Tony Abbott wants to slay the dragon – but is blind to the beasts of Australia’s past (opens in new tab)

The former PM can be eloquent and erudite about Australia – but he has a very particular conception of what this nation is and how it came to beGet our , or “Go forth in search of dragons to destroy,” Tony Abbott, in a lyrical moment, tells his audience at the Sydney writers’ festival.Certainly, there is no rest in Australia’s seemingly endless culture wars, the Manichean struggle of good versus evil, righteous versus ignoble, the virtues of straight-talking versus the perils of nuance and co...