'Spiritual malaise': Tony Abbott's Liberal rallying cry

Michael West Media · AAP · Friday 29 May 2026

'Spiritual malaise': Tony Abbott's Liberal rallying cry

Tony Abbott has been installed as federal Liberal Party president, returning to prominence with a warning that the nation is drifting backwards into a 'spiritual malaise.'

'Spiritual malaise' — Abbott's reached for the exact word that sank Jimmy Carter and dressed it up as a rallying cry. The party presidency is backroom work: counting numbers, keeping the lights on. He'll treat it like a pulpit. Warringah already ran the diagnosis in 2019, mate, and the prescription was Zali Steggall.

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