Tony Abbott has launched a spirited defence of his short-lived prime ministership, arguing he could have won this year's election and that he regards his unpopular 2014 budget as a "badge of honour".

Mr Abbott has penned a lengthy essay for the upcoming edition of conservative journal Quadrant in which he defends his economic performance, saying he was stymied by a "hysterical opposition", "populist Senate crossbench", "poisonous media" and disloyal colleagues. It is the most detailed defence of his government since he was deposed by Malcolm Turnbull last September.

Mr Turnbull seized the prime ministership by claiming the Abbott government had not effectively communicated an economic narrative – an argument Mr Abbott disputes in the essay, an extract of which was published in The Australian.