The Bug has gained exclusive access to a taped phone conversation between former Liberal Party prime minister Tony Abbott and Warren Mundine, the former Labor Party national president and anti-Voice campaign leader at the October 2023 referendum who yesterday lost his bid to stand for the Liberal Party in the NSW seat of Bradfield at the federal election.

Liberal Party branch members chose instead lawyer and former political staffer, Gisele Kapterian, as their candidate.

The transcript we publish reveals the phone call Mr Abbott made to Mr Mundine yesterday morning immediately after the former PM addressed a meeting of all Liberal Party women branch members in Bradfield in a last-ditch effort to support Mr Mundine shortly before the final preselection meeting convened.

(Mundine’s phone ringing)

WARREN MUNDINE: Hello?

TONY ABBOTT: Hey Wazza. Tones here. I’ve got great news.

WM: Hey Tony, how did it go?

TA: I reckon I’ve turned them all in your favour.

WM: Really?

TA: Yep. I reckon you’ve got it in the bag.

WM: What did you say to them?

TA: I opened up by saying as a party we needed to send the right man to Canberra to represent Bradfield.

WM: The right man? You said ‘man’?

TA: Sorry, my mistake. I didn’t say the ‘right man’, I actually said we need to send the ‘Right man’ to Canberra, regardless of their colour. 

WM: Right?

TA: Yes, exactly right. Right. You got it  – the Right man. I then recalled what you told me about some of the dears being a bit concerned about non-existent climate change.

WM: Yes? And?

TA: And I said to them: ‘Look, we need a man in Canberra who’ll tackle the woke lefty renewable energy agenda of Labor and the Greens. What the housewives of Australia like all of you need to understand as you do the ironing is that if you get it done commercially it’s going to go up in price and your own power bills, when you switch the iron on, are going to go up.’

WM: Oh dear.

TA: Yes indeed. That’s just what most of them said. I think they were referring to power prices. So I then went on to tell them that what our nation needs is someone who could be a voice to the parliament on indigenous issues.

WM: Really?

TA: Yeah. I said anyone who voted ‘no’ to you as the candidate was just a racist. And anti-Semitic. Peter’s told us all to drop that one in as often as possible.

WM: Yeah, but against Labor.

TA: Really? It seemed to work today. You could have heard a pin drop.

WM: I bet you could.

TA: I then laid it on the line. Got a bit tougher with them. I said I’d like all the women in the room who are opposing Warren Mundine to identify themselves and I’d deal with them.

WM: What does that mean? What did you say you were going to do?

TA: Well, I then said to them: ‘I’ll shirtfront anyone who isn’t voting for Warren Mundine. You bet you are. You bet I am.’

WM: I’m not sure that was the best….

TA: Then I doubled down and said if anyone doubted my commitment to get Warren across the line they should all remember that I did a fair bit of boxing while I was studying at Oxford.

WM: Oh dear. You said that?

TA: Yeah.

WM: To a room full of women? Sounds a bit threatening.

TA: Thanks. It did shut them up.

WM: Oh dear. What else?

TA: Then one of the little luvvies said she thought it was time the Liberal Party got more women into parliament.

WM: What did you say?

TA: I said to her: ‘Listen darl. Don’t worry your pretty little head about these things. Just remember that your preselection vote, just like your virginity, is the greatest gift you can give someone, the ultimate gift of giving and don’t give it to someone lightly.’

WM: Oh dear.

TA: Then I said if she didn’t have any other questions would she mind popping out to the kitchen and putting the kettle on.

WM: I’m guessing she didn’t like that.

TA: She did appear a bit huffy. But I said if she had any other questions she could ask her hubby when she got home and after she’d made his dinner.

WM: She probably didn’t like that either.

TA: You know what? I don’t think she did for some reason. She up and left and I didn’t get my cuppa. Come to think of it a few others up and left with her, so they didn’t get to hear me play my ace.

WM: Which was?

TA: I said if the Duke of Edinburgh were alive and had a vote, he’d vote for Warren.

(Mundine’s phone beeps)

WM: Wait, I’ve just got a text with the result. Hang on I’ll read it.

(Pause in conversation)

WM: I didn’t get it. Gisele won.

TA: Oh well. Shit happens.

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