Tony Abbott set to become Liberal Party president after Downer withdraws

Former prime minister Tony Abbott is set to return to active political life as the Liberal Party's federal president after Alexander Downer withdrew from the contest. The appointment is expected to be confirmed at a federal council meeting in Melbourne next week. Abbott, 68, will be the only nominee for the party's top administrative role, according to a senior Liberal official.

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Downer, a former foreign minister, has instead been nominated for one of the party's vice-president positions. The official said there are five nominees for four second-in-command roles. The change leaves Abbott unopposed for the presidency, marking a notable shift in the party's internal leadership arrangements.

Abbott previously served as prime minister from 2013 to 2015 before being replaced by Malcolm Turnbull after a leadership spill. He later lost his Sydney seat of Warringah at the 2019 federal election to independent Zali Steggall. His return comes after a period in which he has remained publicly active, including the recent publication of a book and appearances at the Sydney Writers Festival.

The move comes as the Liberal Party continues to assess the fallout from its poor showing at the 2025 federal election under Peter Dutton. A review by party elders Nick Minchin and Pru Goward was commissioned after the defeat, and the report was later tabled in parliament by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the party chose not to release it publicly. The review said senior decision makers responsible for the election loss had largely failed to critically assess their own performance.

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Abbott's expected elevation is significant because the federal president role is the party's top organisational post, rather than a parliamentary leadership position. It places a former prime minister back into a formal party role at a time when the Liberals are dealing with internal reflection and questions about their direction after the election defeat. Downer's withdrawal also removes a contest that had briefly set up a direct choice between two senior figures from different eras of the party.

What remains unclear is whether Abbott's appointment will alter the party's internal debate over its election review and future strategy. The federal council meeting in Melbourne next week is expected to confirm the position, but the wider implications for party organisation and messaging will depend on how the new leadership team works together. It is also not yet clear how Abbott's return will be received across the party's state and federal branches.

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