Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says maintaining relationships with Pacific nations is a "hose you have to hold", in a pointed attack at Scott Morrison and his government over the China-Solomon Islands security pact.
In his first major intervention into the election campaign, Mr Turnbull also called out Peter Dutton's rhetoric about the prospect of war.
Mr Turnbull, now a vocal Coalition critic, has joined Labor and others in describing the deal struck between Beijing and Solomon Islands as a foreign policy failure on the part of the Morrison government.
"The government cannot gild the lily on this, this has been a failure ... an absolute failure of foreign policy," he told ABC's RN Breakfast.
Mr Turnbull said building relationships with Pacific nations required time and attention, adding "this is a hose you have to hold, to put it bluntly".
The statement is a targeted reference to Scott Morrison's infamous "I don't hold a hose, mate" comment at the height of the Black Summer, which has become the centrepiece of Labor's attack on the Prime Minister.
The row over the Pacific is set to escalate again on Tuesday as Labor unveils its plan to re-establish Australia as the preferred partner for countries in the region.
Mr Morrison has quickly dismissed Labor's proposal as offering nothing new - with one exception.
"What they are putting out today is basically a continuation of all of the things that we're currently doing, with one exception," Mr Morrison told Sydney's 2GB radio on Tuesday morning.
"They think the way to solve the problem in the Solomon Islands is to send in the ABC.
"I mean, it's farcical, with their answer to solving the Solomon Islands problem is to have [debate show] Q&A in Honiara."
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Mr Morrison was asked about Mr Dutton's Anzac Day warning that Australia must prepare for war in order to preserve peace.
The Prime Minister agreed with the sentiment, but added: "No one wants to see a war and no one is believing that is about to be what is going to happen".
Mr Turnbull was critical of Mr Dutton's language, which he described as "more and more bombastic and belligerent".
"Dutton has, obviously, has cranked the scares, the sort of national security scares and language, up to 11 out of 10," he said.
"OK, well, he's done that. How's that helped us? How's that advanced our interests? And how does that match with the reality of what's going on?"
Mr Morrison brushed off Labor's line that the Coalition hadn't prepared for the prospect of conflict, pointing to its increased spending on defence.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
