Tony Abbott gave us a peek behind the curtain yesterday, in his tribute to former resources minister Ian Macfarlane, a man so loyal to the Liberal Party that he tried — and failed — to defect to the Nats late last year. Said Abbott:

“It was a magnificent achievement by the [member] for Groom in his time as minister … and I hope the sector will acknowledge and demonstrate their gratitude to him in his years of retirement from this place.”

Yes, Abbott is openly calling for the mining industry to repay the former minister’s kindness with a cushy job, just as it did with Labor’s Mar’n Ferguson. And the same way so many industries reward former pollies who did them a solid during their parliamentary careers.

Maybe ScoMo will be given a sweet gig in a big company — the only real beneficiaries of this year’s budget — when the good people of Cook have had enough?