February 2015 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill motion

{{main|Tony Abbott}}

Tony Abbott became leader of the Liberal Party in December 2009 after forcing a leadership ballot on the subject of Malcolm Turnbull's support of the Labor First Rudd government's proposed Emissions Trading Scheme.{{Cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/abbott-quits-as-new-leadership-revolt-escalates-20091126-jtzh.html |title=Abbott quits as new leadership revolt escalates |work=The Age |location=Melbourne |date=26 November 2009 |access-date=6 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207191924/http://www.theage.com.au/national/abbott-quits-as-new-leadership-revolt-escalates-20091126-jtzh.html |archive-date=7 December 2013 }} Joe Hockey was initially thought by political commentators as the favourite to win the ballot. However, Hockey was defeated in the first round of voting, and in the second and final round, Abbott defeated Turnbull by 42 votes to 41 to become the party's leader and Leader of the Opposition. Bishop was re-elected as Deputy Leader, and declared subsequent to the ballot in a 2013 interview that she supported Turnbull.{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/julie-bishop-the-interview/story-e6frg6n6-1226574576208|title=Julie Bishop - the interview|author=Baker, Jordan|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=Australia|date=10 February 2013|access-date=6 February 2015}} Abbott led the Liberal/National Coalition to the 2010 federal election where a hung parliament was the outcome.{{Cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/72-all--brisbane-to-coalition-and-corangamite-to-alp-20100827-13w1r.html|title=72 all – Brisbane to Coalition and Corangamite to ALP|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=28 August 2010|access-date=30 August 2010|first=Tim|last=Colebatch}} After a protracted period of negotiations, Prime Minister Julia Gillard formed the Second Gillard government. Following the 2010 election, Abbott and Bishop were re-elected unopposed as leaders of the Liberal Party.{{Cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/julie-bishop-re-elected-as-liberal-deputy/story-e6frfku9-1225916600887|work=news.com.au|agency=AAP|title=Liberal leaders re-elected unopposed|date=9 September 2010}}

File:Tony Abbott speaking at the 2015 National Flag Raising and Citizenship Ceremony.jpg 2015, the day it was announced that Prince Philip and Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston were appointed Knights of the Order of Australia.]]At the 2013 federal election, Abbott led the Coalition to victory over the incumbent second Rudd government. Abbott and his ministry were sworn in on 18 September 2013.{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/09/20139182623513274.html|title=Abbott sworn in as Australia's PM|work=Al Jazeera|location=Asia Pacific|access-date=29 October 2013}} Abbott government came to power with 53.5 percent of the two-party preferred vote. However, the Coalition failed to win control of the Senate,{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/federal-election-2013/results/senate/|title=Senate Results: Summary|work=Federal Election 2013|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|date=2014|access-date=6 February 2015}} that resulted in several blockages of the Coalition's proposed legislative reforms including university education and TAFE deregulation, co-payment for general practitioner visits, and a paid parental leave scheme.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/g20-summit-tony-abbott-laments-to-world-leaders-his-failure-to-pass-tax-on-gp-visits-20141115-11nccp.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022162845/http://www.theage.com.au/business/g20/g20-summit-tony-abbott-laments-to-world-leaders-his-failure-to-pass-tax-on-gp-visits-20141115-11nccp|archive-date=22 October 2015|title=G20 summit: Tony Abbott laments to world leaders his failure to pass tax on GP visits|work=The Age|author-link=Latika Bourke|last=Bourke|first=Latika|date=15 November 2014|access-date=7 February 2015}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/26/tony-abbott-backward-looking-failure-adrift-bill-shorten|title=Tony Abbott a backward-looking failure adrift on world stage, says Bill Shorten|work=The Guardian|author=Hurst, Daniel|location=Australia|date=26 November 2014|access-date=7 February 2015}} By the May release of the 2014 budget, average polling revealed that the Abbott government's two-party preferred vote had decreased to 46 percent; and despite an upward swing in polling between August and October 2014, by late January and early February 2015, polling had reduced the two-party preferred vote to 45 percent.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-06/cassidy-the-public-still-wants-an-end-to-the-chaos/6073600|title=The public still wants an end to the chaos|author=Cassidy, Barrie|author-link=Barrie Cassidy|work=The Drum|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|date=5 February 2015|access-date=6 February 2015}} A Fairfax/Ipsos poll in released in early February revealed that Abbott's approval rating had fallen 9 points to 29 per cent since December and his disapproval had risen 10 points to 67 per cent. Abbott trailed Labor Opposition leader Bill Shorten as preferred Prime Minister by 50 per cent to 34 per cent, an 8 point worsening for Abbott since December.{{cite news|url=http://www.afr.com/p/national/tony_abbott_reels_from_queensland_DpN2VRz8KOymvQirDYaleM|title=Tony Abbott reels from Queensland election debacle|author=Coorey, Phillip|work=The Australian Financial Review|date=2 February 2015|access-date=6 February 2015}}

