By political editor Chris Uhlmann and Eliza Borrello
Friday 6 February 2015
YouTube: 'We are not the Labor Party': Abbott will seek to defeat spill motion
Photo: Job under threat: PM Tony Abbott in Melbourne this morning (AAP: David Crosling)
Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he and deputy leader Julie Bishop will "stand together" to defeat a leadership spill motion due to be brought by a Liberal backbencher at next week's party room meeting.
Liberal MP Luke Simpkins has confirmed he will push for a spill of the party's leadership positions on Tuesday morning.
This afternoon Mr Abbott made a brief statement to reporters, saying he and Ms Bishop would stand against the motion.
"They [the spill backers] are asking the party room to vote out the people that the electorate voted in in September 2013," he said.
Ms Bishop later released a brief statement saying: "I agreed with the Prime Minister that due to Cabinet solidarity and my position as deputy there should be support for the current leadership in the spill motion".
Mr Simpkins's spill motion will be seconded by MP Don Randall, with a third WA Liberal, Dennis Jensen, saying he will support it.
The ABC has been told the MPs called the Prime Minister shortly before sending the email.
In Mr Simpkins' email he writes that: "In the last two weeks I have been inundated with emails and walk-ins to my Electorate Office all questioning the direction the Government is being led in.
"The knighthood issue was for many the final proof of a disconnection with the people.
"These contacts have come from many people that I personally know and are firm supporters - in some cases they are booth workers as well.
Analysis from Greg Jennett
There'd been some indication that this was in the wind just privately, but of course we wanted to see it before we could actually alert anyone to it.
The email is significant in that it does come from a member of the West Australian team that is a pocket of discontent.
Luke Simpkins, we know, is not alone in this endeavour.
This is a trigger for something, which in all likelihood, is now unstoppable. I mean, there are Liberal party room rules that could mean this all fizzed out and nothing came of it. However, I think the reality of the situation that the Liberal Party finds itself in now means that this will proceed.
But of course, the most immediate things that happens is that people start talking to one another and trying to work out levels of support. First for the spill and then for what could follow after that.
It will have to be responded to at some point. The Prime Minister only a few hours ago now was saying it was not his expectation that anything other than a constructive party-room meeting would be held on Tuesday, and that he had no distractions at all in mind.
This is now one very big distraction.
Greg Jennett is an ABC political correspondent."The last time this outpouring of concern happened was when we were being led to support the Rudd Government's ETS, and faced with this erosion of our base support we acted.
"I think that we must bring this to a head, and test the support of the leadership in the party room.
"As I have said in the past, I have no front bench ambitions. I just want to make sure that the economic vandals do not get back into power and our children and grandchildren are not left to pay Labor's bill. I do this because I believe it is in the best interests of the people of our country."
Mr Simpkins said he had submitted a motion to the Government's chief whip asking for the spill to be conducted via a secret ballot at Tuesday's party room meeting.
The Government's chief whip Philip Ruddock confirmed he had received notice of the motion and said Mr Abbott had "indicated this motion will be listed for discussion at the Liberal Party Meeting on Tuesday".
But he told the ABC it was not automatic that any spill would be conducted via a secret ballot.
"The party has no written rules," he said. "The fact that we have no written rules means that people are guided by convention and practice. It's really a matter for the leader to determine."
Liberal leadership: who's who
PM faces leadership spill bid
Prime Minister Tony Abbott will face a challenge to his leadership of the Liberal Party on Tuesday, though no-one has stepped forward as a challenger at this stage.
Mr Abbott said he and Deputy Prime Minister Julie Bishop would "stand together" and ask that the motion be defeated.
ABC political editor Chris Uhlmann said Malcolm Turnbull was the only likely challenger.
Tony Abbott
Prime Minister for just 16 months, Tony Abbott's leadership has come under intense pressure over contentious "captain's calls", a failure to sell an unpopular budget and complaints over the power wielded by chief of staff Peta Credlin.
Mr Abbott won the leadership in Opposition from Malcolm Turnbull by one vote in December 2009. His tough approach and Labor's leadership woes resulted in a hung Parliament in 2010, but Mr Abbott was unable to win the crossbench support to form government. He recorded an emphatic victory in 2013 and has succeeded in "axing the tax" and "stopping the boats", but key budget measures have been held hostage by a split Senate crossbench.
Malcolm Turnbull
Opinion polls have consistently shown voters prefer Malcolm Turnbull to lead the Liberal Party, but he has his internal critics. As a minister in the Howard and Abbott governments, he earned a reputation as one of the Coalition's best communicators.
