It began like your awkward school reunion. Old ministers of the crown, milling around looking as useless as tits on a bull, mixing it with up and comers, lobbyists, pollsters, strategists and hangers-on.

The occasion was the 20th anniversary of the election of the Howard government – a regular love-in. John Howard sashayed through the crowd, remembering everyone’s name, meeting, greeting and signing books.

The Howard cabinets posed for class photos. Nationals and Liberals were well represented. Names like Peter Costello, Tim Fischer, John Anderson, Robert Hill, Richard Alston, John Fahey, Peter Reith and so many more.

Malcolm Turnbull arrived and greeted Howard. A photo was called for. Howard – ever the uncle – suggested bringing Tony Abbott into the picture. “That’s not going to happen,” said someone from behind. Abbott lurked. Somewhere, a glass broke.

For it was a day when the new politics of the Turnbull government was derailed by the old politics. Leaks and recriminations. The old politics of Abbott. The old politics of pre-PM Turnbull. The old politics that sent the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments packing. It was sweaty in that hot under the collar-type of way. Beneath the bonhomie and back-slapping lay the bitter seeds of ambition quashed.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/mar/03/on-john-howards-big-night-all-eyes-turn-to-abbott-and-turnbull

Abbott defined his leadership through national security in a way that Turnbull has not.

But for all Abbott's hawkishness, he didn't hear everything Defence told him. It took him two days to accept that he couldn't put 1000 Australian troops on Russia's doorstep in Ukraine.

And despite consistent advice that Defence wasn't going to get its first new submarine by the hoped-for date of 2026, Abbott declared himself on Wednesday "flabbergasted" that the Defence white paper sets a timetable of the early 2030s.

According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Andrew Davies, a respected and independent expert on submarines, "there is absolutely nothing new about a date around the 2030 timeframe" to receive the first new boat.

If Abbott was flabbergasted, he just wasn't listening.

The remark from Abbott that will really rile the defence force to which he gave so much of his attention was his branding the Collins Class submarine "a fragile capability at the best of times".

For all the heartburn it's given successive chiefs of navy, the Collins these days is a good boat. The navy and its squadron of submariners are frankly sick of the "dud subs" tag - which Abbott has now exploited for base politics.

Just as well Malcolm Turnbull is such a fan of disruption. Right now, he's in a world of it. This is the week Tony Abbott's wrecking, undermining and sniping campaign went nuclear, or at least marine. His incredulous intervention on the Turnbull government's alleged delay in acquiring new submarines is about as destructively disruptive as it gets, really.

Abbott has already undermined his successor on same-sex marriage (or even bullying), tax policy, industrial relations, even national security. But now even the veneer of respectful disagreement is gone. "I'm not just disappointed, I'm flabbergasted at this decision," he told The Australian, before suggesting Turnbull had compromised our "national self-respect".

He's accepted the role of disillusioned commentator on a story about a leak of classified documents. A leak, by the way, the Australian Federal Police have now seen fit to investigate. Even in the event the leak has nothing to do with him, it's a hell of a thing to dignify, and a hell of a way to do it.

Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed his predecessor's criticism of the timeline for Australia's next generation of submarines, saying Tony Abbott's comments do not align with the views of defence experts.

• PM orders an investigation into leaking of white paper draft
• Mr Abbott denies being source of the leak
• Says he was "flabbergasted" by a potential delay in rolling out the new submarine fleet
• Mr Turnbull says the timeline "has been consistent since 2013", upon advice from experts

Mr Turnbull has ordered a federal police investigation into the leak of classified information from a draft of the defence white paper, that was published along with comments from Mr Abbott.

The former prime minister has denied being the source of the leak.

In the article, Mr Abbott said he was "flabbergasted" by a potential decade-long blowout in the timeline for the submarines to come into use.

This morning, Mr Turnbull said Mr Abbott was entitled to express his views.

"He's got to form his own judgement about his comments," Mr Turnbull said.

"He made some remarks during the week about submarines, which were commented on and, in fact, were contradicted by the Chief of Defence and the secretary of the Defence Department.

"The simple reality is this, the expert advice to the Australian Government on the submarine program and as to its timing has been consistent since 2013.

"Tony expressed a different perspective, but the people giving the Government advice for that period made the facts plain

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-04/turnbull-chides-abbott-over-submarine-comments/7220876