Malcolm Turnbull Scott Morrison remains in immigration. Mr Abbott said there was no better person within the Coalition ranks than Mr Turnbull to prosecute a case against the National Broadband Network (NBN), adding that it was his intention to "demolish" the project. In a clear signal Mr Abbott will target the NBN, he said Labor had a bad track record with delivering services. "The National Broadband Network ... is going to become an icon of waste and incompetence," he said.

"I've already described it as school halls on steroids and we can be certain that the National Broadband Network will be to this term of government what pink batts and school halls were in the last term of government." Mr Turnbull would hold the government to account on the policy, Mr Abbott said, adding that he had the appropriate technical expertise and business experience "to entirely demolish the government on this issue". Mr Abbott said Ms Bishop would remain shadow minister for foreign affairs and trade, while Nationals Leader Warren Truss will remain shadow minister for infrastructure and transport. He is also retaining his economic team with Mr Hockey as treasury spokesman and Andrew Robb as finance spokesman. The National Broadband Network ... is going to become an icon of waste and incompetence

"I want to make particular tribute to Scott Morrison on his work on border protection, and Christopher Pyne for his exposure of school hall rip-offs," he said. NSW Nationals senator Fiona Nash, West Australian Liberal senator Michaelia Cash, newly-elected Brisbane MP Teresa Gambaro, Victorian Nationals MP Darren Chester, Queensland MP Andrew Laming and Victorian Liberal senator Scott Ryan have been promoted to the frontbench. "I think they are going to make an outstanding contribution to the Coalition's effective performance in the weeks and months ahead," Mr Abbott said. Asked about Mr Turnbull's former support for an emissions trading scheme, the reason Mr Abbott challenged him for the Liberal leadership, Mr Abbott was straight to the point. "The short answer is that everyone is bound by the usual rules of the team," Mr Abbott said.



Tony Smith, the former opposition broadband spokesman has lost the role but would still be a strong contributor, Mr Abbott said.

"I want to say that this is a stronger, hungrier team that will hold the government to the account and will better present as a credible team," he said. "I should say that Tony still has a strong contribution to make, he's the shadow parliamentary secretary for tax reform and he's the deputy chair on the coalition policy development committee." Steve Ciobo, formerly the tourism, arts, youth and sport spokesman, has been sent to the backbench. "Politics is a tough business and inevitably one person's elation is someone else's disappointment," Mr Abbott said. "It doesn't mean that person has done a bad job."

Mr Abbott didn't offer any reason for the demotion, describing it as a part of renewal. "There is something of the quality of snakes and ladders about the business of politics." Mr Abbott was quizzed on reports that Mr Robb tried to position himself to get the treasury job, rather than Mr Hockey. "I think there is nothing wrong with opposition frontbenchers being ambitious to do even better and to be more effective," Mr Abbott said. Loading

"But the important thing is that we then work effectively as a team." AAP