Former prime minister Tony Abbott has weighed in on the passage of the NSW abortion bill, calling it a "morally shocking" process.
"I don't want to get into the nuts and bolts of what's going on at NSW parliament ... but death on demand, this is morally shocking," Mr Abbott told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Sydney on Friday.
He went on to call the abortion debate in NSW and right to life debate in Victoria "fundamentally inhuman".
"Death on demand, this is morally shocking". Source: AAP
"The biggest single problem about what's happening in NSW parliament at the moment is that it's been sprung on people," he told the conference.
"If you really want to allow abortion right up to the time of birth, surely there should have been a proper public debate about this."
He despaired at the low level of spirituality in Australia, declaring the country was "losing its faith".
The Private Member's Bill to remove abortion from the NSW criminal code passed the lower house late on Thursday night after three long days of debate and several amendments.
MPs voted in favour of the bill 59 to 31, with many cheering and clapping after the bill was passed.
'A magnificent audience of deplorables'
Mr Abbott is one of many speakers at the CPAC conservative mega conference.
Earlier, controversial NSW MP and former federal Labor leader Mark Latham drew cheers when he talked of his admiration for "the great Donald", referring to the US President.
"What a magnificent audience of deplorables," Mr Latham told the crowd.
Ross Cameron, Mark Latham and Rowan Dean at CPAC. Source: Nick Baker
He took aim at Labor's spokesperson for home affairs Kristina Keneally, , calling her a "patronising, condescending feminist".
She was also slammed by the event's co-host, who welcomed American guests by saying Australia has a lot of "strange creatures" including Senator Keneally who "yaps a lot".
What is CPAC?
The CPAC conference was first held in the US in 1974, with Ronald Reagan giving the inaugural keynote speech.
It has since become one of the main events on the US conservative calendar, attracting tens of thousands of people each year.
This is the first time a CPAC conference has been held in Australia. Like the US version, the speaker list is a who's who of conservative voices, including Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage.
US President Donald Trump at CPAC 2019 earlier this year. Source: Getty
The event runs from Friday to Sunday, with two days of talks and one day of "campaign boot camp" with workshops including "campaign design" and "working with the news media".
Tickets for the event cost up to $599 for the "Ronald Reagan VIP Freedom Pass", with the "Margaret Thatcher Iron Lady General Pass" costing $349 and the "Sir Robert Menzies 3-Day Conference Pass" coming in at $149.
"This is a conference for those that despaired at the prospect of a Shorten government controlled by militant unions and influenced by the Greens," material from the event says.
"Australia dodged a socialist arrow this time, and thank goodness for that, but we know they will redouble their efforts and come again supported by their cashed-up boosters the Unions and GetUp."
Progressive voices have criticised the conference and attendees.
Senator Keneally has called the event a "normalisation of the extreme right-wing and hate speech in Australia" and demanded that .
Many Australians have never heard of the controversial former Breitbart editor-in-chief, but he is well known in the UK for his hard-right "politically incorrect" views on migration, Muslims, and women.
