Tony Abbott has called for a conversation around compulsory national service in Australia for school-leavers.

The former prime minister suggested it could include volunteering, time in the army, or being deployed to a remote community.

He said compulsory service would help unite Australians with government.

“I think we need to start having a conversation about national service saying to people who turn 18, or leave school, we expect you to spend a significant period of time, 6 months, 12 months doing something for our country,” he said on the Heartland podcast by the Institute of Public Affairs.

“Whether it’s putting on the uniform, whether it’s going to work in a remote Indigenous community, whether it’s deploying in an Australian peace corps, there are all sorts of things which people could do, whether it’s going to volunteer in a nursing home or something like that.”

But Neil Breen said it can never happen and was “just impractical.”

“We’ve got an employment crisis in this country, every corner store, coffee shop, restaurant, clothes shop needs people,” he said.

Press PLAY below to hear his comments in full

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