On Australia Day 2015 Abbott announced that Queen Elizabeth had accepted his recommendation that her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, be appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia. The appointment was criticised by Shorten who said: "It's a time warp where we're giving knighthoods to English [sic] royalty. Some people (have) wondered whether it was an Australia Day hoax." Adam Giles, Northern Territory chief minister and Country Liberal Party leader, said: "I woke up this morning and read the wires and was confused between Australia Day and April Fool's Day,"{{cite news|title='National revolt' in Australia as Prince Philip awarded knighthood|url=http://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/prince-philip-australia-knighthood28679/28679|access-date=26 January 2015|work=Channel 4 News|date=26 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129024954/http://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/prince-philip-australia-knighthood28679/28679|archive-date=29 January 2015|df=dmy-all}} adding "It makes us a bit of a joke. It's Australia Day, we're not a bunch of tossers."{{cite news|title=Prince Philip and former Defence chief Angus Houston named as Australian knights|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/26/prince-philip-angus-houston-named-australian-knights|access-date=26 January 2015|work=The Guardian|date=25 January 2015}} Abbott later stated that he had made a captain's call and not consulted with his cabinet colleagues over the appointment.{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/newspapers-nationwide-condemn-tony-abbotts-captains-call-20150127-12yrzy.html|title=Newspapers nationwide condemn Tony Abbott's captain's call|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|author=Riordan, Primrose|date=27 January 2015|access-date=6 February 2015}}{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-leadership-crisis-tony-abbott-says-backbench-might-be-too-intimidated-to-tell-him-their-concerns-20150203-135ibv.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829212248/http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-leadership-crisis-tony-abbott-says-backbench-might-be-too-intimidated-to-tell-him-their-concerns-20150203-135ibv.html|archive-date=29 August 2015|title=Liberal leadership crisis: Tony Abbott says backbench might be too 'intimidated' to tell him their concerns|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|publisher=Fairfax Media|author-link=Latika Bourke|last=Bourke|first=Latika|date=4 February 2015|access-date=6 February 2015}} Abbott faced criticism from some parliamentarians in his own party and the Nationals over the proposed appointment.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-27/barnaby-joyce-criticises-prince-philip-knighthood/6048708|title=Prince Philip knighthood: Barnaby Joyce criticises PM Tony Abbott's 'captain's call'|work=ABC News|location=Australia|author=Henderson, Anna|author2=Kirk, Alexandra|date=27 January 2015|access-date=6 February 2015}}

