Some members in Abbott’s Warringah seat resign while those in Bronwyn Bishop’s seat cancel fundraisers to protest her alleged support of Malcolm Turnbull

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The coup that brought about Tony Abbott’s downfall as prime minister has caused bad blood in two blue ribbon seats in the Liberal party heartland of Sydney’s north shore.

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Party members in Abbott’s Warringah electorate have resigned over his ousting while members in Bronwyn Bishop’s neighbouring seat of Mackellar have cancelled two fundraisers in protest against her alleged support of Malcolm Turnbull.



Bishop has not confirmed which way she voted in the leadership spil.



Party sources said there had also been a bump in Liberal membership after Turnbull’s ascension to the prime ministership though it was too early to quantify the numbers until they were processed.

The president of the Liberal Warringah conference, Water Villatora, has emailed members in Abbott’s seat acknowledging some members have been “so upset” they indicated they would resign.



Villatora urged members to stay on, though he said Abbott was replaced because of a “few silly polls”. He said it had been the “worst week ever” for members of “Team Tony Abbott”.



“Many of us are left scratching our heads that a few silly polls was given as the reason to topple him as prime minister,” Villatora wrote to members.



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“Great leaders often have difficult polling in the early years … John Howard’s and Margaret Thatcher’s were far worse two years in.

“The dust is still settling … but I know that I speak for all when I say that if Tony believes he can still continue to contribute to this nation’s public life that he has our enthusiastic encouragement to do so for many years and even decades to come.”

It is understood in spite of Villatora’s advice, a number of members in Warringah have resigned. Villatora could not be contacted for comment.

Members in Mackellar are angry Bishop, who was until recently the speaker, reportedly changed her support from Abbott to Turnbull.

Liberal fundraising events organised for Beacon Hill and Avalon have been cancelled, with volunteer workers angry at the MP’s apparent decision after Abbott had endured so much political damage during the expenses scandal which forced her to resign.

Bishop was a key political ally for the former prime minister, who had appointed her as speaker even when many of her colleagues felt she did not deserve a senior role.

Abbott was pilloried for defending Bishop for weeks during the scandal involving her taxpayer claims for a helicopter ride worth more than $5,000 from Melbourne to Geelong for a party fundraiser. She has since repaid the money.

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Bishop’s office has been inundated with calls complaining of her “treachery”, to the point where her staffers turned off the phones.

In his email to Warringah members, Villatora advised he had been in touch with Abbott and his wife Margie and he praised Abbott’s achievements in bringing the party to office.

“In mid-2009 no one expected the Liberals to have any chance at the 2010 election … but it all changed when Tony became opposition leader before the end of that year,” Villatora wrote.

“The press gallery were adamant at that time that Tony would fail badly at the next election. This could not have been further from the mark. Very quickly Tony gained the ascendancy in parliament … so much so Labor had to replace Kevin Rudd.”

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Villatora said “Tony pulled off a miracle” in the 2010 election, which resulted in a hung parliament. Villatora said Abbott had been “betrayed” by the regional independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, who backed Julia Gillard’s minority government.



“There has not been a federal one-term government since 1931 … and in 2010 Tony pulled off a miracle only to be betrayed by two independents whose electorates thought they were voting for independents who would back the Liberals in a hung parliament.”



Preselections are due in both seats around March next year, after the New South Wales redistributions are announced. Both Abbott and Bishop would have to decide by April whether they will stand again.



Both have previously indicated they will stay on in parliament.

