ABC documentary reveals former PM Tony Abbott wanted to send troops to Ukraine after MH17 disaster

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott considered ordering Australian soldiers into Ukraine after the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 by Russian-backed rebels.

The revelation, made in the ABC’s television series investigating the former Coalition Government, was made as part of a “war cabinet” approach by Mr Abbott in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

It came after the downing of MH17, which claimed the lives of 38 Australian citizens and residents, among the 298 killed when the plane was shot down travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in July 2014.

But then-cabinet colleague and future Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull described the push as a “genuinely crazy idea”.

Nemesis, a three-part series looking at the nine years of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government, starts Monday evening on the ABC, and is set to resurrect the personal animosity between the three leaders.

Speaking to the series, former Australian envoy to Ukraine Angus Houston said he had discussed the idea of sending Australian Defence Force personnel to the scene of the wreckage to repatriate the Australians.

“The two options that were under consideration were a police-led operation, which I strongly supported, and a military option,” Houston told the ABC.

“I was concerned that the military option would be provocative because the crash site was only a short distance from the Russian border and already I was aware of a huge build-up of Russian forces on the border adjacent to the crash site.

“It was going to be quite a large military deployment, and I just didn’t think a large military deployment would cut it in those circumstances with a very large force on the other side of the border only 30 kilometres away. I just didn’t think that was a smart way to go.

“The risk factor would’ve gone up substantially in terms of a miscalculation, a misunderstanding, the possibility of somebody inadvertently firing on our guys and the thing escalating from there. I just didn’t think it was worth the risk.”

Following the advice, Mr Abbott agreed a police-led operation would be a safer option.

Mr Turnbull, who was in Cabinet at the time, said the comments had made him feel like Australia has a “dangerous prime minister”.

“It was a genuinely crazy idea,” he said.

“To send armed personnel … no one would’ve welcomed it, and particularly our Western allies would not have welcomed it.

“If we had sent armed personnel into that part of Ukraine, it’s quite clear what would’ve happened … Putin would’ve … captured them, and we would probably still be trying to negotiate for their return.”

Mr Turnbull said Mr Abbott’s later notorious comment that he would “shirtfront” Russian president Vladimir Putin did not befit his position as leader.

“Saying you’re going to shirtfront the president of Russia does sound a little childish, really,” says Malcolm Turnbull.

“It’s not the language that people expect prime ministers and presidents to be saying, but I think it played to his strengths of being strong and muscular and all of that.”

Former Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said Australia was certainly prepared for the incident to escalate.

“[Abbott] really activated a war cabinet-style of approach,” he said.

Mr Abbott declined to participate in the ABC’s program.