Tony Abbott has made a surprise stopover in Afghanistan to give a Christmas message to Australian troops, as Labor demands he ''come clean'' over the Peter Slipper matter.
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On his way over to London for talks, the Opposition Leader met with soldiers and was shown bomb disposal robots, mine sweepers and a Bushmaster vehicle.
''I want to say congratulations to all of you for the work you do and thank you on behalf of a grateful nation for the work you do to help keep Australia safe and also to promote what we regard as the universal decencies of humanity here, in a country which has been pretty short on decency for a very long time,'' Mr Abbott told the troops.
''So, I want to say thank you. I want to say well done.''
Mr Abbott announced his visit via Twitter, posting a picture of himself meeting a crowd of soldiers. He also posted pictures of himself with infantry members and inside a Bushmaster.
Mr Abbott made the trip while on route to London for the the second meeting of the Australia-UK-Israel Leadership Dialogue, which will discuss the Israel-Palestine settlement.
While Mr Abbott continues his overseas travels, the government has demanded he ''come clean'' about his and the Coalition's involvement in the sexual harassment case against former Speaker Mr Slipper, after the federal court dismissed it as an abuse of legal process.
There are also questions about whether LNP candidate Mal Brough should be preselected for Mr Slipper's Sunshine Coast seat of Fisher. On Wednesday, Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said Mr Abbott needed to explain why members of his party had acted as they did and whether it was appropriate for Mr Brough to contest the next federal election.
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta is in Kabul at the moment, discussing the size of the coalition force to remain in Afghanistan once the troop reduction comes into effect next year.
Australia has about 1550 troops in Afghanistan and is expected to withdraw the majority by the end of 2014, as part of the international transition out of the country.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr welcomed Mr Abbott's visit on Wednesday. ''I thank the opposition for their bipartisanship on Afghanistan,'' he told Sky News.
With Michelle Grattan, AAP
