Tony Abbott has stated he and Julie Bishop are united against the spill motion. Courtesy: Sky News

TONY Abbott says he and Julie Bishop will oppose the spill motion to be put to the party room on Tuesday.

Mr Abbott urged his party to avoid the chaos of the Labor years.

“We are not the Labor Party and we are not going to repeat the chaos of Labor years,” the Prime Minister said.

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He said his colleagues Luke Simpkins and Don Randall were “entitled” to bring forward the spill motion but that they were defying what the Australian people had voted for.

“They are asking the party room to vote out the people they voted in,” Mr Abbott said.

Mr Abbott said he had spoken to Julie Bishop since news broke of the spill motion.

“We will stand together to call on the party to defeat this motion,” Mr Abbott said.

The Prime Minister did not take any questions at his short press conference. The full text of his statement is reproduced at the bottom of this page.

In response to Mr Abbott’s comments, the Foreign Minister simply outlined her duty as deputy leader and a cabinet minister, rather than endorsing his leadership.

A statement she released after Mr Abbott’s press conference is being read by many as one she was pushed into.

It is understood Ms Bishop would not be on a ticket with Mr Abbott in the event of a leadership spill.

She is said to be considering her options, which would include her standing as a leadership candidate.

Sky News has stated that she “agreed with the Prime Minister that due to cabinet solidarity and her position as deputy there should be support for current leadership in this spill motion”.

But a senior source told News Corp Australia: “I think Julie’s been verballed”.

“Julie can either decide now if she wants to stay in the past or move into the future,” another source said.

Turnbull silent as poll results prove a headache for Abbott

Malcolm Turnbull has remained silent on the leadership issue since news of the spill broke.

His spokesman said the Communications Minister had no comment at this stage in relation to the spill motion.

It is unlikely a statement will be issued on Friday tonight.

His Sydney office had voicemail turned on shortly before 6pm on Friday.

Chief government whip Phillip Ruddock said it wasn’t guaranteed that Tuesday’s vote would be secret.

“It can be secret or it can be a show of hands, but that is up to the leader,” Mr Ruddock told News Corp Australia.

However he wouldn’t speculate on whether or not the motion should go ahead and how he should vote.

He said MPs might speak on the issue before a vote to put forward their view.

SkyNews reported the results of a new ReachTel poll which could prove to be a headache for supporters of Mr Abbott.

In the two-party-preferred results, the poll showed a stark divide between support for the Coalition under Mr Abbott and other possible leaders, Ms Bishop and Mr Turnbull.

Under Mr Abbott, support for the Coalition slumped to 45 per cent, whereas under Ms Bishop it would enjoy 51 per cent support, and that figure increased to 54 per cent under Mr Turnbull.

The same poll showed Mr Abbott’s disapproval rating hitting almost 63 per cent, while his approval rating had fallen further, to 21 per cent.

Andrews, Cormann and Frydenberg support Abbott

Defence Minister Kevin Andrews and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said they supported Mr Abbott and would be voting against the spill motion — however in an embarrassing gaffe, Mr Andrews referred to the “leadership team of Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard



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Mr Cormann said his colleagues were in support of Mr Abbott.

“The cabinet is unanimous behind Tony Abbott as Prime Minister,” Senator Cormann said.

“I believe the party room is overwhelmingly behind Tony Abbott as Prime Minister.

“Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop are a strong leadership team ... it is very important that we all pull together.”

Frontbencher Josh Frydenberg said that he supported Mr Abbott.

“Labor’s time in government was like a bad horror movie and I’m not about to buy a ticket to that one,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“This motion will be defeated, hopefully. I am very confident about that.”

In response to the Liberal leadership tussles, Labor released a statement saying the leadership was not the important issue.

“Abbott, Bishop, Turnbull ... whoever’s the leader, the Liberals’ policies remain the same: unfair for Australian families, pushing up cost of living pressures,” the statement read.

Mr Abbott, Ms Bishop, Mr Turnbull and Treasurer Joe Hockey had all “ticked off” the government’s contentious 2014 budget, the Labor statement read.

Simpkins explains why he proposed the motion

Mr Simpkins and Mr Randall formally requested the leadership spill for next Tuesday.

Mr Simpkins said that he had brought forward the motion for a spill because he believed he was “doing the right thing for the country”.

He said his electorate was urging him to make a change in the party’s leadership.

“People who I know are extremely worried and no longer feel connected with the Prime Minister,” Mr Simpkins told Sky News.

“I am doing this because I don’t want the economic vandals — the Labor Party — getting back into power.”

Mr Simpkins said he believed Julie Bishop, Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull would stand as leadership candidates.

Mr Simpkins said he had received “a lot of support” from his colleagues for bringing the issue to a head.

“This isn’t about powerbrokers,” he said.

“I am a man who has no frontbencher ambitions.”

“I think the PM will now take the decision and that is to spill the leadership and let it be decided once and for all,” Mr Simpkins said.

“My colleagues ... have the opportunity now and they on Tuesday should have the opportunity to either endorse the Prime Minister or seek a new direction.”