Meanwhile, the 2015 Queensland election was held on 31 January with Abbott asked to stay away from Queensland during the campaign period.{{cite news|url=http://www.afr.com/p/national/liberals_give_tony_abbott_six_months_xQwrFDGsH2kyfTgsUVjRUK|title=Liberals give Tony Abbott six months|work=The Australian Financial Review|author=Coorey, Phillip|date=30 January 2015|access-date=6 February 2015}} Premier Newman, who lost his seat at the election, claimed that the decision to award a knighthood to Prince Philip caused an unwanted distraction in the final days of the campaign as Newman sought to focus on jobs and the economy.{{cite news|url=http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2015/01/28/newman-levels-criticism-at-abbott-knighthood-pick.html#sthash.knZxYS7u.dpuf|title=Newman criticises Abbott knighthood pick|work=Sky News|location=Australia|date=28 January 2015|access-date=6 February 2015}} The sitting Liberal National Party suffered a 14 point two-party swing, and lost what was considered an unlosable election (owing to its overwhelming majority) to Labor, which subsequently formed minority government.{{cite news|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/01/30/new-premier-tipped-queensland|title=New premier tipped for Queensland|work=SBS World News|location=Australia|date=30 January 2015|access-date=2 February 2015|agency=AAP}}

Dissent initially emerged from backbenchers, including Andrew Laming from Queensland,{{cite news|url=http://www.afr.com/p/national/tony_abbott_concedes_government_60DQKULwheUbJ6lZYTzr8I|title=Tony Abbott concedes government has 'bit off more than we can chew'|work=The Australian Financial Review|author1=Coorey, Phillip|author2=Mather, Joanna|date=4 February 2015|access-date=6 February 2015}} and Western Australia's Dennis Jensen, who was the first Liberal MP to publicly call on the prime minister to resign.{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4173524.htm|title = Liberal backbencher, Dennis Jensen, calls for Tony Abbott to resign|website = Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date = 3 February 2015}} Their dissent was echoed by several other Liberal backbenchers, including Simpkins and Randall from Western Australia. On Friday, 6 February, Simpkins submitted to the Chief Government Whip a motion, seconded by Randall, to spill the parliamentary leadership positions of the Liberal Party.{{cite news|url=http://www.skynews.com.au/news/politics/national/2015/02/06/simpkins-to-move-spill-motion-against-pm.html|title=Simpkins to move spill motion against PM|date=6 February 2015|work=Sky News|access-date=19 February 2015}}

On the day before the leadership spill vote, Abbott announced that a planned submarine deal, which previously seemed likely to be manufactured by Japanese shipbuilders, would instead proceed with an "open tender". This announcement came as a surprise as the Government had resisted calls for an open tender months prior to the spill motion, and was seen as an attempt by Abbott to secure support from South Australian parliamentarians, such as Senator Sean Edwards who warned he may not support Abbott in the motion over the issue. ASC Pty Ltd, the Government owned naval shipbuilding corporation is based in Adelaide, South Australia. After, the government chose to call it a "competitive evaluation process" rather than an "open tender" with no indication of what would change.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/08/tony-abbott-pledges-open-tender-for-submarines-to-win-over-sa-liberals|title=Tony Abbott pledges open tender for submarines to win over SA Liberals|work=Guardian Australia|author1=Hurst, Daniel|date=8 February 2015|access-date=8 February 2015}}

Various media sources have reported that a National Civic Council NCC email campaign helped in part to secure Tony Abbott's position as Prime Minister before the spill motion in February 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/survival-instinct-could-see-tony-abbott-axed-claims-amanda-vanstone-20150316-1m0he7.html|title=Survival instinct could see Tony Abbott axed, claims Amanda Vanstone|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=16 March 2015|author=Mark Kenny}}{{cite news|last1=Wilkinson|first1=M|last2=Michelmore|first2=K|last3=Christodoulou|first3=M|title=Christian group NCC orchestrated email spam campaign supporting Tony Abbott ahead of spill|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-16/ncc-orchestrated-spam-campaign-ahead-of-liberal-spill/6323206|access-date=16 March 2015|work=ABC News}}{{cite news|title=Conservatives rallied to Abbott rescue|url=http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/fed-liberal-party-spat-deepens/story-e6frfku9-1227264278950|access-date=16 March 2015|agency=News.com.au}} Senator Eric Abetz stated before the spill: "In the last few days the emails have been overwhelmingly flooding the office saying all this nonsense about leadership has gone far too far, and the emails are now overwhelmingly saying 'stick to the team you've got'"

