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The controversial appointment of former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott as the UK’s official trade adviser has raised questions about how he will handle conflicts of interest.
The UK government officially confirmed Abbott’s appointment on Friday, defying a barrage of criticism over accusations of misogynistic and homophobic comments, and his views on the climate emergency.
Boris Johnson defended his appointment on Friday, saying: “Obviously I don’t agree with those sentiments at all, but I also don’t agree with everyone who serves the government on an unpaid basis on hundreds of boards of directors across the country.
“What I would say about Tony Abbott is that this is a guy who was elected by the great liberal democratic nation of Australia.”
But in Australia, MPs have questioned whether Abbott’s insider knowledge of the Liberal party, which is part of the ruling coalition government and led as prime minister from 2013 to 2015, presented a conflict of interest in his new role.
Mark Dreyfus, the shadow attorney general for the opposition Labor Party, said on Saturday: “It is up to the Morrison government to explain how a former liberal prime minister can now work for a foreign power advising on matters potentially in direct conflict with the business interests of Australia.
“And how conflicts arising from Abbott’s intimate knowledge of Australia’s business interests and strategies, acquired during his years as Minister and Prime Minister, will be managed.
Other MPs went further. Rex Patrick, an independent senator from South Australia, called Abbott’s appointment an “embarrassment” and called for the former prime minister to be forced to register as a foreign agent under Australia’s Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme.
He said Abbott should be stripped of “most” of his travel and office allowance. “Australian taxpayers should not subsidize a foreign agent,” Patrick said on social media.
But Australia’s Attorney General Christian Porter congratulated Abbott on his appointment and wished him “every success” in achieving a new free trade agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom.
“Mr. Abbott will no doubt be aware of the routine requirements for former cabinet ministers under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme,” he said. “In the first instance, it is up to each individual to determine whether or not their circumstances meet the registration requirements.”
In the run-up to his appointment to the unpaid position, Abbott drew criticism from conservative MPs, charities, and LGBT and environmental activists, after being among nine outside advisers appointed to the Board of Trade. The council, revived by Theresa May, aims to help shape UK trade policy post-Brexit.
Abbott was a controversial prime minister of Australia from 2013 until he was ousted by colleagues from the Liberal Party in 2015. He once described abortion as “the easy way out” and suggested that men are better suited than women to exercise authority. Abbott, a former opponent of equal marriage, has also suggested that climate change “is probably going well”, likening policies to combat it to “primitive people who once killed goats to appease the volcano gods.”
Indeed, Abbott, who delivered a controversial speech against Covid’s “health dictatorships” in the UK this week, appears to have caused divisions even among his Board of Trade-appointed peers.
Anne Boden, founder of Starling Bank, online only, tweeted to say she was “pleased to advise the Board of Trade” and said it was “important that we have challenging voices” speaking to ministers.
Delighted to advise the Board of Trade, it is important that we have challenging voices in such an important body. I support diversity and this woman too
But the fintech expert added “I support diversity and this woman too.” linking to a famous 2012 speech by another former Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, in which she accused Abbott of being a misogynist in the country’s parliament.
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