Some of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's most controversial speeches have been brushed from Coalition history since the election, including a 2009 speech backing a carbon tax, and a 2004 speech in which he describes abortion as ''a question of the mother's convenience''.
During Mr Abbott's 2009 carbon tax speech, in which he described himself as a ''climate change realist'', he said he doubted climate change was man-made, saying ''we can't conclusively say'' man-made carbon dioxide emissions contributed to climate change.
But he went on to say: ''If Australia is greatly to reduce its carbon emissions, the price of carbon-intensive products should rise
a new tax would be the intelligent sceptic's way to deal with minimising emissions because it would be much easier than a property right to reduce or to abolish should the justification for it change.''
When he was in opposition, the speeches were posted on Mr Abbott's website, tonyabbott.com.au. But since the election, that website has been redirected to liberal.org.au, which only archives material back to July 2010, the month before the previous election.
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Despite Mr Abbott becoming opposition leader on December 1, 2009, all his speeches and media statements before July 2010 have disappeared. And at least two recent transcripts have also been expunged from the public record.
They include an interview on Sky with Chris Kenny in which Mr Abbott vowed to lift foreign aid - a position he later reversed - and a speech to the conservative Institute of Public Affairs.