Mr Turnbull previously held the leadership in Opposition but was ultimately brought down by one vote in a party room ballot. Some from the party's right wing would not countenance his return, while other more moderate MPs believe he is their best chance of political survival. His career before politics was colourful and high-profile, as the head of the republican movement, a successful businessman, lawyer for Kerry Packer and a journalist.
Julie Bishop
Arguably the Liberal Party's most successful woman, Julie Bishop has won acclaim from within her party for her performance as Foreign Minister. She was praised for pushing Australia's case at the United Nations following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine last July.
Ms Bishop is also deputy Liberal leader, a position she held in Opposition under Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Brendan Nelson. She was also briefly shadow treasurer but switched to the foreign affairs portfolio after her performance was criticised.
Ms Bishop released a statement regarding the spill, saying: "I agreed with the Prime Minister that due to Cabinet solidarity and my position as deputy there should be support for the current leadership in the spill motion."
Bishop had refused to advise against spill
Senior frontbencher Scott Morrison has told the ABC he will not be a candidate for either the leadership or the deputy leadership of the party.
Earlier, Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop refused to counsel any colleagues considering moving a spill motion.
Ms Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull are the two MPs most likely to take over if Mr Abbott is deposed.
Ms Bishop has a strong power base in Western Australia.
When asked what advice she would give to any MPs considering moving a spill motion at Tuesday's party room meeting, Ms Bishop did not offer any.
Photo: Luke Simpkins will move a spill motion against Prime Minister Tony Abbott. (AAP: Andrea Hayward)
"No, I don't have any advice to my colleagues because they are elected members of Parliament and they will take whatever action they see fit," she said.
"But my overall message is this, we are a united team and we can achieve a great deal as a team.
"We cannot say what one of the 102 members of the Liberal Party will seek to do," she added.
"I can't read people's minds but what I can say is I'm not campaigning for the job of Prime Minister."
Before the email was sent the Treasurer Joe Hockey said he was not aware of any MP preparing to move a spill motion, and Mr Abbott told Macquarie Radio he did not think there would be a spill.
Earlier Education Minister Christopher Pyne moved to clarify remarks he made about the Prime Minister's leadership this morning, saying the media had "completely overreacted".
Mr Pyne had told Channel Nine he "hoped" Tony Abbott would still be Prime Minister after next week's Liberal party room meeting but said he did not know if a spill motion would be moved.
"The media appear to have completely overreacted to what I regarded as entirely unremarkable comments and obviously my position is totally unchanged," Mr Pyne told Sky News later in the morning.
"I don't believe that there should be a spill motion on Tuesday, I don't believe Tony Abbott should be replaced as leader of the Liberal Party."
Standing alongside Ms Bishop during a press conference in Adelaide, he later blamed his earlier remarks on tiredness.
This morning Mr Abbott himself told Macquarie Radio he did not think there would be a spill.
"Well I'm not expecting it, I'm expecting business as usual because this is a Government with a very full agenda," he said.
"I'm expecting just to get on with business and I'm confident that I have the full support of the Cabinet."
Asked if he had spoken to the "dissidents" in his party room agitating for change, Mr Abbott said: "I don't know who these so-called dissidents are, I just know that if people have got a criticism, I encourage them to call me up and we talk about it."
Later in the Macquarie Radio interview Mr Abbott was asked to describe who the "real Tony Abbott" was.
He said he was the father of three daughters, a volunteer fire fighter and a surf lifesaver before declaring, "most of all I am the Prime Minister of our country and I am spending every ounce of energy, I am dedicating every fibre of my being to ensure this country flourishes".
Turnbull said PM enjoyed 'utter loyalty' from frontbench
Mr Turnbull, viewed as a likely replacement for Mr Abbott, yesterday said the Prime Minister had enjoyed "utter loyalty" from his frontbenchers ever since he became Opposition leader.
"There is no tension between Tony and his senior colleagues, it is a very cohesive team and we are all supportive," Mr Turnbull told a "politics in the pub" forum on the New South Wales central coast.
"He is not being undermined.
"He has had remarkable consistency, loyalty ... lack of rivalry."
Mr Abbott told Sky he believed Mr Turnbull and Ms Bishop's public assurances of support.
"They are my Cabinet colleagues, they are my friends," he said.
"I've known them both for a long time, I've worked closely with them for a long time.
"You always have your ups and downs, that's natural when you've got strong personalities talking about the most difficult decisions any country can face, but I trust them."
