The former prime minister also stirred controversy by calling for a "religious revolution" within Islam in an opinion piece he wrote for News Corp. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten whispers to then prime minister Tony Abbott earlier this year. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "I don't know if he's Australia's version of Donald Trump but he's a very unusual man, Tony Abbott," Mr Shorten said on Thursday. "We shouldn't have a bar of what he says. "I think his views are not befitting a former prime minister who was in charge three months ago and I think, really, he may be feeling very upset about his loss of office, he may see this as an issue which he can now speak out on but I ask him as a former prime minister of Australia to please respect the fact that we are a country of all faiths and all religions. We must have tolerance."

Mr Shorten said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull should recognise that Mr Abbott's remarks in recent days were "a very bad look". Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "Malcolm, you're now the leader of this country, you can pretend you don't like Tony Abbott but that you can't control him, [but] it is a very bad look when majorities start dictating to minorities," he said. "In Australia it is always important that governments made up of majorities always respect minorities and don't make them feel worse or somehow give a green light other people to vilify minorities." Counter terrorism expert associate professor Nick O'Brien said Mr Abbott's remarks in recent days were unfortunate and divisive and could be counterproductive.

"My take on it – and I have spoken to members of the Islamic community about it – the timing of it is extremely unfortunate coming straight after comments by Donald Trump on Islamic State," he said. "Muslims in the Western world are now feeling under siege and the danger is the moderates, instead of trying to engage with the authorities, will move away and say this is not working." Professor O'Brien said Mr Abbott's remarks were the sorts of comments that could drive people towards becoming radicalised. "My background is in counter terrorism and I know the head of ISIS Baghdadi will be rubbing his hands together with glee because they're exactly the sort of comments that will drive people towards being radicalised," he said. "I think it's quite legitimate for people who have left government to want to make a contribution.

"But it would be more productive to be speaking to senior Islamic figures rather than making public statements that will garner a huge amount of publicity and make Muslim people feel unwelcome in their own country." Jacinta Carroll, director of the counter terrorism policy centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said Mr Abbott was correct to state in his Singapore speech that Islamic State was looking for conflict and there was a need to focus efforts in Syria and the Middle East. Ms Carroll said that would involve military action in the short to medium term and a larger humanitarian effort in the long term. But she questioned Mr Abbott's suggestion that the current international strategy was wrong. "I wouldn't say it's wrong but it needs to be actively reviewed and reconsidered depending on what's happening on the ground," she said.

"Some of Mr Abbott's comments about Islam needing change I have also heard from the Muslim community in Australia but my experience is that those conversations are already happening in the Muslim community. Loading "My reaction to the talk overall to the need for Islam to be reformed is the research tells us the countries most resilient to terrorism … have strong community cohesion, strong democracies and a sense of inclusion." Follow us on Twitter