Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says he won't get into 'who said what to whom' over accusations he betrayed Liberal Party president hopeful Peter Reith on the weekend.
Mr Reith, who lost the ballot for the Liberal Party presidency on the weekend by one vote, said he felt sad Mr Abbott did not support him despite encouraging him to run.
Television cameras caught Mr Abbott writing Alan Stockdale's name on the ballot paper and showing it to him in a move Mr Reith likened to a "Labor Party factional lackey".
In Perth on Tuesday, Mr Abbott said he did not want to get into "who said what to whom and when".
Despite being asked repeatedly why he did not back the Howard government minister, Mr Abbott gave the same answer saying it was good the party had a contest and had a choice.
"We had a ballot, it was a clean ballot, we've had a winner and now we're moving forward," he said.
"The important thing is we had a contest, we had a choice between two good candidates, unfortunately only one could win."
Mr Reith, a former controversial industrial relations minister in the Howard government, has also urged Mr Abbott to act on IR reform, saying the opposition leader was being too timid because he was concerned the much maligned Work Choice laws would be used against him.
"If we jump in fright every time Nick Minchin says the ALP is salivating at the thought of the Liberals doing something necessary then Australia's prospects are not looking good," he wrote in an opinion piece for Fairfax Media.
Mr Abbott said the coalition would have a strong and effective IR policy before the next election which would be based on problem solving and not ideology.
"The coalition is carefully watching the consequences of the Labor governments' Fair Work laws," he said.
"We have deep concerns that under these laws we are seeing a return to union militancy, we're seeing the possibility of significant strikes in important sectors of our economy."
