Tony Abbott has accepted the role of special envoy on Indigenous Affairs

He has written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying he will take up the role, but has made recommendations about how it should work.

The former prime minister will travel to remote communities to get a first-hand look at what needs to be done.

Calling into the Ray Hadley Morning Show, he says to Ray, “you were very persuasive on Monday“.

“Having thought about it, there is no better thing we can do for kids than ensuring that they’ve got the best possible schooling.

“We need to get attendance up, we need to get standards up and I think that would be a wonderful thing for me to focus on.

“You’ve got to have the passion, you’ve got to have the insight and you’ve got to have the will to make it happen.”

Mr Abbott admits having been in the top job before, he is able to “bring a lot of horsepower to any other job”.

“I think I can quite probably cut through in a way maybe others wouldn’t be able to.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full call

The former PM says he’s “always had a good relationship” with Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion.

“He’s a good guy, Nigel. He’s a very practical person.

“He sits down with the elders, he talks things through with them. He’s a man of good standing.”