Turnbull’s department head says Tony Abbott damaged public service

Martin Parkinson says Abbott sacked him for following legally mandated directions of Rudd and Gillard governments

The head of Malcolm Turnbull's department says he has no "personal animus" towards Tony Abbott, but he says the former prime minister damaged the public service when he sacked him for following the legally mandated directions of the Rudd and Gillard governments.

Martin Parkinson was sacked by Abbott from the Treasury department after he came to power in 2013, alongside a handful of other departmental heads. He was brought back to the public service by Turnbull to be secretary of the department of prime minister and cabinet.