Under party rules, any Liberal MP or senator can propose a motion to spill the party's leadership. The leader of the party then invites a discussion of the motion at a party room meeting, and makes a decision whether to call a vote on the matter based on the sentiments which are expressed.{{cite news|last1=Jennett|first1=Greg|title=Explained: How a Liberal leadership spill would work|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-06/liberal-leadership-spill-mechanics-tony-abbott/6069470|access-date=6 February 2015|work=ABC News|location=Australia|date=6 February 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Ghazarian|first1=Zareh|title=Explainer: how does a Liberal leadership spill work?|url=https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-does-a-liberal-leadership-spill-work-37277|work=The Conversation|access-date=7 February 2015|date=6 February 2015}} The leader can also choose to conduct this vote through a public show of hands or a secret ballot.{{cite news|last1=Hunter|first1=Fergus|title=Spill motion against Prime Minister Tony Abbott: what it is, how it works|url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/spill-motion-against-prime-minister-tony-abbott-what-it-is-how-it-works-20150206-13826t.html|access-date=7 February 2015|work=The Canberra Times|date=6 February 2015|archive-date=16 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216012432/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/spill-motion-against-prime-minister-tony-abbott-what-it-is-how-it-works-20150206-13826t.html|url-status=dead}} Abbott stated, before the ballot, that it would be conducted in secret, as has previously occurred.{{cite news|last1=Grattan|first1=Michelle|title=Explainer: why is Australian prime minister Tony Abbott facing a leadership crisis?|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/02/08/explainer-why-australian-prime-minister-tony-abbott-facing-leadership-crisis|access-date=8 February 2015|work=SBS News}} By convention, Liberal Party ministers are expected to vote against conducting leadership spills.

If a vote on the spill motion is conducted, and a majority supports a spill, the leadership is declared to be vacant. Candidates then nominate for the position, and a vote is held among the members present at the meeting. If more than two people nominate, multiple rounds of voting take place if no candidate has a majority, with the lowest-placed candidate being eliminated until a candidate has a majority of the votes of a ballot. There were 102 Liberal members at this spill, and 52 would need to be in favour for the motion to succeed if all were in attendance at the party room meeting.

Image:Malcolm Turnbull PEO (cropped).jpg would become Prime Minister of Australia after defeating Abbott at the September 2015 Liberal leadership ballot.]]

On the morning of 9 February, The Australian reported that a Newspoll survey conducted over the previous days had found that Abbott was the most unpopular Prime Minister since Paul Keating in 1994. The survey also found that Bishop or Turnbull would be preferred to Abbott as the Prime Minister.{{cite news|last1=Hudson|first1=Phillip|title=Abbott leadership crisis: Judgment day as Newspoll shows PM losing voters|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/abbott-leadership-crisis-judgment-day-as-newspoll-shows-pm-losing-voters/story-fn59niix-1227212412293|access-date=9 February 2015|work=The Australian|date=9 February 2015}} The Australian Financial Review stated that the results of this and other recent polling were "disastrous" for the government, and that "Voters have adopted an 'anyone but Abbott' view of the Liberal leadership".{{cite news|last1=Tadros|first1=Edmund|title=Leadership spill: Anyone but Tony Abbott, voters tell Newspoll|url=http://www.afr.com/p/national/politics/leadership_spill_anyone_but_tony_GrDvfSi3VPrNLYiM6sV71L|access-date=9 February 2015|work=Australian Financial Review|date=9 February 2015}}

