Tony Abbott was not a great prime minister: Hawke

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull poses a threat to the Labor Party while Tony Abbott was a "decent man" but not a strong leader, according to Bob Hawke.

The former Aussie larrikin leader made the comments yesterday as part of a wide-ranging speech at the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland.

In response to questions about whether Mr Turnbull was a threat to the party he led for eight years, given his popularity, Mr Hawke replied, "of course he is".

Mr Abbott was not viewed as favourably, with Mr Hawke saying while Mr Abbott was "a decent man", he was not a great national leader.

Outside of comments over the country’s leadership, Mr Hawke called for Australia to take more refugees and for Indigenous Australians to be recognised in the constitution.

A republican, Mr Hawke said the quickest path to a republic was if a vote was held after the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

"The old darl's looking bloody fit still," he said.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald