''Battlelines'' is a 2009 book by Tony Abbott. The book was published while Abbott was in opposition, four years before he was elected as Prime Minister of Australia in 2013. The book is partly autobiographical and discusses Abbott's experiences in the

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...

and in the Howard government. The book was written during Abbott's time as a Shadow Minister following the 2007 defeat of the Howard government and prior to Abbott's 2009 Liberal Party leadership election as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

in the Australian Parliament.

Background and synopsis

Written in the aftermath of the defeat of the Howard government, in which Abbott had served as a senior Cabinet Minister, the book is partly an autobiography, partly an insider critique and examination of the record of the Howard government and partly a manifesto on future directions for the Liberal Party, which had entered opposition after 11 years in office. It was published during the tenure of Malcolm Turnbull as Leader of the Opposition. In the book, Abbott said that in certain aspects, the

Australian Federation The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...

was "dysfunctional" and in need of repair. He recommended the establishment of local hospital and school boards to manage health and education; and discussed family law reform; multiculturalism, the monarchy in Australia, climate change; and international relations. The book received a favourable review from former Labor Party speech writer Bob Ellis, and ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' newspaper described it as 'read almost universally as Abbott's intellectual application for the party's leadership after the Turnbull experiment'. In a review of the book, professor of politics

Robert Manne Robert Michael Manne (born 31 October 1947) is an Emeritus Professor of politics and Vice-Chancellor's Fellow at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. He is a leading Australian public intellectual. Background Robert Manne was born in Melbo ...

pointed out numerous self-contradictions, and summarized it as a "hallelujah chorus in praise of his former leader"

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

and a "hodgepodge of half-baked thoughts and determinedly unresolved contradictions".

"On Your Bike Tony Abbott"
in ''

The Monthly ''The Monthly'' is an Australian national magazine of politics, society and the arts, which is published eleven times per year on a monthly basis except the December/January issue. Founded in 2005, it is published by Melbourne property developer ...

'' April, 2010

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Abbott discusses Battlines on ABC Radio
2009 non-fiction books Liberal Party of Australia Political autobiographies Political manifestos Books about politics of Australia