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'Chastened' Tony Abbott desperately fights off leadership challenge

PM suggests ministers could lose their jobs if they support Monday morning’s spill motion and promises to be ‘better’ if his colleagues stick with him

 Tony Abbott in Sydney on Sunday. Photograph: Quentin Jones/EP

the Guardian,

8 February, 2015

Tony Abbott is desperately fighting off a leadership challenge against no declared contenders, promising major policy shifts to shore up votes, suggesting ministers could lose their jobs if they support Monday morning’s spill motion and declaring himself “chastened”.

The prime minister said Australia could not afford an “embarrassing” Labor-style “meltdown” and he promised his colleagues he would be more consultative and “better” if they stuck with him.

“Obviously it’s a pretty chastening experience to have spill motion moved on you after just 16 months in government – a very chastening experience,” Abbott told the ABC on Sunday evening.

“I am determined that my government, if it continues after tomorrow, will learn from this experience, will be different and better this year than we were in every respect last year.”

Despite Malcolm Turnbull refusing entreaties from his supporters to formally declare his candidacy on Sunday, sources claimed the spill motion would get 30 or more votes in the federal Liberal party room. Only a handful of MPs have publicly declared they will back it.

If the motion failed there would be no leadership ballot, but the situation is fluid.

Monday’s Newspoll brought more bad news for Abbott, showing his performance rating falling nine points to a record low of 24%.

Abbott was easily the least popular compared with the two likely contenders for the leadership – Turnbull and Julie Bishop. The poll, taken over the weekend, gave Turnbull a 64% to 25% lead over Abbott among voters, while Bishop was ahead of the prime minister 59% to 27%.

The Coalition’s primary vote fell three points to an eight-month low of 35%, giving Labor a huge two-party-preferred lead of 57% to 43%.

The prime minister and his supporters hit the phones on Sunday to shore up support.

Turnbull is understood to have told supporters he is determined to take the leadership only in response to a demand from his party and not to be seen as an assassin. His supporters were urging him to declare on Sunday, so leadership could to be settled quickly.

If the spill motion fails Abbott will declare the matter is decisively concluded. But if he is unable to restore stability and coherence to the government, those seeking his removal believe the party room would reconsider.

Abbott said all prime ministers were “in a sense, on probation”.