on Friday, the former radio star was onto other things.
Such as getting his Rolls Royce washed at the BP service station on New South Head Road in Rose Bay. One CBD spy clocked Sandilands just before 1pm on Friday, walking around the servo chatting on the phone as he waited for the Rolls to be washed.
Turns out Sandilands was figuring out what to do for Mother’s Day. “Yep that was me calling my mother for Mother’s Day plans,” Sandilands told CBD via his manager.
Jacinda Ardern’s Sydney thumbs up
Newly minted Sydney resident and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had no shortage of fans at the Melbourne Town Hall on Friday night, speaking to a full house at the Melbourne Writers Festival.
Ardern’s recent move to Australia has been the subject of much intrigue, as regular readers of this column would no doubt be familiar, as has been her decision to pick Sydney as her base over Melbourne.
While heaping plenty of praise on Melbourne to soften the blow of her Harbour City choice, Ardern managed to deftly dodge the issue of why she and her family had set up home Down Under.
“I am enjoying spending time in Australia, in part because I get to see so many people from home,” she said. “It is lovely and when I am asked, ‘Why are you in Australia?’ one of the best things about it is its proximity to New Zealand. We’ve felt very welcome, it has been great.”
Meanwhile, Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece took on a new role of timekeeper for Ardern’s session, after the clock that keeps speakers on track was not switched on. Broadcaster Jamila Rizvi, who hosted Ardern’s “in conversation”, had Reece, who was seated in the front row near former Lord Mayor Sally Capp, multitasking, asking several times for a time call throughout the event.
