Turnbull vs. Abbott - the advice wars

WHY MALCOLM TURNBULL CHALLENGED TONY ABBOTT IN 2015:

* "The government isn't providing the economic leadership we need. That's not the fault of individual ministers. Ultimately, the prime minister has not been capable of providing the economic leadership our nation needs."

* "We need a style of leadership that explains challenges facing Australia and the opportunities - a style of leadership that respects people's intelligence, explains complex issues and then sets out the course of action we believe we should take and makes a case for it. We need advocacy, not slogans."

* "If Tony Abbott stays, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will become prime minister."

* "The government has lost 30 Newspolls in a row. It is clear that the people have made up their mind about Mr Abbott's leadership."

* "We have a hugely talented team here in the parliament. What we have not succeeded in doing is translating those values into the policies and the ideas that will excite the Australian people and encourage them to believe and understand that we have a vision for their future."

(Source: Mr Turnbull's statement to the media on September 14, 2015)

TONY ABBOTT'S ADVICE TO MALCOLM TURNBULL IN 2018:

* "I never made the polls the be-all and the end-all, I never turned the polls into the ultimate test of leadership, it was someone else who did that." - March 5, 2GB

* "It will be up to (Mr Turnbull) to tell us all why the test doesn't apply in his case." - March 5, 2GB

* "You'd think a government that's lost the past 27 Newspolls might be curious about how it could lift its game." - February 23, The Australian opinion piece

* "But no, ministers have gone out of their way to attack a colleague who knows more about winning elections than anyone in the parliament." - February 23, The Australian opinion piece

* "If we want to have a fighting chance of winning the election, some things have got to change." - February 21, 2GB

* "In order to win the next election, the government needs policy positions which are principled, practical and popular." - February 20, speech to The Sydney Institute