Mr Morrison will not be running for the leadership if a spill occurs, Sky News reported.

Mr Simpkins’s motion was delivered to chief whip Philip Ruddock and the Prime Minister’s office early this afternoon.

Mr Simpkins, who was elected to parliament in 2007 and is a former police officer telephoned Mr Ruddock and the Prime Minister directly to inform them of his intentions.

“I have therefore submitted to the Chief Government Whip a motion to spill the leadership positions of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party. The spill motion should be considered via a secret ballot as the first item of business in our Party Room meeting. The motion was seconded by Don Randall who shares the same views as myself.”

He then sent out an email to all MPs.

The email stated the following:

Dear Colleagues,

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.

I have therefore submitted to the Chief Government Whip a motion to spill the leadership positions of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party. The spill motion should be considered via a secret ballot as the first item of business in our Party Room meeting. The motion was seconded by Don Randall who shares the same views as myself.

I look forward to your support in this matter. It gives you all an opportunity to either endorse the Prime Minister or to seek a new direction.

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.

Yours sincerely,

Luke

He also issued a media statement on Friday afternoon, which stated: “In recent weeks a great number of people in my electorate have made me aware that they no longer support the Prime Minister. I personally know many of them and have had contact with them for years. They are firm supporters and some are my volunteers. The last time this outpouring of concern happened was when we were being led to support the Rudd Government’s ETS and we acted on that concern.”

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“As I have said in the past, I have no front bench ambitions. I simply want to ensure that the economic vandals do not get back into power, and that our children and grandchildren are not left to pay Labor’s bill. I have done this because I believe it is in the best interests of the people of our country.

“I believe the spill motion will be supported because it will give my colleagues the chance to either endorse the Prime Minister or to seek a new direction.”

Mr Ruddock also issued an email confirmation of the motion to all Liberal MPs.

“The Prime Minister has indicated this motion will be listed for discussion at the Liberal Party Meeting on Tuesday,” the notice from Mr Ruddock stated.

It is understood the Prime Minister did not initially take Mr Simpkins’ call and that the MP had to leave a voicemail.

One source close to the push for change said there were enough MPs who now supported a spill.

A majority of the 102 Liberal MPs in the party room need to support any motion for a spill if one is to go ahead.

Liberal MP Andrew Nikolic has branded the move to challenge Mr Abbott as disappointing and divisive.

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Mr Nikolic dismissed the move as the “ill-disciplined and self-interested behaviours that the Australian people explicitly rejected in 2013”.

The email was copied to other coalition MPs and senators.

“Your actions are disappointing and divisive,” Mr Nikolic said to Mr Simpkins.

“You do not have my support for this.”

Christian Porter, the parliamentary secretary to Mr Abbott, said Mr Simpkins and Mr Randall should withdraw their spill motion.

Mr Porter said the duo’s motion would not be supported by the majority of their colleagues and that Mr Abbott would survive a leadership vote.

Mr Porter said he had left messages with both Mr Simpkins and Mr Randall but they had not returned calls.

He said their actions were damaging the reputation of the government.

Mr Porter also praised Curtin MHR Julie Bishop and expected her to remain as deputy.

Mr Simpkins, the member for Cowan, is said to have made his decision to call for a spill after

being persuaded by his electorate that change was needed.

A week of rumour and speculation for the Liberals

MPs have gone public with their views on the leadership throughout the week.

In an explosive interview on Wednesday the former assistant treasurer and Liberal party stalwart Arthur Sinodinos expressed his doubts in Tony Abbott and his future leadership.

“Ask me next week comrade,” he said when asked if he believed Mr Abbott would still be Prime Minister by the end of next week.

Senator Sinodinos, who served as John Howard’s chief of staff during his prime ministership, said Mr Abbott did not have his “unqualified” support.

West Australian MP Dennis Jensen on Tuesday said Mr Abbott no longer had his support. Queenslanders Warren Entsch and Mal Brough also said they believed the leadership issue needed to be resolved.

Victorian MP Sharman Stone also joined the chorus of MPs calling for the leadership issue to be changed.

“The public’s giving me loud and clear messages, they do want to see a change,” Dr Stone told the ABC.

TRANSCRIPT: TONY ABBOTT’S FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE

“As you know, two of my colleagues have called for a leadership spill of the two senior positions in our party.

“They’ve called for a spill of my position as leader and they’ve called for a spill of Julie Bishop’s position as deputy. The first point to make is that they are perfectly entitled to call for this, but the next point to make is that they are asking the partyroom to vote out the people that the electorate voted in, in September 2013.

I want to make this very simple point. We are not the Labor Party. We are not the Labor Party and we are not going to repeat the chaos and the instability of the Labor years, so I have spoken to Deputy Leader Julie Bishop and we will stand together in urging the partyroom to defeat this particular motion and in so doing, and in defeating this motion, to vote in favour of the stability and the team that the people voted for at the election.

We have a strong plan. It’s the strong plan that I enunciated at the Press Club this week and we are determined to get on with it, and we will.”