Former PM says he does not necessarily support the campaign after a Sydney branch calls for his expulsion

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Malcolm Turnbull has clarified his decision to follow an anti-Tony Abbott Instagram account, saying it does not mean he supports its mission, after one branch of the Liberal party proposed a motion to expel him.

It would be a “pretty radical thing” for the Liberal party to dump Turnbull as a member, Tony Abbott said on Wednesday, and by his own description, he’s not “normally in support of radical things”.

But, he added during an interview on Sydney radio 2GB on Wednesday afternoon, “it is certainly the duty of all Liberals to work for and not against Liberal candidates”.

Abbott was weighing into the latest apparent skirmish between the two former prime ministers, which has once again underscored tensions in the Liberal party.

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Turnbull set tongues wagging this week by following an Instagram account called “Vote Tony Out”.

It soon became a Turnbull family affair, with both Lucy Turnbull and Alex Turnbull, who campaigned against the Liberal party in the Wentworth byelection, and who had previously named Abbott as the head of his Liberal party “crazies” list, also following the account.

The account, which has grown to more than 10,000 followers in a matter of days, features Warringah locals, including Layne Beachley, calling on voters in Abbott’s electorate to vote him out.

The move prompted the Sydney Liberal branch of Roseville to overwhelmingly pass a non-binding motion calling on the New South Wales party executive to expel Turnbull from the party.

On Thursday morning Turnbull used Twitter to respond to the controversy, noting it was “pretty obvious [that] following someone on Instagram or Twitter does not imply support approval or endorsement”.

Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) It’s pretty obvious really but following someone on Instagram or Twitter does not imply support approval or endorsement - simply that you are for whatever reason currently interested in seeing the followed person’s posts in your feed. 1/2

Turnbull also suggested that efforts to “bully” people not to read the anti-Abbott material on social media would backfire.

Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) And another equally obvious point. The more you try to bully people into NOT reading something the more they will do so. Freedom matters. 2/2

The Roseville motion has no power over the Liberal party and has been dismissed by party members and MPs, including Abbott. But it is privately being seen as the latest volley in the ongoing battle between conservative elements of the Liberal party room and Turnbull.

“I think it would be pretty radical thing for a political party to no longer want someone who had, until very recently, led it, and I am not normally in support of radical things,” Abbott said on Wednesday.

“But it is certainly the duty of all Liberals to work for and not against Liberal candidates.

“Malcolm gave me plenty of support in Warringah last time and, if he is going to get involved at all, that is what I would be hoping for this time.

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“Maybe he is just keeping an eye on them so he can help me more effectively.”

Asked when he had started his career as a standup comedian, a laughing Abbott referenced the social media habit of a “hate follow”.

“There are lots of people who follow sites, not because they particularly support the site, but because they want to know what the bad guys are up to,” Abbott said. “That is the interpretation I would like to put on it.”

It is not the first time Turnbull’s social media-happy thumb has sparked shocked face-fire emoji responses, having last month “liked” a tweet of the 28 October Newspoll, which showed Scott Morrison’s approval rating had dropped.

While also active on social media, Alex Turnbull has offered to fund independent, locally based “small-L liberal” candidates in government electorates in the upcoming federal election.