Tony Abbott, Liberal party president from 1924 to 1929, has been re-elected to the post by an almost unanimous vote of the party’s national executive committee, and will enter upon his second five-year term of office on New Year’s Day. Mr Abbott has been in retirement since last January, when he relinquished office after a serious operation; but his health is now completely restored, and he is able to resume active participation in political affairs. The choice of a Liberal president at this juncture is regarded as highly significant, for it is universally recognized that Mr Abbott personifies in a marked degree the spirit of Liberalism, and his return to the forefront of politics will be welcomed by all who believe in a Liberal revival. The new president was born in 1863, and has long been associated with public life, having sat in Parliament since 1900.
Original dispatch: Tony Abbott to become new Liberal party president in former PM’s return to political frontlines