Tony Abbott: Defiant PM says he and Julie Bishop will 'stand together' to defeat leadership spill motion

Updated

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 issued a statement saying that due to Cabinet solidarity, she agreed there should be support for the current leadership team in the spill motion.

However, her statement made no mention of whether she would stand with Mr Abbott on a joint ticket in the event the spill succeeded.

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.

"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.

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.

"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."

Liberal MP Sharman Stone said she was stumped by Mr Abbott and Ms Bishop's united stance.

"I think we do need to have a spill so that we can put this matter to rest, because the longer it's left unresolved, the closer we get to next election and we don't want Labor to win," she said.

"In regards to saying the people of Australia have chosen the PM of the day, in fact no, it is always the party room, whether Labor Caucus or the Liberal party room, who choose their leader from the elected senators and members."

Mr Simpkins said he submitted a motion to the Government's chief whip, Philip Ruddock, asking for the spill to be conducted via a secret ballot at Tuesday's party room meeting.

Mr 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."

Trade Minister Andrew Robb said he did not know if the spill motion would succeed.

"It looks a little bit orchestrated to me, to be honest," he said.

"It's being played out as something that's just emerged but it looks like it's been in the can for sometime."

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said he was "very confident" the party room would support the current leadership team.

"I have been inundated by emails and phone calls from constituents and spoken to lot of my colleagues over the past week and the overwhelming message I've received is people want us to get on with the job we were elected to do," he said.

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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 Monday, though no-one has stepped forward as a challenger at this stage.

Mr Abbott said he and deputy Liberal leader 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."

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will face a challenge to his leadership of the Liberal Party on Monday, though no-one has stepped forward as a challenger at this stage.Mr Abbott said he and deputy Liberal leader 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.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.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.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, Ms 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.

"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, 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.

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 firefighter 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".

Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, political-parties, liberals, abbott-tony, australia, wa

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