A motion to spill the leadership was voted on, and defeated, in the Liberal Party meeting which commenced at 9am on 9 February. All of the Liberal MPs and senators other than Ross Vasta attended the meeting; Vasta was on paternity leave. A total of 61 members voted against the motion, 39 supported it and one cast an informal vote.{{cite news|last1=Griffith|first1=Emma|last2=Glenday|first2=James|title=Tony Abbott keeps leadership of Liberal Party but some supporters fear he is doomed|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-09/tony-abbott-keeps-liberal-leadership-failed-spill-motion/6079006|access-date=9 February 2015|work=ABC News|date=9 February 2015}} Following the vote Abbott delivered a speech to the members calling for their support, and promised to consult more with backbench MPs. In this speech, Abbott also made a new commitment to further cut tax rates for small businesses, promised that the 2015 budget would leave families better off and agreed to reduce the role his chief of staff Peta Credlin plays in the government.{{cite news|last1=Massola|first1=James|last2=Kenny|first2=Mark|title=Tony Abbott pleads with colleagues for six-month reprieve|url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-pleads-with-colleagues-for-sixmonth-reprieve-20150209-139hma.html|access-date=9 February 2015|work=The Canberra Times|date=9 February 2015|archive-date=11 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211100758/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-pleads-with-colleagues-for-sixmonth-reprieve-20150209-139hma.html|url-status=dead}} After the Liberal Party meeting concluded, Abbott made a televised statement in which he said that "The Liberal Party has dealt with the spill motion and now this matter is behind us".

Michelle Grattan, writing in The Conversation, argued that the "narrow margin" of the vote left Abbott "deeply vulnerable to later destabilisation".{{cite web|last1=Grattan|first1=Michelle|title=Abbott left deeply wounded by narrow victory|url=http://theconversation.com/abbott-left-deeply-wounded-by-narrow-victory-37339|website=The Conversation|access-date=9 February 2015|date=9 February 2015}} News Limited journalist Malcolm Farr wrote that Abbott had been "given, at best, a stay of execution".{{cite news|last=Farr|first=Malcolm|author-link=Malcolm Farr|title=Tony Abbott defeated the spill motion, but he will still struggle to survive|url=http://www.news.com.au/national/tony-abbott-defeated-the-spill-motion-but-he-will-still-struggle-to-survive/story-fncynjr2-1227212864241|access-date=9 February 2015|work=news.com.au|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210111647/http://www.news.com.au/national/tony-abbott-defeated-the-spill-motion-but-he-will-still-struggle-to-survive/story-fncynjr2-1227212864241|archive-date=10 February 2015|date=9 February 2015}}

On 13 February, Abbott removed Father of the Parliament Philip Ruddock from his position as Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives and replaced him with Scott Buchholz. Some Liberal MPs and journalists attributed Ruddock's removal to Abbott being dissatisfied with Ruddock's performance in managing the tensions leading to the spill motion. However, Bishop and some other MPs rejected any link.{{cite news|last1=Uhlmann|first1=Chris|last2=Kirk|first2=Alexandra|last3=Glenday|first3=James|title=Philip Ruddock sacked as chief government whip in wake of spill motion against Tony Abbott|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-13/philip-ruddock-sacked-as-chief-government-whip/6093194|access-date=13 February 2015|work=ABC News|date=13 February 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Kenny|first1=Mark|title=Coalition elder statesman Philip Ruddock axed as Chief Whip following Liberal Party spill attempt|url=http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/coalition-elder-statesman-philip-ruddock-axed-as-chief-whip-following-liberal-party-spill-attempt-20150213-13ee22.html|access-date=13 February 2015|work=The Age|date=13 February 2015}} Abbott stated that he had made the change as part of reforms to provide "a deeper and stronger engagement with the backbench", and it was not retribution against Ruddock.{{cite news|last1=McDonald|first1=Susan|last2=Woodley|first2=Naomi|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-14/philip-ruddocks-sacking-from-chief-whip-is-scapegoating-says-mp/6098636|title=Tony Abbott says decision to replace Philip Ruddock as chief whip not an act of retribution|access-date=14 February 2015|work=ABC News|date=14 February 2015}}

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