The former prime minister, is participating in the annual Pollie Pedal charity fundraiser for Carers Australia, which has so far raised about $300,000. Former prime minister Tony Abbott, pictured on his Pollie Pedal fundraiser, is open to returning to a Malcolm Turnbull cabinet. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Conservative supporters of Mr Abbott such as Senator Eric Abetz have urged the Prime Minister to return the former prime minister to the cabinet and in an interview with 3AW's Neil Mitchell on Thursday, Mr Abbott made clear he has no plans to retire as the member for Warringah. Mr Turnbull has all but ruled out a return of Mr Abbott to the cabinet, stressing the need for renewal in ministerial ranks on more than one occasion. "I don't want to make a running commentary on Tony Abbott, but I just say this: it's very important in government, as it is in business, to ensure that there is renewal," he said in January.

But in comments that will embolden supporters who have pushed for a return of the long-serving MP to the cabinet table, Mr Abbott left the door open to a return. Mr Abbott stops in Canowindra during the 2016 Pollie Pedal tour. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "It's entirely hypothetical. My purpose is to recontest Warringah, to be the best possible local member, where my colleagues would like to help in a low-key way during the campaign I will because I am absolutely committed to the election of the Turnbull government," he said. "Let's see what happens after the election. The question of going back into cabinet is entirely hypothetical, and as I often said to my backbench colleagues when I was the party leader, it is a very honourable thing to serve in the Parliament as a representative of an electorate." Students at St Joseph's Primary School welcome former Prime Minister Tony Abbott as he arrives in Eugowra during the 2016 Pollie Pedal tour. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Senior government sources pointed to former prime minister Julia Gillard's disastrous decision to install Kevin Rudd as foreign minister and said Mr Turnbull was unlikely to make the same mistake. Asked about Mr Turnbull's proposal last week to allow states to levy a portion of income taxes - which died a rapid death after being rejected by state premiers at a Council of Australian Governments meeting last Friday - Mr Abbott said he would have been unlikely to suggest such a measure. Illustration: Ron Tandberg "Under the Abbott government, we had white paper process under way which was going to canvas a whole lot of options for the federation and for the tax system. I'm not sure that this would have been one of the recommendations, given that when the Commission of Audit brought this forward in March 2014, it wasn't something that the government supported," he said. Liberal MP Russell Broadbent stopped short of endorsing Mr Abbott's return but said he was a "highly talented MP, if he puts his hand up he will be considered" and that "everyone would like to think they would be on the front bench after the election".

"We have to win the election first, we should be concentrating on that." Fellow Liberal Warren Entsch said that, if Mr Abbott was extending an olive branch to the Prime Minister and "wants to be part of the team, I welcome the experience he brings". Mr Abbott also backed former New Zealand Labour prime minister Helen Clark for the position of United Nations secretary-general, pointing out that a potential Kevin Rudd candidacy is "only rumours". The Turnbull government has not yet decided who it will back in the race for the top United Nations job. Kevin Rudd returned to Julia Gillard's cabinet after the 2010 election but the move backfired spectacularly, with Mr Rudd eventually resigning and challenging his replacement for the leadership.