Tony Abbott's tacit endorsement of "Islamophobia" this week has annoyed security officials who believe such comments only make it harder to thwart domestic terrorist attacks.

Security sources have told The Australian Financial Review that as a former prime minister, Mr Abbott "should know better" and not add to the inflammatory rhetoric against Muslim communities.

"The situation is the same now as it was three years ago (when Mr Abbott was prime minister)," said one security official who declined to be named.

Tony Abbott has been critical of Cory Bernardi's defection to create his own conservative movement. Alex Ellinghausen

In the wake of the weekend's terror atrocity in London, Mr Abbott said :"We've got to avoid any spirit of surrender, any spirit of defeatism and all too often in officialdom's ranks there is this notion that Islamophobia is almost as big a problem as Islamic terrorism.

"Well, Islamophobia hasn't killed anyone. Islamicist terrorism has now killed tens of thousands of people, that's why it's absolutely critical that there be the strongest possible response at every level."