Former chief of staff says the new book by journalist Niki Savva is ‘an attempt to justify the coup’

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Peta Credlin says a new book arguing her tight control over Tony Abbott steered his government into ruin is “an attempt to justify the coup” that brought the former prime minister down.

The former chief of staff credited with guiding Tony Abbott into power – and then out again – also slammed rumours of an affair with her old boss as “completely false, utterly untrue, unfounded and wrong”.

Tony Abbott says book attacking his loyalty to Peta Credlin is 'gossip and smear' Read more

Credlin has written in the Australian newspaper her “tough” approach was justified in the pursuit of the Abbott government’s mission to “stop the boats, repeal the carbon tax and respond to growing terrorism threats”.

“When I was working long days in the prime minister’s office … did anyone in the real world care that I was a tough operator, that the prime minister expected results or wanted ministers under pressure to spend taxpayer dollars wisely and deliver on our election promises?” she wrote.

“Sadly it seems that modern politics is gossip from unnamed sources. Stories about personalities and the Canberra insider view are much easier to pull together than detailed analysis of a government’s recent policy, or lack of it.”

Credlin said the author of the book, the journalist Niki Savva, had held a grudge against Abbott’s office and her columns were “personal, invariably founded on unsourced gossip and rarely made any attempt at balance”.

“Her book Road to Ruin is billed as ‘explaining’ why the man elected by the Australian people as their prime minister was removed from office. Yet we all know that’s a farce,” she wrote.

“The book is an attempt to justify the coup. That’s clearly evidenced by her refusal to speak with me or Tony Abbott. This is only one side of the story and in time, the other side should be told.”

In a separate interview she told the newspaper rumours of an affair between the two, reportedly a source of concern among even Abbott allies, was “about as low as it gets”.

“It’s vicious and ­malicious … The idea that my relationship with the prime ­minister was anything other than professional is completely false,” she said.

“People tell me to ignore it but I refuse to let this stand. I earned my good reputation by working hard for four cabinet ministers, three opposition leaders and one prime minister so I am not going to let these sneering cowards ­define me.”

From family to foreign policy, depth of Peta Credlin's hold over Abbott emerges Read more

She rebuffed suggestions her unprecedented influence on Abbott – including vetoing meetings with international leaders, putting conditions on his wife, Margie, and bitter haranguing of her boss – had made the government “dysfunctional”.

“By the time he was summarily removed from office, the majority of Abbott’s staff had worked for him for more than six years, including me,” she wrote.

“That’s not a sign of dysfunction: staff don’t stay and opposition leaders don’t become prime ministers if they don’t have a good team.”

She said the post-leadership critique of the Abbott government was “politically motivated and driven by warring Liberal Party camps”.

“Although Savva’s husband works for Turnbull, I don’t believe this attack would have the prime minister’s support,” she added.

Abbott also criticised the book on Monday as “scurrilous gossip and smear” and said his government’s record was his best response.

“A dysfunctional opposition couldn’t win an election and a dysfunctional government couldn’t have got so much done in just two years,” he said.