Australian PM Abbott faces new leadership challenge

Cabinet members Malcolm Turnbull and FM Julie Bishop visit beleaguered Abbott to tell him he needed to step aside


Afp September 14, 2015
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. PHOTO: AFP

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was on Monday facing his second leadership challenge of the year, with a high-profile colleague throwing down the gauntlet and saying his party would otherwise lose the next election.

Cabinet members Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop visited the beleaguered Abbott to tell him he needed to step aside, Sky News reported, citing unnamed sources.

Turnbull, a popular communications minister long considered one of the most credible alternatives to Abbott, told reporters he had formally requested a leadership vote.

"I met with the prime minister and advised him that I would be challenging him for the leadership of the Liberal Party, and I asked him to arrange or facilitate a meeting of the party room to enable a leadership ballot to be held," Turnbull said in Canberra.

In the current parliament, whoever leads the Liberal Party becomes prime minister.

A millionaire former barrister from an upmarket Sydney electorate, Turnbull has long been considered the main challenger to Abbott, an unpopular premier who won power in a 2013 election.

Abbott had earlier brushed off speculation of a challenge, telling reporters: "I just am not going to get caught up in Canberra gossip, I'm not going to play Canberra games."

He has not yet commented on the move from Turnbull, who resigned his cabinet post earlier Monday.

The prime minister heads a coalition with the junior National Party.

Abbott survived a leadership challenge in February after poor polling, policy backflips and an unpopular budget generated a backbench revolt, fuelled by questions about the prime minister's judgement.

No challenger emerged then, after a vote on whether there should be a leadership contest was defeated 61 to 39.

But in the months since, Abbott has failed to turn around the polls, buoy the economy or stop damaging leaks from within his party.

The next national election, which must be held by mid-January 2017, is expected to be called some time next year and Turnbull said failure to change would mean losing power to Labour leader Bill Shorten.

"If we continue with Mr Abbott as Prime Minister, it is clear enough what will happen. He will cease to be prime minister and he'll be succeeded by Mr Shorten," Turnbull said.

Australian politics can be a brutal affair, with party leaderships switching rapidly after often vicious and sudden coups.

Turnbull previously led the Liberal Party in opposition before being ousted by Abbott in late 2009.

Abbott lost the 2010 election to Labour's Julia Gillard, but led his party to victory in 2013.

Turnbull said on Monday he had taken soundings from many people over a long period of time, and had not taken the decision to challenge lightly.

He said Australia needed a style of leadership "that respects the people's intelligence, that explains these complex issues and then sets out the course of action we believe we should take".

"We need advocacy, not slogans," he said. "We need a different style of leadership."

The Labour Party has had led over the government since last year with a Newspoll last week finding 63 per cent of voters dissatisfied with Abbott's performance.

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