Former PM Abbott Targeted by Political Disinformation Campaign

False Claims About Tony Abbott Circulate on Social Media

Numerous fabricated stories about former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott have been spreading across Facebook, falsely claiming he underwent major surgery before participating in parliamentary debates and television appearances.

An investigation by AAP FactCheck has revealed these posts originate from a Facebook page called “Current Affairs,” which has published multiple false stories about Abbott’s supposed health crisis and subsequent public appearances. The page directs users to an external website filled with advertisements and more fabricated content that shows clear signs of artificial intelligence generation.

One widely shared post claims Abbott provided a “heartfelt update” following surgery, stating he faces a “long road to full recovery” and allegedly quoting him as saying: “I’m fighting — but I can’t do it alone.” This claim has no basis in reality. There is no record of Abbott undergoing recent surgery or making any such statements.

The posts feature images that have been identified as AI-generated by Google’s SynthID tool, which can detect whether images were created using artificial intelligence.

Another false narrative being circulated suggests Abbott recently appeared in Parliament and engaged in a heated exchange with current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The post fabricates quotes from both politicians, including Albanese supposedly challenging Abbott: “Do you really think this Parliament needs another reckless populist pretending to speak for ordinary Australians?”

The post then claims Abbott responded with: “Prime Minister, the only thing I’m pretending is that your insult still carries any weight in this room.”

These exchanges never occurred. Abbott has not been a member of Parliament since May 2019, when he lost his seat of Warringah in the federal election after 25 years as the local representative.

A third fabricated story claims Abbott engaged in a televised debate with media commentator Waleed Aly. The post invents an exchange where Aly supposedly remarked: “Tony Abbott, it’s easy to talk about freedom and conviction when you’ve spent a lifetime speaking from the comfort of outrage, wrapped in the safety of populist applause.”

According to the false post, Abbott responded: “Waleed, I was walking into hostile rooms, facing protests, ridicule, and political exile while others debated ideas from behind studio desks.”

No such television appearance or exchange has taken place between Abbott and Aly.

These fabricated stories about Abbott are part of a broader pattern of political disinformation being spread on social media platforms. AAP FactCheck has previously identified and debunked similar false claims targeting other Australian political figures, including Senator Pauline Hanson and media personality Peta Credlin.

The spread of such disinformation highlights growing concerns about the use of AI tools to create convincing but entirely fictional political content. Social media platforms continue to struggle with the rapid proliferation of such material, which can be difficult for users to identify as false without verification from fact-checking organizations.

Media literacy experts recommend users verify information from multiple credible sources before sharing political content, especially stories featuring sensational claims or quotes that haven’t appeared in mainstream news coverage.

Tony Abbott served as Australia’s Prime Minister from 2013 to 2015 before being replaced by Malcolm Turnbull following an internal party challenge. He remained in Parliament until his 2019 electoral defeat, after which he has maintained a relatively lower public profile compared to his years in office.