A wave of ministers have held press conferences declaring their opposition to the spill motion, which was moved amid rising backbench anger over the direction and purpose of the Abbott government. Media outside Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Sydney home on Saturday morning. Credit:Damian Shaw Mr Abbott's supporters insist he has the strength of support to see off the spill motion, which requires 52 MPs in the 102 member Liberal party room to go ahead. Mr Abbott's camp believes the Prime Minister has the support of at least 60 per cent of the party room. Liberal MPs are furiously telephoning each other to discuss the crisis amid fear in the Abbott camp that support for the Prime Minister could ebb away as the critical party room meeting approaches.

Fairfax Media spoke to several of Mr Turnbull's political allies on Saturday and all said he was now expected to stand, though he has not yet publicly shown his hand. Supporters say Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull will contest the Liberal Party leadership if moves to declare the position vacant succeed. Credit:Nic Walker "If the spill motion is successful Malcolm will be a candidate," one supporter said. "Everyone expects it now," a second supporter said. "It's gonna be Turnbull v Abbott, there is no doubt about it. It's a phony war at the moment". That MP disparaged public calls from cabinet ministers for Mr Abbott to be supported and the spill motion to be defeated.

"What's on TV isn't what people are doing or saying behind the scenes," the MP said. What’s on TV isn’t what people are doing or saying behind the scenes Mr Abbott said on Saturday it was his understanding the vote in the party room would be a secret ballot. "The standard procedure is a secret ballot," he said. Contradicting the Abbott camp, that second MP said that if it was a free vote, "I think the spill motion will get up".

A third MP, this one in the ministry, said he expected Mr Turnbull to put his hand up if the leadership spill was successful. "He'd be a fool not to," the minister said, adding that the parade of senior ministers calling for support for Mr Abbott was actually damaging the Prime Minister because it "just reinforces the message that the backbench is wrong". Several Liberal MPs told Fairfax Media they expected Mr Turnbull would dump Joe Hockey as Treasurer and replace him with Scott Morrison. Without a formal declaration, it remains open to Mr Turnbull to not put his name forward for strategic reasons, reprising a tactic adopted by former prime minister Kevin Rudd in March 2013 when he opted not to challenge after a spill was granted by Julia Gillard. Mr Abbott said on Saturday the Coalition had been elected to "end the chaos and the disunity of the Labor years".

"This Liberal National Party, this Coalition is not Labor and we are determined to give you, the Australian people, the certainty and the stability that you voted for," he said. "There was this eruption of instability during the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years. The last thing anyone wants is to see a government in this country turn into some kind of Game of Thrones." Ms Bishop said she would "certainly" vote against the spill motion. "My role as deputy is to support the leader, not to change the leader and I don't support a spill motion," she said. Responding to the spill motion on Friday, Mr Abbott said he and Ms Bishop would "stand together" to defeat a spill motion at Tuesday's scheduled meeting.

Sources close to Ms Bishop accused the Prime Minister of effectively "verballing" and "misrepresenting" his deputy on Friday and noted that what support she has provided is the bare minimum required of her position. Comment has been sought from Mr Turnbull's office. Follow us on Twitter