At Tuesday’s Coalition parties meeting, Julie Bishop declared, apparently rather theatrically: “That’s it! Leadership spills are so yesterday!” “People move on so quickly,” the Liberal deputy said. Well…
- Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Tony Abbott is precariously perched on icy slopes – deeply unpopular both in the community and with his backbench. More slips and/or continued disastrous polling would plunge him to political death, while…
Tony Abbott has held at bay a move to depose him. The Liberal party room voted against a spill motion by 61 to 39 – but the narrow margin leaves the prime minister deeply vulnerable to later destabilisation…
Liberal MPs who must decide whether to spill the leadership are confronted by a Newspoll that’s truly shocking for embattled Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Labor has a massive 57-43% lead in two-party terms…
Malcolm Turnbull has effectively flagged he would be a candidate if the leadership became vacant in a successful spill on Monday. Although remaining coy about his intentions, Turnbull told reporters: “If…
Update: Tony Abbott has won the leadership ballot 61-39. For the latest updates follow Michelle Grattan’s articles here. After his triumph in September 2013, Australian prime minister Tony Abbott faces…
Liberal MPs will confront a stark choice next week between propping up a deeply wounded prime minister or trying a fresh start. They know each course is fraught with big risks. With the crucial vote not…
Tony Abbott declared he and his deputy, Julie Bishop, will “stand together” to oppose a motion to spill their positions at next week’s Liberal party meeting. The prime minister announced his stand-and-fight…
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Stephen Parker and Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including whether or not Prime Minister Tony Abbott should step down, how likely it is to happen…
When Malcolm Turnbull appeared at Thursday night’s politics in the pub on the NSW central coast the first questioner demanded to know whether he was interested in being leader. Turnbull dodged around but…
Cabinet minister Andrew Robb has criticised the government’s inclusion of its Medicare and universities reforms in last year’s budget, saying budgets should return to “straight fiscal issues”. As debate…
In 2001, after a disastrous Queensland election result, then-Liberal federal president Shane Stone wrote his famous memo reporting that the Howard government was seen as “mean and tricky”, out of touch…
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was dispatched on Tuesday night to announce there’d been unanimous support for Tony Abbott in cabinet, which is meeting for two days. “That’s a strong message, not only…
West Australian Liberal backbencher Dennis Jensen has urged the Liberals to hold a leadership vote next week, declaring Tony Abbott is not an effective leader and his position is “terminal”. Jensen told…
The Liberal Party remains volatile and Tony Abbott’s position precarious after a National Press Club performance that avoided disaster but did not convince the doubters among his followers. Abbott gave…
Tony Abbott has appealed to his Liberal colleagues to show “character” and not “give in to short-term fear and make a difficult situation worse”. In an appearance billed as vital for his immediate political…
Tony Abbott will finally and reluctantly declare his dream of a “bigger, better” paid parental leave (PPL) scheme is “off the table”, in a speech that has become crucial to staving off the mounting pressure…
The federal Liberals are in a funk, with the increasing realisation that Tony Abbott could be unelectable in 2016. But getting out of their hole is about more than a change of face. The options are stark…
The Abbott government would face a devastating rebuff if an election were held now, losing some 36 seats on a uniform 7.5% swing, according to a Fairfax/Ipsos poll published on Sunday. The poll, taken…
The rout in Queensland is shocking news for Tony Abbott. It will terrify federal backbenchers and further destabilise his leadership. It puts up in lights that the unpopular federal Coalition could easily…
Leaders must be “explainers and advocates, unravelling complex issues in clear language”, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said, outlining a strategy for selling hard economic messages. Turnbull…
When Tony Abbott was asked on Friday whether he’d consider stepping aside for Julie Bishop or Malcolm Turnbull – both of whom are more popular than he is – the Prime Minister defaulted to chutzpah. Abbott…
If Tony Abbott were risk-averse, he wouldn’t have scheduled a National Press Club appearance for Monday. Or perhaps it was just another Abbott blind spot. Of course when Abbott signed up to turning up…
Tony Abbott’s right-hand woman Peta Credlin is in an invidious position. Not only are many Coalition figures wanting her removed, but now Rupert Murdoch says it’s her “patriotic duty” to fall on her sword…
News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch has made an extraordinary intervention in the Coalition controversy over Tony Abbott’s chief of staff, Peta Credlin, declaring via Twitter that she must go. In a series of…
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